Does anyone have a good battery storage option?

[CHOC]

I keep mine inside the yak in a block of styrofoam that I try to wedge into the bow. It's better than my solution last year, but I'm still unhappy with it. The battery shifts in transporting the kayak or when the water is rough, sometimes causing terminals to come loose. The battery also doesn't stay completely dry (it gets condensation) which I worry will damage it over time.

If anyone has bought or made something that they are happy with, please share!

[Mark]

I know some folks have had success with Tupperware boxes that not only hold the battery but provide a good degree of water protection.

I don't know if this is feasible for your kayak because it may be brand-specific, but for my Revo I am very pleased with Hobie's method of suspending the battery in a plastic rack under the stern hatch cover. I'd think there'd be a market for other kayak makers or inventive kayakers to do the same.

P1000258.jpg

The only bad thing about it is that sometimes I forget to remove the battery when I come back to the launch and when I load my kayak on my van I wonder why it got heavier than when I started.

[CHOC]

My hatches are only 4.5 inches other than the front hatch which is an oval about 18" long and 10" wide so I can't use a hobie battery holder.

It's surprising how few options are out there. I'm saw something called the power buddy but I can't see anywhere to buy it. Guessing it's discontinued.

[CHOC]

I know some folks have had success with Tupperware boxes that not only hold the battery but provide a good degree of water protection.

I tried this last year but the Tupperware would bang around in the kayak. Does anyone have a method to secure the tupperware?

[CHOC]

This looks perfect.

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/...677571/gonew/1

Anyone heard of it?

[EMSer]

This looks very cool. I am also interested to hear if others have used it

This looks perfect.

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/...677571/gonew/1

Anyone heard of it?

[CHOC]

This looks very cool. I am also interested to hear if others have used it

I can't find it anywhere.

[kevinfry]

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/...y-Bag-Kit.html
This works great for me, though I dont leave my battery in yak after use, i know others do. i hang mine from my gator hatch

[J.A. Veil]

I tried this last year but the Tupperware would bang around in the kayak. Does anyone have a method to secure the tupperware?

Check out my video on how I installed a FF/GPS on my Slayer Propel 10. I used a plastic box mounted on a platform of PVC pipes and Duct Seal. The section on installing the battery box begins at about 14:00.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdT4koUEnik

[J. Rentch]

I followed the same procedure that John V did and has been very successful for 3 years. The duct seal has held in place with no movement.

[ronaultmtd]

I know some folks have had success with Tupperware boxes that not only hold the battery but provide a good degree of water protection.

I don't know if this is feasible for your kayak because it may be brand-specific, but for my Revo I am very pleased with Hobie's method of suspending the battery in a plastic rack under the stern hatch cover. I'd think there'd be a market for other kayak makers or inventive kayakers to do the same.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]21181[/ATTACH]

The only bad thing about it is that sometimes I forget to remove the battery when I come back to the launch and when I load my kayak on my van I wonder why it got heavier than when I started.

I have the exact same Hobie Battery setup in the stern hatch and like Mark, I really like it- I have a second battery that I swap out so every trip has a fresh fully charged battery ready to go- I love the security it offers in rough water and it keeps the battery completely out of the way...

[archeryrob]

I would recommend to not leave a battery in place during transport, normally. Unless you got it strapped down to some very good tie down points. Batteries are heavy and want to bounce when your car hits dips. Trailers are also exceptionally bouncy and the stiffer your springs and only light loaded with kayaks, makes them really bouncy. A trailer can really shake stuff loose if you haven't noticed. Watch guys pulling an empty trailer and it hit a bounce and the trailer will literally jump off the ground.

Also batteries don't have to be as waterproof as guys think. Saltwater brings more corrosion issues than shorting issues. Saltwater will slowly discharge a battery and freshwater hardly at all. Guys make duck butts with bilge bumps to make it move and use the battery as an anchor, because fresh water doesn't short a battery. You want to get a SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) as John is using. There is also (VSLA) Valve regulated Sealed Lead Acid) although I am not sure how the valve work as they are higher temp batteries.

The largest fear you have with a battery is shorting it. Fuse it and protect the terminals from have the ability for metal to fall over them. What ever shorts them will turn cherry read and melt. I've seen wires short batteries and melt through plastic before on jobs, it would go right through your kayak in 30 seconds. Batteries will bulge when shorted and explode is reported, but I've never seen it. Just protect it from shorting and use dialectric grease on all connections. Even spade crimps need it, but solder joints do not.

Personally, I have my battery sandwiched up in a sealed box I can open. Dialectic grease on the terminals and I use a auto plus for the power to the battery and soldered to the fish finder power wires. I just plug it in each time and the battery is secured with a tether strap.

I can't post the pics from my blog, but here is the link to where they are. The pics are too large for a snaggedline insert.

[Oldbayrunner]

This year I switched gears going from the bigger heavier sla batteries to smaller lighter lithium. I bought two Nocqua 10Ah LifePo4 Lithium. They're water resistant, the electrical connectors are waterproof And both batteries fit in a 3x5 recipe box that I use industrial grade Velcro on the bottom of to hold them in place. They don't have the drop off of the sla batteries so the actual runtime is longer and they only weigh 1.4lbs each. So I cut my space usage by 1/2 and went from over 13lbs to 2.8lbs.

[silasvirus82]

I built a battery box from a Plano ammo storage can for my older boat, with deck connectors leading outside and it works pretty good. For my other boat I simply strapped the battery down in the front hatch and called it good. On the worst day that bucket might fill up 1/4 of the way with water, but that doesn't hurt anything since it's sealed. On the inside I used a trolling motor quick connector coated in dielectric grease which allows me to take the whole bucket out for storage/charging.

Battery.jpg

[yakscientist]

I am going to do something similar to what silasvirus mentioned, with the plano ammo can, tonight hopefully. It'll be a simple setup, only meant to power my fishfinder at this point. The ammo can is only 5$ from walmart, and the in line fuse holder, fuses, extra wire, and cable glands are only about another $12. I may add some other wires and outlets to it to power some light strips, and a bilge pump, but I may make a separate box/battery setup just for those items in a few months. Yakgear introduced a really cool item, the juicebox, at icast last year, but I don't think it's even been released yet. It's a lithium battery in a waterproof box with USB accessory outputs, a power switch, a battery meter, and some other features, but it ain't cheap at $140. But it is a fairly large 11ah lithium battery, which if it's of good quality, should be very lightweight and last a few more years than a traditional lead-acid one.