What is the best 12 v battery to run a electric marine motor?

Question

i have a small boat and want to purchase a battery to run a fish finder, lights and a minn kota motor what type of battery is best?

Answer 1

2 Marine Deep cycle is what I use and have never been left sitting, the best investment I ever made was the Solar Charger, from JC Whitney. It is a small amperage charger but any charge while you are Fishing is good.

and yes it still Charges on Cloudy day,s

Answer 2

Batteries come in two general flavours: deep-cycle and engine-start.

Engine-start batteries (these are the commonest you'll find) are designed to deliver very high currents for short periods. They're not so good at delivering small currents for long periods without recharging.

Deep-cycle batteries (these are much more expensive) are designed to deliver small currents for a long time between recharging. They are not as good at delivering high currents as engine-start batteries, although they can be used for this.

On a yacht (like my 45-footer) we use several deep-cycle batteries to run the lights, fridge, instruments etc. Nothing else will do. Engine start batteries used for this would fail in a few months.

BUT. On the small boat that I think you're talking about you can probably get away with using a cheap engine-start battery (a truck battery though, not a small car type). If you ensure that you recharge it fully after each trip you'll probably find that it will give you several years of service.

In the Greek islands (where we are at the moment) the local fishermen all use the cheapest truck engine-start batteries they can find to run lights and instruments and, from what they tell us, they get a couple of years out of them.

Answer 3

buy 2 battery's, cheep but not too cheep deep cell.  try Sam's club. about $60 to $80.  they will last about 3 years and then need to be replaced.  Try doing what i do buy a new one every 2 years.  that way you will always have power to get home.  oh and get a battery switch, try switching between the two each time you use them.  oh and never run both together (i killed a good one like that)  (I guess the stronger one try to charge the weaker one and then both end up dead)

Answer 4

You want the deep cycle battery. It is made for long discharges of the type you'll need. You will need to know the rating required by the trolling motor. Get the biggest reserve time in hours that you can afford. Use an electronic charger for the battery, and check the water (be careful and use protective gear) 2-3 times a year. Make sure you have flotation devices, even lakes can be deadly.

Answer 5

Yeah...get a small deep cycle. You dont need cranking amps.

Two 6V batteries wired together will probably give you the most reserve capacity if you want to go whole hog.

Good batteries that have been tested can often be had from rental companies and golf courses really cheap as they replace them.