Batteries for trolling motor on a jon boat..>>>

Steve;
You do have some very good points, but please allow me to expand just a bit
here. (My excuse is that I pounded out my answering post while I was ALMOST
running late for work last night :-)

"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...
One of the reasons I didn't question the setup is the fact that I don't
know
how he's going to be using the rig. If he were to actually use the
trolling
motor for trolling, a typical 12 volt system isn't going to cut it for a
full day of fishing. I'd rather be overpowered than under any day of the
week.

I was trying to make the point (poorly) that with a boat of such light
weight, you can achieve very good results with a motor smaller than 65lb.
While I stated that my motor was only a 36lb unit, MK also makes the Endura
model in 40lb., 46lb., 50lb., and 55lb ratings, all with 12v. Any of these
would give even better performance, in terms of speed, than the 36lb unit.
And with a boat of the size and weight, of his Jon boat, any of these should
be capable of going all day on one battery. I just didn't say this very well
at all.
One other thing that I thought of while at work last night, is that any
system he uses that requires 2 batteries is going to seriously impact his
available weight capacity. One trolling motor plus two batteries is going to
weigh in at, or over 100 lbs. This would only leave him with approx. 400
lbs. of capacity, this would allow only 2 people (in my weight range :-)
with no gear. Better would be the trolling motor and one battery, if at all
possible.


Now, if he's strictly going to be positioning the boat, then I agree, 24
might be overkill and a 12 volt might be enough. As far as the motor
selection, maybe it's what he already has and he doesn't want to buy a
different trolling motor.


Yeah, I also thought of this while at work. If it is true that he already
has this motor, then the only advice I could give would be to fish alone,
instead taking the chance of pushing the weight on the boat to, or over,
it's weight rating. It is always better to be under the weight rating on any
boat, rather than at, or over the rating, for safety and insurance
requirements. In case of any accident, I never want to hear what my
insurance company would say when they found out the boat was overloaded.

As to a charger selection, I picked up an automatic battery charger at
Wal-Mart for $39.95 and used it for quite a while, until I got a boat with
an on-board charger system. I always had full batteries overnight and had
good battery life.
--

I fully agree that having a dedicated charger is the best way to go. For me,
I already had the portable charger years before I ever owned a boat, with
the attendent batteries to be charged. Just have not seen the neccessity of
buying a seperate charger at this time. (Of course, with the wifey
questioning every little purchase, this helps keep me (more) honest, and
with fewer toys that she says I don't need :-)

Bob

Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com


"Bob" wrote in message
news:Razlc.25112$I%1.1681173@attbi_s51...
Why is nobody picking up on this setup?
Let's review your rig;

"Bob" wrote ...
Why is nobody picking up on this setup?
Let's review your rig;
12' Jon boat with max. capacity of 500 lbs.
24v Minn Kota with 65lb of thrust.
What are you going to be doing with this rig? Towing water-skiers?

Excellent observation. I ran a 36# MK on a single 12v deep cycle for a
couple of years with no problems, and I often fished for hours on end. It
was an old 14' jon retrofitted with 3/4" plywood decks fore and aft, 1/2"
plywood floor and side panels...all carpeted. I found I needed the weight of
the battery and a water filled Coleman cooler (aka live well) on the aft
deck to aid in positioning the damned thing. Without weight in the rear it
was like riding a skateboard on only the front axel...ridiculous.

65#'s of thrust on a 24v system will push that li'l 12'er around pretty
good - be careful in the "No Wake" zones.

--
Early to Bed, Early to Rise,
Fish all Day, Make up Lies.

Shawn

I run a 50 pound MK 12 volt on my 14-1/6 footer and fish lots of
'lectrikonly lakes. One group 27 deep cycle battery from wallyworld will
fish me two full days before I neven notice a decline if it's not too
windy.

RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

RichZ wrote:

4-1/6 footer

Oops. 14-1/2 footer



One group 27 deep cycle battery

Oops again. Group 29.




RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

Bob wrote:
Why is nobody picking up on this setup?

:^)


My extremely limited experience with a 12' Jon boat was that I had
never been in anything so unstable in my life. I've got one that
someone gave me and I'm going to set it up with a trolling motor as
I already have a deep cycle battery for it. However, based on that
limited experience noted above, in addition to the required life
jackets for the passenger or two, there WILL also be a life jacket
attached to the battery itself, just in case. :^)

-Jim

PS: The towing water-skiers comment was pretty funny and with this
light of a boat, probably not far from the truth. :^)

"Jim" wrote in message
...


However, based on that
limited experience noted above, in addition to the required life
jackets for the passenger or two, there WILL also be a life jacket
attached to the battery itself, just in case. :^)


If you are expecting the life jacket to save the battery in case of an upset
then you better strap a couple of them on!

I would assume that you would be trying to save an optima battery, as any
lead acid would become worthless once it was dunked or turned over.

An Optima D34 weighs about 44 pounds. It is pretty dense, measuring in at
10 x 6.8 x 7.8 (ignoring all the contours that would reduce its flotation)
it will displace 530 cu inches of water when it gets dunked. The 530 cu-in
would displace 530 cu-in/231 cu-in per gallon = 2.29 gallons of water, which
would weigh 2.29* 8.3 lbs per gallon = 19 pounds.

44 pounds dry - 19 pounds displacement and you still have 25 pounds you need
to float.

The regulation for a type II or III life jacket is that they have a minimum
of 15.5 pounds of floatation. It will take at least two life jackets to
support the battery.

Of course, the battery should be strapped down to the boat so its the boat
you need to keep from sinking.


Rod

Rod,

Good point. Even though the battery would most likely be
trashed, I plan on using this particular boat in shallow salt
water marshes and would not want to leave the battery if it
were lost overboard. At the very least, the life jacket would
be a marker to retrieve the battery at low tide.

-Jim

Rod McInnis wrote:
If you are expecting the life jacket to save the battery in case of an upset
then you better strap a couple of them on!
removed

I appreciate everyone's comments and suggestions... just a bit of side info
about my use...

I will be using this on a nice sized reservoir or two here in the Baltimore
area. I've been out before with a 12volt setup and 24-30lb motor and was
stranded a couple of times when the juice ran out (one time was a windy day
and I was battling a good headwind, small little waves, and some current).
Since then I've taken an extra battery with me and it has come in handy at
least twice. I hate being stranded!! Soooooooooooo, (making a short story
longer) I figured that as long as I'm going to be using 2 batteries I might
as well make it a 24 volt system. And, at slower speeds, the 65lb motor
should be using less current (and being more effecient) that a smaller motor
at the same speed. And, with a variable speed control, I can run at any
speed I choose.


Is the 65lb motor overkill? Maybe. But, one other thing I hate is when a
late afternoon summer storm pops up to be puttzing along against a headwind
knowing that all holy hell is going to break loose if you don't get back to
shore in a hurry.

And, it shouldn't be any different than running a 2hp - 4hp motor on this
thing... I think the boat is actually rated for 6hp.

Sooooooo -- that said -- any other recommendations for batteries or
chargers?

--
Marty S.
Baltimore, MD USA


"Marty S." wrote in message
...
Hi all...

I'm looking for suggestions of deep cycle batteries for my 12' jon boat
with
a 65lb, 24volt Minn Kota transom mounted motor. I will be using it in a
local reservoir that only allows electric motors. I'm looking for a good
trade-off between the weight of the battery (I'm going to be needing 2
batteries), the reserve time & amps, and cost. I've ruled out the sealed
gel-type batteries due to their weight and COST! The total capacity of my
boat is about 500lbs (including equipment and people).

Any suggestions? From here I have access to most battery distributors and
outdoor-type stores including Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's.

And -- suggestions for a charger. I'm supposing that I will be taking the
batteries out of the boat at the end of the day and recharging them in my
garage. I've heard not to let the batteries run down too far and that
recharging them after use is the best way to maintain a good charge --
yes??
Is this right?

Thanks in advance!!!

--
Marty S.
Baltimore, MD USA