Hey guys, I'm modifying an inflatable boat to use on some rivers and I have to row about 1-2 miles to a spot which takes about an hour upstream depending on the river flow (and only 30min downstream if I can get a friend to go and bring a second car). I'm looking for a light weight/inexpensive option to power a 30# thrust Minn Kota or a 40# BPS Prowler.
I had a brand new atv/jet-ski type battery which I tested in my garage running each motor separately. I should have probably filled a bucket with water to simulate the river, but I tested them dry and got 3+ hours on a full charge both times. However, when I used them on the water (on 2 separate trips) the 30# Minn Kota died 30minutes upstream and the Prowler died 45min going downstream after fading in and out 20minutes in. This isn't a deep-cycle battery so I expected both motors to fade in and out along the way which they did, but I still thought I could get a good 1-2 hours out of it. I'm guessing I got less life out of them because of the water resistance? Are there any tricks out there that would allow me to get more juice out of this particular battery or am I looking at buying a deep cycle? I need to keep the size down since I have to carry all of this stuff with my boat.
Any ideas?
-House
edit: I just read in another post that a wheelchair battery might work. Anyone have any experience with those?
I had a brand new atv/jet-ski type battery which I tested in my garage running each motor separately. I should have probably filled a bucket with water to simulate the river, but I tested them dry and got 3+ hours on a full charge both times. However, when I used them on the water (on 2 separate trips) the 30# Minn Kota died 30minutes upstream and the Prowler died 45min going downstream after fading in and out 20minutes in. This isn't a deep-cycle battery so I expected both motors to fade in and out along the way which they did, but I still thought I could get a good 1-2 hours out of it. I'm guessing I got less life out of them because of the water resistance? Are there any tricks out there that would allow me to get more juice out of this particular battery or am I looking at buying a deep cycle? I need to keep the size down since I have to carry all of this stuff with my boat.
Any ideas?
-House
edit: I just read in another post that a wheelchair battery might work. Anyone have any experience with those?