Hi All - looking for opinions/ideas.  I have a NauticStar 1910 center console bay boat that I brought with me when I moved from Houston, TX area to middle MI (Canadian Lakes area).  It worked well for fishing Galveston bay and the jetties for trout and reds and the like, but I'm looking at getting it better suited for freshwater fishing for bass/pike up here.  One upgrade I'll be making is adding a bow-mounted trolling motor, and that's where my question comes into play.

 

I'll be keeping my boat in a slip on the lake, but I will not have electrical hookup there.  That means that after fishing all day, and using the trolling motor, I'll probably have to get into the habit of connecting and disconnecting the heavy deep-cycle battery to bring it home and re-charge it.  I've calculated I'll probably use a 12 volt motor, probably 50-55 lb thrust.

 

The question I have - is this the only way?  A heavy, deep cycle 12 volt battery, in and out on every trip?  Are there any alternatives, like a different, lighter battery, or perhaps charging the battery through my outboard using some sort of alternator charger.  I guess I could hook up my trolling motor to my outboard motor battery, but in my mind that might be dangerous.  I'm planning on picking up a small battery like a lawn mower battery or something like that for my Garmin; just not sure to do with the trolling motor.

 

Thanks, Gary

I have no experience at all with them, and maybe someone here can chime in that does, but I might consider a solar powered trickle charger/maintainer.

 

Like I said, I have never used one, it was just the first thing that came to my mind since we use similar solar powered items like that for hot wire fences. 

Agree with Big 'un, give the solar powered trickle charger / maintainer a try.

 

Before my shop had power, I had a heck of a time keeping ATV's, John Deere garden tractor, and my boat batteries charged in the winter (Nebraska). I ran an extension cable down there and got inexpensive chargers / maintainers for each...works well. 

 

Now that I have power in the shop, the chargers / maintainers are hooked year round. No problems starting in temps well below freezing, and even single digits.

 

You may just have to pull the battery and charge it...

Deep cycle Lithium battery - lighter and can be used for a couple of days without recharging.

The lithium batteries are lighter and hold a charge longer than lead acids.  If you go that route, be sure you have a charger as well as a trolling motor that offers lithium compatibility.

Your best option would be a marine grade solar power charger and a lithium battery. They may seem expensive up front but are cheaper in the long run. Run time is longer and charging time is faster.

I am in that situation.

I have a MK alternator that throws the charge to my TM batteries once my Starter is charged.

90% of the time, my TM batteries are charged when I get to the dock.

I also have a 1k Yamaha generator that tops them off if needs be.  if needed the batteries are topped off by the time I get the cover on the boat.

 

I use  size 31 Tanks for my TM

I've up north for a long time and owned a 19 foot Bay boat for years. Number one, 55 lbs of thrust is not enough, the high sides of the boat and the wind will have the final say. I would look to buy a 24 volt model and two lithium batteries. Having two batteries will balance the load (26 lbs X2) when you need to carry them to the chargers. Solar chargers don't usually charge at the voltage to charge lithium batteries and unless you plan to only fish at night and charge by day if you plan to buy lead acid batteries they won't solve your problem.