[Ratherbfishin]

I have a small electric motor, I think it's a "Motorglide", but it's kind of old and most of the markings have worn off.
I picked it up a few years ago and have never used it, but I know it works because I tested it with the car's battery.

Anyway, what I'm asking is what battery should I get? I saw an array of batteries at Canadian Tire and wonder if the lowest prced marine one would be ok. I would probably use it for a couple of hours on an occational basis, but there may be a month or more between uses (and charges). So, do these batteries last and what are the issues if I get a too powerful or not powerful enough battery?

Any advice will be much appreciated.

 

[stone]

I have a Group 24 Kirkland deep cycle battery from Costco that has lasted me fairly well. Even though the traditional lead-acid battery has the potential for leaking and sometimes you need to top up the fluid in the cells, I still find them the best performance for your dollar compared to spiral cells or AGM batteries. A couple of good friends have tried Optima deep cycle spiral cells, and they don't seem to hold their charge as long as lead-acid batteries do.

The trick to making these batteries last as long as possible is to keep them charged up even if you don't use them. I learned this the hard way with my first battery that only lasted one season. Most modern batteries now have excellent cases that you don't need to sit them on top of a piece of plywood anymore while you store them, but I still keep mine off the ground anyway. Every few weeks, even if I don't use it, I still hook it up to my deep cycle charger to top it up and make sure it remains fully charged. This prevents the sulphating of the plates and prevents loss of ability to hold a charge. And after coming back from a trip, I always make sure it gets a good full charge before putting it away.

HTH.

 

[Ratherbfishin]

Thanks Stone that really helps since I don't have much technical knowledge.
I have been reading up a bit and I understand what a deep cycle battery is, but does it charge differently compared to a car battery?
I have a battery charger (again I don't have the specs for it) that I got some time ago to charge my car battery.

So, will this charger be ok for a deep cycle battery, or are we talking about something completely different?
The charger I have is a fairly decent one and has some settings, so is it just a question of how I use it?

 

[professori]

Thanks Stone that really helps since I don't have much technical knowledge.
I have been reading up a bit and I understand what a deep cycle battery is, but does it charge differently compared to a car battery?
I have a battery charger (again I don't have the specs for it) that I got some time ago to charge my car battery.

So, will this charger be ok for a deep cycle battery, or are we talking about something completely different?
The charger I have is a fairly decent one and has some settings, so is it just a question of how I use it?

Deep cycles charge the same way, but will respond better to a High amperage charge than to a trickle charge. Every couple of years I take my trailer batteries (deep cycle golf cart batteries) into Polar Battery on Boundary Road and have them blast them with a 50 amp charger. Adds a few year's life to the batteries.

 

[mrmugs]

Deep cycle is definately the way to go for the obvious reason that when you use an electric motor it discharges the battery w/o charging it, unlike a car battery (which can also be deep cycle) that is charged while the engine is running. This extreme use (constant fully discharging then charging) is very hard on a battery and kills it's life span, a deep cycle is built for this type of abuse. You don't need a "special" charger for deep cycle batteries, but make sure you choose one that has the ability to do a trickle charge (1-2 amps) as well as a fast charge. The trickle charge takes longer but gives a much more thorough charge.
Kal Tire sells good batteries as well, the old Sears brand "DieHard".
I've also heard good things about the Costco Kirkland brand, good cheap batteries that last.
If in doubt ask a salesperson. I don't know about Costco but Kal Tire will give you good advice.
Don't bother with Canadian Tire, I've always found that they may be good, they might not, it's always a crapshoot with their auto parts.

 

[mrmugs]

Found this http://www.europower.ie/faq_marine.html

 

[professori]

Found this http://www.europower.ie/faq_marine.html

Good site mrmugs. Thanks.

 

[stone]

Ratherbefishing: Basically what the others have said. You can use your regular car charger to charge up your deep cycle battery, but the extra feature that my deep cycle battery charger has is sort of like a "pulse" charge that Prof mentions. It gives momentary bursts of high amerage charging that is supposed to lengthen the life of the plates in the battery. From the little that I understand, the bursts looses sulphation on the plates that result from deep discharge that these batteries endure. But...there's nothing stopping you from using your regular charger.

 

[Guest]

When I bought my Ford F150, this was under the hood.
Odyssey dry cell battery PC-2250 When I sold the Ford, I put a regular battery in it.
I gave it to my Dad, as it is too much of a battery to waste in auto use.

PC2250 Specs:

* Absorbent glass mat (AGM) technology
* 12V battery pure VRLA
* Rugged construction
* Dual SAE DIN Taper and 3/8" stud
* Can be mounted in any orientation
* Rope lifting handles
* US DOT and IATA certified non-spillable
* Shipped fully charged - just install and go
* Container and cover made from oil resistant plastic



Performance Features:

* PHCA: 2,250A at 80°F (27°C); for 5 seconds
* PCCA: 1,420A at 0°F (-18°C); for 5 seconds
* CCA: 1,225A at 0°F (-18°C)
* CA/MCA: 1,550A at 32° (0°C)
* HCA: 1,730 at 80°F (27°C)
* Reserve capacity: 240 minutes on 25amps
* Short circuit current: 5,000A
* Deep cycling capability: 400 at 80% DOD
* Design life: 12 years
* Typical service life: 6 to 8 years

 

[Ratherbfishin]

Thanks everyone, that clears it up for me.

I had a really poor experience at Canadian Tire - the guy knew less that me and all he could do was give me a pamphlet. No direction whatsoever - just added to my confusion so I ended up not buying a battery that I could have used on the weekend at Roche. I walked over to the fishing section where they sell Minkota and that guy knew even less!

Anyway, I know now what I need. I'm still concerned because I don't use the motor much but I will use the tips provide here to try to extend the life of the battery.

'much appreciated 1 :thumbup:

 

[mrmugs]

Didn't realize there was a special charger for deep cycle!!! :-[
Learn something new every day!! :beerchug:

 

[Royal_Coachman]

When buying a battery for trolling look for the highest RC (reserve capacity) rating.

Like others have mentioned battery maintenance will go a long way in determining how long your battery will last.A good charger is a wise investment if you want to take proper care of your batteries.

I picked up the Energizer(27DC-850N) 180RC from Wally-Mart couple weeks ago for 79$ on sale regular 99.98

http://walmart.ca/wps-portal/microsite/Automotive/index.jsp?page=batteries

I have the Minn kota Maxxum 40 and was able to get 3 days out of this battery. Some trolling some 100% to get to the anchoring spots still had some juice left

-RC