Trolling motor batteries

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I have an older ski boat with kids grown up. Doing more fishing. With the price of used/new boats at high prices, going to keep ski boat and add fish finder and trolling motor. I have limited space for multiple batteries. Looking into a Lithium battery but majority are made in China with US Company label with the exception of Dakota but out of stock.

Decided to go with Lithium 36 volt, 100 amp. 72 Lbs, 21X9X9. battery. We will see if I get it in 2 weeks and how it performs. Pricey, but the weight and size are perfect.
 
deka agm have been great for me, not crazy expensive. You can get the duracell branded Dekas at SAMS club for around $179 for a size 31. Never been a big fan of interstate batterys, local interstate shop here in Montrose had such an attitude that really turned me sour on them. Really think wally world batterys about the same as interstate for less money. Best value out there is flooded lead acid if you dont mind the maintenance.
 
bobco said:
deka agm have been great for me, not crazy expensive. You can get the duracell branded Dekas at SAMS club for around $179 for a size 31. Never been a big fan of interstate batterys, local interstate shop here in Montrose had such an attitude that really turned me sour on them. Really think wally world batterys about the same as interstate for less money. Best value out there is flooded lead acid if you dont mind the maintenance.
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LOL! Come on Bob! You can’t compare interstate to walmart batteries just because the dealer had an attitude! That’s like saying stripers taste like walleyes 😂😂
 
Sundowndolphin said:
I have an older ski boat with kids grown up. Doing more fishing. With the price of used/new boats at high prices, going to keep ski boat and add fish finder and trolling motor. I have limited space for multiple batteries. Looking into a Lithium battery but majority are made in China with US Company label with the exception of Dakota but out of stock.

Decided to go with Lithium 36 volt, 100 amp. 72 Lbs, 21X9X9. battery. We will see if I get it in 2 weeks and how it performs. Pricey, but the weight and size are perfect.
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Please post how they perform. I have been thinking hard about them for my skiff but the price just seems sooo high. The same weight for my batteries right now is a little over 150 and the weight reduction would be really nice.

TR
 
NMcDonald said:
What type of trolling motor batteries is everyone using? Lead acid or AGM? Also what brands and size for a 24volt system? Deep cycle / dual purpose? The prices vary quite a bit. Im in need of new batteries and though I would see what everyone uses and what has or hasn't worked.
Thanks,
Nate
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Might be a good time to relate a rookie mistake I made a few months ago…don’t want to hijack the thread but it might help some out there. A while back I started getting a low voltage alarm when raising and lowering my outboard. I had an interstate as the starting and then 2 up front for the 24v trolling motor. The three bank charger the boat came with had a single charge light and it was showing green after a charge so I thought maybe the battery was getting weak. I checked the in-line fuses and they were good. Then one of the trollers wouldn’t charge. I put a meter on the charger and there was no charge coming out of the one side. I thought long and hard about lithium’s as the boat is a poling skiff and every pound counts. In the end I went to the auto parts store and bought 2 new cheaper trolling batteries and an Optima starting battery. Charged them all and the light came on green, off I went. To a 24v motor running on 12v. I won’t bore you all with the amount of meter work and cursing involved but the learning lesson was that in the older battery chargers, if even one battery charges, the light goes green. mine also lacked the ability to tell me a bank was bad if there was not a complete circuit. I replaced the battery charger with a new three bank/three light charger and figured out that there were 2 in-line fuses for the rear starting battery and the one I didn’t know about in the gunnel was bad. (Who puts a fuse on fuse?). Turns out that for probably a year the interstate starting battery was just getting charged by my old 2 stroke. Pretty amazing if you ask me As it never failed. Moral of the story…I suck at diagnosing electrical problems and spent money I didn’t have to lol. Beware of old chargers with a single charge light for multiple banks.

TR
 
If money is no object check out Battle Born Batteries.. I just received the new battery for my camper, it is a RENOGY 100AH/10 HRS from AMAZON. IT IS GARBAGE, DON'T BUY. The customer service was good, I told them I had the battery tested and it failed, no problem. They are sending a refund. Sq
 
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catchnabuzz said:
LOL! Come on Bob! You can’t compare interstate to walmart batteries just because the dealer had an attitude! That’s like saying stripers taste like walleyes 😂😂
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we all know stripers taste better than walleyes, and yes I reserve the right to be a grumpy old guy and interstate batterys ...........enough.................
 
bobco said:
we all know stripers taste better than walleyes, and yes I reserve the right to be a grumpy old guy and interstate batterys ...........enough.................
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We can all learn from an old striper pro like yourself! How many cats do you have now?😂
 
NMcDonald said:
What type of trolling motor batteries is everyone using? Lead acid or AGM? Also what brands and size for a 24volt system? Deep cycle / dual purpose? The prices vary quite a bit. Im in need of new batteries and though I would see what everyone uses and what has or hasn't worked.
Thanks,
Nate
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Lot's of opinions here on what kind of battery is the best, many I agree with but something I feel is even more important in ensuring your battery investment lasts as long as possible is spending the money on a very high quality precision digital charger. I have been running a 24v trolling motor setup for nearly 20 years now with several different brands and types of batteries and charging systems. In my experience AGM batteries are the best bang for the buck in both output and longevity if you take care of them correctly and the most important part of that is having a charger that is designed for AGMs as they require a different charging profile than a stnd flooded battery. There are many brands of chargers out there and I personally have tried several of them but come back to Minn Kota. I feel they are one of the best. I recently replaced the charger on my boat with their newest technology charger

Minn Kota MK-345PC Precision On-Board Charger 3 Bank 15 Amps​

3 stage charging with Lead Acid, Gel, or AGM settings, Micro Processor controlled, automatic temp compensation. It will also maintain your batteries over the off season by just leaving it plugged in it will run a maintenance mode. You can get different bank configurations as well as output, the key is the PC line which stands for Precision Charging. There are other manufacturers that probably make something similar but I have had great luck with MinnKota. They are also totally sealed to be water proof.
 
I agree with your information with 1 exception. My first MKDC2 charger lasted 3 years 4 months before failing, 4 months out of warranty. My 2nd MKDC2 failed within the 3 year warranty period and was replaced free of charge. Good customer service I just wish they lasted longer. Sq
 
Squirrel said:
I agree with your information with 1 exception. My first MKDC2 charger lasted 3 years 4 months before failing, 4 months out of warranty. My 2nd MKDC2 failed within the 3 year warranty period and was replaced free of charge. Good customer service I just wish they lasted longer. Sq
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I believe the PC line are newer technology and should have better longevity.
 
These are 2 different types of charging systems and I have and recommend them both.
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The mk DC is an alternator charger for charging with the boat motor.
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The mk PC is an on board ac charger for recharging with shore power 110vlt ac.
 
So got my lithium 36 volt 100 amp battery for my trolling motor. Sold with USA label but manufactured in China. First issue is the battery is putting out 40 volts. Will followup with Minn Kota to see if this is ok.
 
Sundowndolphin said:
So got my lithium 36 volt 100 amp battery for my trolling motor. Sold with USA label but manufactured in China. First issue is the battery is putting out 40 volts. Will followup with Minn Kota to see if this is ok.
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How are you testing it? That's probably it's resting voltage...when you hit it with a load, it will drop substantially. That said, you should still be fine with 40 VDC.... most manufacturers (and definitely MinnKota) build a fudge factor in for DC voltage... like 11-14, 21-28, 34-40, etc... Think about your car...fully charged, your battery should be sitting there off in the 13.5-14.8 range, when you fired it up at idle, it'll read high 12s to mid 13s, and if you turn everything on max, and crank the stereo while at idle, you'll drop it even more... it's like an exact science, that isn't...lol!
 
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