Small boat battery setup

[Bdnoble84]

I have a small 14ft boat i am slowly working on building out with a /deck. So far ive put in a casting deck. Currently i have a 50lb thrust minn kota ttansom bracket motor on the front alond with a lowrance hdi 4. And in the back i have a hook reveal 5. I have one deep cycle battery for everything, although i an looking at options for a dedicated battery for the locators. 
 

i predominantly fish a river with strong current and my trolling motor really struggles to move into it. I am considering upgrading to

 

a 65-70lb 24v trolling motor. Im concerned with added battery weight though. 
a. What is the lightest option for batteries i can go with? 
b. Can i run electronics off one of the two batts or do i need a dedicated accessory battery still? (Probably get a small 30ah powersport type battery)

c. Am i really going to see that large of a perf gain jumping up to a 65 or 70lb tm over upgrading to a 55lb 12v tm? 
 

 

 

 

[MN Fisher]

A> Lithium - if you can hack the price - they're about 1/2 the weight of lead-acid. You can even get a single 24v battery instead of needing two batteries.

B> If you're going 24v - there's no easy way of splitting off 12v for the electronics...you'd need a separate battery

C> Dunno - I fish lakes, so a 45# TM is more than adequate for me.

 

Example - my F-9 build. It's a 14' Alumacraft that I gutted the seats out of and am close to finishing it. Casting platform, rod locker, bow-mounted 45#TM, etc. I'll be running a 100ah battery for the TM and a separate 35ah battery for everything else.

[Deleted account]

9 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

there's no easy way of splitting off 12v for the electronics...you'd need a separate battery

Batteries connected in series can be tapped anywhere along the cells, with the corresponding voltage to be found there, in this particular case, 12v or 24 v.

[Bruce424]

LITHIUM! check out ionic lithiums. i have them. two  50 ah(at i think 14lbs a piece) to run my trolling motor. and a 100ah(i think 28 lbs) to start my motor and run my 2 graphs. check the prices they are not that bad

[Scott F]

I’ve had 2 boats dedicated to river fishing. The first one I bought used and it came with a 12 volt Terrova. In stronger current the boat would barely move at all. I replaced that boat and had a 24 volt Terrova on the new one. Huge difference in being able to pull the bigger boat in faster current. If you are working on the boat for use in a river, even more important to me was a good anchor system. I needed that more than the bigger trolling motor. Finding a good spot on the river and not being able to hold yourself there with an anchor is very frustrating. The anchor system on the new boat was probably overkill, but the old boat’s anchor didn’t even slow me down in fast current. During high water situations, fish pull up tight to the shore in eddie’s along the bank. I’d sit in the fast water and cast to the eddy. A strong trolling motor can hold against the current but the anchor is a lot less work. I used an electric winch to raise and lower the heavy chain anchor. THAT was the best accessory I had. 

[cyclops2]

Must know how many people . AND a accurate weight of the heaviest 2 people on the boat at the same time.  Speed of the river in highest water &  speed.

 

I used to take a buddy who was short but 240 pounds plus my 200 pounds. in a 16' SHORT SHAFT HULL 52 " wide hull in the Delaware River for springtime Shad run. 30 hp  2 stroke engine. 2 SMALL tackle box and a 5  gallon gas tank.  Scary boat handling in  8 to 12 mph water.  we HAD to sit always on the center line to prevent the boat from darting due  to a leaning hull.  Could NOT HOLD bottom with engine off.  We made a 40 pound anchor from a fork truck fork.  Had to hold the boat in place with running motor. Then slowly lower anchor to gravel bottom.  The fork anchor was about 18 X 18 " . Junk & big branches would come down the river. We were lucky !!   Not safe !! any medium branch would have just pulled the bow under in a second. Anchor line was 100' in about 12' of water.

 

Spring rivers are very dangerous sometimes.  As people & workers toss everything into it

[Bdnoble84]

On 5/7/2022 at 9:30 PM, Bdnoble84 said:

I have a small 14ft boat i am slowly working on building out with a /deck. So far ive put in a casting deck. Currently i have a 50lb thrust minn kota ttansom bracket motor on the front alond with a lowrance hdi 4. And in the back i have a hook reveal 5. I have one deep cycle battery for everything, although i an looking at options for a dedicated battery for the locators. 
 

i predominantly fish a river with strong current and my trolling motor really struggles to move into it. I am considering upgrading to

 

a 65-70lb 24v trolling motor. Im concerned with added battery weight though. 
a. What is the lightest option for batteries i can go with? 
b. Can i run electronics off one of the two batts or do i need a dedicated accessory battery still? (Probably get a small 30ah powersport type battery)

c. Am i really going to see that large of a perf gain jumping up to a 65 or 70lb tm over upgrading to a 55lb 12v tm? 
 

 

 

 

We have very similar boats. Mine is a t14 i believe. 

[Bankc]

8 hours ago, Bdnoble84 said:

We have very similar boats. Mine is a t14 i believe. 

And the similarities don't end at the boat!  He's got the same username as you too!  

[Bdnoble84]

9 hours ago, Bankc said:

And the similarities don't end at the boat!  He's got the same username as you too!  

?? woops lol

On 5/8/2022 at 7:44 AM, Deleted account said:

Batteries connected in series can be tapped anywhere along the cells, with the corresponding voltage to be found there, in this particular case, 12v or 24 v.

Is it going to cause problems though tapping two units into one of the batteries in series. Ive heard that it will cause issues with depthfinder performance.

[Bird]

I like a separate battery for graphs due to interference issues in the past.

But a tiny lifepo4 10ah battery will run my graphs all day+.

You'll appreciate 24v for trolling motor but I'd definitely go lithium for the weight savings......pay once, cry once.

[Bdnoble84]

32 minutes ago, Bird said:

I like a separate battery for graphs due to interference issues in the past.

But a tiny lifepo4 10ah battery will run my graphs all day+.

You'll appreciate 24v for trolling motor but I'd definitely go lithium for the weight savings......pay once, cry once.

Thanks. Ive always ran off the same battery, but ive always thought there was more clutter than there should be on the screen and i was only using 1 finder. I saw the lifepo’s. I wasnt sure if 10ah was enough, but sounds like it is. Thank you.

[Diamondan]

for what it is worth:  I recently purchased a Lowrance  7 hook reveal tps along with a Nocqua 20 Ah Pro Power Kit ($199) Great power unit...lasts all day and then some....easy to restore power with unit provided. My guess is you could slave on the unit on your boat off your Minkota power source and other off the Nocqua.   Hope this helps...given the date of the post...you've probably already made your decision.

 

[Big Hands]

I run two 12v Group 27 AGM deep cycles for my Tracker 1648 with a 24v 65 lb Minn Kota Edge and a 40 hp outboard. You can easily tap 12v off of one for electronics. Just hook it up to the terminals of whichever battery you want to use. I have my outboard and all other electronics running off of one of my 12v deep cycle batteries. They are wired in series for the 24v trolling motor. No issues.

 

I have had a 14' Valco with a 45 lb Minn Kota Edge 12v trolling motor and a 15 hp outboard previous to this boat with a single Group 27 deep cycle. I have a Humminbird Helix 5 in the back and a Garmin Striker 5 up front, both run off of the same battery that starts my outboard (and half of my TM). I also have lights run off of that battery too when night fishing.

There is a significant difference in how long I can run the TM between the two boats. If at all possible, I highly recommend going with a more powerful 24v TM. They are more efficient at lower speeds, and will move the craft faster when you need it. 

If you run two Group 27 deep cycle 12v batteries, you can run your electronics, trolling motor, and whatever else you might want to. The only thing I couldn't comment on is having to battle current. I have wind to deal with and that can be similar on some days.

 

If weight is an issue, and money isn't, you could go lithium. That would grate some skin off of your undercarriage the day you buy them, but you'd probably love them every day after that. . . . until you have to replace them several years down the road.

[Bdnoble84]

On 6/7/2022 at 6:37 PM, Diamondan said:

for what it is worth:  I recently purchased a Lowrance  7 hook reveal tps along with a Nocqua 20 Ah Pro Power Kit ($199) Great power unit...lasts all day and then some....easy to restore power with unit provided. My guess is you could slave on the unit on your boat off your Minkota power source and other off the Nocqua.   Hope this helps...given the date of the post...you've probably already made your decision.

 

Nope, put it on hold until my semester ends this week.

Money is an issue. So ive rules out lithium. What about AGM’s. Any experience with the ones in the photo. I might post a seperate one in the forum.

[MN Fisher]

22 hours ago, Bdnoble84 said:

Any experience with the ones in the photo. I might post a seperate one in the forum.

I'm running a pair of Mighty Max AGMs in the F-9 - a 35ah for the 'house' battery and a 100ah for the TM. What you pictured is Gel batteries...go with the AGMs instead of the Gels.

 

Also, make sure the charger you have is AGM compatible - standard chargers that you'd get for wet-cells are not.

 

Based on reviews (not just Amazon), Mighty Max is a good brand with good support - one of the reasons I went with those.

[Bdnoble84]

14 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

I'm running a pair of Mighty Max AGMs in the F-9 - a 35ah for the 'house' battery and a 100ah for the TM. What you pictured is Gel batteries...go with the AGMs instead of the Gels.

 

Also, make sure the charger you have is AGM compatible - standard chargers that you'd get for wet-cells are not.

 

Based on reviews (not just Amazon), Mighty Max is a good brand with good support - one of the reasons I went with those.

Thank you. My charger does support agm. I did not realize those were gel cell. I asumed they were agm. Im not sure what the difference is. Thank you.

[Bdnoble84]

Would 55ah be enough for a 24v and run units off of?

[Bdnoble84]

Ended up just picking up a second size 27 everstart from wal mart. I’m still in the process of figuring the best location for the batteries to maximize balance between running the outboard and being on the bow trolling motor. 
 

really enjoying the motor itself. Does exactly what i want in current.

[Ratherbefishing75]

I have a 16 foot canoe with a 55 foot pound thrust  and a portable Garmin fish finder that had its own battery. If you have to save on wait and are worried about not having enough battery power get a power wheels battery it’s 12 v and I’m sure it would run a fish finder  it’s small and around 100$    I was thinking of doing something like that before I found the garmin portable fish finder 

[Bdnoble84]

7 hours ago, Ratherbefishing75 said:

I have a 16 foot canoe with a 55 foot pound thrust  and a portable Garmin fish finder that had its own battery. If you have to save on wait and are worried about not having enough battery power get a power wheels battery it’s 12 v and I’m sure it would run a fish finder  it’s small and around 100$    I was thinking of doing something like that before I found the garmin portable fish finder 

I almost robbed the battery out of my sons little john deere tractor he's outgrown last week lol, but this is working good so i think ill roll with it for now. 

[DaubsNU1]

I've got a 40lb Minn Kota on front, with it's own battery under the casting deck. 

 

The rear battery runs my two Garmin's, bilge, and lights. 

 

Both my batteries are Walmart deep cycle marine, about $100 each. 

 

[Bdnoble84]

6 hours ago, DaubsNU1 said:

I've got a 40lb Minn Kota on front, with it's own battery under the casting deck. 

 

The rear battery runs my two Garmin's, bilge, and lights. 

 

Both my batteries are Walmart deep cycle marine, about $100 each. 

 

Really like that floor layout. Thats my end goal. To run the floor the rest of the way back. What did u use for subfloor framing.

[DaubsNU1]

1 hour ago, Bdnoble84 said:

Really like that floor layout. Thats my end goal. To run the floor the rest of the way back. What did u use for subfloor framing.

 

Thanks! Aluminum from Lowe's / Home Depot, riveted together for framing. Floor is 9-ply Baltic Birch plywood. My Dad's a retired carpenter...he used this to make drawers...it's rock solid. 

 

I coated with two layers of marine epoxy. Was going to carpet the decking...but it is doing good as is.  I really like it!  A few more pictures.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Echomap up front, on my trolling motor. 

 

 

A before picture....

 

 

Main goal was to mount Garmin up front...then decided to add decking...then thought I had better replace the transom wood...It fishes 1-2 guys great.  

 

Before I could get 23MPH from the old 20hp Merc...Now I'm getting right at 20 MPH max.  I'll take it!!

[GaryH]

@DaubsNU1 great job….

[Bdnoble84]

How wide is it. Looks narrow like mine. It can fish two people if you arent standing up alot, but it isnt the most stable thing.