Battery voltage advice

[JB65]

I am planning to put both a trolling motor and fish finder on my pontoon, I see there are both 12v and 24v available but am not sure which one I should lean towards. Any suggestions or advice out there?

Thanks in advance!
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[wiperhunter2]

If you used a 24 v system, that would require two batteries, do you have enough room for two batteries and could your toon carry that much weight? I think most folks with an electric trolling motor on their toon or tube go with a 12 v system.
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[JB65]

I thnk the toon would carry that much, I have the classic accessories xt, but I don't want to go overboard with it whatever I do. If the 12v will run the motor and fish finder with no problems that would be the option for me to consider. Do you have to specify either 12v or 24v when you buy a fish finder, may be a dumb question?
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]An educated answer will depend on the size of your craft and what kind of use it will be getting. The larger your toon and the more use it will get each trip will suggest getting a larger motor/battery setup.

Most tubers and tooners do not have the need for anything beyond a 12 volt electric motor. The difference would be if you had a heavier thrust motor (more than 40#) and/or you wanted to travel long distances or do a lot of trolling over a long day on the water. Your decision will be based more on what kind of fishing you plan to do rather than a need for more power for "average" use.

If you get a good series 27 or 30 deep cycle battery it should provide all the power you need for a full day of fishing. But if you also plan to run a powerful sonar and GPS system you may want to consider a separate small 12V SLA battery. That is how a lot of us roll. Less worries about interference on sonar from the electric motor...or reducing the life of the big battery by running juice-sucking electronics off the same motor. Usually not a problem but there is the potential.

Whatever you get, be sure to get the right kind of charger and keep your batteries charged. Top them off before a trip and recharge them as soon as you return. If you will be letting them sit idle for a few months (winter) you should top them off periodically to keep them up. Also, even with deep cycle batteries it is wise to not always run them to failure...by using them two or three days in a row without charging. A well maintained battery lasts longer and performs better.

Good accessories are a voltage tester and a maintenance type trickle charger that keeps the battery charged but turns off when fully charged.
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[wiperhunter2]

The smaller batteries like TubeDude recommended, don't take up much room, so having one or ever two of them for your electronics, isn't a big deal because they are only 2.5" wide by 3.5" deep and 6" long. As far as I know fish finders only work off 12v, can't say I've ever heard of a 24 v FFer.
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[flygoddess]

This is great you brought this up.
I bought a Helix5 sonar a few years back and I run the Minn Kota MAX 40. My Sonar is color screen but no GPS
After a few hours, my sonar would shut down, BUT I still had enough power for my motor. CRAZY, right?!
So I now run just my motor off the #29 battery from Walmart and I take one of the small AGM batteries. I got the Duracell Ultra 12V 8hr one that is about 6" L, 3 1/2" H and 2 1/2" W.
I out it in a side bag. Long days I just haul 2 of these smaller batteries.
Works great.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I also got a Helix 5. It really does suck more juice than the older model black and white Humminbirds. I got a 9 amphour 12 volt and have had no problems with it to date.
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[kandersonSLC]

I think on an inflatable pontoon, a 12v system makes sense.

I like to run a separate battery for the fishfinder, because running off a trolling motor battery can often result in noise on the FF screen.

I was using a 7Ah battery for FF, but then upgraded to a Humminbird 999 with a big screen, and that dropped run time to about 5 hours. Upgraded to a 12Ah battery, and now it goes all day. On long summer days, I'll usually take both batteries just in case.

Your fishfinder manual should give the amperage draw and that will give you a ballpark idea of how long it will run given the ampere/hours of your battery.

My trolling motor box has a cigarette lighter outlet, so I use one of those 5v, USB converters to keep cell phone charged during long days on the water (I use cell phone for GPS, camera, and Navionics bathymetric charts).

I'll echo TubeDude's comment that a "smart" battery charger is worth the investment as it will keep your batteries topped off and in good shape. A good one is around $50 but I use it for both FF and motor batteries.
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[JB65]

Great information guys, although I didn't expect any less from you guys []

I just picked up a small trailer for the boats (mine and my son) so will soon be getting it set up to take out. Will certainly be looking for more advice along the way.

On another note, I attendee the free two part class that Orvis puts on for fly fishing 101, I have to say that I am hooked!!! What a blast this is, I caught some small guys on Saturday and Sunday plus a few that I though were a great starter size (enough to completely cement the addiction) plus about a dozen small guys each day that I didn't think were picture worthy.

Has any one heard of a "mott" fly, I guess they are pretty common in NC. I was told to grab a few but cannot locate them anywhere, maybe the spelling is wrong?
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[schiff]

Fly Fishing is certainly addictive. If you want to make it even more fun, start tying your own flies. There are more videos out there to show you how than you can shake a stick at. It is so very easy to do. Look up Zebra Midge, tie some up and you will start catching Trout.
To answer your question, you are looking for a "Mop" fly I believe. Google it. Made from the pieces that make up car wash mitts in various colors. Have fun.
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