Car battery for emergency?

[luckydog25]

I was curious to see what you guys thought about this? I have a 14ft boat at the cabin with a 12 volt transom mount motor on it. That is the only motor on the boat. What do you think about having a car battery charged and stashed in the front compartment in case the deep cycle goes dead? I am thinking you might get 10 minutes of run time from a car battery? I let some teenage kids use the boat and get worried about them getting stranded on the other side of the lake. It's a pretty small lake but paddling could suck if windy.

[FM_Mike]

What do you think about having a car battery charged and stashed in the front compartment in case the deep cycle goes dead?

Unless I'm missing something..??

Why would you not put a fully charged Deep Cycle Battery in the boat??

What were you trying to accomplish by putting a car battery in instead of a deep cycle?

Mike

[Tom7227]

You both are missing something. Oars. If things dump out the youth can row their way back to safety. In fact stash the troller for a couple of weeks and let them build up their muscles.

[luckydog25]

I guess I should have explained the scenario better. The trolling motor is brand new and is hooked up to a brand new 27 series deep cycle battery. There are 2 paddles, throwable, and enough life vests. I also have a depth finder hooked up. I don't use the boat. I probably never will. It is for company or for teenage kids to use if they want to fish when I am not around. I spent over $300 on the trolling motor and battery, was just thinking for an emergency backup to use a used car battery instead of dropping another C note on another deep cycle. I will explain to everyone to plug in the charger when they get to shore. I was just wondering if anyone knew if a car battery would work in a pinch.

[Finns]

Sounds like a great idea to me!

[FM_Mike]

Is a car battery really that much cheaper than a deep cycle battery? I don't mean to sound like a butt, you have a lake cabin, surely you can afford an extra 20 or 30 bucks for the proper battery for the boat. If not, oars may teach those using it a very valuable lesson. An hour on the oars would almost guarantee they won't forget to charge the battery the next time.

As for your original question, yes in an emergency you can use a car battery as a back-up for your trolling motor. They are not built to be recharged and drawn down like a deep cycle but they will work. The life of the car battery will be rather short if used for a trolling motor.

Best of luck what ever you choose to do.

Mike

[luckydog25]

Thanks Mike! I have a car battery that I had tested at home (I got it for free) that just sits in the garage. I figured why not put it in there just in case....if it would work. I just have to say, just because I have a cabin doesn't mean I have tons of money to pee away. I am a landscaper and have worked my arse off for what I have. I think the problem with my original question is just that...I am a landscaper...I have trouble getting my thoughts on paper or typed on a forum. Thanks again for the help!

[Kyhl]

Simple answer, yes.

[TruthWalleyes]

I was curious to see what you guys thought about this? I have a 14ft boat at the cabin with a 12 volt transom mount motor on it. That is the only motor on the boat. What do you think about having a car battery charged and stashed in the front compartment in case the deep cycle goes dead? I am thinking you might get 10 minutes of run time from a car battery? I let some teenage kids use the boat and get worried about them getting stranded on the other side of the lake. It's a pretty small lake but paddling could suck if windy.

I have 3 group 27 batteries in my 16' boat with 50# transom and 55# bow mount trolling motors. My motto when it comes to battery..."I don't run out...Ever". So go ahead and keep a spare.

[Surface Tension]

As said it will work in case of and emergency but will shorten the life of the battery if you use it.

Human nature says there are two batteries in the boat though.

So you have a set of oars. Tell the youngsters that they aren't to rely on the battery as a back up.

Inform them that they'll have to be sure to set out with a fully charged deep cycle and manage its use.

If they run the electric at fill speed it will drain the battery sooner.

Put a dead car battery in the bow of the boat.

See what happens.

[luckydog25]

Good idea, this could be a great opportunity to teach a couple young fellas a valuable lesson.

[BobT]

Your car battery will work for a backup and if it is fully charged will work for a few hours depending on its capacity. The problem with using starting batteries for driving loads like an electric trolling motor is that deep cycling a starting battery is hard on them and will deplete their life much faster than a true deep cycle. This is because they are designed to deliver very high current for short bursts whereas a deep cycle battery is designed to deliver low current for extended periods of time.

The thing is, the deep cycle battery you already have in the boat will provide hours of use on a full charge. Where would they go using an electric that would require an emergency backup? If it were me, I'd have the oars for backup but if your looking for a way to make use of an old battery that has been sitting on a shelf, this is one way to do it.

[Whoaru99]

As said it will work in case of and emergency but will shorten the life of the battery if you use it.

Human nature says there are two batteries in the boat though.

So you have a set of oars. Tell the youngsters that they aren't to rely on the battery as a back up.

Inform them that they'll have to be sure to set out with a fully charged deep cycle and manage its use.

If they run the electric at fill speed it will drain the battery sooner.

Put a dead car battery in the bow of the boat.

See what happens.

What'll happen is you'll get a call on the cell phone, "Help...both batteries are dead... and we're on the far side of the lake..."

[luckydog25]

Funny you say that 99...that is what I told my wife. If I put that extra battery it will save me a trip or 2 across the lake in the future. I figure I won't even tell the kids the spare is there they can paddle if they don't use their melons and keep it charged. Not my kids anyway what do I care! (kidding of course) There will be adults that use it from time to time though, I hope they don't have to use it but it's there in case. I am also thinking I might use that boat for duck hunting the more I think about it. All the more reason for a backup, if anyone forgets to check to make sure it's charged it will probably be me!

[LightningBG]

My take is....

Convince the teenagers to go mow some lawns and save up for an old 2.5hp/5hp engine that they can tinker with and get running, and have them put it on the boat. You'll provide the boat as long as they provide the motor. Then they can use the troller for moving short distances or in an emergency.

Just looking on the list there are quite a few old motors going for under $200 (running). Couple days of work shouldn't be too much, and then they can learn about small engines when it breaks down. Something that will be useful for the rest of their lives.

[BoxMN]

I am a bit more on the line of Lightning myself. However, With that said...

Adding the extra weight of a 99% of the time unused battery in a boat is a waste of the good batteries energy pushing it around. Plus the fact that if people who use the boat aren't adept enough at leaving with a full charge, they are probably going to have issues even connecting + to + and - to -

(violins playing...) I grew up going to grandparents cabin. Grandpa was blind so no outboard. We got around just fine rowing the 14' boats, and when he did put electric motor (remember the old Sears two speed and about 12# motors? haha!) we had one battery. If it died, we rowed, and never complained. To this day I can row a duck boat like a sun-of-a-gun

good luck, and it is great that you are thinking of the kids and provide learning and fun "toys" for them. I am doing likewise, and hope I can take some of my own advice haha!

[ottertailguy]

I bought jumper cables last year for my boat after seeing someone jumping another fisherman whose battery was dead. They were cheap, light weight, doesn't take a lot of room to store and only takes a couple of minutes to start a boat with the dead battery.