I just got a used bass raider 8 and got a Minn Kota 12v 40 lb/thrust.

 

Wondering if I got a rechargable battery, with a solar panel charger can I just pretty much set it and forget it?

 

What brands are high quality? Im a buy once cry once guy. 

 

Thanks 

 

Dakota and Battle Born are considered the best Lithium batteries out there.

 

Look to drop about $1000 for one though...then another $500 or more for a solar charging system that's Lithium compatible.

 

And it'll take days - not hours - to recharge that battery.

I’m not sure I understand exactly what you’re wanting to do.   There are a lot of variables to consider so it’s hard to say exactly what’s possible and what’s not.  Generally speaking,  trolling motors require a lot of power and solar panels don’t generate a lot of power unless they are big,  expensive and are positioned correctly in full sun.  You will need either lots of time or lots of solar panels to charge your battery.  If you don’t have access to electricity,  a generator is probably a better option for charging batteries.

42 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I’m not sure I understand exactly what you’re wanting to do.   There are a lot of variables to consider so it’s hard to say exactly what’s possible and what’s not.  Generally speaking,  trolling motors require a lot of power and solar panels don’t generate a lot of power unless they are big,  expensive and are positioned correctly in full sun.  You will need either lots of time or lots of solar panels to charge your battery.  If you don’t have access to electricity,  a generator is probably a better option for charging batteries.

 

Thanks, yeah I didnt realize the solar panel is basically useless. 

 

How long can I get on a 12v 100amp battery about on  a12v minn kota? Thanks

45 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Dakota and Battle Born are considered the best Lithium batteries out there.

 

Look to drop about $1000 for one though...then another $500 or more for a solar charging system that's Lithium compatible.

 

And it'll take days - not hours - to recharge that battery.

 

yeah i didnt realize that a solar panel is basically useless. I got an 8 foot bass raider. How long would a good battery last on my 12v minn kota 40 thurst? thanks

10 minutes ago, Jimmy Wallhanger said:

I got an 8 foot bass raider. How long would a good battery last on my 12v minn kota 40 thurst? thanks

All depends on how fast you go. A 40# Minn Kota will drain 42amps at full power - that means one hour of usage at full will drain 42ah from the battery - so a 100ah Lithium will last you just under 2.5hrs at full speed. At Speed 1 (minimum) it'll drain 5amps...so 5ah per hour of use or 20 hours run-time.

 

It's a semi-logarithmic increase as you step up from Speed-1 to Speed-5 - Speed-3 drains about 50% what Speed-5 does...so about 5 hours of run-time at 'medium'.

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

All depends on how fast you go. A 40# Minn Kota will drain 42amps at full power - that means one hour of usage at full will drain 42ah from the battery - so a 100ah Lithium will last you just under 2.5hrs at full speed. At Speed 1 (minimum) it'll drain 5amps...so 5ah per hour of use or 20 hours run-time.

 

It's a semi-logarithmic increase as you step up from Speed-1 to Speed-5 - Speed-3 drains about 50% what Speed-5 does...so about 5 hours of run-time at 'medium'.

 

Thanks alot

A solar charger would be fine for keeping the battery topped off once fully charged, but getting a battery charged back up after use quickly is a key to long life!

How hard are you gonna use the TM...long hauls or short runs?  Easy going from place to place....these will determine how much battery you need. Best and longest lasting is the Lifepo4, also the most expensive!  You can start with a group 24 agm that will last a few hours with moderate use.  Or move up to a group 27 and add an extra hour or two, but bigger and a heavier battery.  Or move up to group 31 bigger and heavier and more expensive.  The battery needs to match the needs and the pocket book of the user..

Depends on how long and how hard you are on the trolling motor and what your budget is. Lithium's are the way to go if you can afford them. Some of the 100 amp lithium's from Amazon are about 1/2 the price if the name brands but if you believe what you read, customer service is hit or miss if you need it. Personally I bought 2 50 amp Ionics 3 months ago for my 24v 80# motor due to the good rep of the dealer and the bluetooth app which tells me that I draw just under 5 amps at 40% and 10 amps at 50%, not checked at higher speeds yet. Lithiums require a charger designed for them or at least AGM batteries to fully charge. If you chose lead, Deka batteries were good for me.      

Yes, Dakota batteries are great but they cost a ton. I use a 10ah Dakota for the electronics on my kayak. For my trolling motor I bought a WEIZE 12V 100AH LiFePO4 Lithium Battery for just over $300  on Amazon and it's been just fine. 

 

I also bought a NOCO GENIUS10 charger for $99 and I'm happy with that as well.

 

Honestly, I think that batteries are pretty much hit and miss. But you probably have fewer misses with the premium brands. I spent a lot of time reading reviews on websites before making my purchase.

11 hours ago, Koz said:

Yes, Dakota batteries are great but they cost a ton. I use a 10ah Dakota for the electronics on my kayak. For my trolling motor I bought a WEIZE 12V 100AH LiFePO4 Lithium Battery for just over $300  on Amazon and it's been just fine. 

 

I also bought a NOCO GENIUS10 charger for $99 and I'm happy with that as well.

 

Honestly, I think that batteries are pretty much hit and miss. But you probably have fewer misses with the premium brands. I spent a lot of time reading reviews on websites before making my purchase.

I went with the Weize as well, though I did a 50Ah, since that's plenty for my needs with my 30# trolling motor.  I figured that would work based on the fact that I had an 85Ah lead acid battery before, and never drained it more than 50%.  And I chose the 50Ah more for its smaller size, so I could stow it in the front hatch, otherwise I would have gone for the 100Ah just because they're not that much more.  If I'm on the water for 8 hours, I might spend one hour running at full speed to get to my spots, and the rest of the time just putting around at the slowest speed or anchored, so I don't use as much electricity as one would think.

 

I figured with the cheaper price of the Weize, I could afford to have one go bad on me prematurely and buy a second to replace it for less than one of the top name brands.  I also went with the NOCO Genius, but got the 5 amp model, because it's still fast enough to charge that particular battery overnight.  They're great chargers for the money.  

 

Now I have seen people use solar panels on small boats before to keep their battery charged while on the water.  But the solar panels are huge and double as a roof to shade them from the sun.  And even then, it probably only works on sunny days.  To get all of the electronics set up for that is probably very expensive.  It would be much, much cheaper to just buy two batteries and swap them out so you can have one charging while you use the other.  

That 12 volt motor will not last long, if used often, mostly at full speed. I was getting 6-8 months out of my Minn-Kotas before the Rheostat gave out. I went to a 36 volt Saltwater model. The 36 v is way more efficient and the infinite speed feature is robust and makes fishing in the wind easier. I go all day on three small 35ahr 12 volt Lion Batteries hooked up in series for 36 volts. They charge overnight with a 10 amp automatic Lion charger. This setup lasted 5 years of 3 times a week Bass Sessions at our local Lake. Cheaper(and much faster)in the end.