Trolling motor battery not holding charge

[txcopfromcali]

I recently purchased an onboard charger after finding no power to my fish finder / trolling motor both connected to a separate battery. After charging the battery, I took the boat out today, and had power to the trolling motor and ff for about two hours. Is the battery completely lost, or may I just need to add water to it?

Thanks

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trolling motor battery not holding charge

If you can actually get at the filler caps, by all means check the water level. Distilled water only please!! Chances are the battery is toast but remove it, charge it and have it load tested at any auto store. You don't mention what the capacity of this battery is and how big the troller motor is. A big motor being operated from a small capacity battery will discharge the battery quickly. Is this a deep cycle battery or a standard car battery?

 

[fwmud]

Re: Trolling motor battery not holding charge

One other thing you might check is your charger.
A good charger will start out high,sense the heat build up then progressly switch to a lower,slower charge rate.
Heat is the enemy. More heat,more resisitance. More resistance,less of a full charge you'll get.

 

[gpenton]

Re: Trolling motor battery not holding charge

One other thing you might check is your charger.
A good charger will start out high,sense the heat build up then progressly switch to a lower,slower charge rate.
Heat is the enemy. More heat,more resisitance. More resistance,less of a full charge you'll get.

Exactly, Many people make the mistake of thinking of charging a battery at the last minute or the night before its needed. A trickle charge of 2 amps is much better than a quick charge of 10 amps or more. Your batteries will last much longer and prove much more efficient if you use a charger that is designed to maintain batteries and only use quick charge features for exactly that, a quick charge when a quick start is needed from a dead battery.