Charging the Trolling Motor Battery

[papasage]

i charge all my batteries on10 amp. have some i used 5 years . delco batteries

[EARL KITCHENS]

I am trying to find out if anyone has any reports good or bad on Optima trolling batteries. I am limited on room in my boat because it has such a large gas tank. I only have room for one cranking and one trolling battery but if I go to the Optima I will have room for two trolling batteries and would put them in parrallel with each other for longer trolling life. Any comments will be appreciated.

[Bluegill Bill]

Let me ask (probably) a stupid question. If you wire two 12 volt batteries together, isn't that sending 24 volts to whatever?

"Shep"

[Bulls Bay]

Get a battery switch........I have mine set up to charge when I am running then I can isolate the mains/trolling system for trolling with the flip of a switch. Perko makes a great one I have used for years.....

As for amperage limits.........AGM and Gel type batteries do have to be charged at lower rates than wet plate cell construction. The reason for this is that a battery gives off hydrogen when charging. Glass mat style batteries (Optima for example) will form hydrogen gas bubbles in the gel that is between the plates. With no way to escape it effectively kills the battery at this location. Wet Cell Plate batteries, however, can easily expel this gas through the liquid sulfuric acid.

Battery manufacturers can give you an optimum charging rate for all batteries to prevent damage.

Another jewel I have found is the Vector Portside "Smart" battery charger.
This charger monitors the battery and properly adjust the charging rate based on the charging needs of the battery. It ranges from 30 amps down to a float charge mode throughout the cycle. No risk of overcharging.

It also has modes for "AGM" "Gel" and "Wet" cell style batteries......all have different modes of charging.

It also has modes for desulfating the plates, and balancing the cells. This is great for restoring the electrolyte balance in the cells and in some cases will revive even a "dead cell" in a battery.

My trolling motor battery "Trojan" manufacturer of Minn Kota batteries is about 5 years old now and is as strong as the day I bought it. I charge it regularly at 10 amps and if I am in a hurry 30 amps. The Vector charger does a great job of maintaining it without damage.

The biggest problem with battery maintenance is keeping the water full.

I run Trojan Wet Cell on the trolling system and Die Hard Platinum Marine batteries on the mains..........She always cranks when I say go!

Last week I couldn't even spell Injunear........Now I R 1!

[Bulls Bay]

Let me ask (probably) a stupid question. If you wire two 12 volt batteries together, isn't that sending 24 volts to whatever?

"Shep"

Only in series.........Load to positive - negative to positive - negative to Load.

Parallel is still 12 volts with more amperage capacity.

[Bulls Bay]

I am trying to find out if anyone has any reports good or bad on Optima trolling batteries. I am limited on room in my boat because it has such a large gas tank. I only have room for one cranking and one trolling battery but if I go to the Optima I will have room for two trolling batteries and would put them in parrallel with each other for longer trolling life. Any comments will be appreciated.

They didn't do well with me.........I go offshore some and the constant banging kills em....went through about 3....I bought mine at Sears and ran them until they quit selling them. They offered me a replacement Die Hard Platinum Marine AGM which has held up 3 years with no problems *Fingers Crossed*

I looked at a parallel setup optima sells for a trolling package.....After some investigation into weight and size Trojan had a better single battery solution at less weight per amp.

[EARL KITCHENS]

Dave, in your opinion am I better off with one trolling motor battery or two in parallel? I only have a space of 13 inches by 16 inches to work with for two batteries or one large one? Thanks for all the information. Do you know who actually manufactures the Trojan battery? Where can you buy them?

[Bulls Bay]

Trojan Battery Company

They have a distributor search link on this page............Its usually a small local battery shop in your hometown......

Running batteries in parallel will increase your total amphour (runtime) rating as compared to a single battery. However, you can buy a larger battery that will have as much or more amphour capacity.

I use the Trojan SCS225 which has double the capacity of the largest (Size 31) Optima at only slightly more weight

The second good part of the Trojan is that it is a "wet cell" and not a Gel....

In my previous post I mentioned about charging rates. The wet cell can take the rapid charging rates without damage whereas Optima recommends an 8 amp max rate with there batteries. Dont quote me on that but I think thats approximately the number.

Gel batteries tend to have more instant power for cranking (CCA) but less grunt in the long haul (Amphour Capacity).

Trojan has a new line of AGM batteries out now.......the 8D series is like 21x11x8 and weighs in at a hefty 167 lbs..........but comes with a nice 230 c/20 amphour rating. I have a buddy running 3 of these in a 36v setup in a striper boat........he can troll like two weekends straight dragging lines without a recharge. But I always did think he was a bit unstable (mentally) lol.

A single Optima is about 75 amphours at 60lbs, and the Trojan SCS225 is 130 amphours at 66 lbs.

Basically, just do the math.........if two batteries fit better than one and will give you more power go for it.......it really depends on your boat setup. I look at weight, space, and output and find the best fit.

Just be sure you get deepcycle batteries for trolling..........They have thicker plates. You lose a little plate material each time you recharge so deep cycle batteries have more beef in the plates than a cranking battery.

Basically, buy a good battery, keep it charged (always store fully charged), keep it watered, and it will last till the lead in the plates is gone.....

Mine do run down, but freshening them up with the motor keeps them working as long as I want to fish........just touching them up moving from hole to hole helps greatly.

I will try to sketch up my setup so you can understand how the battery switch works..... Basically the switch allows me to switch from the trolling battery to the Main battery or both. The trolling motor is directly wired to the Trolling battery and stays connected to it all the time. I can switch the battery switch to "all" and troll with both batteries if i want........but a jumpstart on the lake is hard to come by and I am still debating the practicality of that emergency pull cord on my 115 4stroke Merc LOL.

I have jumped her off before with an anchor chain and an aluminum seat post in the middle of the night to avoid that option LOL.

[Bulls Bay]

Here is the model of the battery switch that I use.

PERKO Inc.

I hook mine up like figure 1

http://gator49.hostgator.com/~zeromy...(8500INS1).pdf

The only difference is to hook the trolling motor directly to Battery 1. The switch connects Battery 1, Battery 2, or both to the Motor for starting/charging.

This way you can use either battery 1, 2, or both for the mains, troll with battery 1 or both, charge either 1 or 2 or both from the main motor.

It also allows you to run the trolling motor off of one battery and electronics off of the other if you have interference problems. Most interference problems can be solved with proper grounding or power filters from the trolling motor manufacturer.

[EARL KITCHENS]

Dave, thanks for all the thought and input you put into this. I am planning on fishing as many tournaments as I can in the next year and I am just trying to get ahead of any unforeseen problems. Dead batteries can ruin your day very quickly. I am as proactive as I can be and I put my trolling battery on a two amp charge every time I get back home from fishing. My biggest issue is lack of room for my batteries. THANKS AGAIN.