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I used my Minn Kota Power V2 I pilot for the first time and was surprised that I only got about 2 hours usage before battery was dead. I am wondering what the typical amount of time I can expect and if anyone has any tips or suggestions. I have it hooked up 12V system.

Hey Ryan,

There are many variables to take I to consideration but that doesn't sound right at all.

I have the 24v terrova 80 with ipilot and can use it on a 9 hour day on and off on the water and still have 50% remaining on my batteries.

Take the prop off and see if there is line or something behind it.
Is it a 12v or 24v system and what size?
What reserve capacity and how old is/are your batteries?
What functions were you using that only got you 2 hours of use? I ask because if you used a recorded track in less than ideal conditions, it could draw a lot of power.

Adam

the battery is two years old but is healthy, load tested it and holds solid. Is it worth hooking it up as a 24v system? I was using the cruise control auto pilot was against current soem of the time. However I was set at 10 for speed. I am more curious as to what to expect to get for usage time.

You can use 2 X 12v batteries but hook them up in parallel( + to + and - to -). Cause if you hook up 24v to your 12v motor you are going to burn it.

Alright the 2 hours at max speed isn't all that bad. It is the speed setting that is killing you. Dropping to. 6 or 7 will give you a little better run time.

Look at the front of your battery. It will have a number beside RC or reserve capacity. That is the number if minutes you have running that battery at its max. An RC of 75 would mean 75 minutes. If you are running against the wind at 10, you are pushing that battery.

Secondly, I assume your trolling motor is a 12volt (anything less than 55 in minnkota is. 60 to 80 is 24v). If so, hooking a second battery in parallel (positive to positive, negative to negative) Like Wallyboss suggested will effectively double your running time.

Hope that helps!

Adam

Yeah, running at 10 will drain your power really quickly! I have a 24V PowerDrive V2 and I get similar run times to what lape0019 reports. That said, I usually only use mine to move from spot to spot, use the anchor feature, make some casts, move to the next spot, etc. I don't typically use it for continuous trolling.

I also rarely run it higher than about 6 or 7 and that's usually only when I want to move to a different spot quickly. I don't think the power usage is really linear. Said another way, a setting of 5 won't get you twice as much as a setting of 10. It will actually get you much more. The higher up you go, the quicker your battery will drain. I'm not sure of the exact relationship, but it would also depend on current, waves, whether you are cutting through weeds, etc.

Yup running it on 10 for 2 hours will do it. I can get 2 full days of bottom bouncing out of my 24v set-up but I rarely use the motor at more than 50%.

NMG wrote:Yeah, running at 10 will drain your power really quickly! I have a 24V PowerDrive V2 and I get similar run times to what lape0019 reports. That said, I usually only use mine to move from spot to spot, use the anchor feature, make some casts, move to the next spot, etc. I don't typically use it for continuous trolling.

I also rarely run it higher than about 6 or 7 and that's usually only when I want to move to a different spot quickly. I don't think the power usage is really linear. Said another way, a setting of 5 won't get you twice as much as a setting of 10. It will actually get you much more. The higher up you go, the quicker your battery will drain. I'm not sure of the exact relationship, but it would also depend on current, waves, whether you are cutting through weeds, etc.

Part of the problem is running the motor at full speed for any length of time, the wires heat up, connections heat up, it all heats up and introduces a lot of losses, because the motors just aren't designed for continuous duty at 100% output, wire size recommendations aren't taking 100% continuous output into consideration either. Its all been engineered around what they would consider normal usage and short bursts of 100% output. Run your system at 100% all the time and it will drastically shorten the lifespan of...well...everything. Its not good for the batteries, not good for the wiring and not good for the motor.

There are only two options for the OP, either use the motor he has within its capabilities or move up to a larger system.