Charging the Trolling Motor Battery

[EARL KITCHENS]

My trolling battery goes on a two amp charge with automatic shutoff every time i get back home from fishing and stays on until i go again. I used to use GNB STOWAWAY batteries with great success. My boat came with an Interstate battery that lasted 13 months and they replaced it for free. The replacement which I have now is bad after 14 months. I do everything I can possibly do to make them last longer but it is not working.

[sorrydog]

My trolling battery goes on a two amp charge with automatic shutoff every time i get back home from fishing and stays on until i go again. I used to use GNB STOWAWAY batteries with great success. My boat came with an Interstate battery that lasted 13 months and they replaced it for free. The replacement which I have now is bad after 14 months. I do everything I can possibly do to make them last longer but it is not working.

Here's what I've learned over the years with both boat and aircraft batterys. To make your batterys last longer, "ALWAYS" put them on a "SLOW" charge as soon as you return home from a trip. Don;t let it sit for days or weeks and charge it a couple of days before your next trip. It's ok if your at the fishing camp and need to put it on 10 amps to get ready for the next day of fishing, but your best bet is to have another battery that you can use so you can stay with a slow charge routine on "ALL" of your batterys.
Next, there is a term called "WAKING-UP" a battery. If you have a battery that has been charged on a 1.5 or 2 amps over the years and all of a sudden it's not taking a charge, quick-charge it on high amps. You have a 50-50 chance that you may get another year fishing out of it. Beat's forking out another 100 bucks that can be used for other things.
I have one MAXX life that is going on it's 4th season, never been charged on anything but 1.5 amps and I can fish 2 days at Talquin on it with my trolling motor. I have three of them and just keep swaping on every other fishing trip.

[sorrydog]

I used to use GNB STOWAWAY batteries with great success. My boat came with an Interstate battery that lasted 13 months and they replaced it for free. The replacement which I have now is bad after 14 months. .

Earl,

Go back to the batteries that worked for you and stay with the 1.5 to 2 amp charge. In other words----get rid of the Interstate battery. Their warrenty program is great, but who wants to keep changing out batterys with them every year. There not the best when it comes to deep cycle batteries.

[Bulls Bay]

Smart chargers eliminate the need to "Slow Charge" batteries........

This only came about because "Dumb" chargers cannot regulate voltage and current properly.

They do this automatically. It is fine to hit them with higher current at the front end of a charge. Smart chargers monitor this and automatically switch to lower current to top off and maintain the battery at the end of the charging cycle.......It also does this 3 different ways based on AGM, GEL, or WET type batteries.

The CTEK does this as does the Vector model I use.............They will keep them fresh........

High current actually helps the battery equalize the electrolytes......This is what you are referring to as "Waking" a battery. What has happened is that the plates have sulfated to the point they cannot work..........this High charging rate breaks it up a bit so that it will work again..........

The proper way to do this is Desulfation or Reconditioning a battery.......especially one that is deep cycled is also an important step. Both of the chargers mentioned above offer this option electrically as a high frequency pulse mode.

I noticed that Minn Kota also offers a chemical desulfation additive to go in the battery...........Dunno about this........I suppose it does the same thing by breaking down the crystaline sulfur on the plates and putting it back into acid solution.

[Slabby15]

Earl, I have the Wal-Mart Everstart Maxx trolling battery. I have the largest they make and I bought it in January of this year. It was 70 or 80 dollars. If I remember right the amp hours on the battery was 125 and this is a good rating for a 80 dollar battery. It beats a lot of the more expensive batteries the other companies sell. I have been real pleased with the battery so far and like puddle jumper says if you keep your receit with you, you can get a new battery just about anywhere if yours dies. These batteries have a year and a half free replacement on them also and then they are prorated after that. The other trolling batteries I bought over the years had a warranty of three months to maybe a year (not many gave you a year) and most of them were prorated type warranties. Getting a new battery for a year and a half is a pretty good deal if you have trouble. With the two batteries you will be installing and the trolling motor you have I don't think you will ever have power problems or have to quit early unless you are struck by lightening (LOL). Earl your boat will be setup killer for next tournament season. Good luck with your modifications. Wes

[EARL KITCHENS]

Thanks Wes. Since I decided to keep my boat I decided to customuize it to fit my needs. I made some modifications to the rod holders and I hope to install my Pro Air Aerator System by this Friday. I may go to Sinclair or West Point and try it all out on Friday.

[TnT]

I also have the Wal-Mart Everstart Maxx trolling batteries in my boat. I have been using them for about 16 months now with no problem at all. I just like this particular battery because if I ever do need to replace it, there is always a Wal-Mart close by. I use one of those "Smart Charge" battery chargers that zaps it with high amps at the beginning at adjusts the amps accordingly as it goes. I am still waiting on my on board charger that will only give it a steady 5 amps until fully charged.

[Outlaw1&2]

Guess I'll throw my 2 cents in on this, I have 2 Schumacher SSC 1500 battery chargers,these are the smart chargers that Bulls Bay refers to.You can get them at walmart for around 60 bucks. Very compact chargers, I keep them in the boat, I always charge at 10 amps, in an over night tourney situation or 2 day fishing trip,whatever, I'll hook one to each trolling battery, I will wear out both sometimes in the crazy conditions we fish sometimes, like 25 mph winds, white caps,draggin chains and so forth. This link might answer some questions. Schumacher Electric | FAQ As for Batteries lasting it depends on how you fish and how much abuse you give em, I consider myself lucky if mine last 2yrs. I do have an onboard charger that ain't worth nothing 2 bank - 2 amp, so I disconnected it,would chunk it in the lake,but that would be against my littering policy..