Ever wonder which battery to use?

Post Reply
User avatar
bullet.catcher
Posts: 597
Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2011 11:47 pm
Location: League City / Newburgh NY

Ever wonder which battery to use?

Post by bullet.catcher »

I remember searching the internet when I wanted to upgrade my Lowrance. I didn’t find much on the topic. So I decided to use a few batteries and see how they performed on the water. It took 3 months to thouroughly test them. Hope this helps some of y’all.


User avatar
Crusader
Posts: 613
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 7:28 pm

Re: Ever wonder which battery to use?

Post by Crusader »

It is really easy (assuming your power requirements don't fluctuate too much which is the case for 99% of people) -- you take your average draw (see your equipment specs) multiply by number of hours your want it to operate, then multiply by two (because acid-based batteries don't like being discharged below 40% of capacity). You'll end up with a number (e.g. 8Ah) -- find yourself SLA battery on amazon with this rating or larger. Always keep it on trickle charge when storing and always hook it up to charger after coming home (acid battery slowly loses capacity if kept discharged depending on how discharged it is).

If your power requirements are large, but use time is low -- get "starter battery", if it is low but for long time -- get "deep cycle" (porous lead plates = "starter" battery).
User avatar
kickingback
TKF 5000 Club
TKF 5000 Club
Posts: 5178
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2016 3:24 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: Ever wonder which battery to use?

Post by kickingback »

I carry a 100Ah battery when I use my TM. Damn thing weighs 70 lbs which adds to the drag of the kayak. I hook the sonar and TM and the battery will last 14 hours of constant on/off use. When without TM I use a 7Ah battery like in video and it runs my Helix 5 and LED side lights all for 8 hours easy.
Always charge after each trip. Love the AGM's as you do not need to maintain the acid level.
Post Reply