Kicker charging trolling batteries

[tyler.woodard04]

From what I can tell my kicker is equipped with charging. Currently run this motor fixed straight and run the speed just under the target speed and use my Terrova to steer and fine tune the speed.  I have 2 31 size batteries running the trolling motor (12V) Any reason I should not run the cables from the kicker to the trolling batteries?  

[tech2526]

your terrova is 12v?

Edited March 24, 2023 by tech2526

[tyler.woodard04]

yes, boat only had 1 battery in the bow when i bought it.  added a second for runtime 

[Shakemsam]

Put an amp meter on the kicker to see what it puts out. I am pretty sure it is not enough to charge your TM batts. 

[tyler.woodard04]

Good idea

[ifishy]

Even at low amps its some charge going back in and might extend the day personally I would rather route it through a two bank charger but in previous boats I didn't have the budget I always carriy a spare dual purpose battery 1 to many bad experiences with electrical for me

[tyler.woodard04]

Always have a fully charged jump pack under the helm just in case. 

[ifishy]

I had one of those for a while but the charging part stopped working I took it apart and was a sealed lead acid battery I just put on a charger and used off of jumper cables it served the need but I went to the backup battery because it did the rescue and could just rotate in and still fish the day it also kept me rotating new batteries in every couple years

[Cody191]

19 hours ago, tyler.woodard04 said:

From what I can tell my kicker is equipped with charging. Currently run this motor fixed straight and run the speed just under the target speed and use my Terrova to steer and fine tune the speed.  I have 2 31 size batteries running the trolling motor (12V) Any reason I should not run the cables from the kicker to the trolling batteries?  

You can do this but I would keep your kicker wired to the start battery. Then run wires from that battery to the tm batteries with some sort of charging relay or combiner in line. You want a system that only charges the tm batteries once the start battery is full and the system should not allow power to drain backwards in the event your start battery is lower voltage than tm batteries. It’s been awhile but yandina combiner and blue sea ACR come to mind. Worth a look to do it right.

[tyler.woodard04]

I guess my question then is why charge the main motor crank battery also? It will charge while running to the fishing spot. The downriggers pull from there also but that is minimal. I would not be looking to completely charge the TM batteries but keep them from depleting as quickly. 

[Cody191]

If you hook kicker and main to start battery and then run a system like I mentioned, you would keep both start and tm batteries charged as much as possible when running either motor. I think it’s the best way. 

[tyler.woodard04]

Now I follow, both motors would charge all batteries but only draw off the main crank, isolating the trolling batteries from the main on the discharge side. Thank you

[dhhurlburt]

I have a 12v Terrova with a single battery and I can go 6 hours using it the same way you described. I also want to run 2 in parallel for run time and assurance I have the propulsion if I need it.

[sherman brown]

the system above will work to keep the trolling motor running longer. but if you could spare the money for a lithium 100 amp 12v battery you should be able to use it all day for steering. but if you want to run a charger into it from your motor you would want a lithium starting battery like the Dakota 60 amp 12v which is on sale for 100.00 off but still 599.00. off hand I don't know of any other cheaper starting battery that can be charged by your big motor or the kicker. plus I believe you can use an isolator for safety. I have seen cheaper 12v lithium 100 amp batteries for your trolling motor but they can't be charged by your motors. they are much lighter they will hold power twice as long as a lead/acid battery and charge 2 times faster but you need a lithium charger that will work for charging them.

[DestiYemm]

Running the cables from your kicker to the trolling batteries is a smart move for sure. If your kicker has charging capabilities, it can make your life on the water a lot easier.Think about it this way - you're out there, enjoying your day, fishing, and you don't want to be constantly worrying about your trolling batteries running low. By hooking up your kicker to charge those batteries, you've got a reliable backup power source that'll keep your trolling motor going strong.I've done something similar myself, and it's been a game-changer. Just make sure to double-check the voltage compatibility to ensure everything's hunky-dory. And remember to keep that info about the trolling battery setup in your mental toolbox for future reference.

Edited October 25, 2023 by DestiYemm

[sherman brown]

why not just invest in a new lithium battery for the trolling motor then hook the kicker to your starting battery for starting the kicker and recharging it when the kicker is running. 

 

going to a lithium battery for the trolling motor will extend your run time to almost double what you get from the largest lead acid battery I know of. plus you can almost deplete the lithium battery and have full power going to the motor until it's done. a lead/acid battery can only be depleted to around 50% before it starts to damage the battery, plus as it depletes it loses power as it goes down.

 

you will not regret investing in the lithium battery. plus it weighs about half what the lead/acid battery does. plus you have peace of mind with the run time and having full power all the way through the power band.

[Netbender]

+1 , thinking of lithium here as well for next season 

[Yankee Troller]

On 3/24/2023 at 12:17 PM, tyler.woodard04 said:

From what I can tell my kicker is equipped with charging. Currently run this motor fixed straight and run the speed just under the target speed and use my Terrova to steer and fine tune the speed.  I have 2 31 size batteries running the trolling motor (12V) Any reason I should not run the cables from the kicker to the trolling batteries?  

 

Look into the Power Pole Charge. We have used this charger a lot at the marina. When your main or kicker is running you can divert that alternators output to your trolling motor batteries. Kickers don't have huge alternators, but it will help. The Power Pole Charge also acts as an onboard charger and an emergency jump start.

 

I'm not electrician, but I don't know if you can hook your 12v kicker into a 24/36v battery bank? The Power Pole Charge helps make these conversions from 12v to 24/26v happen.

Edited October 26, 2023 by Yankee Troller

[Shakemsam]

On 3/25/2023 at 7:31 AM, Cody191 said:

You can do this but I would keep your kicker wired to the start battery. Then run wires from that battery to the tm batteries with some sort of charging relay or combiner in line. You want a system that only charges the tm batteries once the start battery is full and the system should not allow power to drain backwards in the event your start battery is lower voltage than tm batteries. It’s been awhile but yandina combiner and blue sea ACR come to mind. Worth a look to do it right.

+1

I use the Trollbridge 12x24 to maintain the batts for my MG Xi5 and am very satisfied.

[tyler.woodard04]

1 hour ago, Yankee Troller said:

 

Look into the Power Pole Charge. We have used this charger a lot at the marina. When your main or kicker is running you can divert that alternators output to your trolling motor batteries. Kickers don't have huge alternators, but it will help. The Power Pole Charge also acts as an onboard charger and an emergency jump start.

 

I'm not electrician, but I don't know if you can hook your 12v kicker into a 24/36v battery bank? The Power Pole Charge helps make these conversions from 12v to 24/26v happen.

Morning Richard, do you have these in the shop?

[Yankee Troller]

53 minutes ago, tyler.woodard04 said:

Morning Richard, do you have these in the shop?

 

I don't have them in stock. Used my last one about a month ago. I can get one coming if you want one.

[lrg355]

Read your manual carefully.  It states that charging batteries while using the trolling motor can cause damage to the control board on the GPS models.

[lrg355]

3 minutes ago, lrg355 said:

Read your manual carefully.  It states that charging batteries while using the trolling motor can cause damage to the control board on the GPS models.

I am surprised about everyone who does not go by manufacturers recommendations.  Lots of comments on charging while running but all wrong!

[Yankee Troller]

23 hours ago, lrg355 said:

I am surprised about everyone who does not go by manufacturers recommendations.  Lots of comments on charging while running but all wrong!

 

90% of the bass guys are running these charge on the run systems, and have been for years. If this was the case the trolling motor companies, who also sponsor them, should be warning against this?

[1lastweekend]

This is a great thread, lots of ideas here....I only get about 3-4 amps of output off my Tohatsu kicker charging circuit at 2500-3000RPMs so I have kept it limited to charging my starting and electronics battery while I'm trolling.  I have a bow mounted PowerDrive with iPilot for steering, and my thought was to try a 50watt solar panel and a spare charge controller I have lying around to see how much that might extend the run time of the group 29 deep cycle SLA I use for the TM.  Has anyone tried this setup?  My boat is not very big, so I don't have much room for a larger solar panel.