A battery is one of the most crucial elements you’ll need to carry out the best boating adventure. And it’s completely true that without the proper trolling battery, all your investment in the trolling motor is wasted. You need to understand the fact that your trolling motor is only just as good as the battery. A crappy battery can end up making your motor crappy as well. 

So, if you don’t want to ruin your amazing motor experience with a bad battery, you will need to buy the best trolling motor battery but when you do that, you will have to maintain it. In this article, we will be looking at the different kinds of trolling batteries. And then at the end, we will also talk about taking care of your battery. 

A brief history of trolling batteries

A long while ago, the only option to get a trolling motor battery was lead-acid as they were the first-ever rechargeable batteries.  The lead-acid batteries were invented back in 1859 and they were the best trolling motor battery options until sony came up with new technology in 1991. The new technology was Lithium-ion batteries, which were now the top pick and soon became the best trolling motor battery option. They provided new benefits that lead-acid batteries couldn’t. To know more about which trolling battery will be best for you, keep reading. 

Determine the type of trolling motor battery

To begin with, you need to choose the type of battery which will fit your needs perfectly. There are three varieties of batteries available in the market as of now. When you do look for batteries, make sure that you go in search of the ones that are designed for deep cycling. The batteries designed for deep cycling drizzle power for a long period of time and will last longer than the others. 

This is technically a lot different compared to the cranking batteries and they work best in providing short bursts of a stronger power. Now that we have a little bit about batteries covered, let’s get into the 3 main kinds of batteries. 

Wet-cell batteries

If you are looking for a cheaper option, wet-cell batteries are the best trolling motor battery options out there. The fact that they are cheap doesn’t mean wet-cell batteries do not last long, they can last you for about one or two years. Wet-cell batteries also do a good job in withstanding use that needs a lot of recharging and draining. 

There are a few things you should be doing without fail if you go for a wet-cell battery. It requires you to perform frequent maintenance and you’ll also need to top off the water inside the battery. There is a risk of vibrations and slipping with these kinds of batteries. This is a major downside of such batteries because you would not like to deal with that stuff when on an amazing ride. 

As I’ve mentioned earlier, wet-cell batteries require frequent maintenance, this is because the batteries come with a high risk of spillage due to the design of the battery. 

Wet-cell batteries contain a mixture of battery acid and water that stores all the energy in its chemical form. When the boat is operating, the battery makes use of the water, and as water is being used up, the total liquid level in the battery will drop. In this case, as the water keeps lessening, you will have to keep adding water to make sure that the batter is completely soaked in the liquid. 

Lithium-ion batteries

If you want a battery with a long lifespan, Lithium-ion batteries are one of the best trolling motor battery options. If you store the battery in the right manner, Lithium-ion batteries can last up to 10 years. You can also get a hold of deep cycling batteries in 12V, 24V, 36V. Such batteries are just lighter than the other options. 

Lithium-ion batteries work on a plug-and-play basis so it’s extremely easy to install them. If you are someone that doesn’t like to deal with most of the difficult installation processes, the Lithium-ion battery is the best trolling motor battery in terms of ease of installation. 

Modern batteries are around 20 to 50 pounds in weight and it might be a problem if you choose to use them on a small-sized boat. But Lithium-ion batteries are the best trolling motor battery options in this case, they weigh the least and have no risk of spillage so you can easily use them on a smaller boat as well. 

AGM batteries

Absorbed glass mat batteries have less lifespan compared to Lithium-ion ones, but they have a good number of years. They work perfectly fine for around 3 to 4 years if you use them properly. They work for a long while in comparison to wet-cell batteries and are expensive than them as well. 

The money you spend on AGM batteries is completely worth it because they don’t require any maintenance. And in this case, these are the best trolling motor battery. AGM batteries are completely sealed and have gel and a glass plate in them. If the batteries are not getting any use, they still hold the battery for quite a while. Overall, AGM batteries stand in the middle of Wet-cell and Lithium-ion batteries both in terms of cost, lifespan, and features. If you are on a medium budget, AGM batteries are the best trolling motor battery options. 

Best trolling motor battery tips

Now, let’s get into the tips for taking care of your battery. 

Try to keep it cool

Try to keep your battery in cool and dry places, it also helps preserve its lifespan. 

Keep them charged

If you are getting back to using your boat, remember to keep your batteries on charge. Leaving the batteries uncharged for a long time slowly eats off its lifespan. 

Use drizzle charge

If you will not be using the battery for a while, put it on drizzle charge, giving it a slow and soft charge is better than a fast hard charge.