High Quality Trolling Battery?

[FishingFool]

welp, I finally pulled the trigger on a Minn Kota trolling motor. It's just the transom mount Traxxis 55. I decided the bow deck is just too much hassle for me.

Now I need a good battery to go with it. Anything to look for or stay away from? Obviously, bigger is better right? :o

It will be a dedicated battery for only the trolling motor.

And apparently, I need a charger for it too. So any ideas?

[Rich McVey]

Do you do tournaments?
Do you do multi day, far away from home tournaments?


Deep Cycle is my first thought. Nothing fancy. Got mine at Schucks.

You can spend extra and get one that has better seperation between the cells.

If your MinnKota has the digital maximiser then you should be fine with most batts. If not then you probably want a larger one. Weight is alwayse an issue, so dont get one so big it causes a weight issue. I have 2 in parallel for my 50 bow mount (with maximiser) on my Bayliner.

Does you boat have a gas motor? is it capable of putting out a charge to a battery? I'd add an onboard charger if you do.

[Mike Carey]

Optima Blue. Got mine at Costco. It's a dry cell battery so no adding water. Recharges much faster, holds a charge better, and the battery lasts longer. Also smaller and lighter. They are pricey though, about twice a wet cell battery.

[Rich McVey]

Optima Blue. Got mine at Costco. It's a dry cell battery so no adding water. Recharges much faster, holds a charge better, and the battery lasts longer. Also smaller and lighter. They are pricey though, about twice a wet cell battery.

Thoses sound good. I think I'll check into them myself.

[mav186]

Optima Blue. Got mine at Costco. It's a dry cell battery so no adding water. Recharges much faster, holds a charge better, and the battery lasts longer. Also smaller and lighter. They are pricey though, about twice a wet cell battery.

Diito...picked on up last year and made it my main engine batt for now (with the stock Interstate marine battery as my back-up)...when I purchase a bow mount next year I will get another Optima ($180) and pair them up in series for the bow mount. I'll also be able to use them as a back-up in case of emergency.

[hewesfisher]

Optima Blue. Got mine at Costco. It's a dry cell battery so no adding water. Recharges much faster, holds a charge better, and the battery lasts longer. Also smaller and lighter. They are pricey though, about twice a wet cell battery.

Just to clarify guys, the Optima is not a dry cell battery, it is a sealed, absorbed glass mat (AGM) lead acid battery with the cells in a spiral core compared to the common lead plate configuration. Are they good? Yes, but also pricey. Are they that much better than a traditional AGM? Well, I don't think so, and here's why. Compare prices with any traditional-style AGM battery of comparable size and you'll get more performance for your money. Most of Optima's claims are standard features for all AGM batteries, so IMO, other than the unique spiral core they use, there is little advantage over any other good AGM battery, this includes maintaining their charge for extended time periods without use.

There is lots of battery info on the net, this one is a pretty good read as is this one. There are many more if you want to search them out and spend the time reading.

While researching battery info to power my trolling motor I came across an interesting explanation of trolling motor "consumption" that I never really knew before. The info I found claimed a 12v trolling motor needs 1.1 - 1.2amps per pound of thrust, a 24v trolling motor needs .85 - .95 amps per pound, and a 36v motor needs .5 - .55amps per pound. This is very helpful information when selecting a trolling motor battery]

For a trolling motor only battery, you don't care what the cranking amp numbers are (on dual purpose batteries), what matters are the amp hour capacity or reserve capacity numbers and recharge cycle life. These tell you how long any battery will run a given load and how many times the battery can be discharged/recharged. Amp hour ratings tell you how long a battery can operate a 10amp load, i.e., a 100 amp hour battery can run a 10amp load for 10 hours. Reserve capacity is how many minutes a battery can feed a 25amp load and still retain a usable voltage. I prefer the reserve capacity definition as I find it more useful than amp hour rating, especially for trolling motor applications. Not many 10# thrust motors out there. [lol]

Cabela's sells their store brand AGM in group 24 ($169.99) with a reserve capacity of 178, 1195 Marine Cranking Amps, & 945 Cold Cranking Amps. They also sell the Optima blue top batteries and the comparable group 24 is the D34M ($189.99) with a reserve capacity of 120, MCA of 870, CCA of 750 (specs taken directly from Optima website). For comparison, respective weights are 53.5# & 43.5#. The cycle life the store brand AGM is 400 but I could not find any reference to cycle life on Optima's website.

Cabela's has their AGM combo battery/charger packages on sale and the group 24 battery and a Pro Sport charger is $240, which IMO, is a pretty good deal.

Of course, you can pick up any standard group 24, RV/Marine, lead-acid, deep cycle battery for under $100 and a charger for less than $50 and be on the water for even less than the cost of an AGM battery alone. I've read a lot posts here about the Costco marine deep cycle batteries being a good, inexpensive choice, so I wouldn't rule them out either. It all depends on what you want.

When the standard lead acid batteries on my boat finally go south, they'll be replaced with traditional style AGMs, best bang for buck IMO. :thumright

[BentRod]

I agree with hewes. I did a lot of 12v battery research after buying a travel trailer and found that, like a pet, a battery will lead a long and happy life if well taken care of. Overdischarging, leaving discharged for a long period of time, or overcharging can all play a roll in depleted battery life. However, not all batteries are created equal and some can take more abuse than others. I've been told that the sealed Optima batteries can handle a fuller discharge and still maintain their lifespan over the standard wet cell batteries. I ended up going with a group 27 costco marine/RV battery based on budget and use. I've been using two of these for about a year now between the electric trolling motor and the trailer without any problems. For the budget minded, a battery like this would work or even the Optima would be a good choice. If you're looking to go for a better battery ($$), look at Trojan or check out a Marine supply shop to see what they would suggest. However, if you're going to invest in a good battery, I'd suggest investing in an equally good charger too.
JM2C
PS. I think I spent about $70/battery for the Costco grp27. With good care, I expect to get at least 5 years of use out of these and hopefully more.
Here is the site that got me started on my research. It's geared towards RVers, but has some generally useful info.12 volt side of life (part 1)
12 volt side of life (part 2)

[G-Man]

I can vouch for the longevity of the blue top Optima battery. I purchased mine at Costco over 10 years ago and it has served double duty as a trolling motor battery and as my second camper battery. Also, I suggest for any of you who wish to extend the life of their batteries, look into picking up one of these. Battery Desulfinator

[fishaholictaz]

The Cosco generic batteries are very good and last a long time! Optima are also good batteries.

[FishingFool]

Do you do tournaments?
Do you do multi day, far away from home tournaments?


Deep Cycle is my first thought. Nothing fancy. Got mine at Schucks.

You can spend extra and get one that has better seperation between the cells.

If your MinnKota has the digital maximiser then you should be fine with most batts. If not then you probably want a larger one. Weight is alwayse an issue, so dont get one so big it causes a weight issue. I have 2 in parallel for my 50 bow mount (with maximiser) on my Bayliner.

Does you boat have a gas motor? is it capable of putting out a charge to a battery? I'd add an onboard charger if you do.

No, I do not do tournaments.
For the most part, it will single day use only. But it may see multi-day use for a few days during the year when I go camping....

The trolling motor does have the digital maximizer.

I do have a gas motor, but it's only a 15HP Mercury 4-stroke. I dont think I can, or even worth putting an onboard charger on it.



I've used Optima in the past in a vehicle. It died under 2 years. Didn't even last as long as the OEM battery.
So I did some research and read quite a few of bad batteries from Optima. It seems for the most part, people love them. I'm guessing 75%. The other 25%, they take a crap early for whatever reason. For the price you're paying, I would expect higher quality.
If I remember correctly, it was a yellow top battery.


I think I will check out the local Costco and see what they have. I'm leaning towards the group29 due to it's larger capacity.

[mav186]

I can vouch for the longevity of the blue top Optima battery. I purchased mine at Costco over 10 years ago and it has served double duty as a trolling motor battery and as my second camper battery. Also, I suggest for any of you who wish to extend the life of their batteries, look into picking up one of these. Battery Desulfinator

Good tip G-Man...I've never heard of this product, but knowing your background I know you know what you're talking about.

[FishingFool]

Alright, i was able to check out costco, walmart and a couple of the automotive shops around here. I am still undecided on the choice of batteries.

At the moment, I am leaning a little towards the Costco's marine battery. But I may just splurge on the Cabela's AGM batteries due to the superior specs. Then comes the question of group 24 or 27. The difference betwee the specs are minimal, but a large increase in weight and price from what I can tell.



I plan on getting this Minn Kota portable charger.



And this Minn Kota battery box.




Looks good?

[BentRod]

I can't say I know enough to recommend the AGMs over the wet cells, but if you go with the standard Costco marine battery and if you're going to be fishing multiple days, you might think of getting two group 24 batteries instead of one group 27. That way you can fish with one and then leave it on the charger the next day while you're out fishing with the other one. It takes a while to fully charge a battery once depleted. A group 27 is pretty heavy, but not too horrible. I know it's not a lot of help.

[Mike Carey]

stand corrected on the OPtima innards. I haven't done the research, and can only give my personal experience with batteries over the years. Guess I've been lucky because all my Optimas have been flawless. What impresses me most is they fully charge in a very short time, and back to 100%. 4 years old and still going strong. But again, that's just my personal experience.

[hewesfisher]

When you look at performance, there's little to gain by going to a group 27 over the 24 - they both produce essentially the same output just in a different sized case. If you've got a fixed size battery compartment made for a group 27, and you want to replace with the same sized battery, then a group 27 is probably the choice you'll make. If you have some flexibility on battery size and container, you gain virtually nothing by going to a group 27 over the group 24 except and additional 10lbs or so and a couple minutes reserve capacity for more money. Pretty easy decision IMO.

FWIW, battery sulfation is significantly reduced in AGM style batteries vs wet cells, although not completely eliminated.

I've got wet cell batteries going on 7 years now, so even those will last a long time if properly cared for. For the money and peace of mind, when the wet cells my boat came with finally give up, I will refit with AGMs. :thumright

[Toni]

I need a new battery. I don't have a lot of money for the expensive types. My last 2 batteries only last 2 years. One from Wal-mart and the other from Joe's (Trojan).
I was looking at Sears Die-hard because it is prorate for 30 months. And I have $25.00 gift card for there. But Les Schwab has similar battery for similar price. I have an account at Les Schwab to be able to get it. But they have a longer prorated time. Not likely to go out of business. Both places for that matter.

What are your opinions?

[FishingFool]

I need a new battery. I don't have a lot of money for the expensive types. My last 2 batteries only last 2 years. One from Wal-mart and the other from Joe's (Trojan).
I was looking at Sears Die-hard because it is prorate for 30 months. And I have $25.00 gift card for there. But Les Schwab has similar battery for similar price. I have an account at Les Schwab to be able to get it. But they have a longer prorated time. Not likely to go out of business. Both places for that matter.

What are your opinions?

I thought the Trojan was suppose to be a high end battery. Yours died in 2 years?

[Toni]

Yep. Got in May of 2008. But my son uses it. For starting cars...powering his amp and subwoofer in his bedroom (no more car).

[BentRod]

Toni, What type of Trojan battery did you get? Also, typical wet cell batteries are not meant to be fully depleted. Running them down below 50% actually harms them and shortens the lifespan. I'd say you'll probably get about the same performance out of both Sears and LS. Find out who the producer of each of those batteries really are as many wet cell batteries are produced by the same company and farmed out to the retailers. Like I said before, read up on battery maintenance and you can probably get a longer lifespan from your batteries....not saying there can't be lemons though.

There is a reason they make different types of batteries for different applications.

FWIW - If you're not going to have your battery hooked up to an alternator, then I would recommend a deep cycle or a true deep cycle battery. However, an AGM battery might be a better choice. I really don't know enough about AGM batteries to have an opinion on them. The marine/RV deep cycle batteries that you get at Costco, LS, Sears, etc. are not true deep cycle batteries (i.e, they do not have as much lead in them) and will not hold a charge for as long a time. A true deep cycle battery (Trojan produces one) is constructed much like a 6V golf cart battery (running two of these in series is also an option), and will hold a charge for much longer, but will cost more $$$.
Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. But, if you don't take care of it, it won't last.

[gpc]

I have 3 I bring with me wherever the boat goes. 1 I am not to fond of, it a deep cycle Interstate and it works when it want too, it seems. But it is an Interstate.

The 2 I use the most are both deep cycle marine/RV. One is a Peak and one is Kirkland. I got them both used so I have no idea how old they are, other than both models are still on the shelves, so not really old I am guessing.

These work pretty well (excluding operator error) I use them on a 10.5' boat with a depth finder and a 40lb minn kota.(Oh and I have the yellow Garmin GPS I have hooked to the Battery. probably doesn't suck a whole lot of power) I get around 10 hours in the wind with 3 people on board. And if I only fish 2 guys and no wind I can get about a weekend out of them.

Oh and the Minn Kota is my only motor and I rarely still fish from the boat, so its basically running non stop. But, a few times annually I find myself rowing into that potholes wind a mile or 2 back to the launch, no matter how good the batteries are they dont work to well when you spend more time drinking than the night before than you do charging the batteries the night before.

If you have the money I would highly recommend a maintenance free battery. I put one in my truck 5 years ago, I got it tested yesterday @ Grease Monkey and its still 100%. I went out to check the brand for you, but under the hood is still feeling the last 4x4 trip I did, but I want to say it is an Excide battery and cost around $100 and was purchsed at B&B auto parts, I think, its been a while.