(Robert Hamilton is a former Bassmaster Classic champion and full-time BASS tour pro and industry consultant with over 30 years of on-the-water experience. He's not sponsored by any tackle or gear manufacturers, so he's uniquely qualified to deliver unbiased, behind-the-scenes reports on specific types of fishing products. An avid outdoorsman himself, he understands your need to buy the best product available within your budget.)
This review for the relaunch of Hamilton's Lab brought back many memories from years on the water. I'm willing to bet that 99% of all fishermen have encountered this same situation.
It was the last day of the Bassmaster Classic in 1992. I had a big lead over Denny Brauer going into the last day. It was my tournament to lose. After struggling most of the day with lost fish, I was finally able to catch a nice limit.
I was only 5 minutes from the launch ramp, but I allowed 15 minutes to get there. I told my press partner that it was time to go, got behind the wheel of a new Ranger boat, turned the key and nothing happened. My cranking battery was dead. I had everything on the line, and one of the most-overlooked parts on the bass boat almost cost me my victory.
Fortunately, I'd allowed enough time to change out the cranking battery with one of the trolling-motor batteries, and I arrived at the launch ramp with 3 minutes to spare.
Although you may not have had a Classic on the line, most of you have experienced lost time on the water due to battery failure. Whether the motor wouldn't crank, or the trolling motor ran out of juice, the result was the same.
Granted, there are times we just can't get on the water. Bad weather, low water or Aunt Gertrude's corn are all circumstances we can't control. However, battery failure can be avoided with a little knowledge and some regular maintenance on our batteries.
This week, the Lab reviews batteries. Let's first look at the types of batteries to choose from.
Battery Types
In researching the definition of battery, I found it best described as an energy storage device. Pretty simple definition, pretty complicated device.
To further describe a battery's makeup, we need to see how it's constructed. Batteries are made up of galvanic cells. A galvanic cell is two electrodes (an anode and a cathode) and an electrolyte solution. Batteries are simply a chain of these cells.
There are three types of batteries available to us. The oldest and most widely recognized type would be wet, lead-acid batteries. These were the batteries we grew up with. You remember – the ones that ate holes in our clothing. The solution is usually 30% sulfuric acid and 70% water.
For over 100 years these batteries have been used to crank automobiles. They're available in the standard build, with caps to refill the liquid, or maintenance-free, which are sealed (to a point). The main advantage with wet batteries is the low price. Disadvantages are that they're messy, and a challenge to discard after their life is over.
The second type is the gel battery. These are usually sealed batteries that utilize a substance similar to Jell-O. Sulfuric acid is combined with silica gel to form this substance. These batteries are cleaner, but will still leak when cracked. They must also be charged more slowly to achieve a full charge.
The third type, and newest, is the AGM battery. AGM stands for absorbed glass material. A boron/silicate glass mat is saturated to 95% with a gel. These are the safest of the three and the only one that can be shipped on a regular carrier. The disadvantage is that cost is usually three times that of a wet, lead-acid battery.
The AGM class of batteries is the future, until newer technology comes along, that is. I can visualize the day when a small, 5-pound energy storage device will be all we need, but that story will come later.
Marine Makeup
Among the three types, there are also three classes of batteries available today – auto, marine and deep-cycle. For our purposes, we're looking at marine and deep-cycle.
The basic difference between the two is that a marine battery offers more cranking amps, while the deep-cycle is designed to be discharged, then recharged over and over again.
Cranking batteries supply a large current for a short time. They're made up of a large number of thin plates.
Most marine batteries are hybrids, meaning they can be discharged up to 50% of their amps.
Deep-cycle batteries are made up of thick, solid plates which give them the ability to be discharged up to 80% again and again.
Batteries are sold in groups like 27, 29 and 31. Most of us think the group number tells us the stored energy, but this is simply a size category. The construction of the battery determines the storage capacity. That means that a well-constructed group 27 battery might be better than another company's group 29 battery.
The Right Battery
With all this information, how do we know what battery's right for our boat? Today's bass boats require plenty of power. The engines we use require a lot of cranking amps. But don't just buy a battery with enough amps to crank your outboard.
Remember that an air temperature of 32 degrees lowers the capacity by 20%, and today's electronics require quite a few amps. Add to that your running lights, aerators and other accessories, and you can see the need for more amps.
A good rule of thumb for a large bass boat is to buy the largest-capacity battery you can find in a marine battery, or do what I do and run a big group 31 battery for the engine. If you use a quality battery, even in a deep-cycle, you won't be disappointed.
Robert Hamilton always says buy the best you can afford, and he feels the best trolling-motor battery is the Dual Pro LS 3100 AGM built by North Star Batteries.
As for the trolling-motor batteries, use the same formula I use for all outdoor equipment. Buy the best you can afford. I'm disappointed with most boat companies because they try to save a few dollars and put an inferior or too small of a battery in a brand new boat. It's silly to sell a $30,000 boat package with cheap, under-amped batteries, but it happens every day.
Below you'll find my opinion of a good, better and best battery for your boat. Remember that most of the batteries in this country are built by just a handful of manufacturers. They include US Battery, Trojan, Exide, Surette and Northstar. They come in many different colors and sizes under many different brand names.
A good rule of thumb on wet, lead-acid batteries is to stick with a brand name like Exide. Another way to choose between several batteries is to pick the heaviest one – it contains more lead.
Another factor that influences battery performance is the type of charging system you use, and soon, Hamilton's Lab will look at charging systems and talk about battery maintenance.
Final Lab Report: Trolling Motor Batteries
Thanks for taking the time to read my column. My opinions are based on years of experience, research and product testing. When I share these opinions they come from my heart, not from my wallet. I dropped all paid endorsement to do this column, so when I put my stamp on a product, I believe it's the best in the marketplace. See you next time.
Tennessee's Robert Hamilton, Jr. is a former Bassmaster Classic champ and, like all fishermen, can't get enough gear. To suggest equipment to be tested in Hamilton's Lab, click here to send him an email.
