Fish finder batteries

[Mr. Aquarium]

I fish on a car top boat and a kayak. I’m looking for a small battery to run my electronics. What do you guys use?

[Bankc]

What fish finder are you using and for how long do you need it to run?

I use a 7Ah sealed lead acid (SLA or AGM) battery.  My fish finder is a Lowrance Hook2 5".  It claims to draw 1 amp per hour, but I've fished for 8+ hours with that thing many times and not run it dead yet.  It's a generic brand that was made for either an UPS or a wheelchair.  It's a bit on the small side for some fish finders.  For a larger one, you might want to step up to a 12Ah battery or possibly even bigger.  It kind of depends on how much current it draws and how long you plan to run it.  

[casts_by_fly]

A 7ah sla is cheap and easy for $30 or so. If you’re taking it on and off all the time you’ll need a transducer mount. I’d look at a switchblade setup. I think they have a full package on sale right now 

[Jig Man]

Check your electronics amp draw then go from there.  Mine draw 2.5 amps per hour.

[Jmilburn76]

My 5 yr old Nocqua 4.4ah just bit the dust so I picked up a 10aH directly from Dakota Lithium for 62 to the house. I use a basic charger from Amped Outdoors. I have a Humminbird Helix 5 on my kayak.

[Smirak]

I’ve used a nocqua for a couple years now. I’ve run a striker 4 and a hook reveal 9 and never had any problems. I don’t fish all day, but…

[Mr. Aquarium]

I have a garmin, I forget which one though 

[Jmilburn76]

@Smirak  Here’s what happened to my Nocqua, was never near water, always in the fabric bag, and kept in a Yakattack cell block that’s mounted inside my kayak. It also still had the rubber cover on it. It wasn’t charging or putting out any voltage and I was curious why, cut off the rubber cover to find a strap rusted and broken into.
 

It was a great little battery pack that lasted around 5 yrs so I definitely got my monies worth out of it.

[Koz]

7Ah to 10Ah will be just fine for you. Because you’re on a kayak, I strongly suggest a lithium battery.

 

Whether you’re lugging your kayak around or out on the water, you want to save weight wherever you can.

[Mr. Aquarium]

I’m buying my first PDL kayak this week. So I’ll be ready to rig it up! 

[FishTax]

I've got a helix 7 running on a 12ah litime lithium from Amazon. I've had it 6 months with no issue.. very small and light. 

[airshot]

I have a MAX 12v 18 am battery, about the size of an ATV battery.  Shipped to my door for less than 40 bucks thru Amazon.  Mine is over 7 years old and still works perfect !!   Mine is used for many things, to run my trolling motor on my pond Jon boat, also runs my boom sprayer for spraying my 3 acre yard,  also powers a portable winch.  Never ran it dead yet...great battery at a great price.  Fully sealed agm deep cycle made for wheel chairs. 

[Crow Horse]

I'm using 2 Nocqua 10ah batteries. One is dedicated to a FF and Gopro & remote. The other just handles another Gopro. One of those batteries finished it's 7th season of use. I'm really glad that I got them. They are very light.

[Koz]

I'm now officially in the overkill state with my kayak batteries.

 

I run a 100Ah Lifepo for my trolling motor and then my electronics (FFS/Di/SI) and lights run off of a second 100Ah Lifepo.

 

My second battery was an 18Ah, but that's not enough to power my electronics all day. I already owned two 100Ah batteries as the second was a backup that I would bring along with me when fishing tournaments.

 

While most of the time I could get away with running everything off a single 100Ah battery, having two on board gives me a bit of security out there. I often cover a lot of miles and even though I have a full sized paddle strapped to my kayak, there's no way I want to be 8 miles from my launch point and have tp paddle my Autopilot.

[BucksBasser]

I've run both SLA and lithium.  Both work but I've recently moved to all lithium.

Short term, SLA is cheap.  Will last a few years.

LiFePo is more expensive but probably last more than ten years.

[Choporoz]

I used cheap Amazon SLA batteries for years. Some lasted a year, some two years.  Couple years ago, I switched to lithium, and wish I had done so sooner.  Don't let the cost of lithium deter you.  It will pay for itself in its lifetime.  It will charge faster.  It will be lighter.  More upfront cost, but better in every way....and cheaper in the long run