Marine -v- regular battery?

Question

whats the difference between them? Can I run a trolling motor off of either? I got a used plastic two man boat as a gift, and I am setting it up. I am thinking a 47 lb Minn Kota ought to push it with me and gear fine, but to be honest? I seem to be bleeding $$$ getting this sucker up and running. I am looking for a cost effective way to power this thing without going even deeper in the hole! Any insight or advice will be appreciated.

Answer 1

either will work the marine would hold a charge longer

Answer 2

Deep cycle (marine) batteries are designed to discharge and charge slowly.  Using one as a starter battery drains it quicker than it was designed for and will eventually kill it.  Starter batteries are designed to put out massive amps for a short time and recharge quickly, but don't hold the amount of amp hours a same sized deep cycle does.

Answer 3

You can use either one. Since this is a small boat you probably won't be using it for hours on end. The others are correct about the marine deep cycle battery being made to discharge fully without damaging the battery. A car battery should last a few hours with no problem.

Marine deep cycle batteries are rated in amp hours, not cranking amps. If you take the amp hours of the battery and divide it by the amps of the motor, that will give you a good idea of how many hours the battery will last.

Answer 4

you could use either. you would have to change the battery connectors to fit an auto battery if it does not have posts. isn't going to hold a charge well if you use it on the trolling motor.

BOAT stands for Break Out Another Thousand. lol.

Answer 5

if you use a starting battery, everytime you drain it, you will loose some of the charging power that goes back in it. A deep cycle is made to drain to 0 and charge full again, A starting is not, and they say starting batteries can loose up to half of it's charge the first time you kill it. A good deep cycle interstate battery (srm-24) would last you all weekend and cost you under $100. Those mini-kotas only draw around 2 amps running on High, and the srm - 24 is rated for 140 (I think) RC (that means at a 25 amp load, the battery should last 140 minutes) so at a 2 amp load, it should last all day running.  Hope this helps!

Answer 6

i know years ago in minnesota we used car batteries  but now i live in fl u need a mariene one its sealed more cranking amps  not to give off spark but u are not going to have a engine so it wont matter good luck

Answer 7

WOW... I have heard of the gift that keeps on giving... but this one, you say... is the gift that keeps on costing... lol

As, I understand it... your "only" motor is a trolling motor...

Then I suggest you get a good (doesn't have to be the very best) deep cycle marine battery - (some are even labeled for trolling).  The bad news is...yes, it will cost you a bit more... The good news is, it will probably out last your boat, and at least you won't need another battery.

Have fun!