Trolling Batteries

Have to replace my trolling batteries for a 24V system on my 1800 Fisherman. Made the mistake of buying at Wally World because they were open 24 hours a day in Bemidji and mine went dead during the night. Well they lasted two seasons. Yesterday I was at Batteries Plus and their 27M equivalent batteries were about 85 a piece and had a 10/battery rebate. Their batteries are named Werker. I also looked at some Opti batteries that were 160-200 per battery. I just don’t want to have to keep replacing every two years and also want reliability. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Todd in Brandon

You might be knocking Wally World batteries, but they have consistently lasted me more than 2 years. You will also find a whole bunch of happy Wal-mart battery people on here.
Is it possible that maybe you had something draining the batteries while not in use? Just because a battery went dead overnight, doesn’t mean we should put a blanket statement that Wal-mart batteries are junk Inproper battery care would result in batteries not lasting very long.
I have also bought batteries from Batteries Plus in the past. SOme were great, and others were junk. In fact, I have a battery from Batteries Plus sitting in my shed that wouldn’t hold a charge from day one. If it wasn’t on the south side of LaCrosse, I would have returned it immediately.

I went through 5 Wal Mart batteries in 1 season, 1 only lasted a weekend. I know run Interstates and a happy camper.

I took advice here and keep my batteries plugged in 24/7 with onboard chargers. I have relatively inexpensive Interstate Marine series batteries…my starter battery is 6yrs old and my two (24 volt) front set are 5 yrs old and test out perfect.

I am on the water from March to November…get an onboard charger…cheap way to get many years out of your batteries!

on the onboard charger setup… I installed an onboard charger about 7 years ago and will never be without one

Thanks Tom, I have an on board charger. My first set where Interstate, and lasted five years. I didn’t mean to bash Wally World but just thought that the batteries should have lasted longer and wonder if I should buy some other brand or if I just got a bad set. I did check and I didn’t have a drain on my batteries an I store them in my basement on a plywood shelf in the off season and charge them every two to three months in the off season. I just want to have the most reliable battery for the money so my family can better enjoy our time on the water.

Bought opti bluetops a couple of years ago. Into their second season they bit the dust of course just out of full replacement warranty. They picked up part of the bill.
Called opti to find out why two batteries would go bad so soon and got absolutely no answer. I might as well have asked a dead carp floating down the river.
I seriously thought about going back to wet cells but the opti’s are so nice. No adding water and no corrosion on terminals.
So my advice is unless you are made of money or like to gamble, stick with conventionals.

Go to batteries plus if there is one in your area. I bought 2- 31 series batteries from them 3 years ago and they are still going strong and I fish on average 5 days a week using my trolling motor ALOT!!! I think I paid about $89.00 each and they come with a two year warranty.

The batteries should still be under warranty and you should be able to get a partial refund. Here at our Walmart they put the receipt right on the battery so it might get wet but not lost

TG…I leave the batteries in the boat all winter, Charger plugged into an outside AC socket in my garage. Why fuss with taking them in and out?
Every time I return from a trip on the water the boat gets plugged in. I used to store the batteries as you currently do but the marine Tech told me the best thing for battery life is to keep them constantly charged. It gets below zero much of the winter here but with them on charge the cold does not bother them.
In fact this past week at Everts I did not plug them in at night(I usually do) they worked just fine inspite of their age…maybe this is just a good batch I have…

INTERSTATE BATTERIES ARE THE WAY TO GO! I HAD ONE SET 5 YEARS AND WERE WEAK BUT STILL RUNNING OK.

interstaes are definetly a nice battery and usually last longer but they are usually higher priced as well. Optimax are made by Interstate so you are still getting a top quality battery but at a much higher price. Me myself have heard horror stories on the opti’s so i stick with the farm and fleet brand. They carry the same warranty as interstate and are 20 bucks or so cheaper and the store is close by if i need it. Remember just cause the sticker says a different name there are only a few battery makers around so a cheaper battery may have been made right next to an interstate.

31 series Northerns. They are great batteries.

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31 series Northerns. They are great batteries.

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I second Northern

I also leave mine in the boat with the onboard plugged in and no problems. All my problem batteries were during the summer.

Buy Cabela brand batteries, if they ever go bad, you can return them for free..