Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery

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Panfisher
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2014/07/06 12:04:23 (permalink)

Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery

I talked to a guy yesterday who said he has solar panels on his boat that are hooked to his marine battery for charging.  Says he can troll around all day on the same battery.  Anyone have these?  He said he got his at Tractor Supply(I believe) for around $40.  Is it worth the investment?

The only thing better than 1 day of fishing is 2 days of fishing.
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    slabfinder
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2014/07/06 15:43:43 (permalink)
    ...I would think you would kill the life of your battery tho not letting it drain entirely before recharging.

    What do I know I'm no battery expert.

    My advise would be buy another battery and wire a switch battery A..battery...B you'd be able to troll all day as well.
    #2
    steelhead1994
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2014/07/06 21:48:46 (permalink)
    slabfinder
    ...I would think you would kill the life of your battery tho not letting it drain entirely before recharging.

    What do I know I'm no battery expert.

    My advise would be buy another battery and wire a switch battery A..battery...B you'd be able to troll all day as well.


    I think I would disagree. Wouldn't it be like an alternator? Recharging the battery even while it is in use? Unless a deep cycle is different.
    #3
    eyesandgillz
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2014/07/07 09:37:48 (permalink)
    I think NiCad Batteries and Lithium Ion batteries last longer if you fully discharge then recharge them but I think regular lead acid batteries do better if you can keep them on a trickle charger between uses, which I think the solar panel above would apply....
     
    http://zing.ncsl.nist.gov...tery/BatteryCare2.html
    #4
    Trout About
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2014/07/07 12:47:30 (permalink)
    I really doubt the solar chargers are doing much.  The whole deck would have too be solar cells to do any kind of significant charging.  
     
    Deep cycle batteries are designed to be deeply discharged before charging.
    #5
    anzomcik
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2014/07/07 13:09:03 (permalink)
    I would have to side with the people who say that panel isnt make much of a difference. 
     
    I kinda think of it this way, if you had that solar cell hooked directly to the trolling motor with no battery, just cell to motor, do you think that cell could push your boat around? I would have a hard time believeing that it would even turn the motor on the lowest setting. So I think the only thing that cell does is make a person think they are making a difference.
     
    Last tuesday I musky fished for 10 hours in my ranger, i have a 24 volt system (so i have two batteries) I casted the whole time fighting 15-20 mph wind, so lets say my motor ran for 6 hours on at least 3/4 to full throttle. At the end of the day I ran my battery gauge and i was at 3/4 full. Batteries hold alot of juice, its suprising
     
    I think that cell could maybe charge a cell phone if you had it hooked up for a few hours.



    http://fatazmusky.com/
    #6
    Erie Mako
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2014/07/07 14:50:18 (permalink)
    The $70 panel at Tractor Supply is only rated at 6 Watts.
    A 6 Watt solar panel in full sun would only produce about 1 or 1.5 Amps of charge current.
    That would be like using a trickle charger on your trolling battery.
     
    I would say that the guy you talked to is only using the solar panel to keep his battery "topped off" between regular charging intervals.
     
    The 40 Watt panels we use where I work are about 4' X 4' and produce about 3 Amps on a cloudy day.   

    On the internet, EVERYONE is entitled to their opinion!
    #7
    Panfisher
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2014/07/08 12:06:55 (permalink)
    That's what I figured that it doesn't make much difference.  The guy was pretty convinced they work.  He slow trolls around the lake bass fishing so I don't think he uses much battery power.  A lot of stop and go so I could see how he runs all day on the battery.

    The only thing better than 1 day of fishing is 2 days of fishing.
    #8
    BeenThereDoneThat.
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2014/07/08 22:21:35 (permalink)
    Dollars to doughnuts the solar panel purchased from Tractor Supply is intended for recharging batteries used on 12 volt electric fencers.
    #9
    eyesandgillz
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2014/07/09 09:04:31 (permalink)
    The solar panels would be good on a larger boat (or smaller, I suppose), that you keep docked and want to keep the batteries topped off to operate the bilge pumps.  
    #10
    bulldog1
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2014/07/14 09:27:28 (permalink)
    Tried a solar charger once.... waste of money

    Curiosity killed the cat, but for awhile I was a suspect.
    #11
    Porktown
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2021/02/24 21:54:44 (permalink)
    samatnap
    How much will the system cost? Installation cost? How many years will it take me to recuperate that cost? Will I ever recuperate that cost? What is the projected life of the equipment? I recommend this review https://websolarguide.com/best-solar-companies/


    Hey, how's it goin'?  Come here often?
    #12
    JackMiller
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2022/06/20 16:39:49 (permalink)
    Great info
    #13
    axis
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    Re: Solar panels to charge trolling motor battery 2022/08/26 15:52:28 (permalink)
    bulldog1
    Tried a solar charger once.... waste of money


    Vitally
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