Testing Lithium Batteries & Trolling Motor Amp Draws

I really wanted to know if I need 100 Ah lithium batteries or if I could get by with a 50 or 60 Ah at a cheaper price. And I also wanted to do a scientific test to see exactly how much my trolling motor actually draws in various conditions. So I got a 36V, 60 Ah battery from Amped Outdoors to find out.
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[@kevinberta8741]

Running in the shop, you are not putting a real load on the motor because moving air is easier than moving water. Amps will go up when in the water and will change if you used a different prop. Also find it interesting that they limit you to 85% for speed. Power is amps times volts so essentially they are saying you get the same power at 85% on a lithium as you do on a lead acid at 100%.

[@BloemendaalFishing]

Makes sense. Appreciate it. I’ve never dug deep into this stuff, so I’m learning good!

[@adhall777]

Great info. Incredibly helpful!

[@BloemendaalFishing]

Glad you think so!

[@dannowak8235]

If you troll any amount I would suggest going with a 100 or 125amp. You will eat that battery for lunch in 2ft chop pulling a bag or even chop with wind in your face. Nothing wrong with your test but there is very little wind and no waves.

[@BloemendaalFishing]

I'm pretty much in agreement with that. I'd have to assist with my kicker if I keep this one.

[@rippinglipsadventures]

60Ah definitely feels like a lead-acid setup as far as time is concerned with a typical 3-5 speed sort of day, but easier to monitor and manage. I absolutely love ignoring my trolling batteries for a full 12+ hours on the lake with my 100Ah. I have zero range anxiety like I once had with my lead acid batteries.

[@BloemendaalFishing]

I quite agree with all of that.

[@Lonzo1530]

Just letting you know how my Power Queen 12v 100AH (group 31) lithium ion batteries performed this weekend in a fishing tournament I was in. I have an 18' Lund and am running a new Minnkota Ultera 24v 80lb thrust trolling motor. After fishing the first day pulling bottom bouncers most of the day at 1.0mph from 7 to 3 with mild winds the batteries were still nearly fully charged. The second day of the tournament winds were a constant 30mph with 50mph gusts all day (miserable conditions). The trolling motor was running at a constant 6 to 7 to maintain spot lock for 8 hrs. The batteries worked great and maintained voltage all day long. I was impressed with these lithium ion batteries compared to Lead Acid battery run times I have had in the past. Now, the new Power Queen batteries have added blue tooth which is definitely worth paying for. Hope this helps other fishermen.

[@BloemendaalFishing]

Glad to hear! Great info.

[@Hendox4Vikes]

Great video and you are right there isn't much material on these batteries, I switched to Lithium 4 years ago and when talking to shops they shared they don't mess with them and they didn't seem to be educated on them, one shop shared lithium batteries only last a year or two while lead lasts around 5. May have missed it in the video but one other benefit of Lithium is the ability to recharge in a fraction of the team of lead batteries. My batteries weight 1/3 of what my lead batteries did and I also downgraded from 100ah to 60ah. I'm able to get 6-8 hours when trolling 2.2 mph, I've never ran it out when using spot-lock only. 4 years later mine are running great, got mine 4 years ago and they were 500 a piece (1500 total), sounds like price has fallen a little. Thx for the video!

[@BloemendaalFishing]

Thanks for watching, and thanks for the extra insight!

[@jam206AR]

Great video. Love the numbers. Answered a lot of questions. Could you comment on what on-board charger u went with?

[@BloemendaalFishing]

This one comes with its own charger, so if I stay this route, that's what it is.

[@jam206AR]

@@BloemendaalFishing nice thank you. And then you wonder if 60 amp hours isn’t enough if maybe the best route is to add a 36 V alternator charger.

[@BloemendaalFishing]

I had thought about that a couple years ago. Fuzzy memory, but I was thinking it didn't add as much charge as I'd hoped, and also, it requires you to actually drive somewhere to get the charge.

[@jasonbroom7147]

Noco makes the best on-board charger option for lithium iron-phosphate, right now.

[@BloemendaalFishing]

Hadn't heard of that one, thanks.

[@againstmywill23]

Looks like it’s gonna work out well for you.

[@BloemendaalFishing]

I mean, 95% of the time. I'm still concerned about windy days. Not sold yet.

[@againstmywill23]

@@BloemendaalFishing If you use the kicker on super windy days for trolling I bet you’ll be fine. Thanks for all your posts, I’ve learned a bunch. I’ll get up there and do a trip with you one day, it’s on my list for sure.

[@BloemendaalFishing]

Awesome! With the kicker sure. I was hoping not to use it, but we’ll see.

[@MrBrownie333]

Plus you need to consider having 2 or 3 more people in the boat when guiding and the added weight will make a difference

[@BloemendaalFishing]

Very true as well, yeah.

[@sdultra]

You should only drain deep cycle lead acid batteries to 50%, so a group 27 100ah lead battery will give you 50ah od run time (if used correctly.) A 60ah lifepo4 battery drained to 20% SOC will give you about the same amount of run time, 48ah. As far as those bluetooth apps, i dont know that i would put much faith in some of the info they give you. I might trust the voltages, amps, and temps, but I dont know that I trust them to tell you run time left or % of SOC (state of charge.) I have 3 100ah lifepo4 batteries that all capacity tested at 103-104ah with same cell voltages, but calculated values like % SOC and run time left in the app are all different. Could just be my batteries. Myself, I like the idea of 3 12v 100ah batteries. If one battery gets weak, you can still use the other two for camping, rving, backup power, etc.

[@BloemendaalFishing]

That's great info. I thought the 50% thing was right, but didn't want to act like I knew if I didn't! As for the app duration...yeah, it seemed in line with my math in my head, but it's different when they're actually tested to the end in realtime, so I agree, wouldn't trust it religiously.

[@jasonbroom7147]

@@BloemendaalFishing - The SOC shown by the app is a guesstimate, at best. For that number to be reasonably accurate you will need to fully discharge and fully charge the battery, periodically, so it can reset what it thinks it knows. Also, over the years your usable capacity will decrease, as it does with all batteries...and that SOC meter won't understand that. Use it as a rough guide, only.

[@BloemendaalFishing]

Makes sense.

[@jasonbroom7147]

Good information. The battery you were using is really over-priced. I'm guessing they provided it to you for testing, meaning no cost. There are very good lithium iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries out there, designed for powering a trolling motor, that are about half the price of Amped Outdoors batteries, which are just relabeled with a huge mark-up. For example, you could buy three 100AH LFP batteries for well under $1,000, connect them in series, and then you never even have to think or wonder about their state of charge; they'll always have more than you'll use. That also spreads the amps being drawn across three batteries, so no one battery is providing more than 1/3 of the power.

[@BloemendaalFishing]

Yeah, it's certainly not the only one I looked at, but they did not send it to me for free! I was told I could try it and if it didn't make me happy, I could return in 30 days. And yeah, pricing-wise, I think there may be better options. I was leaning towards 100Ah, but wanted to try these and see.

[@Mymevan]

I have a Teranova 80 24volt in my 18ft glass boat. Looking at lithium's but dam I need to over the sticker shock! Great info thanks!

[@BloemendaalFishing]

It's a lot, but when you figure a lead acid battery gets 200-300 cycles and a lithium gets 2000-5000, it's worth it.

[@jasonbroom7147]

Look at the Li-Time trolling motor batteries. They aren't much more than a good AGM but are 4 times as much battery, when you factor in how much you can draw from them and how little they weigh. Also, if you take good care of your batteries, an AGM might last 5 years while an LFP battery could easily last 15 years. These days, buying anything other than LFP for powering your trolling motor or electronics is a mistake and will cost you more, in the long run.

[@scottmcley5111]

I rely completely on a trolling motor. Most bodies of water near me that i go to are either no wake or electric only. Just pushing a little 12' aluminum V-bottom. A nice battery would be ideal. I got a couple old gas powered ones i need to get refurbished before i try the Des Moines River.

[@BloemendaalFishing]

Lithium seems like a great idea for that, and you probably wouldn't need a 36V, so you could do it fairly reasonably.

[@scottmcley5111]

@@BloemendaalFishing Thats my only worry when im out, is i have absolutely no idea how much juice i have after i have been out a while. Would be nice to have enough to ensure max use for like 4 hours or so, though i would never use it that heavily. Thanks for the feedback!

[@BloemendaalFishing]

Yeah, if nothing else, the apps are super handy to monitor a battery!

[@jasonbroom7147]

@@scottmcley5111 - For pushing a 12v aluminum, with a 12v motor, and a 100ah LFP battery ($250 - $300), you'll have more power than you could possibly use in a day of normal fishing. A recent video I watched showed a guy trolling at 1.2mph (walleye) for 2.5 hours, using a 30ah LFP battery, so if you extrapolate that out, he would use 90ah in 7.5 hours of continuous trolling.

[@TheSaneRider]

Amped also offers a 100ah 36v battery which would give you quite a bit more run time and would still be about half the weight of lead acid. Only downside of upgrading to the 100ah being the price. But I’ve learned when it comes to gear you depend on “buy once cry once”. Tight lines!

[@BloemendaalFishing]

Very solid advice :). Thanks!

[@jasonbroom7147]

Amped batteries are insanely over priced. Look around at the alternatives and then understand that ALL of the components come from the same handful of factories in China. Even products like Miller Tech and Battle Born, which are "made in the USA" use LFP cells that they purchase, in bulk, from China. That's also where the best BMS boards come from. I'm not saying any of those battery brands are bad, but they all charge a massive premium for selling you the exact same stuff...with their label on it.

[@TheSaneRider]

@@jasonbroom7147can you get an Amazon lithium and have it work well? Probably. But amped’s customer service has proven themselves time and time again. If I was guiding that would definitely be something I’d have in the back of mind. Who’s gonna have my back when I’m fully loaded down with clients and now I can’t get the damn trolling motor to run. lol For a personal use boat I’d be a little more open to going off brand. I’d atleast wanna use something tested and proven and backed by a good warranty and customer service. But finding all of that though is where some of the off brand batteries get a little gray..

[@BloemendaalFishing]

That's exactly what I've wondered. I'd take a chance on the Amazon ones, but I'm worried as a guide, if something goes wrong, I can't get a replacement timely for my business.

[@TheSaneRider]

@@jasonbroom7147 I’ll repost my comment cause I think YT deleted it cause I swore. lol can you get an Amazon lithium and have it work well? Probably. But amped’s customer service has proven themselves time and time again. If I was guiding that would definitely be something I’d have in the back of mind. Who’s gonna have my back when I’m fully loaded down with clients and now I can’t get the dang trolling motor to run. For a personal use boat I’d be a little more open to going off brand. I’d atleast wanna use something tested and proven and backed by a good warranty and customer service. But finding all of that though is where some of the off brand batteries get a little gray..