trolling motor battery info please

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
So, I have reached a point that I no longer want to skull the john boat around the pond. I scrounged around my mess and found my old Minn Kota 10 that has to be at least 35 years old but it still runs. Now I need a battery. I won't be using it but a few times a month and will probably be on the water not much more than a couple of hours at a time on a small pond so I don't see the need for a high dollar battery like you pros use on the big water for all day fishing. What size battery does anyone recommend?
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
You need a deep cycle for charging and just me but for that use I would want a gel or dry battery.
if you carry or move it then in is a lot cleaner, less worry and last longer.

On the other side of things....
for low drain and for a pond..... you could get away with a standard battery like for your truck
it would cost you around 100$ as long as you do not drain it low time after time it will last, hold charge and most cases covered under 5 to 7 year warranty.
Most Boat battery cost 2 to 3x that and warranty was 1 to 2 years max.

In the old days I had a 14' boat with 24lb or so trolling motor and just used the cheapest battery I could get.
It worked about 3 to 4 years. I never drained it much, used it for the TM and fishfinder.

So it is what you want.
But my thoughts for water and boating dry is the only way.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
So, I have reached a point that I no longer want to skull the john boat around the pond. I scrounged around my mess and found my old Minn Kota 10 that has to be at least 35 years old but it still runs. Now I need a battery. I won't be using it but a few times a month and will probably be on the water not much more than a couple of hours at a time on a small pond so I don't see the need for a high dollar battery like you pros use on the big water for all day fishing. What size battery does anyone recommend?

for that application just get a small Everstart marine battery from walmart. I use their bigger batteries on a much more strenuous jon boat application and they do fine.
just charge after every use.
 

FishHunt

Old Mossy Horns
Get one with a handle or put it in a plastic battery box. It will be a lot easier to move around when you're going to the pond.

<>< Fish
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
Make sure your battery box is sealed on the top or cover the vents.
They started building top vents in the boxes.
Every time it rains or get wet it fills with water and is a PITA to unhook, pull battery then drain all the nasty water......
One rain will add a bunch of water and weight along with making the battery oxidize fast.
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
Thanks for the tip Gadget. Hopefully I will be able to find one small enough to meet my limited needs and light enough that I can run it back and forth to the house in the mule along with my catch of the day and keep it inside.
 

hawkman

Eight Pointer
Just learned something I need to understand before buying a boat: that marine batteries are expensive!!!

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Walmart deep cycle Everstart 24 group DC battery.

And the biggest key: keep it on a battery tender or smart charger. Keep it topped off and it will last for years. If it gets drained and stays that way it won't.
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
Just learned something I need to understand before buying a boat: that marine batteries are expensive!!!

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

Yep good batteries can run you 275 to 375 and some of the high end batteries run in excess 500
And the warranty sucks generally around one to two years max.
There are cheaper ways out using lead acid and the likes but sometimes can cause a lot of problems like Galvanic corrosion, wire corrosion and the likes.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
Yep good batteries can run you 275 to 375 and some of the high end batteries run in excess 500
And the warranty sucks generally around one to two years max.
There are cheaper ways out using lead acid and the likes but sometimes can cause a lot of problems like Galvanic corrosion, wire corrosion and the likes.

really great marine batteries cost thousands. Lihtium Pro is the way to go if you need the best.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Walmart deep cycle Everstart 24 group DC battery.

And the biggest key: keep it on a battery tender or smart charger. Keep it topped off and it will last for years. If it gets drained and stays that way it won't.
That is the key to any battery. My tractor has two group 27 1000 CCA batteries running parallel. When I play farmed and ran it often it wasn't an issue. Now it sets for week not being started. Well about every 18-24 mos I was buying a set of batteries. I put a cheap battery tender on it and I got 5 years out of the last set and probably would have gotten more but lightening got the battery tender itself and I actually changed the batteries before I realized the tender had fried.
 
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