Trolling Motor Batteries

[eyecracker]

I'm set up on a 24v system but seem to just have a terrible time keeping the batteries charged. I've just invested in a 20 am OB charger, but I'm also replacing the batteries. Just want to know what batteries are recommended?

[1mainiac]

Well you will get a few opinions and I actually have several but they all come down to you and how you want to deal with them. The first issue is how much battery do you need in AH? Second is how much maintenance do you want to deal with? Next is space for them and charging issues. Since unless you buy a custom battery you will be using 2 12v batteries they must be identical because you will be limited both in use and charging to the quality of the worst one. So you have to calculate your load always use your highest load level for this so lets say you use it on a trolling motor and max is a 20 amp draw 2 group 24 batteries will give you a avg of 100ah so 5 hours run time max. Group 27 batteries might get you 6 and 31's might get you 7 or 8 if you have the room for larger batteries. Some batteries will give you more AH some less but the idea is the same. Personally I prefer standard wet cell batteries but they require regular maintenance and some would rather have the newer style maintenance free batteries. That is a choice you have to make. I realize I am not giving you a direct answer only questions and ideas but I have no idea what any of the factors are in this so to say buy this battery it is the best would be pure BS. You need to know what the battery will run how long it will run it and how much space you have for the batteries.

[melsell]

I would always go group 31 if you can. Like Maniac said, buy two at the same time. I use the heck out of mine and can kill them on a windy day. With a good charger you shouldn't have to water them very often. Deka, Interstate,really only 3 manufacturers . I am not a huge fan of the blue tops

[Nailer]

For the Walleye boat, witch we use the 24 volt trolling motor to troll the drops, I use the Everstart batteries from Wallmart ( the best/biggest ones they have). They are made by Johnson Controls here in Holland, and are very good batteries. I have an on board 3 bank charger by Minn kota that gets plugged in every night, and works perfectly.

[1mainiac]

Johnson Controls and Exide make probably close to 80% of the batteries you will see. There are several smaller companies that make up the rest. A resting voltage of 10.6 is a dead battery discharging to 10.6 and recharging is considered a cycle most batteries will give you the number of cycles it has based on avg lifespan of the battery. Maintenance free, AGM and Gell Cell batteries have lower cycle spans mostly due to the lack of ability to dissipate heat. This also makes them touchier to recharge as they can't absorb high charge voltages. Because the charge regulation on my old Merc 80hp was not good it would kill a AGM battery every season so I went back to wet cells. AGM's do very well when they are constantly kept charged so if your able to keep them charged they do very well. However if you run them fully down then recharge them they don't hold up as well as a wet cell. Most quality battery chargers have a selector for standard or maintenance free batteries which controls the charge voltage and does not let it do a equalization charge. If you want great life in a wet cell you must feed it distilled water which can be a PITA but it improves the life of the battery.

[SeaCatMich]

I too like the Walmart batteries for the price and that they are made by Johnson Controls. Nice that there is almost always a Walmart within a few miles of where I go fishing too so that if I have an issue and need warranty coverage it is easy to go to any of the stores. For trolling motors you will want full deep cycle batteries, not dual purpose. Full deep cycles can be discharged much further and will recover with charging back to full power. They also will discharg more evenly under load.

Another option to consider is going to four 6v golf cart batteries configured for 24v output. Many bass boat owners are doing this because the overall amp-hours is much higher and the batteries are designed for heavy use and charge/recharge cycling. The downside is that they take up more space than a pair of 12v batteries.

I would also look at the charger you are planning to use to make sure it is a 3 stage charger that will optimize the rate of charging. Applying a 20a charge all the time to a deep cycle battery will get it charged but also reduce the overall life of the battery compared to a lower charge rate over a longer period. The good onboard chargers from companies like Guest will charge them correctly.

[BRED]

Good info thanks