If you were going to buy new batteries for your 24V trolling motor, what would you get? I was going to go with Optima until I seen a large pile of returned batteries.
I look at any battery purchase as one of economics. I buy standard discount store deep cycle batteries (generally GNB) with the largest capacity that will fit the available space. I use an on-board charger and replace batteries every three years whether they need it or not. These batteries are in the $50 - $60 range. High-buck, high-tech batteries will take more punishment and maybe will outlast the cheaper versions. If severe service is a concern they are a good choice.
I have been using all kinds of batteries over the last 35 or so years for trolling motors, This year I needed to replace the batteries in my boat and I took the plunge and bought Trojans. I cannot beleive the staying power of these batteries, they beat anything I have ever had including Optimas.
Ditto on the Trojans. The 225s that I have even have two bolts per post which makes hooking up a 24/12 volt system a breeze.<br /><br />Open the battery compartment on an ac forklift, golfcart, floor polisher etc, etc and you'll find Trojans more often than not.<br /><br />spots
If you dont demand a lot from your batteries and only use them for a few hours at a time you can get away with the cheaper batteries, however, if you use them in tournament situations on windy days and need them to excell, you need the Trojans.
I use whatever I have left over from my hobby cars for my canoe trolling motor.<br /><br />On my bass boat, I have the generic deep discharge battery.<br /><br />Both of these batteries are used for up to 12 hours with 70% of the time trolling about.<br /><br />None of them has ever failed to deliver. But I always charge them up fully immediately upon returning.<br /><br />They last on average about 3-4 years before I proactively swap them out.<br /><br />If it was my job or my life depended on them, I might spring for the expensive ones.<br /><br />In some instances, the same company is making both batteries and branding them differently so there may be no difference other than price.<br /><br />My 2c.
I can't recommend anything but Hawker/Odyssey batteries. Their reputation is outstanding. They are widely used in military, aviation, telecom, and life support applications. They are also warranted for over 400 cycles at 100% discharge and 500 cycles at 80%. Almost no other battery can come close to that.<br /><br />The main determining factor in a quality battery is weight. Hakwers weigh about 1lb per amp hour. Cheap batteries can be less than half that. Less lead = worthless battery.
