Battery Question

  • Thread starter Gilbert Scales2
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Gilbert Scales2

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I am needing to buy batteries for my trolling motor. Which batteries do you like/dislike? Is it worth spending the extra dollars on better batteries? I know there are some new type batteries out, but I don't have a clue. I now use Stow-away batteries, from Academy Sports.

Thanks,

Bubby:)
 
Bubby, there are lots of batteries out there and a lot of opinions as to whats the "best". Some like low cost lead acids like the everstart because you can swap them out on a whim in theory at any walmart. Some like more expensive lead acid batteries like a Trojan SCS because they perform well and last a long time. And some like the super expensive batteries like the optima sprial cell because they are virtually maint free.



My personal opinion, i fall into the "more expensive lead acid" catagory. I run the Trojan SCS series in my Z7 and i ran them in my 882 as well. The reason i like these batteries are simple. They offer a ton of bang for the buck in service time, reliability and power on the water. I have yet to find a battery that will give me the same or more time on the water then the scs 225's i run. They have also proven quite reliable with my last set going in my 882 some 6 years ago and were still good when i traded it last winter. I paid ~250 for the last set and to get that kind of life out of them as hard as i used them they were a great value in my opinion. Not to mention not having to deal with the constant issues i have had in the past with cheaper batteries. My new ones in the Z7 were 300 for the pair.



As far as the cheaper batteries go. I have a deep rooted hatred for any battery built by johnson controls(everstart, diehard, dura last, interstate,...). They have failed me too many times on the water and ruined too many weekends for me. I see a lot of guys tout the being able to go to any walmart to swap them out and thats great in theory. You have toi have a walmart near by and they have to have them in stock and you may have to deal with a pro-rate charge which can be quite a high percentage of the cost of a new battery depending on age. That warranty failed me more then once, i would rather spend the money on a quality battery that is far less likley to fail in the first place.



My opinion on the super expensive batteries like the AGM batteries or Optima's. I dont see where they are worth it. A few friends of mine run them in thier boats and i just dont see where the value is. They spent a great deal more then i did on my batteries * the optima is ~$250 a pop vs the $150 a pop i paid last year) and they dont get any extra on the water time(actually they get less) and they havent proven to last any longer from what i have seen. The only benefit i have seen is not having to put water in, in the 6 seasons i ran my last SCS 225's they needed water once.



Thats my opinion and i hope it helps. Compare whats out there and at the end of the day you need to buy what you are comfortable with and what fits your budget.

 
Jim is right, lots of choices and with batts it's a pay now or pay later. I choose the pay later option. I consider a battery another piece of equipment and I use my equipment hard so I know pretty quick if a battery is not up to the task. I tried Interstates once and while thy may make a great car battery their marine deep cycle was not a good experience for me. 3 batteries in 1 year (all trolling). I do still have the original cranking battery from my boat (2000 Interstate) charged and in the garage. It was/is a great battery, never failed, CIII gave me a bigger Delco he won in a drawing and it has been in the boat 3 years. For trollers I do use the Everstart Marine Maxx from Wally World but I have never had to exchange a battery and they give me good life. Since the Trojans are twice as expensive as the Everstarts, I would expext them to last twice as long and barring any defect, they do. The rub for me is if I get a good set of the Everstarts (like my last set) they went 4 years hard use and that is value added. I don't expect them to last that long though. More importantly is you have to take care of your batts. Charge them with a good charger (GUEST) as soon as you get off the water and make sure they are filled. Also mount them so that they are tight and get as little vibration and movement as possible. All these things will give them the longest life possible whatever brand you choose.



TOXIC
 
Thanks Toxic and Jim, great advise. I do have a guest 3 bank charger 10/10/3 amp. I also check the water level, and they are strapped down. Just seems lately, it is always one thing or the other. A couple questions on the trojans. Do you charge them like any other battery??? And where can I buy them???



Bubby:)
 
Bubby,

Trojan makes both lead acid and AGM batteries. The ones i suggest if you decide to go that route is the SCS series of battery. They are lead acid batteries much like what you hve now. You dont need a special charger or anything like that and they require the same maint as any other wet cell lead acid battery.



Go to the link below and you should be able to find a local dealer there, call tem up if you cant and tey should be able to help you. Also they have a section on maint that is a good read regardless of what brand of battery you buy.



Tox where did you price the Trojans? When i bought my first set they were only about $25 more per battery then the everstart max in the group 31 size. This time they were maybe $40 more since both went up in price a good bit. I know you have read about my dislike for the everstarts, i have never had one make it thru a season and im super anal about taking care of stuff. Obviously you are having success with them and thats great, i hope it continues.
http://www.trojanbattery.com/
 
Delco Voyagers have been the best batteries I have ever used in a multitude of configurations in many different hulls. I have tried many and found them the most dependable. They are very well built, if not over built. The down side is the weight is more than many batteries of equal group and finding the Voyagers anymore are like finding hen's teeth around here. AC/Delco makes an incredible, long service battery. IMHO



There are several great quality mfr.'s available, just keep in mind where their network is located for the eventual exchange/replacement. ;)
 
I went from the original Interstate on my PT175 to the Trojan SCS 200 I think, but was not overly excited about it's power and the fact that on the PT175 the trolling battery is tucked up under the rear deck so a pain to always be checking the water levels. I just switched to the sealed AC Delco voyager on my last trip of last year. I know on paper the Trojan wins hands down ,but it never seemed to have that extra power in real life. My factory onboard charger also did not seem to work well with it so I replaced it thinking that maybe that was the reason, but still no difference. I have not really tested the Delco fully so I will know better in a few months, but early results seem to point to it having the same/better power without having to worry about the water levels. I know many on this site have installed the watering systems, but I did not want to add any more complexity to the situation. I now have only AC Delco for start/trolling on both my fishing and ski boats. My back-up battery on the ski boat is a older(5+ years?) voyager that still seems to hold a charge well and has plenty of reserve for periodic trolling on that boat.
 
I went from the original Interstates after 3 years to Everstarts. The Interstates died within 2 months of each other. I've been running the Everstarts for 5 years now, and probably gonna replace them this spring. One reason thay I bought them is I was doing a lot of tournoment fishing, and I felt it was an advantage having a Wally World just about everywhere I went. Now it's not that big of a deal.



Reader's Digest version, I'll probably replace with Everstarts.



BruceM
 
I love Interstate batteries. I had a situation a few months ago where I left the lights on in my truck during a tournament and killed the INterstate battery in my truck. Well, I took one of the Interstate trolling motor batteries from the boat ( I had been standing on all day ) and put it in the truck. It was weak, but it still cranked my truck and allowed me to make it the 100 miles back home.



I threw the truck battery on the charger and you'd never know I drained it down to nothing. I'll always be an Interstate customer!
 
The Interstate trolling battery in my old PT175 quit after just over 2 years. It also always seemed to need water. I replaced it with an Everstart that was better! At least it was still going strong when I sold the boat. My new-to-me G3 came with Interstates too. Those crapped out shortly after I go the boat (dealer discounted the price on the boat due to the battery age). Went with a BPS branded battery and its been going great! Going to pick up another to go with the new-to-me 24V trolling motor that I picked up a few weeks ago. Not sure who makes the BPS branded batteries, but they work great and don't seem to want a water fill up every other use (like the Interstates did!).



 
cabelas has there AGM batteries on sale in the spring catolog...page 77..The RC is 180 I think for 27 series and are maintaince free...
 
I like interstate.....had great service with them so that has to stand for something!!!!
 
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