Batteries for electric motors?

[metallica]

hey everyone,

I just ordered a minn kota endura 30 for the back of my canoe. now all i have to do is buy a battery, wat brand batteries do you guys use? and wat would you recomend for my motor?

Cheers, Dave

[Rainbowrunner]

id go 120 amp hour deep cycle at least, i used to run around all day on that with 25lb thrust, the the heaviest batt you feel comfortable in the canoe with would be best.
batteries are nearly all the same jsut different stickers on them, cheapest ive seen is in petrie behind carline mufflers , cant remember the name, but it DOES pay to ring around first.

[rivermanau]

I have 2 AC Delco 75 amp hour deep cycle batteries that I got from Battery World, they are great, and lighter to lift than most. One will last all day pushing my punt fitted with a Riptide 40.
If you take two for a trip you have the peace of mind of being able to switch to the second one to get home. In practice I usually find the first one lasts for half the second day of a weekend anyway. I have had Century deep cycle batteries before but they are heavy and died after a short while.
Robert

[NormC]

Dave, you can't go past AGM batteries for this purpose.
They are much more tollerant of deep discharging, will accept a high charge current (so can be charged quickly) and are fully sealed, so great for moving around safely.

You can even run them on their side or upside down!! In my canoe I used to put one on it's side under a seat.

I have 3 of them, 2 x 120AH and 1 x 60 AH. I use them in the 4WD, camper trailer and to power the Min Kota on the tinnie (previously on a canoe).

My Min Kota is 40 lb and draws a maximum of 42 Amps. I estimate that the average draw in 'normal' operation is 20 Amps. Planning on using a maximum of 60% of the batteries fully charged capacity, I get about 2 hours out of the 60 AH and 4 hours out of a 120 AH. Actual time will depend on how hard you run the motor, but practical experience has shown these numbers to be about right. Never plan on running the battery flat. This kills batteries faster than anything else, particularly the normal vented lead acids.

I use the 60 AH most now as it is much lighter (18KG, compared to 35KG), and it is normally big enough as I also have an outboard on the tinnie. On the canoe I generally used the 120AH as the Min Kota was my only motor.

AGMs are a bit more expensive than the normal vented deep cycles, but the benefits are well worth it. The brand of mine is Fullriver. They are made in China (which makes them cheaper), but are excellent quality.

As important as the battery is a good charger. Get a good 3 stage charger. Mine is a CTek 2500 (25 Amp). I used to have a CTek 7000 (7 Amp, but upgraded due to the number of batteries I use (in addition to the 3 AGMs, I also have a 105AH vented Federal deep cycle in the engine bay of the 4WD). I charge them all at once in parrallel. If you only have the one battery, a 7 or 10 Amp charger should be enough and will charge the battery fully overnight.

If you know nothing about AGM batteries, try this link for some basic info.
http://www.fridge-and-solar.net/agm.htm

This company is on the Gold Coast and the owner is very helpful. You can get the batteries cheaper than the prices quoted on the web site, either from this business or elsewhere.

Hope this helps.
Norm C