Northwest Fishing Reports

What is the best way to go for deep cycle in a 12volt battery to use with a new electric trolling motor? I find that the ones at Costco look good for price, but are there better choices? Please help me and others who need to buy a new battery. Thanks. DH

Trojan Marine...Go to Joes (GI Joes) and pick one up....

If you have the money get the gel battery. They are more expensive but there is nothing worse than having to row back from the other side of the lake

DH wrote:What is the best way to go for deep cycle in a 12volt battery to use with a new electric trolling motor? I find that the ones at Costco look good for price, but are there better choices? Please help me and others who need to buy a new battery. Thanks. DH

Look for the highest number of reserve minutes you can find in a battery to maximize the trolling motor run time.

Trolling motor performance and battery longevity both dramatically increased when I bought a Trojan Marine battery and a good 3-stage battery charger. Following instructions regarding water levels, I attach the charger as soon as the boat is in the garage and it stays attached until the next time I go fishing. Proper charging with good equipment is the key to success.

DH

I don't know what your boat set up is.. but I just was at Costco about 1 week ago. I bought their Deep Cycle 12 volt marine battery. I believe I paid $62.00 when I got home to my 14ft. Lund, I realized the Costco battery was twice the size of the area that holds the battery. Went to GI Joes and returned home with a Trojan. I don't remember the model number but I too have a Minn Kota electric motor 55lb thrust. It requires 100 amps per hour. The Trojan I bought is 115 amps/hour. I did pay $129.00 for it, but I hear that it is great.

Quad: Costco has some for like $62????I might have to pick one up just for a backup...

I use Trojan batteries in my bass boat, and I use a AC delco Marine/RV battery in my 9 foot boat. Both brands are great.

Getting ready to buy a battery to power a 40lb thrust bow mounted power drive minn kota, how long does a fully charged Trojan battery last on the water? It will power a 14 ft v bottom jon-boat converted to a bass boat. I am trying to get a good 8 hours of operation from a 12 volt.

If you buy a quality deepcycle kickerfish with a 175+ reserve capacity you should be fine if your just slowly moving all day (not just on speed 4 or 5 all day)

Perfect, that is how I fish anyway. I just did not want to get only 3 hours out of a battery. I appreciate the response. Tight Lines!

What type of life (years of use, not hours per charge) should be expected from a properly maintained and charged deep cycle battery?

I have 4 year old battery that didn't hold a charge this last time out, but it turns out it had a low water level . I topped it up with distilled water and it's on the charger now. Is there a way I can test if this battery is dead for sure so I don't end up replacing a salvageable battery?

Dilbert:
They say 2-3 years..

If yu wanna know if it takes a charge, take it to the nearest auto shop (any of the small shops connected to gas stations) and take the battery over there and ask them if it holds a charge...I've done it with a bunch of batteries and it's been free everytime....

I have been told a few different things about how to charge a deep cycle battery. I was told they should be charged at 2 amps and I have also been told it doesn't matter. I know most of the minn kota chargers are 3 stage starting at 5, 10, 15 etc. until a certain percent charged then switching to 2 amps and then even lower or something like that. What should I look for in a battery charger and how many amps should I use?

Another thing I have been given mixed info about is how to properly drain the battery. I have been told that it should be drained all the way to prevent memory but I have also been told that damages the battery and not to drain it all the way. So what is the truth?

Gone Fishin,
Charge your deep cycle as slow as possible...
The 2 amp charge is basically the trickle rate. If you can, power it up as slow as possible

And with deep cycles you do NOT want to store the battery drained. Store it completely charged....

Does it reduce the life of the battery by running it dead?

Trojan tech support comments on battery maintenance

http://www.trojan-battery.com/Tech-Supp ... nance.aspx

Gone Fishin wrote:Does it reduce the life of the battery by running it dead?

No.
They say to charge it up within 24 hours of using it, even if you use it for an hour....

Here's a stupid question for all. If you leave your charger out in he rain for a weekend, is it shot? This happened to me when I was offut and I don't want to try it on my batteries, but my buddy told me it will be fine

gpc wrote:Here's a stupid question for all. If you leave your charger out in he rain for a weekend, is it shot? This happened to me when I was offut and I don't want to try it on my batteries, but my buddy told me it will be fine

Ask your buddy if you can try it out on his battery first. All the vents that most battery chargers have would do a good job of letting rain inside.