36V Lithium System for Terrova

Little background…I’m running 3 interstate lead acid group 27 batteries on the Terrova. I use it heavily to troll on the river and I’ve chewed through 6 batteries in 3.5 seasons. After talking to the guys at interstate, they said get a kicker or go lithium. I’m running the current batteries under 50% every time I go out and that chews them up fast. I run an 1850 Reata and there is not space to go to group 31’s.

I don’t want a kicker because I have to lose the talon and I don’t want to as I use it frequently. I’m pretty sure I’ll move to lithium this winter.

Is anyone running a 36v lithium system? Any suggestions on mfg? Do you run them in the cold? Any issues with charging? What charging system are you using. Any general things to look out for or things you wish you would’ve done differently?

My plan would be to leave the cranking battery as is. No issues with that.

Thanks I’m advance for the advice.

I know you said you can’t fit a 31 series, but if there were only one 31 series battery would it fit? The lowest my batteries have dropped in a day as I note below is 63% with two 36volt 60ah batteries. I have a 21′ glass boat, so I think you would be fine running just one battery. Amped outdoors included a 36volt charger with the battery. Actually 2 chargers, but I am only using one to charge both and they are always charged fully in the morning. Below is from a post I responded to earlier.

This spring I switched to 2 amped 36v 60AH batteries wired parallel. They have been great and I probably went a bit overkill. The biggest test so far for them was a couple weeks ago on Lake Michigan trolling on a windy day I was running the trolling motor at 60%-65% for 8 hours trying to keep the nose of the boat pointed in the right direction. After 8 hours the app showed I still had 63% of the battery power left. I was pretty impressed with that. If I still was running lead acid they would have been dead, or very close at best to being dead. My only reservation is this fall if I am at a resort and it is too cold to charge them. I think I am going to add a couple of heated battery blankets this fall if it looks like it may be an issue. I may regret not buying batteries with a built in heater. At the time I bought my batteries, the batteries with the internal heaters I wanted were not available.

If I’m only running 2 batteries I could get 2 31 series size batteries in there. I’d just need to reconfigure and add new trays but it would work.

I didn’t think a single 36v battery would be enough. I could very easily get 2 to fit though.

How about AGM batteries? You wouldn’t get the weight savings that lithium would have, but your run time would be longer than standard lead acid batteries. Plus I don’t what kind of charger you have, but some of them are not lithium compatible. Mine aren’t. They only work with lead acid and AGM.

Another advantage to AGM batteries is that they can be placed in any orientation other than upside down so some different configuration would be possible. Plus they don’t have issues in cold temps like lithiums can.

I’m on year 3 of size 27 lead acid batteries and its likely I’ll have to replace them before next spring. I’m very likely going to AGM.

If you can do the same setup as I have you will not have any issues with the batteries going dead in a day.

gim wrote:

How about AGM batteries? You wouldn’t get the weight savings that lithium would have, but your run time would be longer than standard lead acid batteries. Plus I don’t what kind of charger you have, but some of them are not lithium compatible. Mine aren’t. They only work with lead acid and AGM.

Another advantage to AGM batteries is that they can be placed in any orientation other than upside down so some different configuration would be possible. Plus they don’t have issues in cold temps like lithiums can.

I’m on year 3 of size 27 lead acid batteries and its likely I’ll have to replace them before next spring. I’m very likely going to AGM.

It’s an option but the cost is getting better on lithiums. Plus, most of the lithiums have a 10+ year warranty so you get about double the life.

I ran AGM on my last boat. They worked great but it was smaller and didn’t work the batteries as hard.

Matt Moen wrote:

I ran AGM on my last boat.

What brand did you use? I’m looking at the Duracell ones that come with either an 18 or 30 month warranty.

If you are running your tm that hard all the time I would definitely do 3 100ah battery’s vs a 36v single. Depending on the brand you can get 12v 100ah much cheaper than 36v and running them in parallel. I have been running a single 24v li time battery since March. I have never wore it down with my small boat even over a weekend. They currently have all their batteries on sale.

Before I bought my two 36volt 60ah batteries, I asked a similar question. Should I just run 3 – 12 volt 100ah batteries or 2 – 36 volt 60ah batteries. I asked 3 different battery reps and all three said without question run the 2 – 36 volt batteries. After a bit of research I realized why. 3 – 12 volt 100ah wired in series to get to 36v has a run time of 100ah. The two 36 volt 60ah batteries wired in parallel would have 120ah run time. The 36 volt required a different battery charger, but the 36v charger was included with the batteries I bought.

dbright wrote:

If you are running your tm that hard all the time I would definitely do 3 100ah battery’s vs a 36v single. Depending on the brand you can get 12v 100ah much cheaper than 36v and running them in parallel. I have been running a single 24v li time battery since March. I have never wore it down with my small boat even over a weekend. They currently have all their batteries on sale.

gim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Matt Moen wrote:</div>
I ran AGM on my last boat.

What brand did you use? I’m looking at the Duracell ones that come with either an 18 or 30 month warranty.

I ran Odyssey’s at the time. They are a bit spendy but I’ve ran them in other applications and they are bulletproof.

I’ve never heard anyone complain about the Duracell batteries though.

Call or go in and talk to interstate guys. They are a wealth of knowledge and super helpful. They don’t sell lithium’s and he steered me in that direction. Says a lot to me about their service.

mojogunter wrote:

Before I bought my two 36volt 60ah batteries, I asked a similar question. Should I just run 3 – 12 volt 100ah batteries or 2 – 36 volt 60ah batteries. I asked 3 different battery reps and all three said without question run the 2 – 36 volt batteries. After a bit of research I realized why. 3 – 12 volt 100ah wired in series to get to 36v has a run time of 100ah. The two 36 volt 60ah batteries wired in parallel would have 120ah run time. The 36 volt required a different battery charger, but the 36v charger was included with the batteries I bought.

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>dbright wrote:</div>
If you are running your tm that hard all the time I would definitely do 3 100ah battery’s vs a 36v single. Depending on the brand you can get 12v 100ah much cheaper than 36v and running them in parallel. I have been running a single 24v li time battery since March. I have never wore it down with my small boat even over a weekend. They currently have all their batteries on sale.

Why are the AH’s on the 36V additive and not on the 12V? I always assumed that’s why guys ran 3 12v was because the AH was greater.

Because running (2) 36v batteries in parallel doubles the ah, wiring in series changes the voltage. So, (3) 12v 100 amp in series would be 36v at 100 ah, wire them in parallel and you have 12v at 300ah.

Matt Moen wrote:

Why are the AH’s on the 36V additive and not on the 12V? I always assumed that’s why guys ran 3 12v was because the AH was greater.

Use watt hours to compare capacity of batteries with different voltage – watt hours = amp hours * voltage. This is ROUGH calculations but gives you an idea… For a single 36v 60ah battery that’s 2160 watt-hours. For a single 12v 100ah battery that’s 1200 watt-hours. So three 12v 100ah batteries gives a total capacity of 3600 watt hours compared to two 36v 60ah batteries gives a total capacity of 4320 watt hours.

A couple of things to consider as I see you have a Reata. I am not sure but my 620FS has a battery switch that you can easily switch in one of your trolling motor batteries if your main goes dead. I went with Ionic’s and 3 – 100AH for my trolling motor as my motor needed at least 100AH to start it in case I ever needed that function (My old AGM’s, used it all the time). LFP (lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries can be mounted in any direction as well. They are significantly lighter and I dropped about 150#’s switching, enough to affect the handling as I had to rearrange some weight in the boat to get back to where it was. Your standard charger will work to charge LFP when set to the AGM mode. The advantage of a newer Lithium charger is they can wake up a lithium that has “gone to sleep”, which can happen. I ran Interstate series 31 AGM’s for all 4 batteries in my boat and had already replaced the main battery and it was starting to act up again. The other 3 were getting weak but to replace all 4 was like $1500. The LFP’s were about double but I expect them to last at least 4X longer than my premium AGM’s so in the end it saves money. The performance upgrade was enough to justify the increased cost.

mojogunter wrote:

Before I bought my two 36volt 60ah batteries, I asked a similar question. Should I just run 3 – 12 volt 100ah batteries or 2 – 36 volt 60ah batteries. I asked 3 different battery reps and all three said without question run the 2 – 36 volt batteries. After a bit of research I realized why. 3 – 12 volt 100ah wired in series to get to 36v has a run time of 100ah. The two 36 volt 60ah batteries wired in parallel would have 120ah run time. The 36 volt required a different battery charger, but the 36v charger was included with the batteries I bought.

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>dbright wrote:</div>
If you are running your tm that hard all the time I would definitely do 3 100ah battery’s vs a 36v single. Depending on the brand you can get 12v 100ah much cheaper than 36v and running them in parallel. I have been running a single 24v li time battery since March. I have never wore it down with my small boat even over a weekend. They currently have all their batteries on sale.

That is alot of extra expense for a extra 20ah of any batteries I have looked at.

This is all great info guys. I appreciate it.

Amped 36 volt 60ah battery $1300*2=$2600
Amped 12 volt 100ah battery $700*3+$2100
When I bought mine at the sport show they were $2100 for two and included a charger. I hope they last for 5 years or possibly more. I know my lead acid I would get 3 years tops out of them. If they last 7 years I will be ahead.

dbright wrote:

That is alot of extra expense for a extra 20ah of any batteries I have looked at.

David Anderson wrote:

Your standard charger will work to charge LFP when set to the AGM mode.

I don’t think so. My chargers specifically say right on the front “for use with lead acid or AGM batteries.”

I have a Cabela’s Advanced Angler and a Dual Pro charger.

tswoboda wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Matt Moen wrote:</div>
Why are the AH’s on the 36V additive and not on the 12V? I always assumed that’s why guys ran 3 12v was because the AH was greater.

Use watt hours to compare capacity of batteries with different voltage – watt hours = amp hours * voltage. This is ROUGH calculations but gives you an idea… For a single 36v 60ah battery that’s 2160 watt-hours. For a single 12v 100ah battery that’s 1200 watt-hours. So three 12v 100ah batteries gives a total capacity of 3600 watt hours compared to two 36v 60ah batteries gives a total capacity of 4320 watt hours.

This is a great explanation. Thanks.

David Anderson wrote:

A couple of things to consider as I see you have a Reata. I am not sure but my 620FS has a battery switch that you can easily switch in one of your trolling motor batteries if your main goes dead. I went with Ionic’s and 3 – 100AH for my trolling motor as my motor needed at least 100AH to start it in case I ever needed that function (My old AGM’s, used it all the time). LFP (lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries can be mounted in any direction as well. They are significantly lighter and I dropped about 150#’s switching, enough to affect the handling as I had to rearrange some weight in the boat to get back to where it was. Your standard charger will work to charge LFP when set to the AGM mode. The advantage of a newer Lithium charger is they can wake up a lithium that has “gone to sleep”, which can happen. I ran Interstate series 31 AGM’s for all 4 batteries in my boat and had already replaced the main battery and it was starting to act up again. The other 3 were getting weak but to replace all 4 was like $1500. The LFP’s were about double but I expect them to last at least 4X longer than my premium AGM’s so in the end it saves money. The performance upgrade was enough to justify the increased cost.

Are the batteries in the 620 in the bow? I assume it’s the same basic layout as the Reata. The boat handles great right now so will need to consider this.

I have the minnkota MK460 charger. I’ll have to see if it can charge lithium. Not sure if it will I’m AGM mode or not.

Matt Moen wrote:

I have the minnkota MK460 charger. I’ll have to see if it can charge lithium. Not sure if it will I’m AGM mode or not.

I also have the 460pc set to agm mode. It will charge my lithium battery’s to 99% according to my Bluetooth app. The new pcl charger will get them to 100% but not worth replacing for 1 extra ah on my 100ah battery’s

I run 3-125 amp Ionic lithium batteries on my new WX2200.They were about $2300. More total power than the 2-36v 60 amp mentioned, and still use just one charger for starting and trolling, not two like 36v batteries ending up having to use. Also you dont need special battery trays. Probably could have went with the 100 amp ones and saved a couple hundred bucks as there is so much reserve capacity. I troll almost exclusively, sometimes with just trolling motor, sometimes trolling motor and kicker. The other day pulling crawler harnesses in the wind, I was running the trolling motor between 4 1/2 and 7, and mostly in the 6 range. Trolled for about 6 hr and checked the app when I got home. Batteries were at 77%. This is with a big heavy 22′ walleye boat. Couple weeks back I trolled for three days, about 5hr a day without charging and less winds, but with three days of trolling batteries were at 55%.
Each way has plusses and minuses, but for my needs this worked best as I had a 5 bank charger put in case, I decide to use two batteries for starting and electronics. My new 2200 has room for 5 batteries, but for now the one is working fine. Also if I ever have a dead bank on the charger, I would have a spare bank to use.

Matt, I just made the switch in my Alumacraft. I had some updates done and went with a new 36v troller and the folks who did everything for me suggested 3 of the 12v lithium (60 amp hour I think). They are all located in my bow, I have been very impressed with the switch so far, the weight reduction was noticeable, I have not used them in cold weather yet.

I cannot recommend Spraungle Performance Marine in Anoka enough. I dealt with Taylor the owner and he was extremely helpful. I’d suggest giving them a call. I thought I’d have to update my charger and go with different batts etc. and he was able to confirm all my questions and let me know my minnkota charger etc would work. I had confidence getting my stuff from them, it’s another layer of support vs just ordering the batteries etc.

I bet if you talk to the guys over at Norsk, they would get you set up with the right batteries to optimize performance. Personally, I think it’s nice to have a 12V batteries since so many things run on 12v, you can utilize the batteries to run or charge things or even as a backup cranking. Also if one goes bad you can save quite a bit by replacing just one of the three 12v vs replacing the one 36v.

3Rivers wrote:

I bet if you talk to the guys over at Norsk, they would get you set up with the right batteries to optimize performance.

Great advice. I had lengthy chats with Amped before I pulled the trigger on lithium. I’d explain your boat setup and needs to all of Norsk, Amped, and Dakota and see what each one recommends. They should all be able to answer questions better than anyone on here.

I just put AGMs in my wx 1910. They are not much better for run time than my lead acids were. All have been grp 31s. I troll the river as well and on calm days I’m ok but on windy days I end up using the big motor and then I can’t use i-Pilot link.

I just put this brand of lithium(100ah)on my boat to run all my electronics and have been very happy with it. I paid $370 for the battery. The Interstate AGMs were just short of $1000. After the AGMs go I’ll be putting 3 of the lithiums in. It has a Bluetooth app to see all battery info real time. My buddy put Ionics in his boat and they are nice but this is equal in my opinion. His cost him $2000. Guessing the price may be lower for the battery I bought due to the 5 yr warranty versus the 10 or 11 yr warranty from Ionic.

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Cody Meyers wrote:

Matt, I just made the switch in my Alumacraft. I had some updates done and went with a new 36v troller and the folks who did everything for me suggested 3 of the 12v lithium (60 amp hour I think). They are all located in my bow, I have been very impressed with the switch so far, the weight reduction was noticeable, I have not used them in cold weather yet.

I cannot recommend Spraungle Performance Marine in Anoka enough. I dealt with Taylor the owner and he was extremely helpful. I’d suggest giving them a call. I thought I’d have to update my charger and go with different batts etc. and he was able to confirm all my questions and let me know my minnkota charger etc would work. I had confidence getting my stuff from them, it’s another layer of support vs just ordering the batteries etc.

Awesome…I’ll call them.

3Rivers wrote:

I bet if you talk to the guys over at Norsk, they would get you set up with the right batteries to optimize performance. Personally, I think it’s nice to have a 12V batteries since so many things run on 12v, you can utilize the batteries to run or charge things or even as a backup cranking. Also if one goes bad you can save quite a bit by replacing just one of the three 12v vs replacing the one 36v.

Unless they are designed to be a cranking battery they bms will not handle starting a main motor and if you replace one if it fails you should be replacing all of them just like a deep cycle.

Matt Moen wrote:

Are the batteries in the 620 in the bow? I assume it’s the same basic layout as the Reata. The boat handles great right now so will need to consider this.

I have the minnkota MK460 charger. I’ll have to see if it can charge lithium. Not sure if it will I’m AGM mode or not.

My batteries are in the floor of the main level (where driver seat is) I was really surprised, the LFP’s lost about 150# over the AGM’s and the boat would porpoise at a minimal trim when cruising, say 30 – 40 MPH. I wrongly assumed I might need a jack plate so I went to my dealer. He said move some weight from the back to the front if you could. I had a 42# navy anchor I kept in the back compartment for emergencies, I took it out of that and put it in a front compartment, voila the handling went back to normal. I used a MK460-PC for almost 2 years before lightning took out a bank, used the AGM mode and it worked great. Bought the new MK-460PCL, which will wake up a sleeping LFP, which I have experienced.

Curious how you made out Matt, did you pull the trigger on new batteries?