Electric Trolling Motor Battery Charging
I am trying to figure out the best way to charge a 12v battery that I use to power an electric trolling motor. Our main boat engine's electrical system does not have the capacity to charge the tr...
Forum Discussion
with the info given,
1. you only have solar when boondocking, so charging must occur during the middle of the day.
2. you are using the trolling battery in the boat during the day.
Best is to swap two batteries and charge one every day. Either swap one of the TC batteries, or have two trolling batteries.
An alternative is to use an inverter and battery charger to charge the trolling battery at night from the two TC batteries. Doeable but inefficient due to 2 power conversions, DC to AC and AC to DC.
Another is to connect the trolling battery in parallel with TC batteries at night. They would equalize at about 2/3 of full charge each minus nighttime use. May not be enough for trolling.
1. you only have solar when boondocking, so charging must occur during the middle of the day.
2. you are using the trolling battery in the boat during the day.
Best is to swap two batteries and charge one every day. Either swap one of the TC batteries, or have two trolling batteries.
An alternative is to use an inverter and battery charger to charge the trolling battery at night from the two TC batteries. Doeable but inefficient due to 2 power conversions, DC to AC and AC to DC.
Another is to connect the trolling battery in parallel with TC batteries at night. They would equalize at about 2/3 of full charge each minus nighttime use. May not be enough for trolling.
