donquijote1954 wrote:
> On Dec 25 2007, 6:41 pm, donquijote1954 <nolionnoprob...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> wrote:
>> On Dec 25, 3:45 pm, Mike Romain <roma...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> donquijote1954 wrote:
>>>> On Dec 24, 5:00 pm, donquijote1954 <nolionnoprob...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>> Hey, guys, what you think about this one... it's cheap and cute...
>>>>> http://westcobattery.com/chargers.html
>>>> OK, I think I got it. The small battery I had in mind was rated at
>>>> 32Ah, which is the rated capacity of this charger. What I can do is
>>>> get two AGM small batteries (West Marine, on sale $96). Better weight
>>>> distribution in the canoe and more flexibility.
>>> I would try to find out the power draw from those motors before
spending
>>> money.
>>> The 'old' school Minn Kota motors (pre 85) would last an 8 hour day
>>> fi****ng when pu****ng a freighter canoe with 5 people or a row boat
with
>>> 3 or 4 people on one car sized battery.
>>> The new motors are supposed to be much better for battery life also.
>>> If you motor only draws say 2 amps on medium speed which is almost
water
>>> skiing speed in a canoe, the battery should last about 15 hours.
>>> The motors I had needed a sea anchor to keep them slow enough for
>>> trolling weed patches. We used a bucket on a rope.
>>> Mike
>> Good idea. Can you believe that I wrote to Minn Tonka asking their
>> motor's draw and they didn't even reply?
>>
>> I guess I should be able to tell when I get it.-
>
> Well, the motor is finally and I'm gonna reveal the secret...
>
> "For best results use deep cycle Minn Kota marine batteries with at
> least 105 amp hour rating. As a general on the water estimate, your 12
> volt motor will draw 1.0 amp/hour for each pound of thrust produced
> when the motor is running on high."
>
> So at 40 thrust, that would be 40 amp/hour, and so... I need a big
> battery! If I go for an AGM that would mean something like di****ng out
> over $200! Are you sure the fish are gonna bite that much? ;)
Man those Minn Kotas are still 'very' thirsty SOB's aren't they.
What do they use on low?
I went with new Mercury Marine electrics back in the 1980's for this
reason. The Minn Kotas I got used. The Mercs had a gear box that took
ATF in them so the DC motor could reach high speed with low load. DC
motors are much more efficient at higher rpm.
Oh, with twin Merc's on the back of my 18 foot cruiser, on full I
'could' have pulled a skier. I think that was 80 ft lb, don't remember
for sure, it was a long time ago. I did rescue a massive Lake Cruise
****p with a tour Bus full of people once when it lost power way down a
lake. It was being blown onto a reef, so I came buy with my fi****ng
group and they tossed me a rope despite the Captain thinking my 'little'
electrics couldn't save them. I pulled them back into the center of the
lake and held them while help came. The fi****ng tour in my boat caught
two 5 lb rainbow trout while we were doing it too. Gave the Bus tour
folks a show when the trout went dancing across the lake on the hook.
They go airborne when hooked.
On a canoe, it will just fly with 40 ft lb of thrust.
As far as batteries go, 70 and 105 amp hours do ring bells. I ran a
fleet of boats with Fi****ng Guides in some of them so the cost was just
part of doing business.
You know, you can go to all of the local auto wreckers around here and
buy used batteries for about $25.00 with a warranty. You can shop for
sizes, not vehicle specific and get the biggest amp hour reserve they
have.
I know some folks that recondition the used batteries for Used Car lots
and they put a one year warranty on them. They state they very seldom
if ever have to honor the warranty, these batteries will start a car for
at least a year so on an occasional use like your boat, they should be
good for several years.
A car battery will do just fine if you don't drain it dry before
charging it again and use a nice long slow charge on it. All mine
weren't marine, that's for sure.
The only gotcha with a used battery is it needs it's case to be cleaned
with a backing soda and water solution before you use it. This is to
get rid of the acid that ac***ulates on the case from many charges over
time. Just so you don't 'burn' fingerprints in your clothes after
carrying it. (been there, done that, both things)
Mike
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