Deep cycle batteries

[jramsber]

What batteries does everyone recommend for their trolling motors?  I have a 24V motor and I generally fish several hours at a time. Thanks!  

[gunner55]

I prefer Exide or Interstate if I can find them.Interstate are a bit on the spendy side but who wants to have issues on the water.As with anything a little TLC goes a long way, like some di-electric grease for the connections,keeping water levels up & charging them asap.A onboard charger is a must for most.

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

I've had great success with Interstate Deep Cycle Batteries.

They last several years if you keep them charged when not in use.

Good luck and let us know what you get!  

 

 

[IceHawk]

Have to agree love interstates switched all my batteries over to them

[IronDioPriest]

Reality is, a very high percentage of the quality name brand batteries on the market are made by Johnson Controls. Walmart batteries are inexpensive and do a fine job.

[hydro]

Spend some time researching AGM Group 31 marine/trolling motor batteries. They look quite spendy at first pass, but I have had a set for almost 10 years and they are still going strong. Got mine from Cabelas but there seems to be many more options now. They use the same technology you are familiar with on your ice fishing sonar package, have gelled electrolyte so they don't spill. and should outlast regular batteries by a factor of three times or so which makes the cost over time comparable or less than regular batteries.

[Cheers]

Just because they are made by Johnson Controls doesn't necessarily  mean they are good or bad . Johnson Controls makes them  to Wallmarts specifications and price point and  may substitute inferior components . I am wary of anything sold at Wallmart.

[jramsber]

Thanks for all the input!  I am leaning towards interstate but my battery compartment is only 9.75in deep so I don't think group 29 batteries will fit. Do you think group 27 will work?  I am also open to any other suggestions. I have an 18ft alumacraft with an 80lb terrova. I do fish up to 8hrs at a time. Thanks!

[BobT]

Deep cycle is the way to go for your electric trolling motor.  Don't mess with dual-purpose or starting batteries for this application.  

Whatever you decide to get, always recharge as soon as possible after each use and check the electrolyte level regularly.  If needed, top off with distilled water to the bottom of the fill tubes (about 1/2" from top of battery).  Take care to store them properly in the winter.  If you leave them in the boat or anywhere where they will be exposed to below freezing temps, be sure to keep them fully charged.  Even if you store them inside, put a charger on periodically to make sure the charge is maintained.  Batteries do not like it when they sit at partial charge.  

I personally thing most batteries are of pretty good quality.  Proper maintenance can be key to long life.

[EBass]

Back in 2008 I bought Optima Blue tops for $250 each.  Still using them today if that's say anything about their longevity.     

[Chris Haley]

I had posted in another battery thread about going to interstate's website and signing up for their newsletter.  There send you offers for discounts on their batteries.  They also ship FREE.  The last one was only 10% off, but I've seen 40% off in the month and a half.

[IronDioPriest]

Just because they are made by Johnson Controls doesn't necessarily  mean they are good or bad . Johnson Controls makes them  to Wallmarts specifications and price point and  may substitute inferior components . I am wary of anything sold at Wallmart.

 

The Walmart Everstart Maxx batteries are excellent. I've been using mine heavily going into the 5th year with no issue whatsoever. I'm on the water 50-75 days a season. Lots of guys swear by them, and they're very reasonably priced.

Just keep them topped-off like any other battery, and they will serve you long and serve you well.

[jramsber]

Thanks for all the input. I am leaning towards the 29 series interstates. The only question is whether they will fit in my battery compartment. The height will be very close. The local interstate store said I could bring the boat in and try it. 

[Hoffer]

was always an Interstate guy. My starter motor is an Interstate a its going on 7 or 8 years.This Spring I decided to try Walmarts and purchased 2 for my trollers.

Even though they were brand new I hit them for 24 hours with my charger before my Spring trip. Trolled wih them for just a half day on only around the 4 setting  on the foot pedal. They were almost dead by the end of the 4 hours. Going back to Interstate.

[Northlander]

I use only Interstates because they have been great batteries and the service I get is second to none.

[BobT]

was always an Interstate guy. My starter motor is an Interstate a its going on 7 or 8 years.This Spring I decided to try Walmarts and purchased 2 for my trollers.

Even though they were brand new I hit them for 24 hours with my charger before my Spring trip. Trolled wih them for just a half day on only around the 4 setting  on the foot pedal. They were almost dead by the end of the 4 hours. Going back to Interstate.

Sounds like something was wrong with those batteries. You say it was your first spring trip. The question I'd be asking myself was whether or not I took good care of them while they were in storage and before I charged them up to use them. 

• If I bought them the previous year, were they fully charged before I put them away for the winter?
• What was the level of electrolyte in them when I charged them before winter?
• Did I check the electrolyte periodically during the winter to make sure it remained at the proper level?
• Did I periodically put a charger on them throughout the winter to be sure they remained at full charge even if I stored them inside?
• What was the electrolyte level when I recharged them in the spring before using them?
• Even though I had the charger on them for 24 hours, were they in fact fully charged when I put them to use?

This past weekend we went on a trip to Canada to chase walleyes on the Lac Seul. My brother-in-law provided his boat for the trip. He had just installed a new 24vdc bow mount and we didn't get more than a couple hours use out of it before the batteries showed low charge.

The first thing I did was check his wire connections. He was using the spring loaded clamps clamped to the wing nuts on the battery terminals. I moved them to the lead posts and worked them so they dug into the lead for good contact. I told him the first thing to do when he got home was get rid of those spring clamps and wire the motor wires directly to the battery. You need good, solid, clean connections for proper operation.

When that didn't do much help the next thing I checked was his electrolyte levels. The first battery was down a little but not critically below the lead plates. I told him he needed to top that off, preferably with distilled water. When I checked the second battery I found all of the cells were dry below the top of the lead plates. This is a no-no!! The plates get contaminated and this will most definitely shorten the battery's life not to mention the immediate decrease in capacity. He decided he needed to replace the batteries with two new ones because one of them was old and the other was newer. I told him since we were out in the middle of nowhere and had about three more days of fishing to do we could try to revive it using the filtered bottled water that we had with us even though it was not the most ideal thing to do. He gave me the go ahead so I refilled the cells. It took about 12 oz. of water in each cell to top it off. That was low, low, low!!  

End of story was after we filled them and he hooked up the on-board charger overnight each day, we had all the power we needed the rest of the weekend fishing from about sunup to sunset. Poor battery maintenance is the cause of poor battery performance most of the time.

Ever wonder why the starting batteries seem to last longer than the deep cycle? I'll put that in another post.

Edited September 13, 2015 by BobT