Battery

[Dave 7575]

I bought a new 55lb Minn Kota trolling motor, I saw the ever start marine battery24m-1000n. My question is will that battery be strong enough for that trolling motor and is it a deep cycle?

 

[UncleWillie]

It is a Starting Battery, and Not recommended to be used at high currents for long period of time.
It is designed to produce huge currents for less than 30 seconds while starting an engine.
A Deep cycle battery will specifically state "Deep Cycle" on the label. This one has "Starting" on the label.
Keep looking.

Any battery will power a trolling motor. The question is... How long do you expect the battery to last? 1hr? 5hrs?
A 55# Motor will draw ~40-50 amps at full power. ~15-20amps at low power.
If the battery is 100Ah, assume 80Ah usable, and <2hrs at full power, or ~4hrs at low power.

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome aboard.

Do the new TM instructions have a recommended battery size? Most deep cycle batteries have words on the side saying "Deep Cycle".

A 24M-1000N is a starting battery. You need a deep cycle and at least 110 Amp-Hours according to Minn Kota. Minn Kota Battery selection Guide

 

[NYBo]

Welcome to iboats!:welcome:

Not only is that a starting battery, it's a group 24 size. You want a deep cycle of at least group 27 size. Bigger is better in this case.

 

[Silvertip]

I agree -- wrong battery type and wrong size.

 

[bassman284]

Well, I'm going to have to sort of disagree with you guys a little bit here. While I definitely agree that he needs a Deep Cycle, not Starting, battery, I disagree that the Group 24 is not adequate for this application. I've had my boat for 14 years and all I've ever used is 24s. In fact, that's all I have room for in the front of my boat. I ran a 47lb MinnKota Maxum until 2009 when I put on a 55lb MinnKota PowerDrive V2. I have never had a battery give up on me on the water.

Granted, I have also never set the trolling motor at 100% a run it until the battery died. Very few people do that and I don't seriously think a 27 would last a whole lot longer than a 24 doing that. But I'm a bass fisherman which means I'm on the move all the time and the Group 24 does just fine for me. Shields up.

 

[Silvertip]

The difference in cost between a group 24 and group 27 is insignificant and there is a fair bit of capacity advantage in the 27. I buy my deep cycles at my local Fleet Farm store on sale for less than $75 and I've never had to replace one. I run Minnkota 55# Power Drives. If you fish fresh water lakes primarily and don't deal with a lot of wind, then a 24 might be fine. Fish a river with a 3 MPH current or large open water you can be a little hard on a battery.