Deep cycle battery on pontoon

[E_bell]

I'm a first time boat owner and I just got a 20' pontoon with a 50 hp Evenrude. I want to install my Minn Kota trolling motor for a backup but I'm not sure where to mount the 2 deep cycle batteries. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Eric

 

[HotTommy]

Eric - yours is a very generic question so I'll offer a very generic answer. I'd look for a place with the following characteristics:

• Dry and out of the way
• Conveniently located for charging when the engine is running and use when powering the trolling motor
• Located where they improve the boats balance (e.g., toward the front and opposite where people and the fuel are)

It's not likely there is one spot that meets all of the above criteria, so you'll have to decide based on your particular boat configuration what takes precedence.

 

[E_bell]

Eric - yours is a very generic question so I'll offer a very generic answer. I'd look for a place with the following characteristics:

• Dry and out of the way
• Conveniently located for charging when the engine is running and use when powering the trolling motor
• Located where they improve the boats balance (e.g., toward the front and opposite where people and the fuel are)

It's not likely there is one spot that meets all of the above criteria, so you'll have to decide based on your particular boat configuration what takes precedence.

Ok. I was thinking about putting them in the storage compartment in the front bench seats.

 

[alldodge]

Ok. I was thinking about putting them in the storage compartment in the front bench seats.

Lead acid batteries need to be in a well vented location. So if the compartment is well vented you OK

 

[E_bell]

Lead acid batteries need to be in a well vented location. So if the compartment is well vented you OK

Not sure what you mean by well vented. For those that use deep cycle batteries on pontoons, where did you mount yours? If I mount them in the back where the starting battery is at then I will need long cables to get to the front of the boat where the trolling motor is mounted.

 

[alldodge]

Not sure what you mean by well vented. For those that use deep cycle batteries on pontoons, where did you mount yours? If I mount them in the back where the starting battery is at then I will need long cables to get to the front of the boat where the trolling motor is mounted.

Don't own a toon, and understand having it farther forward. If the compartment is not vented (most are not) just add one or two. Batteries give off hydrogen gas and this can hazardous in a enclosed area

http://www.iboats.com/Hose-Thru-Ven...203242--session_id.496840543--view_id.1184269
http://www.iboats.com/T-H-Marine-Lo...09203242--session_id.496840543--view_id.47932

 

[HotTommy]

Eric,
The comment about venting refers to the fact that these batteries typically produce hydrogen gas when they are charging. Hydrogen gas is odorless and not especially harmful to humans but it is highly flammable. So a passive flow-through ventilation system (e.g., holes or slots on two sides of the compartment) would likely suffice.

 

[roscoe]

Mount up front. close to troller, cheaper, easier, less voltage drop.

Don't bother trying to charge them with your outboard.

 

[E_bell]

Ok, I have the battery thing figured out but now I'm second guessing even adding the triller to the boat. The only place I can mount it is to the front deck and I really hate how it sticks up. Then if I lay it back it takes up so much room. Do most people even carry a backup motor on their pontoon?

 

[HotTommy]

I had a spare trolling motor sitting around and I thought of using it on my 24' pontoon boat when I rebuilt it. In the end it seemed more trouble than it was worth, and I doubt it could have overcome anything more than a 10 MPH wind. I lost power twice over the past five years and a friendly passing boater towed me a mile or so to safety both times.

 

[ahicks]

Ok, I have the battery thing figured out but now I'm second guessing even adding the triller to the boat. The only place I can mount it is to the front deck and I really hate how it sticks up. Then if I lay it back it takes up so much room. Do most people even carry a backup motor on their pontoon?

Have been boating since, well forever. Home is on a lake. I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to be towed back to the dock. If I were going to install a trolling motor, it would not be as a backup for the main.

 

[E_bell]

Thanks for all the help, I think I will just leave the troller off for now and hope for no failures when no one else is around.