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Thread: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

  1. #1

    New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    G’Day All,
    Compliments of the season.
    Am currently on holidays at Leslie Dam. Long. Story short, hooked up the charger to my deep cycle this morning,that is powering my Minn Kota.
    Bastard of a thing is not holding charge.
    I have done a search on the forum as per which is the better battery for Leccies.Because of my meagre intelligence, all I took out of it was a headache.
    My question is thus, what is the best choice of battery for my purpose?( Taking into account, weight , safety , capacity and last but least, price)
    Thanks in advance
    Shawn

  2. #2

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    Quote Originally Posted by Shawn 66 View Post
    G’Day All,
    Compliments of the season.
    Am currently on holidays at Leslie Dam. Long. Story short, hooked up the charger to my deep cycle this morning,that is powering my Minn Kota.
    Bastard of a thing is not holding charge.
    I have done a search on the forum as per which is the better battery for Leccies.Because of my meagre intelligence, all I took out of it was a headache.
    My question is thus, what is the best choice of battery for my purpose?( Taking into account, weight , safety , capacity and last but least, price)
    Thanks in advance
    Shawn
    It will depend on how much weight you alot to each requirement. If battery weight is the most important, Lithium (LiFePO4) wins hands down - until price pops it's head up - not to mention you may need a different charger and if you run your motor at full noise for too long it may cause damage. Safety - probably AGM unless you put your back out lifting it in as it's the heaviest option - not real safe then. Price on AGM's will be middle of the road. Wet lead acid - old school, heavy and can leak but it will probably be the cheapest option. Lithium should have the best longevity but as with all batteries it will depend on how they are treated. AGM would be next with wet cell being typically the least long lasting.

    Personally I run AGM's. Lithium would be nice but I run other gear off it as well and run an outboard charging set up which lithium's do not like so for me, they aren't the best.

  3. #3

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    Quote Originally Posted by scottar View Post
    It will depend on how much weight you alot to each requirement. If battery weight is the most important, Lithium (LiFePO4) wins hands down - until price pops it's head up - not to mention you may need a different charger and if you run your motor at full noise for too long it may cause damage. Safety - probably AGM unless you put your back out lifting it in as it's the heaviest option - not real safe then. Price on AGM's will be middle of the road. Wet lead acid - old school, heavy and can leak but it will probably be the cheapest option. Lithium should have the best longevity but as with all batteries it will depend on how they are treated. AGM would be next with wet cell being typically the least long lasting.

    Personally I run AGM's. Lithium would be nice but I run other gear off it as well and run an outboard charging set up which lithium's do not like so for me, they aren't the best.
    Thanks Mate
    That is exactly the response I was after.
    This battery will solely feed the leccie.Was interested to note in your response about running motor at full noise.Could you please elaborate when you can? Price of battery comes a dead last in the decision.
    Thanks again for your thoughts.
    Shawn

  4. #4

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    Because the lithiums have a different discharge curve to a lead acid - they hold a higher voltage and then basically almost switch off near the end whereas the lead acids have a more gradual discharge, the electric can be subject to a higher voltage for longer thus potentially building up heat and causing damage. Disclaimer from their website - https://www.minnkotamotors.com/suppo...trolling-motor

  5. #5

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    Scottar pretty well hit the nails on the head

    For me the important question is how do you use your leccy ...... how much do you discharge the battery ?

    If you find that your drawing down below half (50 amps on a 100amp battery) , Then you should look at 2 options IMO

    1) a bigger AGM battery - 120-150amp ( The downside being the weight - 30-40 kgs ) - you can use a normal charger though

    2) Lithium (LiFePO4) - 100amp (Cost $800-$1200) - but it's only a 12kg battery - You can draw it down to 90% without really hurting the battery & you don't lose performance as the battery discharges. Generally you need a specific charger for a LiFePO4

    From my own personal experiences - small AGMs / lead acid / Gel (100amp) dont last too well if you use your leccy a lot .
    I had a great run out of a 200amp AGM (10 years & still going) because it was never discharged much below 60% ...... but it was a heavy bugger at 55kgs.

    I'm happy with my LiFePO4s (2 x 100amp) ....... but in hindsight should have got 2 x 120amp because of the high use when offshore spotlocking.

    If weight is not an issue - you could buy 2 x 150amp AGMs for less than the cost of a 100amp LiFePO4 ..... & you'll probably get anything up to 15-20 years out of them Vs 7-10 from a LiFePO4 - worth thinking about

    Chris
    Give a man a fish & he will eat for a day !
    Teach him how to fish
    & he will sit in a boat - & drink beer all day!
    TEAM MOJIKO

  6. #6

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    If weight is not a concern go for the largest AGM you can fit in there.
    Far better to lick the cream off the top than to drink any battery dry.
    I am running a 270AH AGM and will see me comfortably operate the lecky for 40 odd hours without nearing a damage level to the battery.
    Jack.

  7. #7

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    Morning All
    Thank you to everyone that replied. The info that was shared was exactly what I was after.
    After reading all the response’s , I have made my mind up to go with a 150 Amp AGM.
    Thanks again for the advise
    Shawn

  8. #8

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    Quote Originally Posted by tunaticer View Post
    Far better to lick the cream off the top than to drink any battery dry.
    .
    I like that - very true when it comes to deep cycle batteries.

    Chris
    Give a man a fish & he will eat for a day !
    Teach him how to fish
    & he will sit in a boat - & drink beer all day!
    TEAM MOJIKO

  9. #9

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    Just going back one step, is your battery dead/dying or is your charger stuffed, reason fir asking is mates battery doing same thing but charger wasn't working properly. Pulled it apart yesterday and there was corrosion around some of the circuitry.

  10. #10

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    Quote Originally Posted by Dignity View Post
    Just going back one step, is your battery dead/dying or is your charger stuffed, reason fir asking is mates battery doing same thing but charger wasn't working properly. Pulled it apart yesterday and there was corrosion around some of the circuitry.
    G’Day Mate
    Very valid point.
    Only reason I know the charger is good, is that I give the main battery a charge last week and it did the job.
    Shawn

  11. #11

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    One more question if I may Gents.
    With my current deep cycle battery, after use I would hook it up to the charger on maximum charge and then adjust the charger to trickle until I used it the next time (usually only a week)
    What would you recommend for my new battery?
    Thanks again
    Shawn

  12. #12

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    With only a week between use, I wouldn't bother with the trickle at all. Charge it and disconnect it. Personally I don't trickle charge anything. I charge periodically. Every 6-8 weeks ........or longer if I forget. The main thing is to ensure there is no drain on the batteries after charging except their own self discharge - things like stereo memories or other electronics that don't disconnect. Thus far I haven't had any issues that would indicate I'm not getting the expected life from my batteries.

  13. #13

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    Quote Originally Posted by Shawn 66 View Post
    One more question if I may Gents.
    With my current deep cycle battery, after use I would hook it up to the charger on maximum charge and then adjust the charger to trickle until I used it the next time (usually only a week)
    What would you recommend for my new battery?
    Thanks again
    Shawn
    What charger do you have ?

    My recommendation is to have a multistage smart charger - let it decide how much charge to put in & how much .

    The other thing - there is no point leaving it on trickle or float if you are using it every week or so …… just charge it and disconnect. The only reason I would have trickle charge is if there is some kind of draw on the battery otherwise if your charger has a tizzy …. you can end up with a ruined battery . A deep cycle battery could be left for a month or so & it would only lose two or 3 amps.

    Chris
    Give a man a fish & he will eat for a day !
    Teach him how to fish
    & he will sit in a boat - & drink beer all day!
    TEAM MOJIKO

  14. #14

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    Chris and Scottar
    After what you have both pointed out , I now see one reason why I only got 12 months out of my existing battery.
    I have enclosed a photo of my current charger.
    Thanks again
    Shawn
    Attached Images Attached Images

  15. #15

    Re: New Battery for Minn Kota Ipilot 55 lb

    Quote Originally Posted by Shawn 66 View Post
    Chris and Scottar
    After what you have both pointed out , I now see one reason why I only got 12 months out of my existing battery.
    I have enclosed a photo of my current charger.
    Thanks again
    Shawn
    Personally I'm not familiar with this charger but a quick check & it is a multistage charger - unless it is faulty it should do the job .
    12 months out of a battery points to something being amiss (stating the obvious) - I'm guessing that you are pulling too much charge out of the battery ( running it flat) or that the float stage is putting in a continuous 1amp against no draw down .
    Get yourself a multi meter test the battery voltage before charging , during charging & when it is on float .

    When you get your new battery - once charging is complete & it switches over to float ….. turn the charger off.

    Chris
    Give a man a fish & he will eat for a day !
    Teach him how to fish
    & he will sit in a boat - & drink beer all day!
    TEAM MOJIKO

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