Best Trolling Motor Battery – Reviews and Guide
The trolling motor battery is the batteries we use on the marine to run the boat. The battery is an important part of the electrical motor system. One should always use a high quality deep cycle marine battery. The best way to use the best trolling motor battery is to run down them till they discharge and then recharge. You should always recharge after use to extend the life of your battery. If you don’t, it will fail, which is the root cause of the failure of most trolling motor batteries. Trolling motor batteries are deep cycle units.
Table of Contents
A trolling motor battery will have a higher RC number, which indicates how long it can carry a specific load till it is out of charge and dies down. The higher RC number means it will run for longer to power the accessories. Typically a trolling battery has two to three times the RC of a cranking battery. A trolling motor battery can also go through a several hundred discharge and recharge processing. Cranking batteries, on the other hand, are the types which you can’t totally discharge.
Top 8 Best Trolling Motor Battery – Reviews & Comparison Chart
Now I will review some trolling motor batteries and one charger to make your next purchase a bit easier.
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Ranking |
Motor Battery |
Amperage |
Editor’s Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
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#1 |
10 & 60 Amp Hours |
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#2 |
15 & 60 Amp Hours |
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#3 |
35 Amp Hours |
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#4 |
55 Amp Hours |
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#5 |
35 Amp Hours |
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#6 |
35 Amp Hours |
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#7 |
100 Amp Hours |
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#8 |
35 Amp Hours |
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Portable Charger |
Charger |
#1 Newport Vessels Trolling Motor Smart Battery Box Power Center Review
This smart battery box supports group 24 and group 27 batteries. The LED indicator can show battery charge level with the push of a button. It is equipped with 60 Amp & 10 Amp circuit breakers. It comes with a USB charger and a 12V accessory port for DC accessories.
Pros
- The box is sturdy and can support quite heavy batteries.
- The integrated circuit breakers help prevent the motors being damaged accidentally.
- Its external battery ports allow connecting electric devices to the battery without taking it out of the box.
Cons
- The battery charge indicator sometimes displays wrong charge levels.
#2 MinnKota Trolling Motor Power Center Review
This motor power center is ideal for using in small boats. The box provides easy access to the battery terminals for connecting trolling motor or other accessories. A built-in battery charge indicator shows the charge level. The box can fit group 24 and group 27 batteries. It has a pair of 12V accessories and manual reset circuit breakers.
Pros
- The battery charge indicator can also show the output voltage of the battery.
- The strap buckle is strong and unlikely to break.
- The case is sturdy and can easily support batteries weighing up to 50lbs.
Cons
- The terminals are mounted using plastic and as such are not very secure.
#3 Light Trolling Motor Battery Sevylor Minn Kota Review
This is the type of battery that has a sealed lead acid rechargeable battery. The brand claims it to be maintenance free. This listing is only for the battery and screws. The package doesn’t include any mounting or harness accessories. You can mount it in any position. It is resistant to vibration and shocks. It has high performance in high and low temperatures. It has a full 1 year warranty.
Pros
- Spill proof battery.
- Has a 30 day refund policy.
- Has high discharge rate.
Cons
- Shipping is slow.
#4 Power Boat Pontoon Electric Trolling Motor Deep Cycle Battery Review
This is a sealed lead acid type battery. It is rechargeable and also maintenance free. The dimensions of the battery are pretty small so this will be good for smaller boats. The package do not come with any mounting or harness accessories so you will have to have those handy. This battery has wide operating temperatures, high discharge rate and long service life. This battery comes with a one year warranty.
Pros
- Maintenance free battery.
- Can use on smaller boats.
- Runs for a whole day.
Cons
- Only works well within the warranty period.
#5 Battery for Minn Kota Endura C2 Review
This is a battery from the company the Mighty Max. It is a 12 volt and 35 AH battery. It has a state of the art calcium alloy grid. This heavy duty grid has exceptional performance quality. The service life is great in float as well as cyclic applications. The absorbent glass mat (AGM) technology has valve regulated design. You can use it in enclosed and indoor environments as well.
Pros
- No spill even under harsh conditions.
- Needs no maintenance.
- Superior performance.
- Better calcium alloy grid.
Cons
- Only works well within the warranty period.
- Shipment was late.
#6 VMAXTANKS Vmax857 Battery Review
This battery has absorbed glass mat (AGM) in between the VMAX plates. This creates many electrical and physical advantages to the battery life. This maximizes the battery’s resistance to shock and vibrations. There are heavy duty grids in this battery that provide an extra margin of performance in both cyclic and float applications. This will continue even if you discharge it repeatedly. This battery needs no maintenance from your part.
Pros
- No need for you to check labor intensive specific gravity checks.
- Heavy duty grids enhance the service life.
Cons
- Battery does not hold charge for longer hours.
#7 Universal UB121000-45978 12v 100AH Deep Cycle AGM Battery Review
This is a 100 Ah battery with Absorbent glass mat (AGM) technology for providing the user with great performance. It is valve regulated, as well as spill proof batter. This means it will have safe operation under any position. The battery weights 63.93 lbs. this battery is maintenance free. The battery is rechargeable. You can mount it on your boat in any position. This battery is resistant to shock and vibration. It has a one year warranty.
Pros
- Maintenance free and spill proof.
- You can mount it on the wall in any positions.
- Shock and vibration resistant.
- 100 Ah battery.
Cons
- Does not last long in harsh conditions.
#8 Wilderness Tarpon 100 Kayak Trolling Motor Battery Review
The dimensions of this particular battery are quite small, meaning this will be a good battery for smaller boats. The rechargeable battery is spill proof with a high discharge rate. It also has long service life and a deep discharge recover. You can mount this battery in any position. It is resistant to vibration and shock. This battery has long lasting performance in both the high and low temperatures.
Pros
- This battery has a 30 day refund policy.
- Comes with a 1 year warranty.
Cons
- The charge lasts only for about an hour and a half.
MinnKota MK-105P Portable Battery Charger Review
This is a portable battery charger of 12 volt. You can use this to charge the electrical motor batteries. It has 1 bank with 5 amps. The charging system is fully automatic with 2 stages in charging. It is a smart and durable system that will protect the system from short circuits and reverse polarity. This comes with a three year warranty.
Pros
- You can charge it when a convenient LED indicator lights up.
- The 2 stage charging system is fully automatic.
Cons
- The charger dies after a while.
Battery Types
For the best results, one should use one of the best battery and there are two specific types that we can have. They are both deep cycle 12 volt batteries. These are: the Lead Acid Wet Cell and the AGM batteries. These deep cycle types of batteries are good since they can discharge smaller amounts of current over a longer period of time. They are also good for more frequent recharging and which ultimately means, they run better for a longer time.
Lead Acid Wet Cell
These trolling batteries are the most common types of batteries and are also the most affordable ones. They can handle the frequent use of draining and recharging, which is in the job description of the trolling motor usage. They typically last between one to two and a half years. They generally cost lesser than 100 dollars. The negative side of the trolling batteries is that sometimes they require maintenance. They are also known to sometimes vibrate as well as cause spillage.
AGM Batteries
Another type of common and popular best trolling motor batteries is the AGM Batteries. AGM stands for Absorbed Glass Mat. AGM batteries come completely sealed so they have a longer life span than the previous one. They also typically last longer while on charge. A traditional deep cycle battery might last for up to approximately two years, whereas an AGM battery can last from anywhere between three to four years. This is the reason why AGM batteries generally cost higher than the standard deep cycle batteries. They can cost usually twice as much. So this is not a fruitful option for those on a tight budget. But they are the best choice when it comes to performance out on the water as well as longevity. They also have another great advantage, which is being one hundred percent maintenance free.
Things to Consider Before Buy
Before buying the battery for your trolling motor, there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind. In this handy buying guide I have listed below some of the important things to consider before you buy the trolling motor battery.
Price
This is obviously the most obvious and first thing to consider before buying a trolling motor battery, or for any other product for that matter. You need to have a budget that goes along with your initial plan. This is also very helpful because once you set up a tight budget; you automatically narrow down your options to a great extent. As for the asking price, if you end up coming across a distributor who is giving you an amazing price, it is your job to research the brand. If that particular brand is not very reputable and do not have enough positive reviews to back them up, be very wary of certain brands. If you do not do your research before buying, chances are that you will end up spending more in the long run to replace the faulty one. Another good thing you can do is to check the prices with different sellers to find out the best possible price.
Brand
There are many types of different brands selling trolling motor batteries and they might seem similar at first glance. But you need to make sure that you are buying a best trolling motor battery that has a good and well reputable brand. Always do your research before making your final purchase and go for the one with positive customer reviews. It should also come with a warranty of at least a year to fully cover all of your concerns.
Durability
Before buying your motor battery, you need to make sure that you are buying one that is worth your investment. It should last you for a considerable amount of time since it will do you no good if it runs out of power within 6 months. Brands often tell you that your battery will last for a long time but their warranties do not always back up such claims. Again, do your research properly and read the customer reviews thoroughly. These reviews are a great way to tell how long a battery is going to last. If a brand claims to back up their product with a long warranty period, it means the product itself is going to last you for a long time as well.
Cold Cranking Amps
This means the amount of amps a battery releases to power up at 0°F for the first 30 seconds to go. But keep in mind that this factor is only important for batteries that need to release large amounts of energy within a very short time.
Resistance to Vibration
Sometimes when buying a battery for trolling motor, we tend to overlook this important aspect. Batteries will not endure intense vibrations and can get easily damaged or even ruined. Fishing boats often need to travel over rough or choppy waters and in that case the trolling motor battery has to face a lot of vibration. The good motor battery however, are more resistant to batteries than the others. You should always try to buy a best one that falls under this category as it will serve you lot longer.
Size
Depending on the size of your fishing boat, you need to determine the size of your trolling motor battery. Given, if you are the proud owner of a big boat, you will not care much about the weight of your trolling motor battery. But if you have a smaller boat, it can feel weighted down by the heavy weight of a large trolling motor battery. If your boat is on the smaller size, I will recommend you to go for a trolling motor battery that weighs less than 40 pounds. Also, each and every trolling motor has a specific number when it comes to the size of the battery. Make sure that you find out the size before you go shopping for one.
Most latest trolling batteries weigh in the range of 20 to 50 pounds. The weight of a to class trolling motor battery is lower than the average. However, ultimately it comes down to the weight capacity of the boat. With 500 lbs extra capacity, it is okay to lug around a 50 lb battery without any issues.
Reserve Capacity
The reserve capacity or hours per charge is an important factor when you are going for longer fishing trips or if you plan to do so every single day. You need to find a trolling motor battery that will go for a longer time per charge. The best way to find out how long a battery lasts in real life out in the water is to read customer reviews. Customers often tell you exactly how many hours the trolling motor battery runs until it runs out of juice. They will pinpoint the hours with how long the battery could run for and how much charge was left at the end of the fishing trip. I will suggest you to look for a battery that lasts for at least 4 hours. But preferably, this trolling motor battery should last around 8 hours.
Advantages of a Trolling Motor Battery
Trolling motor batteries come with a lot of advantages as they are back up batteries for the fishing boats. They are meant to have a lot of advantages as this is their sole purpose. I will list down a couple of advantages below.
Rechargeable
This is one of the most important advantages of a best battery. They are always rechargeable. It means that they have power to hold onto their charge. This differentiates a trolling motor battery from the worst one.
No Vibration
Most trolling motors have the inherent quality to vibrate. Only some come with resistance to vibration. But with a in case of best motor battery there will be little or no vibration at all. This minimizes the battery damages that are caused by the vibration of the motor. This means your battery will last longer than the other types of batteries. In the long run, you will end up saving money.
Better Speed Cycles
The best battery provide faster speed cycle. This happens without the risk of your trolling motor giving up the power faster after each use.
No Exposure
There are many trolling motors that spill or break harmful acids in cases of harmful weather. But with the best trolling motor battery, there is no chance of that ever happening. No kind of harsh acids will escape from the motor, even during friction. This will not happen in under harsh conditions either.
Useful Tips
These tips will hopefully make your life easier and your battery last longer.
Care
You should not clean your battery but you certainly need to maintain it. Batteries without proper care will get ruined within a short time. You can clean your battery if it is getting corrode, but other than that just make sure to keep the dirt and grime off. You can fill the wet lead acid batteries with distilled water once in a while. Also make sure to inspect it properly. You can use a Hydrometer to test out the acidic substance’s concentration. Also make sure that the battery acid is not overflowing. These batteries require maintenance but it is worth it at the end of the day.
You will see sometimes that AGM batteries claim to be maintenance free. But you still need to follow some basic steps to protect them. You need to watch the charge as any type of battery will ruin if you overcharge it.
Charging
You need to have proper timing of how long you can run your battery for. Even if your battery can deliver 5 amps for 10 long hours, make sure to not drain out all of its juices. You should have the goal to only use 75% of your battery charge. This in some cases might even double the life of your motor battery.
Storing
You need to know how to take care of your batteries. You can never mix up two types of batteries. Separate the old ones from the new. It is best to store your battery in a dark place with slightly below room temperature. A cold room is also good, but make sure to not overdo it, as it might damage the batteries.
How to Check
You can find out if your battery has gone bad by checking the specific gravity. This works well for the wet lead batteries. The specific gravity lets you determine the concentration of acid in the water. For other types of batteries you can use a multimeter. This tool will show you everything about your battery that you need to know. If your battery is bad, you should change it as soon as possible to avoid damaging your trolling motor any further.
Final Words
The best trolling motor battery will be the best suitable for you. Depending on the charging hours, budget, size of your boat etc. you can make the final purchase.