08-06-2010, 09:17 PM
I agree on the difficult conditions of that Idaho reservoir. The wind and waves were really nasty!! It is a good battery and set up that made it 3 days without a recharge in those conditions!
Bottom line is get the largest battery that you can manage, and I don't think you will regret it. If you really have problems lifting the weight of a larger battery, then you might consider getting two of the "lawn tractor/wheelchair" deep cell batteries for longer excursions. It would be an expensive solution, but as one is discharged you can switch over to the fresh battery. They do weigh considerably less and can be carried one at a time to your toon, but would be a small pain to have to switch over. The pair would also take up about as much space and have a combined weight as a larger battery.
I have the 85 amp hr size 24 battery and it has lasted me just fine for one day excursions. But I don't troll much. It isn't as large or weigh nearly as much as the size 27 -larger amp hr battery.
I have a very old Minn Kota 24# which works OK with both my Renegade and my Fish Cat 4. Some day I will probably upgrade to a Minn Kota 30#. But for now I am not fast, but it supplements my kicking if I want or need it to. So far it has brought me back off of some reservoirs in some very ugly conditions, as when FlyGoddess was up here.
It works for me -- find what works for you!
[signature]
Bottom line is get the largest battery that you can manage, and I don't think you will regret it. If you really have problems lifting the weight of a larger battery, then you might consider getting two of the "lawn tractor/wheelchair" deep cell batteries for longer excursions. It would be an expensive solution, but as one is discharged you can switch over to the fresh battery. They do weigh considerably less and can be carried one at a time to your toon, but would be a small pain to have to switch over. The pair would also take up about as much space and have a combined weight as a larger battery.
I have the 85 amp hr size 24 battery and it has lasted me just fine for one day excursions. But I don't troll much. It isn't as large or weigh nearly as much as the size 27 -larger amp hr battery.
I have a very old Minn Kota 24# which works OK with both my Renegade and my Fish Cat 4. Some day I will probably upgrade to a Minn Kota 30#. But for now I am not fast, but it supplements my kicking if I want or need it to. So far it has brought me back off of some reservoirs in some very ugly conditions, as when FlyGoddess was up here.
It works for me -- find what works for you!
[signature]