Trolling motor batteries

[gb1234]

That's my chart - based on info I could find over the last few days on each company's web site. I wish I could have another column for whether the BMS includes active balancing, and another showing whether the internal connections are welded or bolted, and another for how much hassle it is to get warranty service. But I couldn't find that data on the company web sites. If my battery includes active balancing circuitry while no one else does, why wouldn't I advertise that? But no one is making such claims that I could find.

I agree that a higher price enables companies to make a higher quality product. However. companies commonly have to elevate their prices well beyond ethical profit margins - because when they try lower prices, consumers won't buy, concluding it must be junk. It's a game of psychology. It is also true that two batteries with different branding and different pricing can actually be the exact same thing, made at the exact same plant.

So... the personal experience of folks posting here means everything to me. You guys love expensive Dakotas and MillerTechs, but you also love cheap Timeusbs.

[topwater]

I have a 36V saltwater MK Terrova and went with Miller Tech. I am charging them with a 3 bank MK precision onboard. I had an issue where one of the batteries would drain to zero before the other two. I switched their position up on the charging banks and the problem followed the battery. I contacted MillerTech and they were fantastic. They sent a replacement to me next day. Since then everything has been great and I can troll all day with the waves or around 9 hours if I'm heading into or a combo of in and out of the waves. Boat is a Robalo R247 and is quite a heavy boat. I am just hoping the batteries last long enough to justify the expense, but as of now I am extremely happy and its been 3 years.

[gb1234]

Update: My replacement Li Time LiFePO4 got its second test last Saturday. I was only perching, so just needed the Terrova for spot lock. However, it was very windy so that required the Minn Kota speed/power to run between 6 and 10. This time, I got about 5 minutes out of spot lock and the Minn Kota shut off. I restarted it and it ran another 5 minutes and died. It did this a few times and then wouldn't turn back on at all. The batteries were fully charged of course.
My theory is that the Minn Kota pulls too high a current when it kicks up to 10 and the Li Time BMS shuts it down. That could be a Minn Kota maintenance problem or it could be that the BMS just won't work with this kind of load.
So I bought two Millertech 100 Ah LiFePO4s. (Thanks for the recommendations). Today was their maiden voyage. It wasn't quite as windy today as Saturday, but pretty close. I did see the Minn Kota spike to 9 a couple times. It never cut out for the 6 hours we were on the water.
Both Millertech and my model of Li Time say they allow a 100 amp discharge, but the Millertech says it will allow 300 amp for 5 seconds. Li Time recently introduced a model with a similar feature. Maybe that's the key for trolling motors - they need that short-term burst.
I must say I love having the blue tooth app which shows me exactly the percent of charge remaining. As a bonus, it also shows me the battery's temperature, which is nice to know because it was a nippy 42 degrees this morning when we started.
We'll see if it keeps working, but my initial impression is good.