12V Trolling Motor Battery Issue!!

[JV17]

I have a minn kota riptide 55lb trust on a JV17 Carolina Skiff which weighs only 650lbs,but the battery goes dead after 5 to 6 hrs of fishing.I was wondering do I need to upgrade to better battery(I now have a 1 year old deka deep cycle)or do I need to install a second battery for when the first is dead.I do not want to buy a 24V because this is a new boat with a new trolling motor,so I really do not want to sink any more cash into it than i have to.

[lreops]

I have a minn kota riptide 55lb trust on a JV17 Carolina Skiff which weighs only 650lbs,but the battery goes dead after 5 to 6 hrs of fishing.I was wondering do I need to upgrade to better battery(I now have a 1 year old deka deep cycle)or do I need to install a second battery for when the first is dead.I do not want to buy a 24V because this is a new boat with a new trolling motor,so I really do not want to sink any more cash into it than i have to.

I would think that 5 to 6 hours of use is not bad when using it for your Kota. How long do you think it should go with no recharging???

[C-Hawk18]

I have a minn kota riptide 55lb trust on a JV17 Carolina Skiff which weighs only 650lbs,but the battery goes dead after 5 to 6 hrs of fishing.I was wondering do I need to upgrade to better battery(I now have a 1 year old deka deep cycle)or do I need to install a second battery for when the first is dead.I do not want to buy a 24V because this is a new boat with a new trolling motor,so I really do not want to sink any more cash into it than i have to.

How are you running the motor? What speed(s)?
If you have a Group 27 battery it is probably a 105 AH. Your motor draws approx 50 amps on high speed. This means that you could run just about 2 hours on a full charge (assuming the battery is in top shape). If you are running on a speed that is appox 20 lbs of thrust then you can expect approx 5 hours of use.
If you are running it on speed 1, I would guess that you are drawing approx 10 amps and you should expect in excess of 10 hours time.

As a FYI - to keep your battery in top shape never let the water level go below the top of the plates and always charge as soon as you get done using each day.

[JV17]

I am fine with the 5 to 6 hrs on one battery,but I want more time.Yesterday I drove 2 1/2hrs to fish and found fish biting after about 3 hrs of trolling.Therefore I had to leave because of a dead trolling motor battery after only 2 hrs of catching fish and leaving large speckled trout biting is very frustrating.I am looking for a way to buy a little more time on the water.Because of where I live and the type of fishing I enjoy I would like spend more time on the water per trip.This is the third time in a row I have left with a dead trolling motor battery.

[lreops]

The only solution then is to just get another Deep Cycle battery as a back up when you use up all the power of the main one.

[2dogs]

I have had nothing but grief with Deka batteries. I bought a deep cycle from Cabelas, this is the 4th season and it holds a charge fine. I also have a 55 Minnkota. I have an Optima cranking battery too. I charge the deep cycle with the gas motor also. I would get another battery. If battery is your only means of propulsion, I would get the best battery I could find.

[Bob H.]

Nothing wrong with 5-6 hours off one battery. Add more batteries. Boat weight, gear, wind, current hull drag, speed setting are all factors. To expect a single battery to last any longer is unrealistic.