Which battery......

[LipRip]

I know this topic has been up a few time on here but........one of my trolling motor batteries took a poop last night and i'm gonna get a new one today. Are gel or agm batteries worth the extra money? I'm planning on getting a deka unless I get convinced that the gel or agm are worth it!

btw, running 12v trolling motor.

[thedude]

1 of my 3yr old d31 dekas will run a 12v all day in the cold. i wouldn't spend the extra dough. Buy 2 and wire them together.

[djkimmel]

I use wet cell batteries - 31 size Deka Marine Master Deep Cycle batteries. Love them. I get about 4 to 5 full seasons out of each set without a drop in performance. If you have a flat mounting surface and can get to your batteries fairly easy, the wet cell batteries will work very well for you.

One thing you don't want to do it mix battery types. Use all the same type if you are doing any type of 24 or 36 volt connections. Not an issue for you at the moment since you are using a 12V trolling motor. Maybe later though?

The cost to battery life and performance ratio is VERY good for me with the 31 wet cell Deka Marine Masters. I only have room for 3 batteries in my boat and I have a 24/36V trolling motor also so I needed 3 deep cycle batteries that are the same, can start modern motors that require a big jolt and have a long life due to superior design.

Some of the benefits of the AGM (Sea Mate) and gel (Dominator) batteries are that you can mount them at angles other than flat though I'd prefer not to try that. You can mount them in hard to reach locations since you don't have to check fluid levels. The gel and AGM batteries are better if you have times when you can't recharge the batteries right away. They are not damaged by sitting discharged for long periods of time like a flooded battery could be. They can also be recharged faster than a flooded battery. That might matter if you are fishing at the regional or national level where you often fish 5, 6 or 7 long days in a row and have short nights to get a full recharge.

The AGM or gel are supposed to last a little longer between charges and have a longer performance life, but since I have never run out of power in any day of fishing current, wind, etc on the Great Lakes and I'm getting 4 to 5 seasons out of a set, I don't see much need to improve on that.

If you only fish the Great Lakes and other big waters, and fish something like 150 or more days a years, you might want to consider switching over to the AGM since they hold up very well to rough water and the most brutal use. If I get a new boat one of these days that can hold 4 batteries, I will probably switch over to the AGM Sea Mates to save some time and simplify.

[TritonTR20]

agree with everything on the above post. I use the same deka's on a 36v motorguide and have had no problems.

[Dan]

I was told that if you fish big water and do some running that an on the go charging system will greatly increase your battery life and performance. If you don't let your batteries get low during an outing they will cycle much better. I have really been impressed by the Stealth Charging Systems.
You only get x number of charges off each battery. Even if you charge it when half empty its a strike against its life. I was just told that when I got my new Deka starting battery.
http://www.stealth1charging.com/Conclusion.html
A buddy of mine has the Stealth System and I have spent several long weekends on St. Clair and Erie. We'll be out all day and when we get back to the motel at night he doesn't even have to plug his batteries in!!!
The tech support at Stealth is the best bar none.

[djkimmel]

I thought about trying that years ago when I was going through a set of batteries about every year and a half, often with failures at the WORST times such as the morning of the Stren in Alabama or the night before the Regional in Iowa. Then I switched to Deka. Since then I've never had a day when I ran out of power before the day was over despite current, wind and long days. Never! I decided not to complicate things by adding anything more.

I got 4 and a half years out of the first set of batteries and only switched because of the amount of time I had on that set. I was still getting no noticeable change in performance but the techs recommended I switch due to coming on 5 years of use, and because they know I like to keep fishing without any surprises.

I've had the new set in for over 2 years. Still never running out of power. I don't fish as much as I used to for number of days, but do tend to fish long days, sometimes on the big water. It is GREAT to have confidence in my Deka Marine Master batteries!! Don't miss the old days of sudden dead cells and running out of power with an hour and a half to go at all! Now the jumper cables I keep in the boat are only used to loan out to other people who just buy whatever is cheapest!

Considering that I was fishing about 140 days a year the first couple of years I had that first set and charging them every time, sometimes at underpowered campgrounds, I figure I put those batteries through well over 400 cycles with no loss of performance!

That is why I stick with Deka now for my truck battery, my camper battery, my car battery, my lawn tractor battery. I hate having surprise problems at the worst times, don't you? Not anymore.

If you aren't using Deka Batteries yet, eventually, you'll have enough battery problems at the wrong times and decide you're tired of it!

Deka Batteries are made by East Penn Manufacturing in the USA (Pennsylvania), the world's largest and most modern independent battery manufacturer, so you ALWAYS know who is making the batteries you are buying year after year. I really like that. A lot.

If I had money to burn and fished full time, I might consider checking in to charge while you run systems, but with the performance I'm getting from my Deka Marine Master batteries and the amount of time I fish now, I don't need it.

[thedude]

I was told that if you fish big water and do some running that an on the go charging system will greatly increase your battery life and performance. If you don't let your batteries get low during an outing they will cycle much better. I have really been impressed by the Stealth Charging Systems.
You only get x number of charges off each battery. Even if you charge it when half empty its a strike against its life. I was just told that when I got my new Deka starting battery.
http://www.stealth1charging.com/Conclusion.html
A buddy of mine has the Stealth System and I have spent several long weekends on St. Clair and Erie. We'll be out all day and when we get back to the motel at night he doesn't even have to plug his batteries in!!!
The tech support at Stealth is the best bar none.

that's interesting - i've always heard that on most all types of batteries they last longer when they are completley discharged before being recharged. has something to do with how the cells regenerate - maybe that is not the case with auto-type batteries?

[Dan]

I was told that batteries that get that low begin to sulfate and that's what causes them to slowly fail.

[djkimmel]

Flooded cell batteries sulfate IF they are left discharged for long periods of time. Talking days or weeks. They should be recharged ASAP after each use. As Jimmy Houston said years ago, fill up the boat gas tanks right after you leave the lake and put the batteries on charge as soon as you get back to your accommodations. Something he says many bass anglers don't do and all should do.

Don't leave flooded or wet cell batteries discharged any amount for extended times. You don't need to fully discharge them first before you recharge them. That may be true for some types of batteries like some laptop batteries and hand tool batteries.

I'll have to ask my battery tech friends if a pattern of discharges make a big difference with well made wet cell deep cycle batteries. They are designed to handle many deep discharges but I don't believe that means you have to do that to get the life out of them. They are just designed to last longer under those circumstances.

AGM and gel batteries don't sulfate even if discharged for 30 days or more. One of their benefits.