Battery for trolling motor

OK guys I think I need a new battery for my trolling motor. How long should my battery last while running my PowerDrive V2 with I-pilot? it is a 12volt system. it only lasted about 4 hours yesterday on the lake. It started great but after 3-4 hours it was showing no signal on the control and non of the features would work. I checked all of my connections and everything looks good. If I need a new battery is one better than the other? I have heard of using deep cycle golf cart batteries? Thanks for the help!!!

mine will run over 8 hours unless its real windy and I'm on and off high speed all the time then I get about 5

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Originally Posted by shane1980

OK guys I think I need a new battery for my trolling motor. How long should my battery last while running my PowerDrive V2 with I-pilot? it is a 12volt system. it only lasted about 4 hours yesterday on the lake. It started great but after 3-4 hours it was showing no signal on the control and non of the features would work. I checked all of my connections and everything looks good. If I need a new battery is one better than the other? I have heard of using deep cycle golf cart batteries? Thanks for the help!!!

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I've got the ipilot on my boat I ran mine fri at bugs 4 bout 7hrs got home & checked the charge cause I was goin sat it read 52% :twocents

I've had 2 I-pilots on 2 different boats a 17 ft skiff and a 16 ft bay boat. I could troll all day on good batteries and not notice any difference to speak of windy or not I would say you need batteries

If you have a battery that is not maintenance free , check the water levels if you haven't already. I've heard that any of the batteries made by Johnson Controls (they sell them under other trade names) are good. I use Interstates.

I use Interstate Batteries in everything. Went 2 months (during the coldest times) without running the boat, no charging time on either battery before going, motor started great and trolled for a couple hours as if they were brand new batteries.

http://www.batteryserviceandsupply.com/index.html

I got a refurbisher Gel cell battery from this place for $50. Have been using it for over 2 years and can still troll all day.

I run a 4D Cat battery on mine. :biggrin I can get about 6 solid hours at full speed. Started using it because long days on the lake when the wind picks up was killing the small trolling battery in the Tracker.

There are many good batteries out there. What people neglect to do is proper maintenance. Deep cycle batteries form a memory depending on how you charge them. Always charge them as soon as possible after use. Make sure your extension cord is large enough to supply correct voltage to the charger. 12 or 10 gauge should do it. Long pulls like when you are out of town at hotels are not good for chargers with small gauge drop cords. Make sure your charger has the proper setting for the type battery you have. Gel and some of the newest high tech batteries require a special charger. A standard charger will charge but not to the max of some batteries and this forms a memory in the battery. One solution is to buy from a retailer that has free 12 month or 18 month replacement and get a new battery each spring. Check connections not just at battery but every connection from trolling motor to battery including inline charger and keep them clean and tight. This will allow max recharging. Proper wire gauge is critical for on board chargers. Keep proper water levels for those type batteries you don't want to cook it. Hope his helps.

Thanks PAM on the battery serviceandsupply tip in charlotte. Got a refurbished agm group 31 battery for $35 with my core trade in with 6 month replacement warranty. If it lasts 6 months an gam should last for years if maintained properly.