DIY Waterproof, 2 Battery, 2 Circuit LiPO Box for Kayak Trolling Motor, Lights and Graph.

One box... Two Batteries... 42.4lbs! This video explains how I built a custom power supply for my NEW OLD TOWN AUTOPILOT 136! Great for powering both the onboard Minn Kota trolling motor and my onboard accessories. Built-in voltmeter and USB charging ports.
Here are links to some of the build components:
Voltmeter USB Ports
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...
Acc battery fuse holder
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Wire lugs and heat shrink
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
20 Amp Maxi Fuses
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
Solder
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
50 Amp Circuit Breaker
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Female trolling motor receptacle
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
Male Trolling motor connector
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
8AWG power cables
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
NOCO Genius GEN5X2 Charger
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...
ECO-Worthy 12V 20Ah Lithium Battery
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09...
#legionofanglers #oldtownkayaks #autopilot136 #fishing #kayakpower #lithiumbattery

[@CareAgainFishing]

UPDATE: I built this box approximately 2.5 years ago, now. I'm still using it on my kayak. It's still working beautifully. I think it's probably going to outlast my boat.

[@KambotroutFishing]

Think this is your BEST work yet brother. Great work, great angles, audio, pacing, and music. Love it 👊

[@CareAgainFishing]

High praise! I'm proud of this one, for sure. Can't wait to actually get out on the boat in the coming days.

[@Orange22Fishing]

Awesome work brother! So happy for you that you found a new yak that you'll love!

[@CareAgainFishing]

Thank you! I'm clawing at the walls to get out on it. Seriously considered going out in the snow.

[@TycodOutdoors]

Been looking at different on board power solutions and this one is pretty great. Awesome man!

[@CareAgainFishing]

Thank you, sir! I hope to put it to good use, soon!

[@giuseppemusket]

Great work Adam! Thanks for sharing. You should have plenty of power with that pack!

[@CareAgainFishing]

I sure hope so. If I don't, I'm doing something wrong!😆

[@1234sure1234]

Adam, awesome build and such a great video!

[@CareAgainFishing]

Thanks, man! As Tactical Fishing points out: The Sierra is still strong in me! I'm trying to get better at making content... I don't get to teach much, these days. It kind of scratches an itch.

[@A.Blair_Fishing]

Awesome video man. The Sierra is still strong with you!

[@CareAgainFishing]

It will never leave me... ever.

[@tonyallen1953]

Nice job Adam looks waterproof and hope it floats😂

[@CareAgainFishing]

Thanks! So far it's working perfectly after about 60 hours on the water. No complaints. No overheating issues. It's solid. I plan to do a short video in the near future where I run through the complete build and discuss the things I've learned along the way. This box has been a qualified success.

[@37jcrawford]

Dude that's sick. I just did a much crappier version of this in a black contico box for my inflatable 12 ft boat. Might have to remake using some of these ideas.

[@1234sure1234]

Those SIGDET guys always doing stuff Half… way

[@37jcrawford]

@@1234sure1234 hey it will work for the mission.....once.

[@CareAgainFishing]

Holy cow! JEFF! How long has it been?!

[@37jcrawford]

@@CareAgainFishing 18 yrs. 229th.

[@CareAgainFishing]

@@37jcrawford Wow... We're like... old.

[@Ultralightfishingislife]

this is just what i needed thanks

[@CareAgainFishing]

Hope it serves you well.

[@underdogoutdoors]

Great job brother!

[@CareAgainFishing]

Thanks! I'm proud of this one, for sure.

[@MrFishBlood]

Thanks for the video. I'm doing a very similar project and this clarified some things and probably saved me some hassle.

[@CareAgainFishing]

Glad it helped

[@iceholepower8012]

Good job on your box. I think you made the right call with your charger. Your 20Ah battery should be charged at 0.2C or 4 Amps to maximize battery life. 5 Amps is close enough. I think you would of really shortened the life of your 20Ah if you would of went with the 10A Noco.

[@InfamousFishing]

Great video I really enjoyed it

[@CareAgainFishing]

Thank you, Captain!

[@saltwaterdawgoutdoors2190]

Nice case and good video

[@CareAgainFishing]

Thanks! I've been using it for two seasons, now. So far my only issue has been a failed connector (on the cable, not the case). Functions beautifully. I've even had situations where I've been able to test redundancy. After a hard weekend of fishing I drained the primary trolling motor battery. I found that as long as I kept the speed setting on my trolling motor under 5 (out of 10) I never blew a fuse on the 20Ah Accessory battery. I ran it for a couple hours on the backup without issue. Made me feel pretty good about myself!

[@alvarogaitan2529]

wow fantastic project 73 from kb2uew

[@CareAgainFishing]

Thank you!

[@TomyTekOutdoors]

Awesome video bro! Great idea with the foam boards. Are you going to see if it actually floats 😜I'm working on similar project for my Livescope module.

[@CareAgainFishing]

Thanks! The foam boards were a thing that sorta hit me one day. "This product won't absorb water! It's perfect!" I don't PLAN to test flotation at any point in the future... My best hope is to be pleasantly surprised when I accidentally drop it at a boat ramp. 🤣

[@calcovington8716]

@@CareAgainFishing Thank you for the video--awesome. Any thoughts about the best way to mount/store the case on the boat? Thanks again.

[@CareAgainFishing]

@@calcovington8716 I rigged up a cradle using pvc tubing. It mounts into the scupper holes behind my seat. Works beautifully!

[@calcovington8716]

@@CareAgainFishing Smart. Thank you again.

[@jasonbroom7147]

Very cool. I used similar cases to build two 100ah LiFePO4 batteries to power my 24v trolling motor on my fishing boat. I used the same Noco charger you used, but chose XT-30 connectors and pigtails for charging, since it's an on-board system and I don't want to be diving under the deck to plug things in after a day of fishing. When I get home, I just plug in the 110 cable from the charger and both batteries are charged at once, just like yours. One thing I've noticed is that we rarely use more than 30 amp-hours worth of power in a normal day of fishing, so I can easily go an entire weekend without charging. Do you find that you need the two batteries for what you're doing? Does your trolling motor pull that many amps, because of how or where you fish (current?)

[@CareAgainFishing]

Truthfully, I could probably get away with one battery, but I like to hedge my bets. I like having a "spare," and keeping things like minor fuse pops from keeping my Trolling motor from running. I'm still trying to figure out what the limits on the battery pack are. For example, I towed a guy 2 miles today. Battery still ran strong after that and the 3 hours of fishing that preceeded.

[@fishntools]

You do realize that if the cables should become hot that those solder connections will fail? Solder is an option but crimps are mandatory! (and yes, I realize those cables are behind the breakers protection. I'm just pointing out the obvious, consider it a "best practice" thing). I like the concept and quality box, I'm looking for one for two 12v/ 100Ah batts.

[@CareAgainFishing]

I guess, the way I look at it, if the cables are getting that hot (they aren't) I *want them to fail. I totally get where you're coming from, though.

[@fishntools]

I'd like to see you guys building these boxes validate them by submerging them in a trashcan full of water. I DARE YOU!

[@CareAgainFishing]

I get it. Doing a box like this serves a couple of purposes. The first being efficiency of space. Over the past two seasons I've very much enjoyed only having to make one trip back and forth to the car to transport both of my batteries. It's simple. It's ergonomic. I can take it into a tent and recharge everything that needs it. Even my kids' devices. That doesn't happen with a stock battery box. The second is to prolong the life of one's gear. If were a person making money off of KZbin, I could totally see investing over $1,000 in conducting an experiment on behalf of the viewing public. Unfortunately, I'm just a dude that has to work hard and save money to buy the best gear I can. Much as I would love to entertain you, I'm not sure how my family would feel about me intentionally risking that much money. I didn't build the box to "make a bet." I built it to "improve my odds." There's a difference. Another person had a good idea in this comment thread: Replace the batteries with some appropriately sized weights, and then stuff the remaining space with newspaper. Chuck the box into the water. See if it floats. If it does? Great! Then open up the box to see if the newspaper got wet. If it stays dry, you know there aren't any leaks in the box, itself. I may just do that in an upcoming video. For now, though, I'm going to continue fishing with it... if that's okay with you. Thanks for the dare, though.

[@AndyJarman]

Moisture absorbent crystals or even toilet paper will absorb and stabilise condensation and any beads of water that could enter the case when submerged to any depth. Lithium will explode in contact with water.

[@CareAgainFishing]

Yes. If the lithium in the battery is exposed to water/air, it can explode. Probably not a good idea to do either.

[@barrymcmahon469]

Do you need a ventilation valve fitted to the box?

[@CareAgainFishing]

This box has one, built in. It's the dark circular object between the voltage meters. I wouldn't build one without it.

[@attilacseh3406]

So you didn't show but you had to make an other cable, both sides are Attwood 14365-6 male plug , to run from your case to your trolling motor female plug on the yak, and one for your fishfinder? Where did you put the case? behind the seat?

[@CareAgainFishing]

Exactly right! 4 total male connectors fabricated into two cables; one for the trolling motor and one to the switching box for accessories. The case sits behind my seat. If you watch the other videos in the series you'll probably notice that I made a stand for it out of PVC, which mounts into the scuppers in rear storage area. Works beautifully!

[@attilacseh3406]

@@CareAgainFishing Yep I just watched the power box video :) Pretty cool. i didn't raise my seat like you, but i used a same spot as you did for the power box, i used a small waterproof box for my 20 Ah for accesories and has a same switch and voltmeter on it. Also a plug for the power . I didn't seperate yet for lights , i already have a Yak Power , I will probably use that to control different accesories.

[@CareAgainFishing]

@@attilacseh3406 Sounds great! Thanks for the sub! I'll do a full walk-around video, soon. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[@davidwilliams3643]

Using insulation are you concerned about over heating your batteries?

[@CareAgainFishing]

I've been using this box for three seasons now. They've never gotten more than a couple degrees warmer than ambient temps. This is one of the reasons that LiFePO4 batteries are a huge advantage. They don't get hot. This battery box has been nothing short of fantastic.

[@AndyJarman]

The true moment of truth comes when you submerge the box after modification stuffed with newspaper to see if it leaks.

[@CareAgainFishing]

That's not a bad idea! Take the batteries out. Stuff with newspaper and a comparable weight. Dunk it. See if it floats, and check for leaks. I may actually do that! Thanks!

[@jimhuston5620]

Do you need an inline fuse for each battery?

[@CareAgainFishing]

The big battery has a 50A circuit breaker. The smaller battery has in-line fuses on every circuit it powers. (There's a fuse in the distribution/switching box, and each of the USB/voltmeters on the box have inline fuses.)

[@michaelvorpahl855]

Thanks that answered my question as well. When I built mine, I just had 1 fuse for the small battery charge port and one for both of the USB sockets. But, great build. Only one suggestion. Would be nice if you had a link to some wiring instructions or explained the connections as you go.