If you have the money then think about the Optima Batteries.
The Optima Blue Tops last longer and withstand the vibrations better than ordinary lead acid batteries on the market.
Optimas take a charge faster because of their new design. They stay charged longer than regular batteries. They will maintain a full charge for a year.
I would run my Optima all day long using my AT 50 Minn Kota on my bass boat while fishing all day long on a trolling motor only lake. I would easily put 8 hours on this trolling motor Optima Blue top battery. I'd charge it when I got home and it would take about 4 to 6 hours to charge back up to full capacity using my Minn Kota Battery Charger. My Sears battery charger starts charging at ten amps/hr and it took about the same time to get a good charge on the optima. I'm not sure how many amps/hr the Minn Kota Battery Charger puts out. But the Optima will take a charge fast. If you are fishing a tournament and want to make sure that your battery will last all day long and will take a charge faster at the end of the day get the Optiam Blue tops.
I have a Optima Blue tops that I use to start the motor on my bass boat and it's going on 8 years old this year. I purchased it in 2003. I actually bought two different Optima Blue tops in 2003. One for the trolling motor and one for the boat motor. I replaced the one for the trolling motor this spring. I bought a new Optima that's bigger than the old one. This one is a blue top also. Blue tops are for marine enviroments.
Optimas cost more around 200 bucks each but they last twice as long as the cheaper batteries. I like the dependability they give to me while I am out on the water.
I plan to buy a new Optima Blue top for my main motor when the old one stops working or won't take a full charge. So for it's still working fine. But I suspect that it will die eventually .
The key to keeping a battery for a long time is to make sure that you fully charge is back up as soon as you get done fishing that day. Charge it up and keep it in a fully charged condidtion as soon as possible and it will last a lot longer.




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