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I have a 12 foot, two man inflatable raft. Holds up to around 750 pounds. I am planning on getting an electric Minn Kota Endura 40 or 46 trolling motor, which from what I've read should be plenty of power.
I know I need a 12 volt deep cycle battery, and preferably one with a good amount of amp hours, but some of them are so expensive, and others quite cheap, so I don't know what to get.
Also, what kind of charger should I get? I found a smart charger that goes up to 10 amps for deep cycle batteries for only $60 online. Is that going to work?
How long can I plan on continuously trolling in the water at medium speeds before it needs to be recharged? An hour... two hours.... more? Some people say it will run all day, and others say only an hour. What's the deal?
Thanks!
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[font "Times New Roman"][#000000]The more people tell you their suggestions here the better so here goes mine.[/#000000][/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"][#000000]You should buy a deep cycle battery with at least 100 AMP hours. Don't go below. Now, I don't like expensive batteries beacause most brands will make these claims for long hours and whatnot. Some are true but most are not. [/#000000][/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"][#000000]The way I tell you is buy two reasonable deep cycle batteries (lead-acid ones). The ones I have are 105 AMP hours Stowaway Marine. I bought them for cheap about 3 years ago $54. But all the the prices are higher now. The good deal is at NAPA for $76. The reason I have two is that I don't take out alof of draw from each one at a time. It is better for the long term durability of them. As soon as you can charge them up to where they should be. If you do this you can expect 5-6 good years out of them. [/#000000][/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"][#000000]For the charger now is the time to make the proper selection. My suggestion is to buy a good marine battery charger. For example I have been using the ProMariner 8 for 3 years now. They charge the batteries nice and slow the right way. And, when you are not using the batteries, as long as the charger is connected, it maintains them constantly to keep them in top shape. I have a voltmeter and regularly test the batteries and charger. So I know from my experience that the ProMariner will keep the voltage on them around 13.36 V constantly when they are in storage. [/#000000][/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"][#000000]There are alot of chargers that work but if you don't watch them they can ruin your batteries over time, and they don't maintain the batteries so the money you saved in buying those will be wasted for new batteries sooner. ProMariner gives a 2 year warranty. I think they are around $80. [/#000000][/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"][#000000]For the trolling speed I remember there was a thread allittle time ago about it. You can search it out. I think the absolute maximum you can troll and not draw out the battery below what you should is 4-6 hours. But there are many factors. The other thread talks about them. [/#000000][/font]
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Very good info, thanks!
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I've been in your situation before and wasted a lot of money. If I had it to do over again I'd spend as little as possible.
Battery: 65 amp-hour battery will give you all the trolling time you can handle in a raft (3-5 hours) and won't be so heavy to carry. Don't get one with starting capabilities, you want true deep cycle. Get one with a good handle. I'd plan to spend about $60
Charger: you need something that will deliver at least 6 amps. This probably will be in the $25 range.
Motor: get a used one off of ksl.com or ebay (or just ask around). I had a 36lb Endura on a 14' fiberglass and it pushed us into the wind at trolling speed just fine. Expect to pay $75.
If you really got setup with a premium battery, trolling motor, and charger you'll be into it over $300. Trust me, take the money you save and save up for a small used 12' aluminum boat with a small gas motor and trailer. You can pick a good one up for $500-$1000 and they are soooo much nicer to fish from than a raft and almost as portable.
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