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Batteries

When I had a bass boat, I unhooked the battery if not using it for a while; kept water level to mark. Winter, took it out and put it in the basement. On board charger would be a good idea, as recommended. FWIW, there are only 5 manufacturers in the US. Chances are any battery is made by one of them, unless an import.
 
my on board 3 stage stays plugged in 24/7. it keeps them floating until it senses enough discharge to turn back on the absorption stage. i check them monthly.

if you decide to go lifepo4 route then you will more than likely have to invest in another charger unless the manufacturer has included the circuitry in the battery. they use 4 cells of 3.2v-3.6v and a regular charger supplies too much voltage for too long, not really enough bulk current and they do not need the float stage, only a bulk and absorption stage and then it kicks off to keep from charging to 100%. lithium batteries like about 50% for storage to keep from damaging the battery.

same for the alternator on a boat motor if using as a cranking battery, it would require a dc-dc converter unless its built into the battery.
 
tnanh said:
on board charger. Most important item you can purchase for battery life. plug it in when take the boat out. Unplug it when you go back fishing. Makes all the difference in the world. I have had good luck with the Minn Kota brand.
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I have a Minn Kota in my little boat and a Guest that came in my bass boat. I used to be partial to Pro XL which is what I had in my last bass boat, but I think Minn Kota might be the best out now.
 
WTM said:
yeah, 5000 charge cycles is fishing every day for 13 years, if you charge them everyday. sounds almost too good to be true.
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I just don't know about the warranty. 11 years is great but what does it actually cover? If my battery craps out at 7 years do they cover it (prorated I'm guessing) or do they say that's normal wear and tear and not materials and workmanship? If I knew the warranty was rock solid I could justify the cost. I would love to shed the weight.
 
Spurhunter said:
I just don't know about the warranty. 11 years is great but what does it actually cover? If my battery craps out at 7 years do they cover it (prorated I'm guessing) or do they say that's normal wear and tear and not materials and workmanship? If I knew the warranty was rock solid I could justify the cost. I would love to shed the weight.
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i guess there is the fine print:


Warranty/Returns Archives

All of our batteries are backed up by a 30 day money back guarantee and 11 year warranty.
dakotalithium.com dakotalithium.com

thats more believable, 2000 cycles which the average for these type of batteries is 1900 cycles at 100% vs 300-1000 cycles for lead acid deep cycle. it probably would get 5000 at 80% discharge. still if it lasts 7 hours of fishing that may be only 50% discharge and last longer.

looks like the first 5 years is credit replace or repair if defective and repair after that.
 
WTM said:
i guess there is the fine print:


Warranty/Returns Archives

All of our batteries are backed up by a 30 day money back guarantee and 11 year warranty.
dakotalithium.com dakotalithium.com

thats more believable, 2000 cycles which the average for these type of batteries is 1900 cycles at 100% vs 300-1000 cycles for lead acid deep cycle. it probably would get 5000 at 80% discharge. still if it lasts 7 hours of fishing that may be only 50% discharge and last longer.

looks like the first 5 years is credit replace or repair if defective and repair after that.
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I've looked everywhere for that! Thank you.
 
WTM said:
my on board 3 stage stays plugged in 24/7. it keeps them floating until it senses enough discharge to turn back on the absorption stage. i check them monthly.

if you decide to go lifepo4 route then you will more than likely have to invest in another charger unless the manufacturer has included the circuitry in the battery. they use 4 cells of 3.2v-3.6v and a regular charger supplies too much voltage for too long, not really enough bulk current and they do not need the float stage, only a bulk and absorption stage and then it kicks off to keep from charging to 100%. lithium batteries like about 50% for storage to keep from damaging the battery.

same for the alternator on a boat motor if using as a cranking battery, it would require a dc-dc converter unless its built into the battery.
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I use to keep mine plugged in 24/7,but on bass boat central have heard about some shorting out and catching there houses on fire.Now i just plug mine up for a day when i come off the water and let them charge.Then i will plug it up the night before i plan to fish.I have a 4 bank dualpro and a 2 bank minnkota,i prefer the dualpro,buddies have had horrible luck with minnkota.
 
blueball said:
I use to keep mine plugged in 24/7,but on bass boat central have heard about some shorting out and catching there houses on fire.Now i just plug mine up for a day when i come off the water and let them charge.Then i will plug it up the night before i plan to fish.I have a 4 bank dualpro and a 2 bank minnkota,i prefer the dualpro,buddies have had horrible luck with minnkota.
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I've always kept mine plugged up 24/7. I have a Dual Pro I took out of my old boat when I blew up the motor. I really like their stuff. I have a single bank Minn Kota on my pond boat that sits out in the weather 24/7 365 and it has been bulletproof. My current boat came with a Guest which are supposed to be great. The only thing I don't like about it, and it's a huge flaw, is the 2 trolling batteries share a "ready" light. I want a separate light for each battery like my Dual Pro has. If I was plastic man I would swap them out.
 
That's good to know about Dakota having a single 24v battery. I hadn't ever looked but just assumed that a person would need two 12s in a series for 24v systems. That means I know what I can get my dad for Father's day this year. He was just complaining the other day about how his walmart ones only last about 2 yrs and how heavy they were. I think he was dropping hints after seeing my TM battery lol
 
Ive had terrible luck with Interstate trolling batteries. Made the switch to lithium last year and I love them. They are half the weight and charge up super fast.
 
blueball said:
i just plug mine up for a day when i come off the water and let them charge. Then i will plug it up the night before i plan to fish.
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Same here...….not going to leave my house with it still plugged up in case of a short.

The batteries made by East Penn are good.....Deka, Duracell, Napa Marine....all the same. Always had good luck with them.
 
wish i had seen all the "interstate" comments before yesterday. I just bought two Interstate SRM24's for my camper. Oh well, I didn't give but $100 for them both, and they are only 2 months old.
 
I bit the bullet and bought 2 Dakota 12V 54 ah batteries (free chargers included) for $948 with free shipping and no tax. I wanted maintenance free so I had it narrowed down to Duracell Ultra Platinum AGM which only come in Group 31 if you don't want a dual purpose battery, and Lithium. I had to unbolt my gas tank and slide it over just to get the Group 27 batteries out. The Dakotas will slide in and out no problem. So, the Duracells are $475 and 135 pounds. The Dakotas are $948 and 35 pounds. I'll keep you guys posted. Hopefully I have nothing but good news to share.
 
Spurhunter said:
I bit the bullet and bought 2 Dakota 12V 54 ah batteries (free chargers included) for $948 with free shipping and no tax. I wanted maintenance free so I had it narrowed down to Duracell Ultra Platinum AGM which only come in Group 31 if you don't want a dual purpose battery, and Lithium. I had to unbolt my gas tank and slide it over just to get the Group 27 batteries out. The Dakotas will slide in and out no problem. So, the Duracells are $475 and 135 pounds. The Dakotas are $948 and 35 pounds. I'll keep you guys posted. Hopefully I have nothing but good news to share.
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make sure you call Dakota and ask them if you meed to equalize the charge before making the series connection. with seperate control modules most manufacturers want you to charge them seperately and be within 50mv(.05v) before making the series connection. that keeps them equal so the BMS doesnt get confused and shuts one battery down before it is charged.
 
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FWIW, I changed mine to the AGM batteries that Sam's Club sales last year and haven't had any issues out of them.
 

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