Trolling motor batteries

[blakeb]

Ok i have a few year old set of batterries that power my Minnkota 70lb thrust 24v t-motor.

I need new ones, is bigger better, i have group 27 and would like to go to 31's, is it perfectly acceptable?

[harvey lee]

I would go with Optima batteries and a bigger one at that.

[Esox_Magnum]

Go with 29 or 31's if they fit, Interstates have served me the best.

[pulleye16]

I've been using my two AGM's (24) for about five years now and never ran out of juice and I always use them, hard! 27 should be ample enough but hey...big is better right? Optima does have a larger size but from research views are mixed, though they should be good like most batteries if you take care of them. AGM has a 30 which I believe is there largest but most people I know stick with the 24 as the 27 dosen't offer to much more. If I had the money I'd get the AGM 30!

[blakeb]

two factors, boat is stored off site, break-ins possible, dont want a crook to get my optimas,$$$,

next deep employee discount on interstate's , i am going to go this route, ust want to know if bigger is better.

[TUMBLEWEED]

Bump up at least to the series 29. It will give you an advantage

of some run time from the reserve standpoint over your 27's

without much sacrifice in size or $$$$$$. I suppose back up as

a main motor unit would also be a benefit.

[MuskieJunkie]

I've been looking at new trolling motor batteries too, here's what I've come up with.

Optima 31s are $260 a piece. I have one for my starting battery and it's great but I can't justify spending over $500 on TM batteries.

A lot of people on here have said good things about the walmart batteries.

31s are not much bigger than the 29s, if they fit go with those, you can get the dimensions online.

The Batteries Plus brand 31s have the highest CCAs I've seen and they're $100 each, these are the kind I'm probalby going to go with (anyone used or have an opinion on these).

[dfv87]

I have had really good luck with Batt Plus... Trolling motor and Fish house batteries have been rock solid for me. I am not as hard on Batts as some guys though. But to me the price difference means I can buy a new set (almost) 3x in the same time frame as one gel set... so for me it was an easy decision.

[TUMBLEWEED]

I've also heard that the gel kind really need

a different charger than most of us already have.....

FYI... Series 27 L= 12 3/4 W= 6 3/4 H= 10

Series 29 L= 13 W= 6 3/4 H= 10

Series 27= 180 reserve minutes

Series 29= 210 reserve minutes

[blakeb]

Tumble weed i have heard that too, maybe someone can shed some light on charging an agm battery,

on a side not i have batt+ battery on my motorcycle and one of my cars, good stuff.

[Northlander]

I have gone to all Interstates. Best customer service when I had questions and the batteries have been the best I could find at that price range.

[pulleye16]

Tumble weed i have heard that too, maybe someone can shed some light on charging an agm battery,

on a side not i have batt+ battery on my motorcycle and one of my cars, good stuff.

AGM's do require a different battery charger but most sealed lead acid chargers work. Also, most battery charger now days can detect what type of battery or have a switch that can change between the two.

I've used regular marine batteries in the past and have had no problems with them but when they go-they go. These AGM's i've been using did cost 2.5 times as much (with charger) and I guess only time will tell if there worth it but five years running strong. The big notice I've seen is that they tend to last longer (running time) then my regular marine bateries. The one thing I can never stress enough is getting a good quality charger and using proper storage tehcniques when not in use and ALL batteries should last.

[Grainbelt]

I have 31's that I got in June/05 from Phleet Pharm. I just recently topped them off and put them in the boat for another season. I use 2 for the 24v trolling motor. I use mine year round and put them in the fish house for powering the furnace, lights, and TV/Sat. I do keep up on fluid levels and they have always worked well. If you have room for 31's you won't go wrong.

[blakeb]

how many reserve minutes does a 31 have ?

[Grainbelt]

The sticker says 180RC/215min @ 23amps for the F.F. size 31 battery.

[blakeb]

sold!!! 31's it is

[bmc2b]

Is a true deep cycle better or is a starting/deep combo ok for the trolling motor. My issue is that my starting battery gets drained if I leave it plugged in and several times I've gotten to the lake and had a dead starting batt. It would be nice to be able to jump off my trolling motor if I could use a starting/deep for that.

[JimBuck]

Is a true deep cycle better or is a starting/deep combo ok for the trolling motor. My issue is that my starting battery gets drained if I leave it plugged in and several times I've gotten to the lake and had a dead starting batt. It would be nice to be able to jump off my trolling motor if I could use a starting/deep for that.

I just picked up a new starting battery last night. In the Die Hard lineup, they offered a starting and a deep cycle battery. I was looking for a dual purpose but it seems that the deep cycle had as much CCA (550) as the marine starting battery. So for peace of mind I went with the Deep Cycle as a starter so I could use it for other accessories if needed. To go with the starter as my starting battery, I would have sacrificed the ability to use it for other tasks. I'm by no means a battery expert but it mad sense to me. Good luck.

[TruthWalleyes]

Last two years i have been running my 55 lb thrust on 1 battery, a deep cycle 26. It would work for two days (8 hour days, with moderate to heavy use) before needing to recharge. I accidently left the charger on manual last summer and burnt it up. So tuesday i went to Gndr Mt and spent$115 on a 29 deep cycle and another $70 on the MinnKota Portable charger. Figured bigger is better, and i wanted another charger since i ruined my other charger in the rain last fall. oops.

Yesterday i had the new battery fully charged. Put it in the boat, and pressed the battery indicator on the trolling motor, it displayed 3 of 4 bars...So i hooked up the charger, which immediately said "charge complete" and i pressed the trolling motor battery indicator again. Now 4 of 4 bars. remove the charger and i'm back down to 3 bars. Whats the deal here? New battery and new charger...not getting a full charge? Should i bring these back to GndrMt? Went out fishing last night and that battery went down fast! 2 hours of fishing and she was about dead...plus i was only running it on about 40% power in the wind! Do i have a bad battery or charger...or both?

When my 27 was working good i would be able to move up to 3.5mph (GPS) and sustain it all day if necessary. I didn't get over 2.2mph yesterday going with the wind?

[RIPN LIPS]

I could be wrong but i run a minnkota 55 and its 24 volt and when i hooked it up wrong once I had the same senario you just mentioned. Someting to think about..

[TruthWalleyes]

Mine is a 12v. Hooked up properly.

[fasternu]

Maybe they make them for both voltages, but I know my 55 IS 12 VOLT ONLY. Don't want someone to damage theirs.

[BobT]

Is a true deep cycle better or is a starting/deep combo ok for the trolling motor. My issue is that my starting battery gets drained if I leave it plugged in and several times I've gotten to the lake and had a dead starting batt. It would be nice to be able to jump off my trolling motor if I could use a starting/deep for that.

If you're going to use it specifically for running low-current continuous loads such as trolling motors, you are going to be better off using a true deep-cycle battery. This is because a deep-cycle battery is designed to handle what it's name implies...deep-cycling. A deep-cycle battery is better equipped to handle long slow current loads and repeated deep-cycling where the state of charge is repeatedly getting drawn down.

A starting battery is designed specifically for what it's name implies...starting motors. These are not very well equipped to supply steady current over long periods of time but are happier delivering high current for short duration loads.

A combination deep-cycle/starting battery falls somewhere in the middle but like anything else, you sacrifice a little at both ends.

Will a deep-cycle battery start your outboard? Sure but using it for that purpose will deplete its life more rapidly.

Will a starting battery operate your trolling motor? Absolutely but again, using it for that purpose will deplete its life more rapidly.

Hope that helps.

[Grainbelt]

It could be that your connectors to the battery are oxidized. Scrape them clean with a pocket knife and use some dielectric grease where the connectors touch the battery. The grease is conductive and will help to slow down future corrosion.

My understanding is that starter motor battries are for quick burst of power. Deep cells are more for long slow draws.

[kevfish1]

What would be the difference between a car battery and a marine starting battery???