deep cycle marine battery help please

[dma_ayotte]

I have a 50 pound thrust electric motor, I was wondering what kind of battery to use to be able to troll with this without running the battery down in just an hour or two. any help would be great thank you. What kind of battery should i be looking at?
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[Steelheadr]

I have a Minn Kota 36 lb thrust trolling motor that I use with an Interstate size 29 deep cycle lead acid battery. I assume your 50-lb thrust motor would draw proportionally more amps. The 29-size is a longer battery than the usual auto size 24 batteries. On high speed, it lasts an hour or two, but I seldom use it at higher than low to med speed on my pontoon boat. At those speeds it lasts all day. I tried a store-brand deep cycle 24-size from a well-known big box sporting good store, and it was always out of power before the end of the day & only lasted a year. Its all about the amp-hours the battery is rated. Heavier battery = thicker lead plates. More amp-hours = longer run time.
good luck!

[dma_ayotte]

Thanks thats what i was wondering. I have two batterys and on two or three on my motor i only get one hr out of each battery. What should i be getting out of a good battery if im trolling on speed two or three?
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[Fishbouy]

I have a 24 volt system with two deep cycle batteries by "Trojan", Sportsman has them also seen them at RV places. I believe mine is a 75 lb thrust motor. On a low setting you should be able to go all day ++, on the highest setting perhaps only 2-3 hours. Make sure you get a true deep cycle not a marine start/deep cycle. My batteries will be going on 6 years this year. I have a dedicated marine charger ("Guest") if you don;t run them down completely and charge them right back up the life expectancy is longer.

Tight lines!
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[dtayboyz]

Get a group 31 marine, make sure you maintain water level, use and then recharge. Don't allow to sit discharged. My bass boat batteries last over 5 years. Be careful of reconditioned or used. Wallyworld is everywhere and they have a great warranty. Trojan is a great brand, right now I'm on year four with sterlings.
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[jeremypeace]

I have a optima yellow top in my boat, It lasted a whole day without a alt charge, running a 140hp volvo with the radio playing, and the next morning it still had plenty of charge to start the boat after I discovered the missing alt belt. It was a spendy battery but I have had it for 5 years now and it still works like a champ. Little spendy but a good one.
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[outdoorsman1]

Look at amp hours of the battery, the higher the better. If all they give you is reserve capacity then divide that by two and that will be about the amp hours. I did a ton of research on this and the best thing you can do is get a battery with high amp hours, The highest group rating that will fit in your boat(24,27,31) and get a very good charger. the best batteries in my opinion are Trojan , odessey or Lifeline, optimas are made in mexico now and aren't like they used to be. I also went with AGM batteries for maintenance reasons. They are sealed and you dont have to fill them with distilled water. If you take care of them with a good charger they should last almost 10 years.

[dma_ayotte]

Great info guys! Thx so much. Ill be shopping around n hopefully find the right one. Cant wait for next weekend now!
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[PACKFAN]

I run Interstate in all my rigs, 5th wheel, Lance camper and my Crestliner. I pretty much fish for walleye so I do alot of trolling with my 80 lb. thrust Minn-Kota. I can get a days fishing in without a charge depending upon how much wind I'm fighting. I have been getting 5 to 6 years out of my trolling batteries. I have had good luck with them for the past dozen years or so. The last set I bought several years ago run around $75 each. Always replace the whole set of batteries when you change them out if you run more than one.
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[forgiven]

Any good deep cycle battery will work just fine. I like the ones at Costco. Work great and great price!
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[flygoddess]

Don't some of the AGM batteries require a special charger? We have a 14' Aluminum boat we use a #29 Deep Cycle amnd a 45 lb thrust motor on and we can get a whole day out of it. Plus the gas motor can charge it if it gets too low.
Got my batteries from Walmart for around $75.
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[uhgg]

If you have the room and weight capacity 2 6v golf cart batteries are the way to go. I use them in my RV and love them.
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[Got_Bait]

+1. I have been through several of the Walmart deep cycles, and also the ones they sell at Smith and Edwards, and the Interstate has impressed me the most. As has been said, get one with the most reserve capacity or amp hours (whichever is specified) and use a good charger that has an automatically adjusting multi stage charge feature. Hook up the charger as soon as you finish fishing for the day, and charge as slow as you can afford to.

I use a 55 lb thrust electric with the infinitely variable speed. I think that is as big as you can go without having to go to a 24 volt system. In my experience, it takes a good battery that is well maintained to troll in my boat all day. Especially if I am going very fast (pretty much anything over 1.5).

Lots of good info in this thread. Puts together a lot of valuable knowledge that took me years of frustration to figure out.
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[idahomike]

I'm with Forgiven Costco great price and no hassel warranty. Deep cycle and as many amp hrs that you can get. One thing I have learned is that you should charge a deep cycle slower that a regular battery. Don't know why but that's what I've been advised to do. My charger has a deep cycle setting. I use a 54 # motor guide and can go all day. Though not constantly trolling.
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[dma_ayotte]

Gone to costco n picked one up for $72.99. Now hurry n wait for Saturday! Thx everyone for ur input.
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[mowrus]

whats the deal with recycled batteries. they say they are half as much and just like new? Any thoughts???
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[curt69]

What brand and how many amps and size ? Curt G.
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