Best Trolling Motor Batteries

[drop-shot fool]

The trolling motor batteries i was using have quit holding their charge. Ive heard a lot of hype about optimas but have also heard that all they are is hype. In your opinion, which batter have you had the most success with.

[Way2slow]

Personaly, I would never waste the money on one. If I was wanting a small light weight battery and was not needed a lot of run time, yes the AGM's are ideal, but I would go with a stack cell rather than a spiral wound (like the Optima) East Penn manufactoring, who makes Deka batteries, also makes Bass Pro Shops, check out their's, they are the stacked cell.

Now, a little insight on all AGM's, Optima's are AGM batteries. AGM is assorbed glass mat, which means instead of having a free liquid electrolite, they have a thin piece of fiber material between the plates that's holding the electrolite. They can be used upside down, on their side, or on their end with only a small loss in output.

Because of the design of AGM batteries, they do not have the Amp Hour capacity for the same size battery in a flooded cell. Check out the highest Ah capacity of the Optima Blue Top 34 and you will see it's only 55Ah and Reserve minutes capacity is 120, and the price is outrageous. Look at the Group 31 for a Trojan or other good flooded cell battery and you will

Reserve Capacity: 120

• Capacity (C/20 rate): 55

This is Trojans group 31 AGM

http://www.trojanbatteryre.com/PDF/datasheets/31AGM_Trojan_Data_Sheets.pdf

Look at a similar Group 31 like the Trojan SSC225 and you will about 120Ah and 225 Reserve capacity for a lot less money. This is about twice the battery as the Optima Blue and less money.

It does not matter what kind of battery of it is, the Reserve Capacity or Ah capacity is going to determine how long your trolling motor runs. The construction of the battery has nothing to do with that.

AGM's when charged with a good AGM charger will give you a higher cycle count, and the fact they can be installed in any position is about the only good thing they have going. Oh, and they are light, but this is because they don't have the capacity the heavier batteries have.

[Sfritr]

Personaly, I would never waste the money on one. If I was wanting a small light weight battery and was not needed a lot of run time, yes the AGM's are ideal, but I would go with a stack cell rather than a spiral wound (like the Optima) East Penn manufactoring, who makes Deka batteries, also makes Bass Pro Shops, check out their's, they are the stacked cell.

Now, a little insight on all AGM's, Optima's are AGM batteries. AGM is assorbed glass mat, which means instead of having a free liquid electrolite, they have a thin piece of fiber material between the plates that's holding the electrolite. They can be used upside down, on their side, or on their end with only a small loss in output.

Because of the design of AGM batteries, they do not have the Amp Hour capacity for the same size battery in a flooded cell. Check out the highest Ah capacity of the Optima Blue Top 34 and you will see it's only 55Ah and Reserve minutes capacity is 120, and the price is outrageous. Look at the Group 31 for a Trojan or other good flooded cell battery and you will

Reserve Capacity: 120

• Capacity (C/20 rate): 55

This is Trojans group 31 AGM

http://www.trojanbat...Data_Sheets.pdf

Look at a similar Group 31 like the Trojan SSC225 and you will about 120Ah and 225 Reserve capacity for a lot less money. This is about twice the battery as the Optima Blue and less money.

It does not matter what kind of battery of it is, the Reserve Capacity or Ah capacity is going to determine how long your trolling motor runs. The construction of the battery has nothing to do with that.

AGM's when charged with a good AGM charger will give you a higher cycle count, and the fact they can be installed in any position is about the only good thing they have going. Oh, and they are light, but this is because they don't have the capacity the heavier batteries have.

And that about explains that...... Thanks for the great info

[Jig Man]

I got tired of having to keep adding water to my flooded cell batteries and opted for agms. I was reluctant to get less reserve capacity than I had been using. However, I went with the Optimas because I could get a better deal at Auto Zone than Bass Pro as well as a third year warranty.

I am pulling around a 21' boat with a MG TE 82 trolling motor. So far I haven't been able to touch the strength of the Optimas no matter how long I stay out or how much the wind is blowing. Time may change my mind but right now I am glad I made the switch.

[J Francho]

My boat came with Optimas. I have no issues with them.

[Ge Khang]

i have a cheap walmart everstart 105 AH battery and works perfectly everytime and has even ran for 7-8 hour days(on low power with occasionaly full blast power).

[Way2slow]

I can use my MK Terriva 80 on high chasing strippers and schooling bass breaking the surface most of the morning, fish the banks the rest of the day at normal casting speeds and chase them again late afernoon with my flooded cell batteries and still come home with 30 - 40% charge. I have done this many times all day long and never crank the big motor. I can assure you though, if I tried this with any optima Blue Top, I would never happen.

Like I said, Reserve Capacity or Ah capaity of a battery is the only thing that determines run time. Being AGM, Gel, Lithium or flooded cell has absolutely nothing to do with run time. Those only affect the way the battery can be used and the life of the battery. A cranking battery with 160 Reserve minutes will run your TM just as long as a deep cycle will the same size. The cranking might only do that 20 or 30 times and it's toast, where a deep cycle with do it several hundred times.

The other thing you have to do is match the batteries to you fishing. If your going out and coming back with 80% charge left in your batteries, they are too big, and you can might want to consider using a smaller battery next time. If you're going out and coming back with them below 30%, they are too small.

[Wayne P.]

The "BEST" would be a 100 or 200 amp hour Lithium Ion marine deep cycle battery/s. Very light weight comparably.

Do a web search for that battery

If you fish more than you ride around with the outboard, the Optimas are not for you. Their largest marine battery has about the same A/hr as the group 24 regular deep cycle battery. Quite pitiful for serious fishing.

Just about any other deep cycle battery between those two in the group 27-31 size would be the best compromise.

[Jig Man]

Guys I have to disagree with the comments about Optimas so far. The reserve numbers had me worried until I did some research on them. I am an old man and have been running boats since the 60s. I have tried most of the flooded cell batteries in this area, except for Wal-Mart, and I normally go for the 200 reserve amps.

Like I stated I decided to give Optimas a chance and installed them in my boat. I rarely motor more than 10-15 minutes total on an outing. I do a lot of white bass fishing in the fall and winter an those things only seem to bit when it is windy. I am lugging around a 21' boat with an 82 # thrust trolling motor. The Optimas are strong all day long.

I had been hearing about big crappie being caught trolling crankbaits so I decided to give that a try. My 225 Opti idles too fast for trolling so I had to run the tmotor. I ran it on close to high for hours without power loss.

[J Francho]

So, when I first bought my boat, used of course, I didn't realize the plug connection for the OB charger was bad. It took three full days on Santee Cooper to realize my TM batteries were dead. 3 days! I've never ran out during a day of fishing. I really can't compare to any others, since my last boat was a deep-V walleye boat for Lake Ontario, and didn't use the TM too much. Like I said, they've worked fine for me.

[Fishing Rhino]

So, when I first bought my boat, used of course, I didn't realize the plug connection for the OB charger was bad. It took three full days on Santee Cooper to realize my TM batteries were dead. 3 days! I've never ran out during a day of fishing. I really can't compare to any others, since my last boat was a deep-V walleye boat for Lake Ontario, and didn't use the TM too much. Like I said, they've worked fine for me.

This should be a good reminder, particularly to those new to boats, do not take your battery charger for granted, particularly if your boat has an external plug in for the charger. Always check the charger to be sure the power light is on, and the charging light is on when you connect it to a power source.

[South FLA]

Deka, Trojan, and Odyssey are all very good. With that said though I had a Walmart Everstart Marine Max last 4 years with proper maintenance!

For trolling motors use 27 or larger preferably group 29 or 31. For starter/house battery see what the recommended MCA or CCA amps are for your motor and take electronics connected to the battery and usage throughout the day.

Regardless of what battery you choose always recharge on a quality charger within 10 hours of coming off the water and make sure you check water levels regularly on flooded cell batteries.

[Way2slow]

All I can say about them lasting three days, if you have had even good Wally world batteries, they would have last five days.

Look, I'm not saying they are junk, if they were, they wouldn't still be on the market for as long as they have been. I'm only saying there are better AGM's available now, and they are very expensive for the amount of amp hours they give, or I guess I should say for no more amp hours they give. Now, a properly maintained Wal-Mart battery my still die in two years and may last four, where most any properly maintained AGM will give you five or six, unless you're a pro and charing them a couple of hundred times a year.

There are still companies installing them in their commercial equipment that's used and abused heavily every day. I'm sure a lot of that is because of a huge price break they get but if they were pure junk, they still would not use them. However, on a consistant basis, the give up in as few as 12 - 18 months and when I replace them with Deka's, they commonly get twice the life out of those. They use the AGM's because they are in a four - six battery pack that weighs over 200 pounds and has to be lifted out of the equipment to be serviced. This is not practical in some applications to add water to flooded cells so they pretty much have to use the AGM's, plus many times they are not mounted with the tops up.

[Fishing Rhino]

It all boils down to the amount of use, and how they are maintained. That's true of any type of battery.

I've just about killed two 29 deep cycle batteries for the 55 pound Minnkota on my canoe in two years. I put them on the charger as soon as I get home, and I alternate batteries, taking only one with me.

I use maximum power when moving from one place to another, and often have the motor running constantly in reverse to hold position in against the wind. Therefore, I drain a lot of juice from the battery. There have been days on larger ponds that I have all but killed the battery in 8 - 10 hours of fishing, but I have also traversed the length and breadth of a pond that is a mile and a half long and nearly a mile wide.

Right now, the batteries when fully charged, according to the charger barely top 12 volts. New, they were about 13.5, maybe a tenth higher at times. One battery is an interstate, the other a BPS.

If I fished half as much, the batteries would last twice as long (approx).

[Pa Angler]

I'm using Odyssey AGM's I used to use Interstate that are junk and then switched to wally world batteries. I have found that the AGM's don't have the catastrophic failure that the wet cells have and have a slower rate of discharge also AGM's will outlast wet cells it's not even close I have a 36v Terrova fishing for 10 hours and still have over 60% charge.

tight Lines

Pa Angler

[Crankenstein Crony]

I use Deka and have had awesome results from these batteries. I won't use anything else. I had Ever Start batteries in my boat for a little while and they were more like "never start" batteries! They had a 3 year warranty and I burned them up in 6 months. Bought Deka's and haven't had an issue since!

[rogvegas]

27 series deka marines from walmart $68 and tax. 2yr replacement.

[Neil McCauley]

Bump....any more opinions on this?

I am running a 55lb thrust 12v TM on a canoe, and typically use 3 27 series batteries up front. It's a lot of weight but I need the battery duration/distance....12+ hrs at least.. I am thinking about investing in an Optima blue top 31 series, but apparently the AH is only 55 and reserve capacity 120? These are $250 batteries, is it not what I am looking for? Alternative is just to keep buying Everstart deep cycle batteries from walmart and having 150 lbs of weight in front of my canoe. I can't decide...

[iabass8]

1 hour ago, Neil McCauley said:

Bump....any more opinions on this?

I am running a 55lb thrust 12v TM on a canoe, and typically use 3 27 series batteries up front. It's a lot of weight but I need the battery duration/distance....12+ hrs at least.. I am thinking about investing in an Optima blue top 31 series, but apparently the AH is only 55 and reserve capacity 120? These are $250 batteries, is it not what I am looking for? Alternative is just to keep buying Everstart deep cycle batteries from walmart and having 150 lbs of weight in front of my canoe. I can't decide...

Instead of buying new batteries every year and keeping 3 batteries on your canoe at all times....why not just get a 24v TM.....?Down to 2 batteries, more power, batteries will last a lot longer. 

[A5BLASTER]

I think you have something wrong with your trolling motor.

 

My pro crappie is 17.5 and it has a 46# thrust trolling motor and I put on average 6 to 8 hours of run time on it on a casual day of fishing and do a whole day dawn to dark atleast once a week and my battery still has juice leavt, i charge it but it does have juice leavt.

 

And yes my trolling motor is a 12 volt motor.

[littlefisher]

I would like to piggy back on this thread as I'm looking for some battery replacement options.  I have two size 31 flooded cell Deka Marine Masters currently that are dying a quick death.  I keep them in the boat over the winter, but it's garage stored and the batteries are on a maintenance charger, so I don't think that killed them. They were in the boat when I bought it two years ago and the guy I bought it from was an extreme power fisherman, so they were abused.

 

I know last time I did any research it was very popular to buy some from Sam's Club I believe?  Just curious as to what the go to 31 size batteries are right now for the $100-150 mark.
 

Thanks!

[Airman4754]

I have three Optimas for my TM and a huge Exide AGM for my starter/electronics. 

 

You couldn't give me a non-AGM battery.

[WRB]

Doing some research on lithium ion batteries found TL Batteries K2 series, group 27 weighs 19 lbs! Contact Tim Torres @ 1 559/859.1822, for questions regarding lithium ion marine batteries. What is impressive besides the weight is charge time less than 3 hrs.

very pricey, if weight is the issue, this is the answer.

Tom

[Neil McCauley]

On 3/26/2017 at 7:01 PM, iabass8 said:

Instead of buying new batteries every year and keeping 3 batteries on your canoe at all times....why not just get a 24v TM.....?Down to 2 batteries, more power, batteries will last a lot longer. 

I've thought about that. Currently have a nice 55lb thrust 12v though an the 24v is $400. Should probably invest in one at some point.