# fish finder and portable gel cell battery



## back4more (Feb 22, 2011)

Ive got a 1232 with a 5hp 4stroke and I really dont want to add the weight of a full size battery just to run a fish finder. so Im thinking of getting a portable gel cell battery (link) and humminbird 160 fishfinder (link).

think this would work fine for several hours?


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## arkansasnative (Feb 22, 2011)

i had the same question and came upon these at cabelas... check out my boat build thread in the Project section for a size comparison. they have great reviews for the reason youre asking about!

https://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Rechargeable-12-Volt-Battery/700551.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=/catalog/search.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Drechargable%2Bbattery%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=rechargable+battery&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products


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## Decatur (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks! I saw those in your build and wondered about them.


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## BaitCaster (Feb 23, 2011)

arkansasnative said:


> i had the same question and came upon these at cabelas... check out my boat build thread in the Project section for a size comparison. they have great reviews for the reason youre asking about!
> 
> https://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Rechargeable-12-Volt-Battery/700551.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=/catalog/search.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Drechargable%2Bbattery%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=rechargable+battery&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products



I have one of these batteries for my fish finder and am really pleased with it.


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## screwballl (Feb 23, 2011)

I have one of those type of batteries too and I plan to do the same thing (I have a PiranhaMAX 215 which is the same fishfinder). Mine is a 5Ah sealed lead acid battery. Although in reality, these fishfinders draw such a tiny amount of power, using your trolling battery would be such minimal impact.


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## BaitCaster (Feb 23, 2011)

screwballl said:


> I have one of those type of batteries too and I plan to do the same thing (I have a PiranhaMAX 215 which is the same fishfinder). Mine is a 5Ah sealed lead acid battery. Although in reality, these fishfinders draw such a tiny amount of power, using your trolling battery would be such minimal impact.



The reason I went with a dedicated battery for my fish finder is that I have heard you can get interference if you attach it to the same battery as everything else. it's also nice to have a small portable battery when playing with the fish finder in the house (mine records and saves scans which can be viewed and marked with waypoints later)!


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## po1 (Feb 23, 2011)

The 12v 8ah batteries I picked up from cabela's have served me without fault, better then I imagined. The battery you are looking at should run your fish finder all weekend. Their battery charge is similar to cabela's and if not worth using if you have a charger at the house with a meter, easier and faster to charge the battery. That type of charger could lead to overcharging the battery. One of my small batteries runs my portable livewell and the other runs my navigation lights. Both have served me well over the weekend. Brought a couple of more from cabela's as spares on longer camping trips.


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## back4more (Feb 23, 2011)

the Amazon one is actually a Humminbird product. that Cabelas battery & charger comes out to $38.94 after shipping and the Amazon battery & charger (from the top post) comes out to $24.99 shipped with Amazon Prime (2 day). so other than the $14 price difference they should be about the same right? I know one is an 8amp and the other a 7amp but dont they probably function pretty much the same, with the same results as far as time used per charge.

the pic of the way in the top post shows something between the charger wall plug in and the charger clamps. I wonder if this might be a charge indicator ?


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## po1 (Feb 23, 2011)

I always say go for the best deal a 7ah will be more then enough for what you plan to use it for. What you see with the alligator clamps is a charger. There is no indicator on this plug in charger. It does work, but has warnings about the possible overcharging if left on to long. I put mine on tickle charge with a regular charger, this way no chance on over charging battery. Plus a faster charge then the small wall charger.


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## arkansasnative (Feb 23, 2011)

at cabelas you can get 2 batteries and a charger for 50 bucks! that should power most of your 12v stuff on the boat for a while or serve as a good back up if one goes dead!


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## back4more (Feb 28, 2011)

got my battery from Amazon today. this thing weighs 5 lbs 5 ounces. turns out there is a charge indicator on the charger. doesnt have auto shut off but it is nice to have some type of indication of the charge status.


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## po1 (Feb 28, 2011)

Good deal. Your charger is one step better then the one I got with my cabala's battery. Still less worries and faster charge with a full charger. When you get a chance pick up a 12v battery tester, I use one to keep an eye on when the battery needs charged.


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## Ictalurus (Mar 1, 2011)

I picked up a 12v 10ah at Batteries Plus last weekend. It is a lead acid sealed battery. I couldn't remember the recommended ah while at the store so I just went with the 10ah. Hope it will last quite a while between charges. I've had it out on the water and no complaints.


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## TNtroller (Mar 1, 2011)

would a lawnmower battery work just as well for powering a ff or led lights? Did not see the weight of the cabelas battery, or maybe a motorcycle battery, both about the same size.


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## arkansasnative (Mar 1, 2011)

the cabelas batteries are very small and dont weigh more that a few pounds...


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## Ictalurus (Mar 2, 2011)

TNtroller said:


> would a lawnmower battery work just as well for powering a ff or led lights? Did not see the weight of the cabelas battery, or maybe a motorcycle battery, both about the same size.



I'm not sure if they are intended to be fully charged, drained, repeat, repeat, repeat. May want to look into a deep cycle or other battery that is meant to be drained and charged. Wheelchair batteries work well for this.


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## Troutman3000 (Mar 2, 2011)

I have used a lawn mower battery for my fishfinder for about a year because I was getting interference from the trolling motor. They work well but are not as light as the ones you guys are using.


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## Ictalurus (Mar 2, 2011)

Troutman3000 said:


> I have used a lawn mower battery for my fishfinder for about a year because I was getting interference from the trolling motor. They work well but are not as light as the ones you guys are using.



Glad you say that, I almost bought a motorcycle battery, now I know they work. How long between charges?


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## Troutman3000 (Mar 2, 2011)

Ictalurus said:


> Troutman3000 said:
> 
> 
> > I have used a lawn mower battery for my fishfinder for about a year because I was getting interference from the trolling motor. They work well but are not as light as the ones you guys are using.
> ...




I charge mine after every use because that is what you are supposed to do to maintain them properly. But on camping trips I rarely charge it and it lasts as long as the trip. Point being I have never had it run out on me. I bought the 19 dollar one from Wal-Mart and have had no trouble with it.


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## Oldgeek (Mar 25, 2011)

I thought my riding mower battery was bad last week so I bought one on sale from AutoZone last week. Turns out it was just a dirty terminal, so now the new one will power my FF, bilge pump and lights. My deep cycle will be dedicated just to the TM.
If I need it for the mower, I'll look at the lighter rechargeables for this stuff. Thanks.


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## screwballl (Mar 25, 2011)

The fish finder mentioned, and most of these $70-130 models all have a low draw so you should be able to get an easy 12-24 hours of usage or more out of these small 5-10Ah batteries, and more than that on a 12V motorcycle, go kart, or other larger battery.


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## bcbouy (Mar 25, 2011)

i picked this up to use on my float tube. it runs on rechargeable aa batts.you plug it in to the back like a normal battery. great on the boat, you can move it around.


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## back4more (Mar 9, 2012)

Im thinking of getting another one (or two) of these gel cel batteries. I will need to power a humminbird piranhamax 170, front and rear lights, and a bilge pump. will one battery cover all, or should I get one battery for the fishfinder and another battery for the lights & bilge pump? 

also, its been awhile since I put together a switch/fuse panel. is this the way to go ?


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