So, you’re taking the plunge. Diving in and powering your trolling motor with the best trolling motor battery around, a lithium LiFePO4 battery, instead of a traditional lead acid battery. Good move! But, how do you choose the right one? Of course, you’ll want to think about size, capacity, and quality.
It probably goes without saying, but the quality of your lithium battery will also affect how long and well your trolling motor operates. So of course, you want to get it right. That’s why we always suggest purchasing a lithium battery with top-quality battery cells and a built-in battery management system over your typical wet cell batteries. But more on that later! Keep reading to learn more about these features, as well as other valuable information for choosing the right battery for your trolling motor.
Battery Size Matters
The size of your trolling motor and the size of the boat it’s paired with matter. Switching to lithium batteries can also help reduce the weight and space in your battery compartment, improving overall performance. But you’ll still need to figure out the ideal size of your battery. When shopping for lithium trolling motor batteries, you’ll need to consider amperage and voltage. The larger the motor, the higher capacity you’ll need in its battery. For optimal performance, look at your manual or speak to the manufacturer for guidance.
Ideally, they’ll be able to give you an idea of which size battery is most appropriate. But as always, feel free to speak to one of our battery experts at LithiumHub for additional advice. LithiumHub has several options to choose from when it comes to meeting your trolling motor battery needs. All options feature a deep cycle marine battery. This means they provide consistent power over a longer period of time.
How Many Trolling Motor Batteries Do You Need?
Now depending upon your trolling motor, as well as the other items you may want to power in addition (like audio systems, lights, GPS, etc), you may need more than one battery for your trolling motor. In addition to your trolling motor battery, you might also need a cranking battery for starting your outboard and running other electronics. Most bass fishermen look to our 12V 50Ah or 12V 100Ah battery to begin with. But if you’re powering more than just your trolling motor you’ll likely need a combination of lithium marine batteries. And you may want more run time too. Now if we’re pairing our trolling motors with our kayaks, a smaller-sized lithium battery for trolling motor (like our 12V 30Ah or 12V 50Ah batteries) will probably do the trick. (And keep in mind, you want the lightest battery weight possible in scenarios like this, so the advantages of lithium batteries are a must.)
Like our other Ionic deep cycle lithium batteries, our trolling motor batteries last around 3,000-5,000 partial cycles. They’re also equipped with Bluetooth technology so you’ll always know the status of your lithium marine batteries. Pretty handy, if we do say so ourselves. Eliminate the possibility of getting stranded out on the water, by checking out your battery’s stats before jetting out. With the Ionic App, you’ll have access to voltage, current, and charge by looking at your smartphone. Stay on the water for longer and land that big one you’ve been after with Ionic lithium!
Need batteries for your golf cart instead? Shop here!
How Long Do You Want Your Pole To Stay In The Water?
Consider how long you’d like to run your equipment. Do you rely on your trolling motor heavily or just use it here and there? Some like to zip their Minn Kota trolling motor around the lake at max speed, while others take it slow. When choosing a lithium battery for a trolling motor, you’ll want to think about these factors.
So there are a lot of variables when it comes to understanding amperage hour rating and motor amperage draw. As we mentioned, running your trolling motor at medium speed versus full throttle is going to affect how many hours your battery can power it. Most trolling motor manufacturers list a trolling motor’s max amp draw at top speed. This is helpful, but it doesn’t give you the full picture. So you may need to do a little bit of estimating since you likely don’t draw more than 50% thrust, the majority of the time.
So if your trolling motor has a max amp draw of 30 and you have a 12V 120Ah battery, you’ll get approximately 4 hours of run time. Here’s an easy equation you look to:
Amp Hours of your battery
————————————— = hours of run time
Amp draw of your trolling motor
But again, you’re probably not using your trolling motor at the max draw, so your run time may very well be greater. Another important factor to consider is the weather. If your trolling motor has to work against the wind and waves, it’s going to use more energy. In this situation, you’ll get less run time.
Our Deep Cycle Lithium Batteries are designed to run multiple batteries in series or parallel. So you can configure them in any array to meet your needs. We also have 24 volt and 36 volt deep cycle batteries, which are great for larger trolling motors.
Other Perks Of Going With Lithium Trolling Motor Batteries
Unlike traditional batteries, a lithium battery for your trolling motor can drain to zero and charge back up. The design allows for safe draining and charging. Thanks to a sophisticated Battery Management System (BMS) you don’t have to worry about overcharging or undercharging. No ruining of sensitive components that will affect battery performance.
Your new lithium trolling battery can keep you fishing for over a decade with the same battery! That’s a huge handful of worry-free years and a massive upgrade over traditional lead acid batteries. Of course, this takes into consideration proper storage and care. But the good news about our trolling motor batteries is that they’re pretty much maintenance-free… making them clearly the right trolling motor battery for most of us.
No watering your batteries, unlike lead-acid. Enjoy longer fishing trips without battery accidents. These babies are lightweight and liquid-free. Sure, choosing lithium trolling motor batteries costs a bit more upfront. But in the long run, you’re saving yourself time and money on battery replacements. Not to mention downtime due to a drained battery. You get what you pay for. And 10+ maintenance-free and replacement-free years are worth their weight in gold! (Or fish.)
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Choosing A Lithium Battery For Trolling Motors: Size, Duration, & Speed
Your first step should be consulting your manufacturer’s specifications for battery size. Our Deep-Cycle Lithium Batteries can be configured to handle pretty much any power needs. Our lithium trolling motor batteries will give you many many successful days out on the water.
To learn more about how to choose a lithium battery for your trolling motor, contact our support team. We’re always here and ready to lend a hand! Our deep-cycle lithium marine batteries will change the way you fish for years to come.
So that covers your trolling motor batteries – but what about your van? How do you choose the best van batteries? Find out here!
Do you know what size battery you need for your boat? Find out here!
