Trolling motor batteries

31 series interstate or odyssey? Anyone running the odyssey and are they worth the extra cash?

I put 3 Odyssey batteries in my Skeeter when I bought it in 2012.
1 for starting and 2 for trolling motor. 1 trolling motor battery died in year 5. I bought a new starting battery and moved the Odyssey starting battery over to the troller.
Last year going on a trip to Devils lake I replaced the 2 troller batteries with Interstate AGM because I didn’t want to take a chance on the old batteries. They tested good so my BIL put them in his boat which doesn’t get used much. The Odyssey’s are still working ok.
Now onto the Interstate batteries. Had to replace 1 this year already. Now I also had to replace my onboard charger. I don’t know if the charger ruined the battery or vice versa.
I do know that 2 of the 3 Odyssey batteries are still running an 80lb. Minnkota after 9 summer seasons. Just passing on info and hope it helps.

I’d go with AGM or lithium. Anything lead based has a higher probability of failure and requires maintenance. I’m a big believer that with batteries you get what you paid for.

I have interstate 31’s on the ranger. 18 months in and one has failed of the 4….36 volt with cranking battery. I put a lot of stress on them on the river and I need to fill them about every 90 days.

On my last boat I had agm odyssseys and never had an issue in 3 years.

Thanks for the info guys.I have interstates now and no trouble for 3 years but buying new boat and not sure what batteries to put in it. Other boat came with the interstate batteries and wasn’t offered a choice

Interstates seem to be just about the best bang for the buck but I believe that just about every marine battery is made with the same Chinese components now and the only difference is the label. I had cabelas pro angler batteries in my boat when I bought it in 2015 and had to replace the trolling motor deep cycles this season in June. The cranker is an interstate and still in good shape based on a recent test load.

mxskeeter wrote:

I put 3 Odyssey batteries in my Skeeter when I bought it in 2012.
1 for starting and 2 for trolling motor. 1 trolling motor battery died in year 5. I bought a new starting battery and moved the Odyssey starting battery over to the troller.
Last year going on a trip to Devils lake I replaced the 2 troller batteries with Interstate AGM because I didn’t want to take a chance on the old batteries. They tested good so my BIL put them in his boat which doesn’t get used much. The Odyssey’s are still working ok.
Now onto the Interstate batteries. Had to replace 1 this year already. Now I also had to replace my onboard charger. I don’t know if the charger ruined the battery or vice versa.
I do know that 2 of the 3 Odyssey batteries are still running an 80lb. Minnkota after 9 summer seasons. Just passing on info and hope it helps.

Were all three batteries duel purpose? Or did you move a cranking battery and hook it up with deep cycle?

I have had good luck with Interstate but know they are not the only good option out there. I have heard mostly good things about Odyssey as well.

Matt Moen wrote:

I’d go with AGM or lithium. Anything lead based has a higher probability of failure and requires maintenance. I’m a big believer that with batteries you get what you paid for.

I have interstate 31’s on the ranger. 18 months in and one has failed of the 4….36 volt with cranking battery. I put a lot of stress on them on the river and I need to fill them about every 90 days.

On my last boat I had agm odyssseys and never had an issue in 3 years.

Lead base battery bad? An AGM is a lead acid battery. The acid is a gel embedded on a glass mat instead of being a liquid like conventional batteries.

My Interstates used to last 5-6 years now they last 3-4. The difference is they were manufactured in the US then and are now manufactured in Mexico. Ask a marine battery dealer and they will tell you the same.

I still use large lead acid batteries for trolling and an AGM for cranking/electronics.

grizzly wrote:

31 series interstate or odyssey? Anyone running the odyssey and are they worth the extra cash?

I would go with the Odyssey,or NorthStar X2.They are the same.Or if you want to go budget,there is the Duracell AGM sold at Sam’s.Which is a relabeled Deka Intimidator.

Interstate and Optima are just a name these days.

I won’t go into the lithium batteries,most guys cringe when they see the price.

My last 3 Interstate Group 27 Deep Cycles on my trolling motor lasted 8 years. When I replaced them, I had trouble finding Interstates near me and instead went with Duracells that I bought at Sam’s Club. I haven’t had them long enough to form an opinion yet whether they’re good or not, but the price was right when I bought them.

Tough to beat the performance or the warranty/service at batteries Plus.

Why I was wondering cause the odyssey’s are twice the price of interstate do you get any more running time and do they last that many more years

Boat came w/Interstate, my Jon runs on Nappa.

I went from standard deep cycles to AGMs (both were from Cabelas). The standard deep cycles lead acid set lasted 4 years, finishing year 3 on the AGMs and they are defiantly better. When fishing in a strong wind or trolling at 1.7 to 2mph, the standard deep cycles would last 5 to 7 hours, the AGMs havent went below 50% in the same conditions

Ripjiggen wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mxskeeter wrote:</div>
I put 3 Odyssey batteries in my Skeeter when I bought it in 2012.
1 for starting and 2 for trolling motor. 1 trolling motor battery died in year 5. I bought a new starting battery and moved the Odyssey starting battery over to the troller.
Last year going on a trip to Devils lake I replaced the 2 troller batteries with Interstate AGM because I didn’t want to take a chance on the old batteries. They tested good so my BIL put them in his boat which doesn’t get used much. The Odyssey’s are still working ok.
Now onto the Interstate batteries. Had to replace 1 this year already. Now I also had to replace my onboard charger. I don’t know if the charger ruined the battery or vice versa.
I do know that 2 of the 3 Odyssey batteries are still running an 80lb. Minnkota after 9 summer seasons. Just passing on info and hope it helps.

Were all three batteries duel purpose? Or did you move a cranking battery and hook it up with deep cycle?

They were all dual purpose.

mxskeeter wrote:

They were all dual purpose.

A specific deep cycle battery intended for use with a trolling/electric motor would probably last longer than a dual purpose one.

ask your dealer what happens if you have a battery go bad what happens and how its handled if a issue comes up…..

Deka marine batteries made by East Penn Manufacturing are still made in the US. I was originally looking to buy Interstate batteries from my local auto parts store and was told they see a lot more warranty issues on interstate batteries since production was moved out of the US. They recommended Deka brand marine battery and i have not had any issues (2 years old).

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I bought 2 trolling and 1 staring batteries in 2013 from Advance Auto they are Johnson made and they all worked fine this year, 7 years. Probably get new starting next spring just because its been 7 years.

Just put in a duracell deep cycle platinum from Sam’s group 31. Not sure on the quality, I will let you know in 5 years. I was teetering between Odyssey and and landed on that battery. Specs look good. Time will tell.

rswan wrote:

Just put in a duracell deep cycle platinum from Sam’s group 31. Not sure on the quality, I will let you know in 5 years. I was teetering between Odyssey and and landed on that battery. Specs look good. Time will tell.

I’ve been eyeing those as well. The price was even not too bad.

Replaced my Interstate 27 series starting battery that was 1 1/2 yr old, and not fully charging any more, with an Oddyssey 31 series AGM. When I purchased it, sales person asked what was wrong with the battery that I had, I explained that it was fairly new, and wouldn’t charge anymore. He asked if it was a black case Interstate, I said yes, and he said it was a common problem with the black case interstate batteries, and that the old green case ones were much better. The Oddyssey is fantastic, but heavy and expensive. AS to price, Batteries plus was the highest price that I found, and I ended up getting it substantially cheaper at a NAPA store in Sturgeon Bay. $460 at Batteries plus, vs $350 at NAPA. Pays to shop around. Also found it at a marina in Sturgeon Bay for $400, but still was $50 cheaper at NAPA.

rswan wrote:

Just put in a duracell deep cycle platinum from Sam’s group 31. Not sure on the quality, I will let you know in 5 years. I was teetering between Odyssey and and landed on that battery. Specs look good. Time will tell.

4 years still working good. Love it

I just replaced my interstate trolling motor batteries this spring with the same batteries. Boat is a 2014 and the batteries came with the boat. The batteries went almost dead after a 12 hour windy day so I replaced them. I have a 24 volt terrova