The big question is what setting are you running your trolling motor speed at constant? And the last question should be how big are your batteries? Those two along with temperature will play the biggest role in how long your batteries will last.

 

The real question is what volt is the trolling motor? 12 or 24?

 

See below from a previous thread depending on the setting you are running on your trolling motor 3.5 hrs may be about right.
http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/index.php?threads/Trolling-motor-questions.290255/#post-2101187

 

Chris Weight
Medina[/QUOTE]

I have a Terrova 80# trust. I have two 12v batteries dedicated for trolling. I have tested both of my batteries and they are good. When trolling I only get about 3.5 hours and then I out of juice. I'm guessing it is a set-up problem. It appears that each battery has a pos and a neg wire leading out to the trolling motor separately. I'm not very versus in electrical but wouldn't this mean that the batteries are not wired in a series or parallel? It seems with 2 batteries I should get a much longer life than 3.5 hours if set-up right. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Chris Weight
Medina

The 80# Terrova requires 24 volt power. Wire your batteries in series.

 

You also need to check your trolling motor receptacle. They make a "combining" receptacle that takes 2 separate battery inputs and combine them in series within the receptacle to produce a 24V output.

 

Another issue is that the 80# Minn Kota is the least efficient troller for battery draw per pound of thrust. Our 80#'er loves the batteries too if you run it near wide open, which is usually the case. I'd go with at least 29 series batteries if not 31's. We have a pair of 27's & a pair of 29's & it's a big difference. When the 27's go, we'll replace with 31's.

 

I am the least electrical guy on here probably but, I do know that I can slow troll all day with my Minn Kota 80. It is a 24V system and does run stronger, longer than my last 12V setup.. My last system was 12V with the batteries hooked parallel,but those too would also last all day. It sounds like something ain't right.
How old are the batteries? I replace mine after 3 years, 4 max. I imagine I could make them last longer but who needs the aggravation.

 

Thanks everyone for the responses. Here are some of the answers to your questions. My batteries are 27 series, 23 amp, 200 minutes and are 2 years old. The trolling motor requires a 24v. My old TM had a switch to allow you to toggle between 12 & 24v. I'm running on average at a 6 out of 10 on speed. Someone mentioned to run the batteries in a series. Can I simply add the jumper cable between the batteries with separate pos and negs running from both batteries to the TM? Or do I need to and the jumper and remove some wires so there is just a positive leaving one battery and a negative leaving the other battery running to the TM?

 

By 23 amps do you mean ah (amp hours)? Does 200 minutes mean RC (reserve capacity)? If so something seems off to me. Check out these batteries http://www.vmaxtanks.com/. In order to get 200 minutes reserve capacity your have to get to a 100ah battery. I'm thinking your batteries just aren't powerful enough.

 

At at 6 to 10 setting on speed all you can expect out of those batteries is 3 or 4 hours. It is simple physics. See my earlier post that explains it all.

 

Thanks everyone for your responses. I did some testing and figured it out. When I purchased my Terrova last year they simply swapped out my old TM which was a12/24 volt and never wired up my batteries properly in series to make then 24v. Took it in today and they dropped what they were doing and made this right. I now am running a 24v system so in theory I can run on less power like a 2,3 or 4 and run 6,7 or 8 hours if needed.
Thanks again.

Chris

 

I'm back and even more aggravated!
I went out of Catawba on 3/30 with my 80# Terrova (24v) planning to troll. The 2 12v Deka batteries which are 27 series with 575 CCA with 23 amp ave and 200 minute are wired in series. I trolled for about 2 hours at 1.7 mph before they had almost no power. When I got home I tested both batteries one registered 12.5 the other 12.57. Today I took the batteries to be tested and both are good, no dead cells. I keep talking to people and they say I should be able to troll for 5, 6 , 7 or 8 hours. This is very frustrating. Any ideas?

CW

 

Man,constant pull on 5 speed or higher is gonna drain quickly. Bass guys get all day because you're not using constantly. You need a kicker motor IMO. Or AT LEAST 29 or 31 series batteries. But I'm afraid that won't even satisfy your needs. My guess is w/constant useage on 5-6 speed,you may see 3-4 hrs trolling w/your batteries now.That about right?

 

When the TM was hooked incorrectly (12v) I would get 3.5/4 hours. Now that it is hooked up correctly (24v) I only got 2 hours yesterday. Any guess what I would get with series 31 batteries? I have an 18 foot Lund Pro V. I really hate trolling with the main motor due to the fact of not being able to run less than 3.0 - 2.5. My main prop has 3 blades. How much speed at trolling could I expect to lose if I went to a 2 blade prop?

 

I'm not a trolling expert so I'll leave that stuff alone other than to suggest a couple trolling bags to slow your big motor down maybe?

 

As for 31 batteries,you'd get more time.How much more? Not sure. You're just asking a lot of that tm. Play the wind(drift vs trolling) or like I said,put a bag or two out to slow your big motor down to fish speeds. That's all I got.

 

Yes the bag will slow it down but it is tough to steer. What about the 2 blade prop idea? Could I drag bags and set the TM super lower but utilize the auto pilot on my Terrova for steering and get significantly more time out of the TM batteries?

 

Make sure to press and hold the N button when starting autopilot until the circle around the N on the screen goes away. This will be standard autopilot vs advanced. The advanced works too hard and eats battery.

Try not to go above 5 on the Terrova, no matter what, throughout a trolling trip. Either troll strictly with wind to achieve desired speed or run main motor and 2 trolling bags to help push. I stay at 6 or below with group 31 batteries. On windy days I try use 4 on downwind passes and 6.5 on upwind passes. Adjusting kicker for speed. Save power when you can to allow for bursts when needed.
Do not use cruise control feature, it will also eat batteries with your setup.

Strongly consider a kicker motor in the future if you wish to troll a lot. However, bags and the main motor will get the job done. Do a search on the forum for trolling bag setup/sizing as it can be a leangthy subject.

The Terrova is helping control boat, not taking over completely from captain. You may have to steer slightly with main on occasion to help it. Especially if crabbing or on tight turns.
Some of us have added fins to bottom of Terrova to help it get a better bite. It will help a little on battery life. Do a search for that too.

Do not consider changing main prop based on trolling.

 

i have the 80# Terrova (24v) in my targa 18 - i run mostly 1.5 mph or so and then pump it up to 2.5 or 3 mph occasionally - my batteries (31s) last 7 hours with one notch still showing - i have never ran out. i did run 6 gauge wire and my run is only about 2 ft (overkill but still wanted it). are your batteries in the back? what gauge did you run and how far?