Trolling battery opinions please?

[tschirk]

I am looking at replacing a couple of trolling batteries - deep cycle for a 80lbs motor.

Too many choices/brands.

Any guidance appreciated.

 

Cheers

Ted

Edited March 17, 2010 by Ted & the Gadget

[scugpg]

I run two Optima Bluetops & they are great! They are light and compact as well.

 

Very good warranty as well.

 

Costco seems to be the best place for pricing.

[Terry]

yup

there are the best of the best if you have the money

http://www.optimabatteries.com/optima_prod...uetop/index.php

[Fisherman]

Optima, way over rated, unless you plan on boating upside down it's just a gimmick which way you can mount them. Go to a battery shop and talk to them, Group size batteries are pretty much standard (dimensional and output) and quite a number of them will put out more current than Optimas ever will. A couple of "real" deep cycle Trojans or Odysey will do better.

 

Those little round labels the batteries have on them like "05/09" means the battery was last charged in May of 2009, get the closest to your buying date if possible. Idle batteries sulfate and deteriorate if not maintained. Cheers.

Edited March 17, 2010 by Fisherman

[hirk]

Opitma's are lighter and will handle about twice the number of charge/discharge cycles compared to a wet cell.They have a little lower reserve rating than a comparable wet cell but discharge differently,they maintain constant output longer but then fall flat faster.You would want the 31 blue top if buying Optima's.BTW I am an Interstate dealer and have used them for TM, they also are very good,I run Optima's because they came with my boat but am happy with them so far.If you get wet cells get 27m size.

[pigless]

If you want a lower price alternative, I've been using the Kirkland deep cycle batteries from Costco and they've lasted me 4 seasons. I think regularly, they're around $90 but every spring around this time or so, they go on sale for something like $20-25 off. As long as you charge them with a quality charger, they'll last you a long time. I can usually go an entire day (8-10 hours) running my 55pd Minn Kota on 1 of those batteries.

[fish_fishburn]

I have been using Trojan 27 series batteries in my bass boat for about ten years now. My last pair lasted about seven seasons. I think they run about 150 a piece. The most important thing is the type of charger you use to charge them. I use the dual PRO CHARGER. Its made in the U.S. and is 14 yrs old and still works flawlessly. I put ENERGIZER 27 series in my 26 ft cruiser 2 yrs ago and they work really good as well with no issues. They sell them at wallyworld for about 100 bucks apiece plus the 10 bucks off for your old battery. I have tried INTERSTATE batteries as well and never got more than two seasons out of them. Maybe I just got bad batteries, but I would not buy them again. JMHO.

[scugpg]

fishburn has a good point - whatever batteries you go with, they are only as good as your charger.

[ecmilley]

whatever you chose make sure it's a true deep cycle and not a dual purpose for your trolling motor, currently run two diehard dc27 and it'll run my 65lb maxxum all day with no problems, now when i tried that with my dp27 (dual purpose) lasted about 5-6 hours

interstate are a good brand as well as east penn battery they make the diehard line and powersurge

optimas i don't have much expierance with but heard good things

[tschirk]

Awesome feed back all!

Many Thanks,

Ted

[Harrison]

Ted - Costco Kirkland Batteries!

 

Used them for years. Turned on to them by a fellow T angler who is some sort of engineer and researches absolutely everything to the fullest extent. Combined with a good charger I have never had issues with them.

 

Phil

Edited March 17, 2010 by Harrison

[Eazy]

The biggest thing to consider when purchasing a battery for trolling motors is Ah........meaning how many hours you can drain one amp per hour.....for me, my local Wal-mart sold the 120 Ah....no problems whatsoever!.....On the other hand, my first battery was one of those new fangled batteries with the circle cells, and after getting my second one under warranty, which pooched as well, I went to wally world and got my 120Ah energizer for almost half the price!

[Sinker]

I've been having a good run with the energizers too. This will be my third season on them, with no issues. I've also had good luck with Walleye1 batteries. If I could find them again, I'd buy them.

 

S.

[Fang]

I've used 3 different sets over the years on a 24V Minn Kota

 

First set was Interstate 27's - they were alright

 

Kirklands from Costco - noticed I got a lot longer between charges, maybe I just ahd a bad Interstate.

 

Enegizers (best $ is Walmart) seem alright after first season - no problems.

 

I just could not spend the extra $ on the optimas and feel I was getting that much better performance

[Roy]

I now use two 12volt deep cycle energizers for my 24volt bowmount. When I get home I plug the onboard charger and forget about it till the next time I take the boat out. No problems at all with these batteries and they're half the price as what I was buying the others for. When the main battery decides to buy the farm, I'll probably get an Energizer for that too.

[diggyj]

I use Interstate batteries for my MotorGuide TM in conjuction with a Nautilus charger and have never had a problem. They work great.

 

Dirk

[JPD]

I've been using the BPS Deep Cycles which are made by Power Surge... the have been great as well. No problems after two years and I probably have charged them well over 100 times!

[Fisherman]

I've been using the BPS Deep Cycles which are made by Power Surge... the have been great as well. No problems after two years and I probably have charged them well over 100 times!

Power Surge actually makes batteries?

[Blake]

I have been using Optima D31 batteries for years and they are the best I have used. They are a little more money but will last and won't let you down.

[bigbuck]

I picked up a Wally World dual purpose starting/deep cycle for my TM last year and it worked great, at the end of the season I picked up a Walleye 1 deep cycle for a hundred bucks and it worked great, I trolled for 2 days on them and they did not go flat. Wait for Canadian Tire to put their 'Intelligent' chargers on special. Supposedly, they will automatically analyze the condition of the battery and charge it accordingly taking the guess work out on your part. They are even supposed to help bring sulfated batteries back to life (a bad battery is still a bad battery).

[Lunker Larry]

Big Red by Total Battery - This summer will be it's 8th season of use. I go all day on a 55lb Minkota. This battery has never ever let me down.

One thing to think about using is Battery Rejuvinator when topping up your batteries.

[BillM]

We run a deep cycle Nautilus from CT for our bowmount. A good day and a half out of one charge if we are running it all the time.(Windy, wavy, etc etc)..