CTFishTalk.com: Trolling motor batteries - Connecticut Boat Repair, Electronics, and Motor Help ( CT Boat Repair, Electronics, and Motor Help ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

fdmars · Joined: 18 Jan 2013 Posts: 7

any thoughts to life expectancy for trolling battery's? think mine are 6 years old, running a 24V system. If you think they might be bad any thoughts to a good replacement? Thanks

angry john · Joined: 30 Jun 2012 Posts: 119

dont know where your at but while i was searching the best i could find were trojan deep cycle batteries. The only place i know to get them are in providence RI. Interstate is supposed to make a good deep cycle to. They may be more available in your area.

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

fdmars · Joined: 18 Jan 2013 Posts: 7

Thanks for thoughts, I will have to check the system when i get the boat back in the spring. Last time i used it seemed to run low fairly quickly, may be a result of not charging enough or getting old.

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

flippy · Joined: 25 May 2008 Posts: 1150

I use Walmart everstart deep cycles,,and I use them alot,,they cost about 100 dollars each,,take your batteries out and go to autozone and have them do a load test on them they will tell you if you need new batteries,,Ive been using them for years, and did alot of all day fishing with them,,Also check to see that your prop on the trolling motor spins fairly easy,,sometimes fishing line gets wound in there and your motor is working twice as hard to spin it,,and it draws alot from the batteries,, Good Luck

Rivernut · Joined: 22 May 2010 Posts: 42

I like the old gel cell and AGM style batteries. The pros of both are they last more cycles (years), they can be mounted in any position without leakage, they resist vibration damage, they charge quicker, and they don't need water added to them. The only drawbacks are the price and the slightly lower peak voltage. Over 35 years of using my batteries hard, these are my observations. Conventional lead/acid batteries drop off noticeably after a year or two. I have not noticed any difference between cheaper brands such as Walmart Everstart ($100) and more expensive brands such as Delco Voyager ($125). Prices are for large M-29 or m-31 batteries. The lead / acids have more power initially than all other types of batteries but they don't last as long. Batteries of the same type and date of manufacture are not always equal. Measure the voltage with a meter before buying each one. Voltage is usually an indicator of its health. The way a battery is charged has a big impact on its longevity. The less time a battery sits discharged the longer it will last. AGM's and gels require special chargers with lower final voltages. The wrong charger could undercharge a conventional battery or overcharge an AGM or gel and shorten their life. If you are serious about fishing - i.e. tournaments, you should always buy the largest capacity and best batteries you can afford. I run a 36 Volt trolling motor system which is the best made and barely adequate in my opinion. I would buy a 100 volt system if they made one. I have three m-31 Diehard Platinum AGM batteries ($280 each) and an old Interstate m-31 gel for a cranking / accessory battery. The gel battery has lasted longer than any battery I have ever heard of. It is approximately 15 years old. I have rotated it around from trolling motor to cranking battery several times in two boats. It consistently has the highest voltage at the end of the day of all of my batteries. I have an on-board Stealth charger that distributes charge from the cranking battery to the three trolling motor batteries whenever the engine is running. I also have a huge alternator that puts out 105 Amps to top off the batteries when the V-8 Chevy is running. The best batteries made now are the lithium-ion batteries. They weigh a lot less, cost a lot more, and have been catching fire on commercial airliners.

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Real boats don't have propellers!
-- Rivernut

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

I had forgotten about this thread. The group size 27 deep cycle Interstate Marine battery that my 12 volt MinnKota Maxxum 55 pound thrust trolling motor used died last month. It was six years old. I replaced it with a Cabela's Advanced Angler AGM battery that's still on sale for $159.99, which is $60.00 off the normal price of $209.99. Although the Cabela's website says it's an online only sale, they've always been willing to match online only sale prices at the store in East Hartford. I also had a $20 off $150 purchase coupon, so I got it for $139.99. I have a MinnKota onboard charger that is supposed to correctly charge AGM batteries. I'd be thrilled if the new battery were to last six years, like the old one.
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Wanna Fish · Joined: 30 Jan 2012 Posts: 662 Location: Earth I Think

I recently replaced my batteries. The old Walmart batteries, like Flippy said lasted 5 years. They were more powerful than the new West Marine Gel batteries I replaced them with. They lasted all day when they were good and lasted up to about a week before I had to replace them. They do take longer to charge than the gels and they're not sealed so leakage could be a concern.
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