Battery storage

[J.A. Veil]

There have been several posts about how and where people mount or store their fishfinder batteries. I have a system that works well for me and my kayak.

The transducer is Goop-glued to the inside of the hull. The wire harness passes out through the rear of the front rubber hatch cover.

I bought a 5 amp-hr, 12 V battery. I attach the power leads, set the battery in a plastic box, then snap the lid closed on 3 sides. The wires exit on the fourth side. Then I place the box in front of the port side foot rest. That is essentially dead space, and the box fits nicely there.

I can get several 3-4 hr trips on a charge.

[Rockchaser]

Looks good. What kind of charger do you use. I won the same type battery at the CBKA tournament and haven't looked into doing anything with it yet. I would like to rig in my Outback soon.

[ronaultmtd]

There have been several posts about how and where people mount or store their fishfinder batteries. I have a system that works well for me and my kayak.

The transducer is Goop-glued to the inside of the hull. The wire harness passes out through the rear of the front rubber hatch cover.

I bought a 5 amp-hr, 12 V battery. I attach the power leads, set the battery in a plastic box, then snap the lid closed on 3 sides. The wires exit on the fourth side. Then I place the box in front of the port side foot rest. That is essentially dead space, and the box fits nicely there.

I can get several 3-4 hr trips on a charge.

My legs must be longer than yours and the foot wells are just the right length that have no dead space- but thanks for sharing- I am rigging my second Kayak and am looking at the different options for storing the electronics and such- I bought the Ram Revolution rod holder for setting up a trolling rod in the front of my Outback, so I have to figure out the setup for my Eagle Cuda 350 Smap and the rod holder so it doesn't clutter the cockpit and defeat the purpose-

[J.A. Veil]

My legs must be longer than yours and the foot wells are just the right length that have no dead space- but thanks for sharing- I am rigging my second Kayak and am looking at the different options for storing the electronics and such- I bought the Ram Revolution rod holder for setting up a trolling rod in the front of my Outback, so I have to figure out the setup for my Eagle Cuda 350 Smap and the rod holder so it doesn't clutter the cockpit and defeat the purpose-

I think the cockpit area of my Manta Ray 14 is pretty roomy -- good for my 6'4" frame. I prefer paddling with my legs partially bent, so that setting is just right for me.

Rockchaser asked about battery charger. First off, consider your battery needs. Batteries are rated by amp-hrs. The more amp-hrs, the longer it runs and also the larger the battery is. If you are running just a fishfinder, you can get by with 5 amp-hrs or less. I previously had a 7 amp-hr battery which became slightly too large in size. If you are running an electric motor, you will need to go much larger.

When I first bought the 5 amp-hr battery, I was nervous about charging it on my full-size car battery charger. I found a small Schumacher trickle charger designed for lawn tractor motorcycle batteries. (it looks something like this one http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SEM.../dp/B0009IBJAS). It is about the same size as the battery and has two alligator clips and a main power cord.

Although it is designed to leave plugged in and attached to the battery full time, I don't use it that way. When the battery runs low, I attach it to the charger. It takes 1-5 hours depending on how low the battery is. It has different color lights to let you know when it is charging and when it is done.

I bought it at a local auto parts store. I think the cost was between $20 and 30.

[ronaultmtd]

I think the cockpit area of my Manta Ray 14 is pretty roomy -- good for my 6'4" frame. I prefer paddling with my legs partially bent, so that setting is just right for me.

Rockchaser asked about battery charger. First off, consider your battery needs. Batteries are rated by amp-hrs. The more amp-hrs, the longer it runs and also the larger the battery is. If you are running just a fishfinder, you can get by with 5 amp-hrs or less. I previously had a 7 amp-hr battery which became slightly too large in size. If you are running an electric motor, you will need to go much larger.

When I first bought the 5 amp-hr battery, I was nervous about charging it on my full-size car battery charger. I found a small Schumacher trickle charger designed for lawn tractor motorcycle batteries. (it looks something like this one http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SEM.../dp/B0009IBJAS). It is about the same size as the battery and has two alligator clips and a main power cord.

Although it is designed to leave plugged in and attached to the battery full time, I don't use it that way. When the battery runs low, I attach it to the charger. It takes 1-5 hours depending on how low the battery is. It has different color lights to let you know when it is charging and when it is done.

I bought it at a local auto parts store. I think the cost was between $20 and 30.

I have the exact same battery charger-I use it to charge the 7 amp hour gel battery on my Prowler and the 9 amp hour Cabela's gel battery that is going in the Outback- As the Fish Finder doesn't draw much juice, I have only used it once this year to charge the battery.

[mmanolis2001]

I have a 350 Smap running off a 5 amp hour battery and i get 7 to 10 trips on a full charge. That unit pulls very little juice.

[ronaultmtd]

I saw you had that unit, so I figured if it worked for you....

[Rockchaser]

Thanks, I have a small charger that should work fine.