Trolling motor batteries and on board charger

[FoulHooked]

I have a 2009 Triton 18HP with a Optimax 15. Running a 24v 71lb thrust Motorguide tm. I'll be needing new trolling batteries very soon and was wondering what you guys thought as far as the longest lasting battery life was. What brand? Also I'm considering getting an on board charger that will charge the batteries when the big motor is running. Looking for recommendations on that as well. Thanks guys.

[Log Catcher]

I am not aware of any onboard chargers that will do what your asking. I did check with a dealer several years ago about getting a bigger alternator for my 40 HP outboard that would also charge my trolling motor battery. He told me I needed to be running at least a 150 HP or it would be a waste of money and not work like it is supposed to.

[Troy85]

I use Exide batteries.  They seem to work fine for my needs.  As far as a charger, the closest thing I can think of the is "Perko Battery Selector Switch".  My brother has one on his boat, he has 2 batteries, 1 for cranking and the other for the trolling motor.  When he is running the outboard he can set it to all, so the engine alternator will charge both batteries or just battery 2 to charge his TM battery between fishing spots.  

[WRB]

I use VMax Tank AGM marine deep cycle batteries with NOCO Genius 3 bank, 10 amps per bank onboard charger. 2each MR137-120 grp 31 and MR107-85 grp 24 cranking battery. Triton 2005  TR-175 w/115 Optimax, MG Digital 82 lb. no issues for over 10 years.

I have a cranking battery on-off switch, off when charging using the onboard charger.

Tom

[Way2slow]

For the batteries, if you have deep pockets, the AGM's will usually have a longer life span (higher cycle count) but the high end,  flooded cell batteries will give you a longer run time per trip.

For what brand, that depends on who you ask.  Optima's spend millions on advertising to make you think they are the best, but never had their battery live up to their hype and they have one of the lowest reserve minutes.

For a charger to do what you ask, I think Stealth http://www.stealth1charging.com/ is about the only one doing that.  Pro Mariner, Pro Tourney used to but I think the dropped that several years ago.

 

One thing you have to realize, in most cases that feature is useless.  Unless you have a large 40-60 amp charging system and make fairly long runs, the cranking battery is never charged enough for the charger to switch it over to the TM batteries.  With all the pumps and electronics running and the current used to start the motor, it's takes a little bit of charging, just to replace what you have used since you turned the motor off.

[Jig Man]

I have found AGM batteries to be the best for my purposes.  They are sealed and can be installed just about any where and any way you want them to be.  I sold my boat year before last.  It had Optimas in it that had been going strong for over 4 years (trouble) free.

 

When I bought my new boat I had 4 Blue top Optimas put in it.  I might buy something besides Optimas some day but then again maybe not.

[kjfishman]

On 5/9/2018 at 4:06 PM, FoulHooked said:

I have a 2009 Triton 18HP with a Optimax 15. Running a 24v 71lb thrust Motorguide tm. I'll be needing new trolling batteries very soon and was wondering what you guys thought as far as the longest lasting battery life was. What brand? Also I'm considering getting an on board charger that will charge the batteries when the big motor is running. Looking for recommendations on that as well. Thanks guys.

The on board charger you plug in at home won't charge your battery while running but you can buy a charger that does that and it can coexist with the plug in charger. A good write up is here  http://www.northcarolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=4594

 

Last time I bought batteries I got the best deal at Costco.

 

[FoulHooked]

On 5/18/2018 at 4:57 PM, kjfishman said:

The on board charger you plug in at home won't charge your battery while running but you can buy a charger that does that and it can coexist with the plug in charger. A good write up is here  http://www.northcarolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=4594

 

Last time I bought batteries I got the best deal at Costco.

 

That's what I was referring to. Was just curious what brands everyone was using

On 5/16/2018 at 11:01 AM, WRB said:

I use VMax Tank AGM marine deep cycle batteries with NOCO Genius 3 bank, 10 amps per bank onboard charger. 2each MR137-120 grp 31 and MR107-85 grp 24 cranking battery. Triton 2005  TR-175 w/115 Optimax, MG Digital 82 lb. no issues for over 10 years.

I have a cranking battery on-off switch, off when charging using the onboard charger.

Tom

I know they claim 8-10 years but didn't believe it. So 10 yrs and still going strong hub

[Further North]

Minn Kota makes a charger that charges your batteries from the main motor's alternator:

 

https://minnkotamotors.johnsonoutdoors.com/board-alternator

 

...I don't have a lot of faith it'll get them anywhere near fully charged unless you make really long runs between spots...the math just doesn't work.

 

Great advice on batteries above.

 

Get an on-board and plug it in when you get home.

 

If you are experiencing, or are worried about, running out of power on really long days, another option is to bump up to a 36 volt trolling motor.  I fish long days in wind, and in current on rivers and have never come close to running my 36 volt system out of juice.

 

 

[tcbass]

For the charger if you can afford it get a Dual Pro. I had the Professional and loved it. It charged odd batteries for years with no problem. One was an 2 year old battery that sat on my dad’s pole barn floor before I got it and it lasted 5 more years. The other was a used battery from Comcast that the original owner somehow got. Get one with enough banks for all of your batteries. It’s what Ranger puts in their boats. 

 

Talked to a guy who who owns a boat shop and he said for TM and accessory batteries as long as it’s a reputable brand they are ok. Walmart, Menards, whatever he said. He sold expensive Interstate batteries but said since you change these out every few years go with the cheaper ones. He said for the starter battery get a more expensive one. 

[looking45]

Battery life depends on how well you maintain them. If you're looking for the longest warranty, get lithium batteries. They have a 10 year warranty. They are real light and they charge real fast.