What Battery Do I Need For My Trolling Motor?

Dakota Lithium is a proud sponsor of over 200+ professional athletes in the fishing industry. From kayak fishing to pro bass tournament boats, we have the battery for you. Here’s what our pros have learned:

For 12V trolling motors the capacity of your battery must be larger then the lbs of thrust of your motor. I.e. use a battery with an Ah (Amp Hour) number that is larger then your lbs of thrust. For example, a small motor with 30 lbs of thrust to be used on a kayak requires a battery with 30 Ah of capacity or greater. The more lbs of thrust the larger the battery needed. The more run time you want the bigger battery you need.

For 24V and 36v trolling motors our pros recommend either a single 24V 60Ah battery, a single 36V 60Ah battery, or connecting multiple batteries in series. For example, Pro Bass Fishing champion Brock Mosley uses 3 of our 12V 100 Ah Dakota Lithium batteries in his tournament boat to power a 36v system. The result is 17 hours of run time. To make wiring 24v and 36v systems easier we recommend a Connect Ease wiring kit. They make simple, and easy to use battery wiring solutions (and are a proud South Dakota company).

Motor Thrust / Max Amp Draw (A) @ Voltage (V) / Recommended Battery

• 20 lbs / 20A @ 12V / DL 54 or DL+ 60 or Powerbox+ 60*
• 25 lbs / 25A @ 12V / DL 54 or DL+ 60 or Powerbox+ 60*
• 30 lb / 30A @ 12V / DL 54 or DL+ 60 or DL 100 or Powerbox+ 60*
• 45 lb / 42A @ 12V / DL 54 or DL+ 60 or DL 100 or Powerbox+ 60*
• 55 lb / 50A @ 12V / DL 54 or DL+ 60 or DL 100 or DL+ 135 or Powerbox+ 60* or Powerbox+ 135*
• 70 lb / 42A @ 24V / 24V Single or DL 54 x 2 or DL+ 60 x 2 or  DL 100 x 2 or DL+ 135 x 2
• 80 lb / 56A @ 24V / DL+ 60 x 2 or DL 100 x 2 or DL 200 x 2 or DL+ 135 x 2
• 101 lb / 46A @ 36V / 36V Single or DL+ 60 x 3  DL 100 x 3 or DL+ 135 x 3 or DL 200 x 3
• 112 lb / 52A @ 36V / 36V Single or DL+ 60 x 3 or DL 100 x 3 or DL+ 135 x 3 DL 200 x 3
• >112 lb / Up to 100A @ 36V / DL+ 60 x 3 or DL 100 x 3 or DL+ 135 x 3 or DL 200 x 3

Download & print trolling motor battery selection guide (.pdf)

* For fishing kayaks, canoes, or any boat with a capsize risk we recommend the Powerbox+ 60 or building a waterproof / submersible battery box. See the Best Batteries for Fishing Kayaks section below.

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