Best Deep Cycle Battery for Trolling Motors
After a perfect day’s fishing, with a boat filled with a proud selection of fish, the last thing you want is for your trolling motor to stop working. Now you are stranded in the water with no way to get back to shore!
The reason for your motor’s malfunction is most likely due to it not being charged properly, or because you were not using the right battery. The best type of batteries for trolling motors are deep cycle batteries because they are designed to discharge or release their power over a long and gradual period of time. If you were using any other type of battery, then when you are out in the water for hours on end, your battery would be exhausted and leave you stranded!
Before you go ahead and buy any deep cycle battery you can find, you should make sure you consider the ampere hour rating, the battery type, and of course the budget. If you aren’t sure what these things are and need a little guidance on what to look for, then have a look at our Buyers Guide, which goes into more detail.
If you know what you need on your search for the right deep cycle trolling motor battery, then look below for our best picks! Each has its perks and all of them will be great for your trolly motor.
Best Deep Cycle Battery for Trolling Motors
Lightest Deep Cycle Battery
When you’re attaching your deep cycle battery to your trolling motor, you need to take into account the weight of the battery you have with you. Although none of the batteries we have are ridiculously heavy, each pound matters as you add on all your fishing gear and catches to your boat.
The Interstate Batteries 12V 35AH Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) AGM is the lightest battery in our list, weighing a tiny 22.9 pounds or 10.39 kilograms. Being so tiny means that if you have a small boat you don’t have to worry about this piece of equipment weighing you down. Being so light, this battery is also the shortest and thinnest battery on our list, making it compact and easy to store out of the way.
That being said, this battery is not the shortest of our batteries, despite being the lightest. The Weize 55AH and the LiFePo4 are both shorter, so if your boat needs something with less height than 7.68 inches, you may not be happy with the Interstate Batteries 12V.
As we said before, the most important thing to note about a battery is its ampere hour rating and its battery type. The Interstate has a AGM battery type, meaning it is more durable and has a longer life span than some of the other batteries in the market. Knowing this information you would expect the other batteries to be cheaper than the Interstate, however, the Interstate is the cheapest battery on our list!
The real draw back is the ampere hour rating. Being the cheapest battery means that there probably is a negative aspect somewhere on the Interstate’s long list of good features. With an AH of 35, this 12 volt battery cannot last long per charge. But if you don’t tend to be on your boat for a long time, then this news won’t put you off.
Let us have a look at the Interstate Batteries 12 V 35AH summary to help make your decision to buy it or not, easier.
Pro:
- Lightest Battery
- Cheapest Battery
- Long Life Span – AGM
Cons:
- Shortest charged life
- 35 ampere hour rating
A Powerful and Reasonably Priced Deep Cycle Battery
If you are looking for something with a bit more of a punch than what the Interstate had to offer, then have a look at the Weize 100AH. As the name suggests this Weize has an ampere hour rating of 100!
When it comes to Trolling Motor, this is the rate you should really be looking at. Normally the problem with AH’s so high is that they are super expensive, but the Weize 100AH is only a touch more expensive than our other batteries and massively cheaper than our most expensive battery.
And at such a reasonable price, you would expect the life time expectancy of this battery to be short, maybe 3 years, but that’s not the case. As this battery uses a AGM system, which as we have looked into already means that the system needs no maintenance and should last for at least 4 years, the Weize 100AH will last for a long time.
It actually does one better and promises a life expectancy of 15 years, as long as the temperature surrounding it is under 25 degrees Celsius, that’s 77 degrees Fahrenheit. A strange request but this is to keep the mechanics cool and optimal.
With such a powerful and cheap battery, you might think that there is no point looking at any others on the list! Well, will every rise comes a fall, and depending on how strong you are, this fall could turn you off the battery all together. The weight of the Weize 100 AH is 66.8 pounds. That’s 30.3 Kilograms! That is 20 pounds heavier than the second heaviest battery on our list and over 40 pounds heavier than our lightest!
If the weight of a battery means nothing to you, then you can shake these figures off, but to those who plan on lifting this beast on the regular, you need to weigh up the pros and cons!
Pros:
- Joint most Powerful Battery on the list
- 100 AH
- Reasonably Priced
- 15 years life expectancy
Cons:
- Heaviest Battery
Powerful and Lightweight
Having the most powerful battery is normally the aim of most buyers, but depending on your personal situation, having a heavy battery might not be worth the hours tht the Weize AH100 can give you. This is when LiFePO4 comes in, as it is much lighter than the Weize AH100.
LiFePO4 has the same 100 AH, or ampere hour rating, that the Weize AH100 has. Remember that this means both batteries will last for a long time between charges. Because the Weize AH100 can last a long time, you might not worry about its weight because you won’t be charging it up often.
But if your boat is far away from the charging station, or if it is small and cannot handle too much weight, then might you need something lighter.
You don’t have to get a battery with less power to make sure your battery is light as the LiFePO4 weighs only 26.1 pounds which is 11.84 kilograms. This makes the LiFePO4 the second lightest battery on our list, as well as the joint most powerful!
You might be thinking that the LiFePO4 must have a catch somewhere. To be this powerful and this light, maybe the battery is less stable? Wrong! It has a 10 year life expectancy and is an Absorbed Glass Mat battery type. This means it doesn’t need any maintenance! This 10 year expectancy is 5 years less than the Weize AH100 but much longer than the other batteries we are showing you.
So where is the catch, it has to be somewhere! Well, this powerful, lightweight, long lasting battery is the most expensive battery on our list. More than double the price of the Weize AH100 which is our second most expensive. If you’re shopping on a budget, this deep cycle battery might be a little too much money.
Pros:
- Joint Most Powerful Battery on our List
- Second Lightest Battery on our List
- 100 AH
- 10 Years Life Expectancy
- AGM Battery Type
Cons:
- Most Expensive, by more than double
Mid Range power for a mid range price
So far we have gone to extremes with our batteries, but maybe you just want a deep cycle battery with a good powerful charging life for your trolling motor and nothing too pricey.
Of course, we are only showing you the best products, but being less powerful and less expensive are not negatives. There is no point buying a battery that will last for days of charge if you only plan on using it for a couple of hours. Why waste your money on something that will satisfy a need you don’t have?
So instead, let us look at the Weize 75AH. We have already seen a Weize brand on our list, and this is only the second of three Weizes we have to show you. With an ampere hour rating of 75, it is the second most powerful battery on our list!
Using an Absorbed Glass Mat composition, you know that the Weize will last for a long time, and the battery’s price is just where you would expect it. This is a reliable, mid-range deep cycle battery and it will work well with your trolling motor.
In terms of space and weight, the Weize 75AH is the longest and second heaviest on our list. With a length of 14.17 inches which equals 35.99 centimeters, it is longer than the Weize 100AH. And, with a weight of 46.7 pounds, which equals 21.18 kilograms, it is 20 pounds lighter than the Weize 100AH and only 20 pounds heavier than the Interstate Batteries 35AH.
Once again this shows just how balanced it is for the average user.
Pros:
- Average Price
- 75 AH
- AGM Battery type
- Long Lasting
Cons:
- Second Heaviest Battery on our List
Most compact Deep Cycle Battery
Maybe what you are after is light and small, but as powerful and long lasting as you can get. For you, we would recommend the Weize 55AH, the last Weize in our list, and the last battery in our list.
With an ampere hour rating of 55 AH, it is one of the quickest batteries to run out of power. But if you are using your trolling motor for short periods of time, then why would you need anything more powerful?
With a length of 9.02 inches, it is 4 inches longer than our smallest deep cycle battery but much more powerful. And if we want to compare their weight, then the Weize 55 AH is only 10 pounds heavier than our lightest battery on the list, and is the second lightest in total!
So if you want something with a bit more power, but still small enough to fit in our storage areas or on your boat, then this is a great deep cycle battery for you!
Pros:
- Lightweight
- AMG
- Compact
Cons:
- 55 Ampere hour rating.
Buyers Guide
Ampere Hour Rating
When it comes to a battery’s ampere hour rating, also known as AH, the higher the number the longer it will last. An amperage is the strength of a current of electricity and it is hard to measure without pulling out some technical machinery. In all honesty, that isn’t needed to understand your battery. All you need to understand is how the amp hour rating measures against other amp hour ratings and what it means in real terms.
If an amp hour rating is 100 and you drive your boat slowly (let’s say it’s pulling 4 amps of electricity), your battery will run out after 25 hours. Amp hour rating ÷ Amps = Hours of Charge. The faster you go, the fewer hours you have left in your battery before you need to charge it again.
For trolling motors, which need to be used for hours on end, the battery’s ampere hour rating should be around 100 AH, especially if you are fishing for a long period of time. Otherwise, knowing how long you will be out on the water should help you estimate which ampere hour rating best suits you.
Battery Type
For trolling motor batteries, you should be looking at a 12 volt deep cycle battery. These deep cycles come in two types. The first one is the Lead Acid Wet Cell and the second is the Absorbed Glass Matt. They are used for different reasons, and knowing these reasons can help you pick the best battery for you.
Lead Acid Wet-Cell – These batteries are also known as LDWC batteries and they are the most common out of the two as well as the most affordable. On average, they should last for 1 to 2 years. The negative aspect of these batteries is that they are known to vibrate and spill over with the acid liquid, essentially blowing the battery. This means you will need to maintain them to keep them from overcharging.
Absorbed Glass Mat – Also known as AGM Batteries, are completely sealed and last longer both in charge and in life span, than the Lead Acid Wet-Cell, lasting up to 4 years on average. The downside to this battery, which can last longer and is less likely to break, is that it is much more expensive.
Looking after your Battery
Now you know the details and differences in deep cycle batteries, you need to know how to make sure they stay at their top quality.
The first thing you should do after using the battery on your trolling motor is to charge it back up again. Leaving the battery in a discharged state will make their life span and performance shorten. Next, you should check the connectors for any sign of corrosion.
Being near the water, corrosion will be inevitable, so when you see the signs clean the affected area with a baking soda and water paste.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Deep Cycle Battery?
Designed to be used regularly, the deep cycle battery produces a steady amount of power over a continued period of time. When the charge is getting low, you are meant to recharge the battery starting the cycle all over again.
In comparison, a car is meant to be fully charged at all times and is not designed to be used in a cycle of emptying its charge. It is also designed for a short burst of energy, like getting your car started.
At what amp should I charge my deep cycle battery?
It’s always better to charge your deep cycle battery slowly. For example, a charge rating of 2 amp, 6 amps, or at most 10 amps would be preferred. However, your battery should come with specifications to get the most optimum speed for its design.
Once you have finished charging your amp, you should turn it off to stop from overcharging. Overcharging can result in battery bursts or leakages.
How long does it take to recharge a deep cycle battery?
This all depends on the battery’s ampere hour rating and the amp charging level. For example, if you charge a 35 AH battery on 1 amp of charge, it will take 35 hours to charge.