# Question for open water trollers using xi5 MG and Terrova MK



## Alaskan (Jun 19, 2007)

For you guys trolling Lake Erie....how long can you troll before your batteries give out using either an MGuide Xi5 or a MKota Terrova? I'm trying to get an idea of what to expect. I'm set on getting the MG, but want a general guide of how long I can count on trolling. I'm interested in your observations for 24v and 36v. Thanks for your help.


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## Nate167 (May 1, 2009)

I have 36v terrova on a 20 ft lund pro v i make it easily a day with it just doing steering and kicker running. On a calm day running just terrova ive gone a little over 6 hours but never been out longer than that. What i find not lasting as long is my ipilot link controller


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## drl149 (Nov 23, 2014)

Fished on my buddies starweld 20 who has the terrova 24 volt with no kicker. With this set up and not running the big motor he can troll about 4.5 hours in relatively calm water at a setting of 6 on his i pilot. If running hotter than that he will drain the batterys in about 4 hours. Running crawler harnesses.

I have 196 fishmaster with the 36 volt terrova and a kicker. Have been out for 9 hours trolling with still over 25% battery with the kicker running. Would definitely suggest getting the 36 volt for the longevity of it. I typically run the terrova between a 3 to 5 setting for steering and use the kicker to push. I typically run crawler harnesses so speed Im running is 1.6 to 1.9


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## eyedreamn (Jun 12, 2011)

36v and be done.
24v and you will come up short.


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## Meerkat (Aug 10, 2008)

How long your batteries will last depends on the reserve capacity (RC) of your batteries, the amp draw of your motor & the ambient temperature.

A deep cycle battery will have a reserve capacity (RC) rating which on a typical 27 series battery will be around 180 minutes. What this means is that a battery with an RC rating of 180 minutes can maintain a 25 ampere discharge for 180 minutes before the voltage drops to 10.5 volts (fully discharged). 

Another similar rating on deep cycle batteries is “amp hours”. On a typical 27 series battery this will be around 100 which means that the battery could deliver 1 amp for 100 hours and theoretically it would deliver 25 amps for 4 hrs (240 minutes). I say theoretically because as the power draw goes up the battery gets less efficient so the actual length of time the battery would last at 25 amps would be more like 3 hours (which is the same as the 180 minutes from the RC rating above).

Now Minn Kota told me that a 24 volt trolling motor will draw about 30 amps at a 5 setting. This is close enough to 25 amps used in the reserve capacity rating for us to make some rough calculations on how long trolling motor batteries will last. So what this means in practical terms is that you can expect to get about 3 hours (180 minutes) out of your trolling motor batteries at a 5 setting before they are what is considered “fully discharged”. 

Now “fully discharged” does not mean that your trolling motor will stop dead at this point but if you keep going you are seriously limiting the long-term life of your batteries.

And having 2 or 3 batteries in series (to give the 24 or 36 volts) does not increase the reserve capacity of the linked batteries. The reserve capacity for one, two or three batteries in series is still 180 minutes. But if you go to the 36 volt system (while the reserve capacity is still 180 minutes) the higher voltage will give you the same power output at the motor (pounds of thrust) with a lower amp draw so to achieve the same boat speed you may only need a 2 or 3 setting. This means that the 36 volt system will go significantly further on a single charge. (volts x amps = watts, so with a higher voltage you can get the same power output (watts) with a lower amperage)

Now these equations are good for 70 degrees F but performance deteriorates significantly as the temperature drops.

The solution is to getting a full day out of your trolling motor batteries without killing them is to use your gas kicker to push and your Minn Kota to steer.

And put a rudder on your Minn Kota. I can troll all day with my 24v Minn Kota on about a 2 setting for steering and then I use the gas kicker throttle to control speed. I have ControlKing on my gas kicker so can control throttle from the helm by turning a knob. And if it is really calm, I don’t even need to have the prop turning on my Minn Kota in order to steer. The rudder on the Minn Kota is sufficient to stay on-line.

One last point is to recharge your batteries as soon as possible. It will dramatically reduce your battery life if you leave them discharged. It also makes the batteries susceptible to freezing. A full charged battery will not freeze even at 40 below but a discharged battery can freeze and crack! Trust me on that – I lived in Labrador for 11 years!


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

19' glass boat, 9.9 kicker to help push, 80lb 60" Terrova with added rudder, 3 year old Sears group 31 Platinums. Get 8 hours+ by keeping Terrova at 6 or less with occasional bursts of 7.


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