how big of a battery do i need for a trolling motor and fishfinder?

[fishfulthinking]

got a 44# minn kota trollin gmotor for my 14' aluminum boat and will be adding a fishfinder as well. i have been looking at batteries and i see reserve capacities from 100-200 minutes of reserve time and 500-800cca. now i am guessing that the cca is not important for me since my yammie is a pull start and i am looking for the most reserve capacity i can afford but there is a big price difference 45-105 dollars.

anyone have a similar set-up? what size is your battery?

 

[PondTunes]

Re: how big of a battery do i need for a trolling motor and fishfinder?

When talking of deep cycles and reserves bigger is better in my opinion. Get the largest deep cycle you can fit/afford and you'll have many long hours of trolling/fish finding. There are several factors that will determine how long your trolling motor will operate on a charge, the average length of time used and current conditions, a trolling motor fighting the current to keep you in place or going against it will kill the battery much faster than one in calm water.

 

[sar3195]

Re: how big of a battery do i need for a trolling motor and fishfinder?

Yes, I would get a battery that has a high reserve capacity. I had a battery from Walmart that lasted over 2 years now and is still good. You should be able to find a battery that has a 200+ reserve capacty.

Running the trolling motor at top speed will drain the battery. If you have a Minn Kota the motors that have the Maximizer will run longer on a charge.

Charge your battery correctly and you should be fine with a trolling motor and fishfinder. The fishfinder uses only a small amount of current. There are articles on charging on this forum.

Here are a couple of websites with good information:

http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#Mini Factoids
http://marine-electronics.net/techarticle/battery_faq/b_faq.htm#7