Deep cycle Recommendations?

Need to replace my original batteries for the Minn Kota – and I run it pretty hard on ML for walleye and smallies. Recommendations? Trojan Rep told me that their flooded deep cycle will run longer than gels or AGMs. Are Optimas worth it?

Thanks for advice . . .

This one has come up a lot this spring. Wal-Mart and Interstate batteries keep coming to the top based on posts I have read.

Some have had bad experiences with one and better experience with the other.

Best advice I ever got was buy the best you can afford, however what is best was the 2nd good advisor.

Keep them fully charged, but depending on how often you run them, etc. run them all the way down once in a while and then fully charge them up. My last Battery (2yr Warranty) ran 5-years using this method.

Any good battery should do well, it all depends on how you maintain them.

I also just bought a new one, largest that will fit in my battery case.

Good Luck.

I have started to take a volt meter to the store when I buy batteries just to make sure I am getting a fresh one. I have bought some new batteries that had a full charge and they have been great. I have also bought a few batteries that did not have a full charge on the shelf and I just thought they would be fine – they were not.

My new batteries will be Interstate.

Good luck,
Dave

I have had excellent luck with Interstates and won’t buy anything else.

I have had both and there is no doubt in my mind that Interstate is more expensive but has battery levels that Walmart cannot match.
I just purchased a 24 series Starting/Charging Interstate that is listed as 1,000 cold crank hrs…The best Walmart had was 800 in the 24 size. The price difference was only 23$.

I used to run the Delco Voyager deep cycles. I have gotten up to 9 years out of them. Hard to get after Kmart quit carring them. I swithced to the Trojan group 31 deep cycles. I do not like them. They need lots of water added and only last 3-5 years. I have switched to the Cabelas AGM’s. The Trojan never lasted as long as the AGMs. Seems like they have twice the capacity and no maint. Too soon to weigh in on lifespan. Read the reviews on the Cabelas website. I have started getting AGM batteries for everything I own. MC, ATV, sleds. Love them.

Interstate!

Thanks for the tips, fellas. Looks like I’ll be heading to Gander for some Interstates.

Good luck to everyone on Saturday. I’m going to give the water an extra day to warm back up – to the balmy April water temps!