Need Advice.....new To Boats...motors Etc.

[Kabar]

Hi!

So I'm totally new to this....bought inflatable  pontoon Savylor HF 360...will buy for it motor mount, and Minn Kota 38 lb thrust motor (comes with free charger).

As far as I know I should buy deep cycle battery .....but which one is good enough for that kind of motor...?

Thanbk you,

[Trek]

In my opinion go to Sams Club and buy a cheap deep cycle battery. It's only a 38 lb thrust and for what your doing any of them will be fine.

[Sam]

Or go to Wal-Mart and get the size you need with the understanding that if there is a problem Wal-Mart will replace the battery.

 

Retain your receipt in a safe place where you know it is so you can use it if you have to return the battery.

[200racing]

group 29 deep cycle marine. walmart has a everstart or everlast for $99. i got all of mine from a interstate battery shop. $60 for blems.

[Kabar]

Let say 2 people ....around 200 lb each....some gear ...but not much....how long should it last on the water for trolling?

[200racing]

mine last will last a through a whole day on my 1436 jon boat. zipping around a pond with a 30lb thrust TM. running similar load to what you describe.

you can feel it getting weaker but its still going.

[Kabar]

Thank you.

 

What about those Duracell deep cycle batteries (please follow the link)...the small 129 $ the bigger 149 $ (canadian $)... are they good?

 

 

http://www.driveduracell.com/default.aspx?pageid=169

 

Dont know that  those are really Duracell product...logo looks the same...but cant find them on Duracell website.

[200racing]

i ave no experience with those so i cant comment. but it does sound like a good deal.

[Way2slow]

I haven't seen anything about how big of a pond/lake he plans on fishing but if it's any size at all, going by some of the suggestion posted, his first post after using it the first time is going to be why did my battery go dead after two or three hours, and we had to paddle to get back to vehicle.

Be sure to take two paddles so your partner can help paddle if you plan to go very far. Understand, there is no crystal ball one can look at to tell you how long your battery will last, that's solely depends on how much you use the TM and what speed you use it at. Run it on max, a couple of hours and you will be barely moving.

Check with Minn Kota and get the amp draw that motor has at the different speed settings. Then you have to divide those amps into the amp hour capacity of the battery. You also have to reduce that batteries rated capacity about 20% if you plan on running if on high or near high.

A quick example, say your motor draws 35 amps on max. You have a group 27 battery rated for 105 amp hours. With a full 35 amp load, that going to reduce to approximately 75 amps. So, if you divide the 35 into 75, you can figure your battery will be dead in approx two hours.

Another number you can look at is the RC minutes, or Reserve Capacity minutes. They are a lot closer to being realistic than the Amp hour rating because the RC number is typically how many minutes the battery will last with a 25 amp load, some companies use a 23 amp load rating instead of a 25 and I have seen a couple use a 20 amp rating, but any of those will be closer than their advertised Amp hour rating with is based on approximately a five amp load.

[Kabar]

Thank you.

 

Should I charge battery before 1st use .....or supouse to be fully charged as new?

[Way2slow]

Always charge a new battery before you use it. Then make sure you charge it after using it, don't let it sit for more than about 12 hours before charging it after use. If you don't keep it stored on a good maintainer, charge it each month while it sitting and not being used. DO NOT fully discharge before charging it. A battery should never be run down below approx. 30% charge or it will greatly shorten the number of times it can be charged (cycled).