# 24 volt trolling time



## catfishhoge (Mar 16, 2001)

I know there are plenty of variables but I am wondering....

With a 24 volt 70 lb thrust on a 18 foot alluminum hull boat and two hefty batteries, approximatly how long will they last while fishing?

Thanks
Rick


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## double trouble (Nov 20, 2003)

you really need battery amp hours and amp draw of the motor at your usual troll to be accurate ,but i would guess that they would last all day.maybe 2 with the right batteries. trojan or crown 150 amp hour deep cycle.l


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## catfishhoge (Mar 16, 2001)

Yes, I know what is needed for an "accurate" time line and I was looking for more than a quess.

Someone with this type of setup who uses it a lot may have an "approximate"
timeline to share!

Thanks
Rick


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## happyhooker2 (Nov 11, 2005)

catfishhoge said:


> Yes, I know what is needed for an "accurate" time line and I was looking for more than a quess.
> 
> Someone with this type of setup who uses it a lot may have an "approximate"
> timeline to share!
> ...


My duck boat(16'10" Lund Alaskan) has a 12volt 55lb thrust Minn Kota Power drive, I could get about 12-14 hours of use at lower speeds with it. We fished the Detroit River with it last week(my duck boat) for about 5 hours and running the trolling motor the whole time fishing at various speeds. When I got home and checked the charge it still read full. About 3-5 hours at higher speeds. The new Minn Kotas have a maximizer built in to extend battery life during heavy use. I also run a Minn Kota Endura transom mount motor which I could get about 10 hours at lower speeds and about 2-3 hours at high speeds out of. Hope this helps somewhat.


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## Slick fishing (Sep 25, 2002)

I have a 18' boat with 24 volt minnkota with 70lbs of thrust and I have never run it down all the way yet, it has lasted me all I ever needed.. Not very scientific this is just from my use of my motor and I always plug it in when done and it has been great.. Cya Slick


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## catfishhoge (Mar 16, 2001)

Thanks fellas!


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## brdhntr (Oct 1, 2003)

I had the same question. Answered it for myself yesterday. I have a 62# Lazer II on my 19' Blue Fin. Spent an hour jigging, and using the electric to stay vertical(didn't take much as it was a beautiful calm night). Then used it to troll while handlining. Did that for 2.5 hrs at about 85% thrust. Got home, and voltage was 24.5. Battery meter on my charger read 50% charged on each battery. A lot cheaper than running my 85 horse to troll, quieter, too.


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## STEINFISHSKI (Jan 30, 2001)

I would guess 12 hours plus. A 50# thrust 12V lasted 4 hours for me. A 24 volt uses half of the current as a 12 volt system, so with 2 batteries you should get 4 times the operating duration in theory.


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## kingfisher 11 (Jan 26, 2000)

Good thread, lots of helpful info.

I just bought 2 deep cyle stowaways today for my 24V system trolling motor. The batteries have 205 reserve minutes each. They claim to be one of the biggest. So would anyone dare to guess how long they might last me? I think my motor is around 65lb thrust.

I only paid $65 each and got rid of two old batteries to boot.

Bob


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

My 24V 70# Minn will run for two long days easily if I am in conditions that allow me to stay 1/2 throttle or less. In calm conditions 70# at half throttle will move my 17 1/2 deep vee faster than I can fish any structure thourghly.


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## kingfisher 11 (Jan 26, 2000)

Unless I go to Canada and have no access to electric. One full day is all I need.

Any recommendations for a on board charger? I see Bass Pro has a three bank 5 amp for $99.00


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## brdhntr (Oct 1, 2003)

Bob, 
You should be good to go for an all day trip. One thing you might want to try is the Stay N Charge. Will charge your 24 volt system off your boat motor alternator. Every time you run, you are charging them back up. I just ordered one to go on my boat. There is, also, a way to hook it up to your tow vehicle. That way you charge on the way home. If you don't get a full charge by the time you are home, you attach your 12 volt portalbe to the leads on the Stay N Charge and it charges up the batteries, no need to switch around. My plan is to set it up to charge from the main motor and the tow vehicle. Should have very little reason to need to plug in at home ever again.


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## kingfisher 11 (Jan 26, 2000)

Todd
This is what I was looking for. I thought about a guest switch for the batteries. Where do I find and read about this? How much are they?


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## brdhntr (Oct 1, 2003)

kingfisher 11 said:


> Todd
> This is what I was looking for. I thought about a guest switch for the batteries. Where do I find and read about this? How much are they?


Do a search for StayNCharge on the web. Cabela's has them, I just ordered one from a Ray's tackle. Bit pricey, $195, but about the same price of any other system that I found that would charge a 24 volt bank off the motor. And they back there product up. Can try it for 5 months and return if not happy with it. I am going to use the stayncharge and the original charger so I can charge both off the outboard and use my truck. Should have no reason to hook up a battery charger again.

http://raystackle.com/1chargers.html


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## FishTales (Feb 13, 2002)

brdhntr said:


> Should have no reason to hook up a battery charger again.


What about storing the batteries over the winter ?
Rich


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## brdhntr (Oct 1, 2003)

FishTales said:


> What about storing the batteries over the winter ?
> Rich


The batteries should be stored inside, so unless you have a heated garage, you will need to charge once a month or so with a portable. If the boat is inside, you can attache the charger to the unit and it will charge the batteries for you. Granted, I am not speaking from experience, since mine has not arrived yet. I will post my experience once I get it on and going. Have not found a bad thing about them, though, and they give a 5 month money back guarantee.


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## kdogger (Jan 10, 2005)

Ok, here's how to figure it out. (I am a High School Physics teacher.)


1)Find out how many watts of power your motor draws. (Should say in your guide or on the motor.)

2)Find out how many coulombs of charge your battery holds when fully charged. (If this is reported in amp-hours, 1 amp hour =3600 coulombs) Look up the info that came with your battery or contact the manufacturer about this...all batteries are different.

Now figure it out:

a) Use the definition of power to figure out how many amps of current your motor draws. P=IV, so I=P/v [Current (amperes) = power (watts)/voltage (volts)] I'm not sure if you are on 12 or 24 volts, so use 12 or 24 depending on your set-up.

b)Use the definition of an ampere to calculate how many seconds you can use your motor: I=q/t, so t=q/I [time(seconds) = full charge (Coulombs)/current (amperes)]

c) Convert seconds to minutes or hours. (divide by 60 for min, 3600 for hours)

This will give you how long you can run your motor. Of course, as your charge is reduced, your voltage and amperage is reduced as well, so while you can't set your watch by this calculation, it will be very close assuming your batteries are holding the factory charge.


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## woodguru (Mar 12, 2011)

I just bought an almost new 55 lb thrust Powerdrive V2 w/ipilot and a battery. I hadn't even had a chance to mount it when a 68lb 24 volt Pontoon w/ipilot that had been used one time (you can't tell it was even used) came up for sale ($450), including batteries that turned out to be Trojan SCS200's.

It sounds like I'm going to be getting more run time out of the 24 volt system, but I'm curious about run times on weekends when I'm camping and can't recharge the batteries. I thought I'd use the main motor for faster trolling and use the electric for slower speeds where the motor can be used at lower settings.

I'm real curious to see how this setup lasts. I'm also thinking about a second set of batteries that can be taken for weekends and switched during the stay. I have a Mercury 25hp 4 stroke so it works for trolling too so the fishing isn't done just because the batteries go down.


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## stickem (Oct 31, 2007)

we have a 24volt 80 PDT on are bowfishing boat ..and we can burn threw 2 batteries in 6 hours but we run on med/hi or hi all night long...you should be alright with a backup set of batteries,,if anything just bring a small generator and a battery charger..if possible...


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## beats workin (Dec 30, 2009)

i have a min k 80lb thr on a 19ft lund in the sag riverwith 6 guys i lasted 8 hours till we limited , on a lighter note went 12 hrs with 2 guys but much less use on the motor slower currentand such 24 vlt worked great! IMO with my set up i could run on high for 7 to 9 hours non stop, i think, or pretty darn close, maybee more


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## Putman Lake Campground (Oct 4, 2010)

catfishhoge said:


> I know there are plenty of variables but I am wondering....
> 
> With a 24 volt 70 lb thrust on a 18 foot alluminum hull boat and two hefty batteries, approximatly how long will they last while fishing?
> 
> ...


As far as I know each trolling motor is rated for how many hours at a given speed etc. 

Likewise check with each given manufacturer.

I know different quality motors have different ratings separate from their given size. Boat size isn't a a key factor in battery life (the last I knew).


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