Do you own a pontoon boat or a kayak? Do you want it to be fast and show the best performance? Then, find out how to choose the best trolling motor battery. A battery with light weight will help you to improve your boat performance and get a positive boating experience.
You should make the choice of the battery responsibly as not all lightweight trolling batteries can work for hours without charging. Paying attention to the charging potential is a must for smooth boating. Check how to choose the lightest trolling motor battery that will help you to optimize your boat function.
Benefits of Lightweight Batteries
Electric motors are installed on inflatable PVC boats and are used for fishing on calm reservoirs with stagnant water, lakes, ponds, or even on rivers with weak currents. The electric unit can be found on boats as an additional engine.
Some heroes can move a boat with a total weight of up to 2 tons despite their light weight. Electric motors compete well with their gasoline counterparts.
The key pros of modern trolling motors are listed below:
- The trolling motor has a light weight, regardless of being powerful enough. Small size and low weight are the features you should check when buying a battery. Mighty Max Battery ML18-12 – 12V 18AH CB19-12 SLA AGM is the option that is worth your attention as it can meet both of the requirements;
- High performance and speed. The lightweight trolling motor battery helps to improve the performance of your boat. Optimize it to the maximum using the lightest battery option which will boost your performance as well as speed.
- Changing directions has become much easier with the invention of the lightweight trolling motor battery. Forget about the problems when the heavy battery slowed down your boat.
- Longer battery life without the charge. You can use the battery for several hours without frequent charges.
As you can see, all these pros can contribute to a better boating experience.
Disadvantages of Lightweight Batteries
Like any other device, trolling motor batteries have their drawbacks. They are the following:
- An expensive price. If you compare the price of the light trolling motor battery with the standard battery cost, you will see that its price isn’t affordable to everyone. Prices vary considerably depending on the brand and characteristics. But you should be ready to spend at least $2000 on the trolling motor battery.
- Trolling motor batteries don’t always fit big boats. If you have a large boat, you should consider getting other options as a trolling motor battery can be not the best choice for a boat of a bigger size. It isn’t possible to develop fast speed on a big boat if using this type of battery.
Besides, pay attention to the fact that it isn’t recommended to use a trolling motor battery in bad weather conditions.
To neutralize these shortcomings, consider getting gasoline or diesel engines. If you are using an electric boat motor, you cannot do without a boat battery for the motor. Most often they are found in several forms: traction; starter; universal.
It is worth buying traction batteries if your boat is small in size. The main feature of such batteries for the motor is a long period of operation without recharging and the ability to withstand deep discharge cycles.
Boat starter batteries for the motor help start it with a short current. After performing its direct functions, the starter device begins to charge to restore the lost capacity. If you don’t do this regularly, then its resource can quickly dry up.
Universal boat motor batteries can both start the engine and serve as a power source. Besides, such devices can be subject to a fairly substantial discharge. With their help, it is easy to replace the previous two types of rechargeable boat batteries.
What Do Perfect LightWeight Batteries Look Like?
If you want to find the best lightweight trolling motor battery, you should have a clear idea of what features it must have. A perfect battery is one that can work for over 2 hours. How to distinguish a low-quality battery from the good one?
If you purchase a high-quality battery, you will avoid the reduction of the charge level caused by sudden vibrations. External shocks won’t affect the level of the battery charge negatively.
The good news is that the lightweight trolling motor batteries don’t require much maintenance. Some models don’t need any kind of maintenance at all. A good output is important for everyone who plans to go boating. That’s why pay attention to the battery models with a reasonable Amp-hour rate.
When choosing a trolling motor battery, consider the engine option, since the motor can be designed for 12 V or 24 V. It is the power that dictates the optimal battery capacity. A 45 kg vessel requires 2 pounds of thrust, but it makes sense, of course, to provide a small margin. You need to calculate in such a way that it is enough for 2 hours of movement at full power.
For example, a motor’s consumption of 1 Ampere equals a pound of power. That is, the combination of a 25-lb motor and a 50 Ah battery will last 2 hours at the limit. If the movement is slower, it is quite possible to last a couple of days, or even more.
5 Best Lightest Trolling Motor Batteries that Worth Your Attention
1. Mighty Max Battery ML18-12 – 12V 18AH CB19-12 SLA AGM
This option is a good choice as everyone knows about the high-quality products made by Mighty Max. If you are looking for the battery with the lightest weight, don’t look further. It’s the one you need. This lead-acid battery that uses AGM technology is only 12lbs. Top-quality performance is what you are guaranteed to enjoy if choosing this battery. The cost is quite reasonable.
2. Mighty Max Battery 12V 35AH SLA
It’s another battery from the famous Mighty Max brand. The battery is heavier than the previous one – 23.15 lbs. It uses both technologies: lead-acid and AGM. Its main advantage is the presence of a calcium-alloy grid. You can use it, regardless of bad weather conditions. Its main feature is a compact design and high-quality performance. Use it for up to 3 hours without recharging.
3. ExpertPower EXP12180 12V 18Ah Lead Acid Battery
It’s a good choice for those whose aim is to get the lightest trolling motor battery. This model is 12.3 pounds. The battery made by ExpertPower is the one you can rely on. Lead-acid technology is used in this battery. It has an affordable price and differs with great durability.
4. ExpertPower 12 Volt 20 Ah EXP12200
The battery uses a lead-acid technology as the previous one. The battery can work for long hours without recharging. As for the weight, it is only 12.5 lbs. A special controller is mounted in them, which prevents overcharging of all elements in this system. Every year, lithium boat motor devices are being improved more and more. They already have many significant advantages, such as excellent energy consumption, modest dimensions, minimal self-discharge, intensive charging from the power supply (it takes no more than an hour – one and a half).
5. Interstate Batteries 12V 35AH Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) AGM
This model is based on AGM technology. AGM batteries are sealed batteries with adjustable valves and layers of a thin, highly porous fiberglass separator impregnated with electrolyte and tightly compressed between the positive and negative battery plates. The separator ensures uniform density of the electrolyte over the entire surface of the plate, reinforces it, and makes it resistant to shock and vibration.
The service life of up to 10 years, a self-discharge of three percent per month, and the ability to restore its original capacity in 1-3 hours, make AGM batteries indispensable for those who go fishing with an electric motor for several days.
The internal resistance of traction AGM batteries is less, which means more starting power and charging speed. They can be charged with current up to 40 percent of their capacity and reused with an electric motor on a boat faster than other types of traction batteries.
How to make the best trolling motor battery choice? You should be guided by three main criteria. Select the lightweight battery, which doesn’t need to be recharged within at least 2 hours and has a fair price that fits your budget.
A very important parameter when selecting an electric motor is its tractive power. Traditionally, this parameter is indicated in pounds. Sometimes manufacturers indicate the maximum weight limit for the boat.
To choose the best option you need, take into account the weight of the boat itself, the weight of the passengers, the engine itself, and the load.
Conclusion
If you love fishing or any other active type of recreation, it is important to get a high-quality and reliable boat. Almost all modern yachts, boats, and other floating facilities are already equipped with special outboard motors, which ensure their continuous movement. Our article will help you to choose a battery for a motor, because, without it, high-quality engine operation is simply impossible.
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