Front Mount Trolling Motor - Seeking a Trickle Charge Solar Option?

[pixolia]

Hello!

I'm trying to figure out a solution for an emergency backup option for my 20' pontoon boat. Last summer I was across a 10.2 mile lake at a sand bar on a sunny day to where I turned my motor off and it was sitting for a few hours while we were in the water. Long story short, around 6pm we went to try and leave and the boat wouldn't fire up. It got flooded by accident (of course) to which I was never able to fully recover before the battery got drained too far. Turns out the battery was also past it's prime a little bit which I should have replaced earlier. Either way though, I know that the number one solution is just good maintenance and making sure I don't need a backup, but anything can happen at any time and I don't have a local towing option short of flagging down a stranger for help and who knows how that will pan out.

I have a minn kota 68lb trolling motor that I bought for a good price last summer and am thinking of using that as my backup option. Ideally I wouldn't ever need to go the whole 10.2 miles, it'd probably be more like 6 max and as long as I could limp home, it'd be more than enough. Do you think that type of motor mounted in the front with 2 - 12v marine batteries wired in series would be sufficient to do the job and then some or not at all?

Question 2... Where my boat is docked, there's no power and my car is a walk up a hill and across a busy street and is such a pain to continually lug these 2 - 50lb beasts up to my car, home, charge, come back, etc. I'm looking for a potential solar option to trickle charge my batteries. Ideally, I'll always use my main motor so I don't need something that will charge it within 1-2 hours. Even 24-48 hours would work just fine, I just need it to slowly replenish over a few days.

Any thoughts, is there anything out there as a kit I could buy for something like this? Slow charge? Or even something that's portable and not 2 huge batteries that I can bring home with me, plug it in, charge it and then connect to my batteries when out there that's wireless to re-charge them? Kind of like one of those emergency jump start units but something on a full charge I could top off my trolling batteries?

Thanks for any insight!

Mike

 

[gm280]

pixolia, :welcome: aboard. We welcome you to iboats...

If you are buying a trolling motor solely as a mere backup, when not skip that option and just buy a backup battery? I mean is the trolling motor is only going to be used in a case of emergency, why buy all that when one extra battery would save the day. :noidea:

As for a solar trickle charge, so many have tried that route and it really doesn't work as planned. I would save your money and buy a quality backup battery. JMHO

 

[pixolia]

Thank you!

Yeah, I agree, but what happens if something motor specific goes bad? I already have the minn kota anyway, I just figured there might be a way I could charge them quicker. Or as mentioned, is there a unit out there I can just bring with me to which I could charge them off of that like one of those jump start units for cars? If there's one thing I can take home with me and charge that isn't an annoying and awkward 50lb battery let alone 2 of them with someone who has a bad back, I'd be open to that too. If I ever drain them completely, I'd understand needing to fully charge them, but at the very most I'd guess I'd only use up 50% at any given time, so if there was something I could either just put on it and leave on it that doesn't require plugging it in at that location or something as simple as 1-2 solar panels I can mount to my bimini top that would work and slowly trickle over 2-3-4 days, that would work too.

I'm all for only relying on the one motor but anything can happen at any time to that one motor, I could hit a log and bend the shaft, something could go out, who knows.
I figure, I have the minn kota already, I have 2 - 12v batteries, if I have to pay a few hundred for a system I can rig up to basically allow me to charge those batteries without lugging them out or running an extension cord to them that would be great. There's no option for any power out where I am sadly.

Thanks for the insight, any other thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Mike

 

[gm280]

You could always buy a portable generator to charge the batteries.

 

[pixolia]

You have any ideas on examples of ones that would work for what I'm requesting that are solid but not huge/heavy or an arm and a leg? How long would a portable generator like that take to charge 2 batteries like that that may be at roughly 50-60% filled? Gas powered I assume?

 

[pixolia]

I still can't believe someone hasn't come up with a solar charging solution that can trickle charge batteries over a few days.. I get the logic behind it, but just seems like there's a huge market out there for something like that.

 

[darrklim2]

Solar charging works just fine for maintaining batteries. I've personally not done it since I trailer my boat everywhere I go so I can just plug in a charger at home. I don't know why they would discourage you from doing that... Here's a very informative link in my opinion. https://www.quora.com/How-many-solar-panels-do-I-need-to-charge-a-200-Ah-battery-in-5-hours

Make sure you use a contoller.

 

[MH Hawker]

I still can't believe someone hasn't come up with a solar charging solution that can trickle charge batteries over a few days.. I get the logic behind it, but just seems like there's a huge market out there for something like that.

i am one of the few that uses a solar panel to top off my battery, i night fish and a trip out runs it down to 80%, it more or less takes a full 5 days depending on how much sun so solar while a alternative is poor

o i use a delco voyager group 27

 

[gm280]

pixolia, most any type portable generator that outputs a decent amount of current would work. There are lots of them all over the place. And like expected, the more current output the better. And yes they are gasoline powered for the most part.

Solar power can work. But you will need a very large panel or panelS and all the associated circuitry that supports such a setup, to allow your batteries to recharge. But when looking at solar panel options, understand their ratings are given for their best possible output on a cloudless sky and not a typical overcast day operation or even an average day's output.

Yes, it is a numbers game like everything else. If you get into a situation of overcast days back to back while you are out, your batteries are not going to charge at all. And to get enough current output, you will need some very good panels that would take a lot of area of the boat. In other words, you would need a total overhead cover of your pontoon boat, covered with solar panels to get what you want. JMHO

 

[ondarvr]

As mentioned, the output of the typical small solar panel isn't going to charge anything very fast, but if all you're looking to do is keep a fully charged battery charged and in good condition, then a small solar charger will work. The problem you run into is if you're using the batteries and discharging them the small panels aren't up to the job of recharging them before the next outing. People always want a way to recharge low batteries quickly with solar, if the technology was currently available to do it affordably it would be on almost every boat out there. While there's no problem charging with solar, the cost, size and number of panels needed to actually do it quickly makes the option out of reach for most people.

 

[clemsonfor]

Solar maintenance chargers will keep a stored battery topped up. I use them on stuff that's rarely used. They cannot charge or keep a battery topped up from excessive cranking/use. And they will not charge a battery because they will not take up to the voltage it needs to completely charge Which is just over 15v.

I think getting an $88 generator and keeping a battery charger with you would be a better option. Or buying another cranking battery and run it in parallel with your main one.

 

[Silvertip]

The trick is to NOT discharge the starting battery in the first place. A properly tuned engine and an operator that understands how to start the engine should not have to deal with this issue. If you cannot reliably start your engine in five seconds or less there is something wrong mechanically, electrically, or operationally. Fix that issue(s). Solar is NOT the answer to your situation. A solar panel that will do what you want it to do will be the size of your boat and have a substantial price tag. This is also a device that is a target for thieves. Honda, Generac and others have small generators that are light and will do the job much faster than a solar panel. Most of the small gensets produce 12 volts at about 8 amps for battery charging. As for wireless, you cannot send electricity through the air unless it is lightning or a spark plug. Check the on-line auctions, farm stores, and your local classified ads for deals. Just so you know, a 68# trolling motor will likely not get you 10 miles or even five miles in an emergency situation.

 

[darrklim2]

I didn't realize how expensive solar still was, I thought that 250W could be attained for about $300. Here is a less expensive renewable energy option. Not sure your rules or regulations at your dock. but this would charge the battery.

https://www.amazon.com/Mophorn-Gene...=1494857974&sr=8-2&keywords=wind+turbine+300w

You would need a controller and wire it up properly but it should suffice. Without using a gas generator. I'm not against the generator just giving you another possible option.

 

[gm280]

There is other problems with Solar Cells other then the mere initial cost. They sadly have a definite life expectancy as well. It isn't like you buy them, set up all the associated circuitry and live happily ever after, they wear out like everything else in life. So you will have to replace them at some time, and most likely the support circuitry as well.

 

[pixolia]

Thanks for the the information everyone... Ideally, in a perfect world, yes, my main motor won't have problems starting and that's the best case scenario. Things happen, things come up, I prefer something rather it be something small and limp my way home vs nothing at all. I figure, I have the minn kota already, why not come up with a solution that might work enough to even just get me over to shore, let alone my slip. It seems as if solar isn't as viable as an option as I was hoping, even with just topping off. That's too bad. The other options are helpful but it does seem as if my best bet is probably to just get a generator vs any other option right now.

How long do you think it would take a generator (decent $100-150) one that isn't too heavy to charge my batteries 30-40% (2 - 12volts)?

Ideally, I was hoping I could maybe find something portable and similar to this (obviously not this one, just to show you what I mean) - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanley-...&visitor_id=Q-i0X4_GsQ_Hpow95uT_Vg#about-item

BUT, something like this that's portable that I could take home with me when I'm done for the day, then just simply when I'm going out boating the next time around to immediately set this up on it to charge my batteries and top them off or to have available in case I need some instant power to get going. I assume something like the link above wouldn't do much of anything in a way to top my 2 - 12v batteries off within a few hours 30-40%? Something like that I wouldn't mind taking home with me every night as it's portable, lighter than one battery and something I can easily transport each time.

Anything you know of along the lines of the link I sent above that is portable like that, doesn't run on gas (producing exhaust) that I could just transport and plug onto my batteries to charge/top off? Or is the generator basically my only option short of a secondary battery for my main engine? But if something mechanical happens to my motor outside of the norm or general things, I'm SOL anyway.... I'm more concerned of the SOL moment than just something small or minor with starting my main motor.

Thanks for the help!
Mike

 

[ondarvr]

What most people do is mount a small gas kicker as the backup option, you can also troll with it if you like fishing. These small motors can have a charging system too, so not only will they get you back to the dock, it will also charge the batteries while doing it, these small motors are used when all you want to do is slowly motor around the lake too. This isn't a perfect option, but it works well.

 

[clemsonfor]

The trick is to NOT discharge the starting battery in the first place. A properly tuned engine and an operator that understands how to start the engine should not have to deal with this issue. If you cannot reliably start your engine in five seconds or less there is something wrong mechanically, electrically, or operationally. Fix that issue(s). Solar is NOT the answer to your situation. A solar panel that will do what you want it to do will be the size of your boat and have a substantial price tag. This is also a device that is a target for thieves. Honda, Generac and others have small generators that are light and will do the job much faster than a solar panel. Most of the small gensets produce 12 volts at about 8 amps for battery charging. As for wireless, you cannot send electricity through the air unless it is lightning or a spark plug. Check the on-line auctions, farm stores, and your local classified ads for deals. Just so you know, a 68# trolling motor will likely not get you 10 miles or even five miles in an emergency situation.

Not after you have run your only battery down on the boat with your trolling motor!!!, GET a second battery.

 

[Silvertip]

The jump box you linked to is NOT a battery charger. It is simply a small battery in a box. How do you think a small battery can charge a big one? To charge a battery you need 6 amps minimum for several hours - - for each battery. There is no shortcut for you.

 

[Silvertip]

Not after you have run your only battery down on the boat with your trolling motor!!!, GET a second battery.

He doesn't have the troller installed yet. It is also a 24 volt unit. So while he currently has just one battery, he will need three which is why he is asking for a charging option.

 

[clemsonfor]

He doesn't have the troller installed yet. It is also a 24 volt unit. So while he currently has just one battery, he will need three which is why he is asking for a charging option.

I at first didn't think he had one then I read something that made me think he did have a battery??

I still stick by solar won't work. Unless you keep a backup battery with solar trickle on it to keep it topped up. I would carry one of those small lithium ion jump packs if you worry and don't want to get multiple batteries. Or you go with the small $100 generator and keep a battery charger that you can plug into it. But that won't be a quick solution. I think the extra battery and a volt meter attached to the battery as well as a LI ion jump pack will be the best bet.

I am an electric golf cart guy and we all have digital volt meters on board (us serious ones that is) so that we can keep up with the voltage on the batteries to not run them down to far. A deep cylcle battery you don't do t want to run down below 50% or you really shorten it's life.

Of course here I think we're talking about dual purpose or starting batteries??