Post By: just wanna catch Posted: 7/9/2012 1:10:10 PM Points: 93
any recommendation for a good quality long lasting battery for an Endura 40lb thrust trolling motor? I use it on a one man pontoon. I like to stay out all day and troll around, plus sometimes need it when the big winds come in and just try to get back to shore easily. Thanks for all help.
I have a 1 man pontoon as well and just bought a new Battery. I have a 36lb thrust minn kota motor on mine. I was trolling Quincy on Saturday and put it to the test! I started trolling at 7AM on speed 4 and was stopping quite a bit (un-hooking fish) and would get back at it.... I was heading for the boat ramp around 12:30 and it was all but dead!
I have been looking into the little solar panel trickle charges that clamp on and charge the battery while you’re on the lake. The problem is the weight difference in the batteries. Mine is 53lbs and when you go to the next size up battery I think it was 85lbs.
I paid just shy of a $100 so if your eager to last all day I would suggest buying 2 of them.
Good luck. I'll be following this thread hoping someone chimes in that has had more experience!
I have a BPS 31 series that powers my 45lb minnkota mounted on a 12' boat with approx 600lbs of people/gear/batteries for approx 4 hours in mild wind. Longer on a calm day. I also have a smaller battery for backup but have only ever used it for getting back to the dock at the end of the day if the main was low.
The 31 series are pricey but worth it. My backup is a 24 or 27 series from Costco and it is great also!
I have shopped around for Deep Cycle batteries multiple times, pretty much every time I buy one.. Checked just about everywhere, and Wal Mart is always the best. They even have a better price than sams club.
Never had a 1 man pontoon, but had a 31 that powered a 46# MK on a 14' Jon Boat, and would run it all day without a problem. May not be setting any speed records on the way back to the dock, but it always got us there. I have a 31 on our 55# foot control power drive MK mounted to the bow of a 16' fiberglass bayliner with a heavy I/O motor. and we have run it all day as well.
The big thing that you will notice on the top of any Minn Kota motor is the chart that shows you how long a battery will last on varied settings. When you get to the 4-5 range the time drops quick! try using the lower speeds as much as possible, and you will get almost double the battery life.
To get a solar panel that will produce enough power to make much difference you need a large panel that is at least $100+ and would be challenging to find a good place for on a 1 man pontoon for sure!
If I were setting one of them up I'd have a 29-31 for your main battery and a smaller deep cycle for a "get back to the dock" battery. Just depends on how much weight you can handle, and space you have.
I think the real question is how much weight can you carry as battery?
Just a thought but two ATV batteries in parallel would be around 50 pounds of weight. Batteries in parallel tend to do better than 2X the endurance of either individually.
There is a company at [log in for link] that makes deep cycle marine batteries as light as 12 pounds. Looks like they run around $200 but seem pretty cool. Some they claim float.
I also have a 1 person pontoon. after going thru 2 or 3 cheap deep cycle batteries from an auto parts shop, I purchased a DieHard from Sears. Paid a little more, but it has not let me down. I don't do a lot of the trolling like you do, just get me to and from spots I like to fish. Recently, I got 3 days on a charge at Pearl Lake and had some to spare. I use a 30 Lb thrust. Good Luck
Thank you all for input. I was reading a site that mentioned a battery called a "blue top" Optima brand??? Anyone familiar with these, would one serve our purpose?
Reply by: Slave to the cat Posted: 7/10/2012 6:30:59 PM Points: 13
I have a two man pontoon, and I use a blue top Optima with a 55# Minnkota. I have researched batteries extensively. Here are the facts, my thoughts, or sales pitches I have heard on the matter. Two 6V golf cart batteries wired in parallel will last longer than anything out there, but cost so much I couldn't justify it. I can run my optima for two days easily but there is no speed demon racing going on, also for me a day at Spinney usually ends at noon due to the wind. That said, I do have an invertor in my truck so I plug in my battery charger and try to get a few minutes of charge while driving to camp. (I camp around Wilkerson Pass). The best thing you can do for a battery is try to keep it fully charged. The other way to go is the cheap way (AKA Walmart) I have gone that route also, You will buy more batteries, but they are definitly affordable. I really think it is about 50/50. I just went the Optima way because I seem to lose more money in clothing due to the battery acid. Optimas will NOT leak. They are the battery of choice for the hard core off-road rock crawling guys. I saw one guy drag his optima 20 feet by the cables when it flew out of the battery box, he picked it up, put it back in, and sold me on Optima, not one drip of acid. One draw back for the Optima (besides price) is that you can not use your vehicle's alternator to charge it unless you have an Optima in your vehicle also. That is the reason I use an invertor to power a battery charger. Finally for what it's worth, Minnkota explained to me that the only way to go faster is more RPM's or change the pitch of the blade on your trolling motor. Pounds of thrust do not make you go faster. Like I said I researched batteries I should have researched motors. Hope all this helps.
Get an AGM battery. No leaks, should last longer , no maintenance, no special charging requirements. The get the hidhest amp hours you can afford to buy and cary on board.
Try Hensley Battery for a decent price. Not a rep, just a fisherman,
Reply by: BigHoss Posted: 7/11/2012 10:45:32 AM Points: 172
I have a 12' white water raft that I've converted into a fishing boat. I hav a minn Kota 38# trolling motor on it and I use the optima blue top battery. I've gone out fishing trolling all day long from 6a-6p and still had charge on the battery at the end of the day. Personally I wouldn't use any other battery.
good question! ive tried them all and a cheap walmart car battery is all you need. do yourself a favor. buy a new battery for your car and use your old battery for fishin. ps - you'll need to buy a small trickle charger to re-charge between trips.
Just my input......I have an 8ft pontoon boat and use a minn kota maxxum trolling motor 40lb thrust.....the maxxum allows the trolling motor to use only what it draws thus this maximizes your battery time....I use two batteries...a small sized battery to only use to get back to loading area... depending on how far I am on the lake will determine if I use it in the area I'm fishing....and a large sized batery for all day use......what kind? I've used a couple different ones, but really like an AGM type battery....I get them from cabela's....awesome....they charge fast and hold that charge for a long time, plus last all day.....I also liked the duralast from AUTOZONE...the marine one...it lasted all day to most of the day, but took longer to recharge, not to mention you have to replace them every year to every other year....just my experience
Reply by: jerryt781 Posted: 7/16/2012 10:06:16 AM Points: 7
I solved the same problem with a second battery on board.I have a one man pontoon as well. I slightly over inflate pontoons. One battery is a Deep Cycle from Pro Bass,and one a regular car battery.Another tip is when battery goes dead take it back to your truck and with a good set of jumper cables connect to car battery while your truck is running. I'm a retired Master Auto Tech and it will not damage your car or truck.You have to leave it charging as long as your comfortable with. Hope this info helps-once you teach a man to fly fish he can"t keep his hands off his fly.
I have a Scadden 10ft pontoon, and use a 27 series interstate deep cycle. I prefer to row to my spot in the am and save the battery for chasing risers and for the ride back in the wind. I can and do carry two batteries, but rarely have to use the second one. I think two batteries on an 8ft pontoon would be too much weight and your back end would be way low in the water, increasing drag. My problem is the old minnkota 30 gets real hot on the way back. The connector cables will burn you- whats up with that? (Summary-Use your battery when you need to and row around more to save it)
