Best Battery for Trolling Motor

[Goody]

Looking to get a Minn Kota 30lb thrust motor. Anyone have any suggest as to the best battery to use with it?

[DOGFISH]

Get the largest Amp Hour battery your kayak can carry. Weight for the higher AH batteries can be considerable. Also, AGM batteries seem to be better for longer and the number of charges they can take.

[MetroMan]

In a nutshell, Don summed it up there. A standard Group 24 battery can get you up to 80aH, which is sufficient for most fishing days. It will weigh in the 50-53lb range. A group27 battery will have a higher capacity, but it will weight a bit more as well.

When I started out, I used an "Exide NG24" AGM battery. It worked well, costs around $80. For a few other reasons, you'll want an AGM over a standard Sealed Lead Acid battery.

This thread chronicles my conversion project to Lithium battery power

[Memory Maker]

What ever happened to the Lithium battery someone on here made ......... what's the experience on it. That would be the best if it's still working great.

[MetroMan]

^lol do you have me on ignore or something?^

still running strong, as good as new. 60aH, weighing 20lbs...providing better run times than my 53lb 80aH AGM.

[Memory Maker]

No Dude ....... thought it was you but I didn't go to the thread and you didn't tout it ..........

What would you charge to start making these batteries or at least teaching a class in building them ........... could make some nice extra cash .........

[MetroMan]

It would be a fun venture to explore, but I'm not sure how much of a market would be there to make it worthwhile. Though my battery has been working flawlessly, and lithium technology has evolved to be much safer/stable than years back, I'd still be worried about liability, battery failure, securing a reliable supplier, etc. There'd be no way I could guarantee the same results. There was a guy on another forum that asked for my guidance, and I provided all the information I could. He decided to buy a pre-built lithium battery, and he had nothing but problems from what I remember :-(

[Memory Maker]

Hey guy ........ teach us how to do it ....Please ..... I know I want at least 1. Your experience will save us a bunch of heartache ..........shoot ... we'll even sign a liability release .........

[MetroMan]

I have no problem with showing how I did it.

[Goody]

MetroMan...that is awesome. 20lbs 60ah. Wow.

[Goody]

^lol do you have me on ignore or something?^

still running strong, as good as new. 60aH, weighing 20lbs...providing better run times than my 53lb 80aH AGM.

Metroman - what do you think of this one: http://www.ev-power.eu/LiFeYPO4-batt...earchparam=12v

[Goody]

Something similar to what was done: http://www.kta-ev.com/Battery_4_GBS_...-lfp60ahx4.htm

[MetroMan]

Metroman - what do you think of this one: http://www.ev-power.eu/LiFeYPO4-batt...earchparam=12v

It SHOULD work just fine. That battery is comprised of the cells I used for my battery...same manufacturer, same chemistry LiFeYPo4. They just bundled it all up into a single unit, which is nice. I really don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. It would be no difference than what I constructed, except for the PCM. The PCM balances the cells, and prevents from overcharge and over discharge. If you used a device to monitor voltage (like a doc wattson) you should be fine.

The second battery you linked would work fine too. Those cells are from a different manufacturer, and they use a different chemistry (Manganese "Mn", opposed to Yttrium "Y"). From what I recall from my research, the Yttrium improves the battery stability, and also provides for better cold temperature performance. (I dont think we experience temperatures extreme enough for that to matter in our applications though). For the second battery pack linked, I would recommend the use of a PCM to ensure balanced cells, prevent from over discharge, etc. With that BMS battery pack, should you have a cell crap out for whatever reason, you can replace the individual cell (opposed to the first battery you linked).

I hope that helps. This has by far been the best upgrade for me. Being able to store the battery in the bow hatch really made a big difference in the utility & convenience of my Torque. I also have less residual water coming thru my scupper holes.

[MetroMan]

If either of those batteries work, I would endorse that over my DIY project. Luckily I was able to get my cells for $65 ea, but you'd be hard pressed to find them for that cheap anymore.