Trolling motor question

  • Jimmy
    Maplewood
    Posts: 73
    #1535672

    I’m wondering how long my battery should generally last, running at
    various speeds?

    I have a power drive 55 lb thrust with co-pilot 12v motor, and just
    Bought a new battery that is 200 min at 23 amp draw.

    Jimmy
    Maplewood
    Posts: 73
    #1535674

    Forgot to add,
    It’s on a 17 1/2 foot crestliner

    biggill
    East Bethel, MN
    Posts: 11321
    #1535682

    I had the same setup. Fishing Walleyes I could generally get a day and a half. I added a second battery in parallel and could get about 3 days. Go figure.

    If your having trouble make sure to check your battery. I always had interstate batteries and was very happy with them.

    Jimmy
    Maplewood
    Posts: 73
    #1535742

    The battery is brand new, I used it on the river yesterday and it was dead in about a hour and a half. I was thinking I may have got a bad battery?

    trumar
    Rochester, Mn
    Posts: 5967
    #1535824

    The battery is brand new, I used it on the river yesterday and it was dead in about a hour and a half. I was thinking I may have got a bad battery?

    Was the battery charged before you installed it ? Just because you got new one it doesnt mean it had a FULL charge.

    JMHO Jeff

    wicathunter11
    Ferryville WI
    Posts: 53
    #1535832

    What level was the motor set at? If it was at ten that’s about right. My 55lb Terrova lasts all day at five or six with an Optima but it goes down considerably at high levels. Think my old Powerdrive lasted three or four hours trolling at level five or six.

    Jimmy
    Maplewood
    Posts: 73
    #1535893

    I guess I just assumed the battery was fully charged when I bought it. I have it on a trickle charge now. I was running it between level 3-5. So from what I’m gathering I should get another battery and 2 should get me through a full day of fishing?

    wicathunter11
    Ferryville WI
    Posts: 53
    #1535901

    Should get a lot more time out of one battery at that level. I would invest in a good on board smart charger if you don’t have one.

    muskeye
    Duluth, Mn
    Posts: 306
    #1535907

    The battery probably wasn’t fully charged. It’s not a bad idea to run two batteries while fishing in current though.

    Jimmy
    Maplewood
    Posts: 73
    #1535932

    I was down on pool 4, so yes there was current. Thanks for all your input guys!

    joc
    Western and Central, NY
    Posts: 440
    #1535944

    The size of the boat has nothing to do battery life.

    Deep cell batteries are generally rated at a 20 amp draw. This formula will provide an approximation

    Ampere Hour Ratings (ah) = This is the number of amps which a battery can deliver for a 20 hour period. This test is also referred to as the 20 hour rate. The larger the amp hour rating, the more power the battery can deliver over time assuming it’s fully charged. Your Battery has ah of 200 ah: so [200 ah / 55 Amps load (at full load)] ~ 3.6 hours.

    BTW 200 ah sounds a bit high, could be wrong on this. But as I recall an average size 31 or 29 generally is rated between (130 to 100) ah? Are you sure you don’t mean reserve capacity.

    iowa_josh
    Posts: 427
    #1535949

    A bigger boat would be harder to move so it should have something to do with how long your battery lasts.

    Jimmy
    Maplewood
    Posts: 73
    #1535953

    Here’s what I bought. Guy at fleet farm told me this was the best battery for a trolling motor.

    Attachments:
    1. Screenshot_2015-04-19-22-39-48.png

    joc
    Western and Central, NY
    Posts: 440
    #1536028

    A bigger boat would be harder to move so it should have something to do with how long your battery lasts.

    No the trust setting dictates how much current is drawn from the battery. If on a bigger boat you increment the setting higher to provide similiar speed (but more trust) then it will draw more current and drain the battery quicker. But the size of the boat itself has nothing to due with the batteries capabilities. The equation I provided was for maximum trust of a Min Kota 55 pound trust trolling motor.

    joc
    Western and Central, NY
    Posts: 440
    #1536032

    The battery is brand new, I used it on the river yesterday and it was dead in about a hour and a half. I was thinking I may have got a bad battery?

    Their is a chance that the battery you purchased had been sitting around for a long time thus via self discharge was very low on change. I suppose it’s possible that a new battery had a bad cell, but highly unlikely. Give it a good charge with a “smart” battery charger. More than likely it will provide much more life. BTW you can’t go wrong with Interstate. They are reasonable priced and hold up very well.

    stuart
    Mn.
    Posts: 3682
    #1536036

    Trust/Thrust

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