Deep Cell battery

[seth30]

I just bought a 40 lb thrust minn kota trolling motor, and have no clue on which battery would be best for it.  For you guys that have or had a trolling motor what battery did you have or recommend?

[Lcl 66 Tinner]

gel cell for sure

[FC]

I used to use a big AC Delco deep cycle with my 30lb thrust Minn Kota and I think I could run it all weekend fishing for trout on one charge.

[Huntbear]

I used to run 4 batteries tied together for an electric bass boat when I fished electric only lakes.  The Walmart ones usually lasted 2 years, buying the 60.00 ones.  The trick is to keep them charged alll year long, but also make sure they discharge between charging, when not in use.  I made up a light that clipped to the batteries, just to run em down so I could charge em back up during the winter.

[seth30]

60 bucks sounds affortable   Thanks for the tip on running the battery down, I did not think of that at all.   Is there a certain size or are they all the same size?  Are all of them Gel cell? 

Seth

[Huntbear]

No, those were not gel batteries, those get expensive quickly, but the ones I bought worked fine.  They ran 2 55 lb. thrust Minn Kota motors on the back, and one up front for working the bank. 

I do know a guy that just went and bought a deep cycle caterpillar battery, of course it almost sunk his little boat when he loaded it.   

[lokidog]

Batteries have an amp hour rating.  The higher the amp hours, the longer it will run. 

I haven't used the gels but have noticed that my batteries seem to go bad faster if I do not recharge them right away after use.  Deep cycle batteries are designed to be recharged more often than starting batteries, I think they have thicker plates in them, though I might be mistaken on that.  I think one advantage of the gel batteries is they can take more of a pounding without breaking internally, but again, i am not positive on that.

[MuleySniper]

Costco has Optima's for about the best deal. Also the best warranties.
MS

[7mag.]

I love Optima's, but I have an Interstate Megatron, deep cell, that I use for my trolling motor. It will run all weekend on one charge.

[seth30]

Wow a lot of choices to go for.  So am I looking for a higher or lower number on the battery?  Looking on line there is a metric ton of deep cell batteris. 

[lokidog]

Higher amp hour rating = more run time, higher model number, I think usually is a larger, and heavier battery as well.

[seth30]

Thanks, since I could be chasing down ducks and fighting the tide I will want a higher amp and number.

[NRA4LIFE]

I have had real good luck with the models from Shucks/O'Reilly's.  I think they are Excides?  Go with a Group 27, 29 would be better if you can find them.  I needed a new one for my camper and bought an Intersate Group 27 and that thing performed brilliantly.  I ran a whole week with it out in Montana this year.  Mostly lights and furnace backup, but nevertheless.

[lokidog]

Did you do the seat/foam things?  If it was me, I'd think about getting a little 1 1/2 to three horse or something to have on just in case you need the extra power or for some reason end up with a dead battery.  The electrics are nice for silent sneaking but when you need power, you need POWER.     You might have a hard time fighting a tidal current and a big wind if they happen to both happen in the same direction.

[seth30]

I have just made the bench seats but still have to install the foam.  The reason Im staying away from the gas motor is due to tides where I hunt.  The water can be 5 feet deep, or 2 inches deep.  Weight is a big issue, when pulling  a boat in the mud.  Also the load up to and from the truck.  I dont know anybody locally that I could hunt with as much as I hunt, so I plan on keeping the boat at a weight that I can load/unload without help.