I just bought a hummingbird piranha 175 fish finder to put on my kayak.

I would like the smallest battery pack I can use for weight reasons.

So can I use an 8 AA battery pack for my fish finder? will that power it or should I get a rechargeable battery pack for like a remote car?

Thanks

It depends on how long you want to use the unit.

 

For a fishing day, you could get by with a 5 ah battery. Most would choose at least a 7 ah battery.

A 7 ah battery is what Humminbird has with their portable pack for that model.

 

http://www.humminbird.com/Products/PiranhaMAX-175-PT/

Rechargeables all the way. I used to take a battery like this on my Canadian fishing trips and with a little care, they'd last all week. Not having to buy AA batteries repeatedly is a big advantage.

 

I use a 12 v 8 ah battery for my fishfinder. Last all day and then some. As far as weight the battery weighs like 2 pounds if that? IDK but it has no effect on weight nor will you feel the difference between a rechargable 12v and 8aAA batteries while paddling.

Ok, sounds good.

So the rechargeable batteries like shown above.

Can you use a regular car battery charger that does 12 volt or do you need to buy the small chargers that they sell for a couple of bucks?

Sorry, new at this stuff.

Thanks

Search "Sealed Lead Acid Battery Charger UPG D1724" on amazon. I use this one and never had any problems with charging my battery. Cheap and works.

I just ordered the battery and charger, all with shipping came to 25.00. so not bad at all. I just decided to do it the way everyone does it and go with it.

Thanks for tall the help.

I know I am little late to this party, but I was curious about something.  How do all of you store the battery within the kayak so it doesn't get wet?

I got a dry box and cut a hole in it and mounted a waterproof connector. I have a Native Slayer, so in hull space is hard to get to. I just strap the battery box down in the open. I have a 12V 9Ah battery and it runs my Lowrance Elite 5 all day no problem.

 

If you want a really small and light battery, check these out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC12V-12000mAh-Super-Rechargeable-Portable-Li-ion-Battery-US-Plug-for-CCTV-NEW-/171715438036?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27fb09a5d4

I got a dry box and cut a hole in it and mounted a waterproof connector. I have a Native Slayer, so in hull space is hard to get to. I just strap the battery box down in the open. I have a 12V 9Ah battery and it runs my Lowrance Elite 5 all day no problem.

 

If you want a really small and light battery, check these out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC12V-12000mAh-Super-Rechargeable-Portable-Li-ion-Battery-US-Plug-for-CCTV-NEW-/171715438036?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27fb09a5d4

 

Thanks for the suggestions.  I actually just ordered a Plano dry box and a waterproof connector to build a battery box.  I took at the battery you linked.  I can't believe I didn't think of Li-Ion batteries before.  I used them all the time when I flew RC planes.  I am a little rusty on my battery terminology but isn't 12,000 mAh equivalent to 12 Ah?  If so that little battery would last longer than the SLA battery I just purchased, and is less than half the size.  I might have to look into this down the road when the SLA battery dies.  Thanks again for the tip.

Thanks for the suggestions.  I actually just ordered a Plano dry box and a waterproof connector to build a battery box.  I took at the battery you linked.  I can't believe I didn't think of Li-Ion batteries before.  I used them all the time when I flew RC planes.  I am a little rusty on my battery terminology but isn't 12,000 mAh equivalent to 12 Ah?  If so that little battery would last longer than the SLA battery I just purchased, and is less than half the size.  I might have to look into this down the road when the SLA battery dies.  Thanks again for the tip.

 

Yep that would be 12Ah. Probably a quarter of the weight of an SLA. I too didn't think about battery chemistry other than lead until after I got a 9Ah SLA. Oh well, it still is not that heavy and may be more reliable.