Test your battery first
Posted by: goobs
on Jun-24-12 4:12 PM (EST)
Dear reefmonkey,
A group 24 or 27 battery in good condition should easily push a canoe with two anglers around for two 8 hours days on lake before needing a recharge.
I'm not talking about trolling for 8 hours, that's a different story but you should get one day out of a good battery. I'm talking about moving you to a spot for drift or anchor fishing, and then moving you back numerous times in a day.
I routinely moved an 1685 jonboat with a 40hp jet on the back in the Susquehanna with three anglers and a dog plus gear and beer, well over 1200 pounds total weight, with a 43# thrust transom mounted Minnkota for a weekend's fishing before recharging the battery.
I'll bet your battery is on it's last legs and it might be worth stopping by a boat dealer to get it load tested after a recharge to see if it is?
One last thing. Deep cycle batteries require deep discharge and then recharge to function properly. Using your electric motor for a couple of hours and constantly recharging the battery will kill it quickly.
Regards,
Tim Murphy AKA Goobs