marine electronics
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- June 25, 2021
Accomplished angler Dustin Wilks fishes’ various bass fishing locations and teaches how to find and catch more fish on the wildly popular TV series Catching Bass with Dustin Wilks found on The Sportsman Channel.
An often-overlooked component to an angler’s success and subsequent enjoyment is having a reliable power source. Yes, the battery.
Impact Battery Sponsors Catching BassBut, how do you know what battery is the best option for your boating situation? There are many variables including how and where you fish, selecting the correct battery type, a battery brands track-record and the upfront vs. long-term costs associated with your purchase.
We don’t think there is a one size fits all approach so we have asked Dustin to install and test various battery brands and chemistries throughout the seasons to help you determine what will be the best marine battery for your fishing setup.
Catching Bass Says Goodbye to NorthStar Battery & Hello to Odyssey
Dustin, along with fellow Bassmaster
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- May 12, 2020
How to Charge Lead Acid Marine and RV Batteries in Parallel
Have you ever wondered why your batteries in parallel seem to fail sooner than you would expect? When asked how to charge batteries in parallel people commonly reply connect the positive to positive and negative to negative. Yep, electrically speaking that works. But what if you have an RV, for example, and need to add 3 or 4 or 8 batteries in parallel? Do you continue to add to the string in a linear fashion (Figure 1)? Or is there a better way to set up and charge your RV batteries in parallel? I’m willing to bet the vast majority of RV and marine battery owners have never considered or made the connection between early battery failure and improper setup.
This How to Charge Batteries in Parallel tutorial is designed to move you from ignorance and insanity (doing the same things over and over and expecting different results) to a point of knowledge and confidence. To achieve this result we will share a framework of information
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- November 23, 2018
Australia’s Outback is one of the least hospitable regions in the world. When you’re traversing such a vast and diverse landscape amid deadly heat you must rely on your deep cycle backup battery for survival. North America’s terrain and weather extremes are no different boasting some the worlds fiercest winter weather. When it comes to long term reliability and long-lasting power generation, what brand comes to mind as the best deep cycle battery for the money?
The Landscape for the Best Deep Cycle Battery is Changing
MotoBatt introduced the QuadFlex powersport battery to market in 2009. The standout yellow color, unique 4-terminal design and special attention to balanced-power-delivery made them an instant hit. They are now one of the world’s number one selling aftermarket motorcycle batteries.
Recently, they debuted a new sealed AGM deep cycle line. Targeted towards recreational vehicles and the marine industry, these much larger lead weights are making waves.
When compared to familiar
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- November 07, 2018
Make the Most Out of a Forced [Bad] Battery Decision
Let’s face it, no matter how many times we preach proper battery usage, life gets in the way! We’ve all been there! Like the time when you just arrived at your favorite fishing hole only to discover the trolling motor won’t work. After some fiddling you determine one of the batteries has crapped out.
Under duress, you are suddenly forced to decide whether to save-your-long-overdue-fishing-weekend-extravaganza or to surrender defeat, head home angry and potentially explode on the first person you meet when you walk through the back door. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?
There is so much to unwrap in that scenario including your overall life attitude, planning and preparation as well as cost / reward analysis. But rather than turning this into a psychology paper on your mental fitness or impulsiveness, let’s focus on one thing: you decide to stay.
Can an Improper Marine Battery Pairing be Salvaged?
So, you’ve decided to stay,
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- October 30, 2018
Bassmaster Elite is the highest level of bass fishing in the world. Rick Morris is a 20-year veteran on the circuit. Over such a distinguished carrier he has blown through countless batteries. However, after NorthStar approached him to be a sponsor, things changed. He has come to rely on and trust NorthStar batteries steadfast performance.
Choosing the Right Battery is Not Just for Bassmaster Elites
We have all been out on the water at the crack of dawn where the water is like glass, the fog looks like steam rising off the surface and that distinct loon call echoes across the inlet. It is on days like these we find peace in the northern back-woods.
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- August 29, 2018
How can you tell what's going to be the best marine battery charger for your situation? Not every charger designated ‘safe’ for the maritime environment will be waterproof.
Some are simply designed to withstand the harsh high moisture environment up to certain limits while others will still operate while completely submersed in water. This is where selecting the best charger can weigh heavy on knowing the meaning behind the IP rating.
Understanding the IP Rating
The Ingress Protection Rating or IP rating refers to the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of dust and water. The first number classifies solids like dust and dirt. The second number refers to water intrusion. Generally speaking the highest number for solids is six (6), while the second digit goes as high as eight (8) i.e. IP68.
A marine battery charger will be assigned an Ingress Protection Rating between 61 and 68. In most boating or damp environment scenarios you need consider no less than a weatherproof or
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- January 12, 2017
Back in the summer of 2013, we sang the praises of the Drakon labeled Pure Lead Acid AGM battery. It was indeed among the best AGM batteries in the world and went head-to-head with the undisputed king-of-the-hill EnerSys and their Odyssey Extreme battery. However, after some mergers and acquisitions, the brand owner, Universal Power Group, restructured and decided to consolidate labels creating greater continuity for their organization. The Drakon name no longer exists and has been transported into the very popular Kinetik battery family. Incidentally, Kinetik Power now has a full line of batteries for powersports, car audio, backup systems and even consumer alkaline and button cell batteries. Their HC-PRO series still utilizes the thin plate pure lead AGM technology first introduced under the Drakon label.
I say all this because there is a very distinguished battery factory in the heart of this great nation that produced the inner workings of the Drakon battery and very few consumers
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- September 09, 2016
What a great question! What is it about the Lifeline AGM battery that makes them so popular and dependable? RV and boat owners seem to ask for this brand more than any other despite it costing more than other private labels. If it were just a fad, strong marketing or another ‘me-too’ battery this trend would have subsided years ago, but it hasn’t. This type of loyalty can only draw one conclusion…Yes they are that good! Read on as we review the success behind Lifeline batteries.
Concorde: The Driving Force Behind the LifeLine Battery
Concorde Battery Corporation has been manufacturing batteries just outside Los Angeles, California since 1979. Recently, Concorde opened a second manufacturing facility just outside Atlanta, Georgia. They operate under four application specific brands: Concorde, Lifeline, Chairman and Sun Xtender. The Concorde label designs aircraft batteries and batteries for shipboard use utilized by militaries the world over inclusive of the U.S. Military and several Commonwealth
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- April 21, 2013
The best marine batteries are those that do what you need, work dependably, and require the least maintenance. Here are six of the top brands to consider:
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- August 21, 2012
The batteries used in boats today are high-tech and expensive. The operator should be able to measure the charge and translate the reading into the condition of the battery. Here are a few methods for measuring the charge of a marine battery.
There are measuring tools available for purchase that can be used to measure the state of charge of a battery if you do not have a voltage metering system installed. For batteries that use electrolyte there is something called a Hydrometer, which can detect the amount of sulfuric acid in the electrolyte and displays this reading as a charge. The amount of sulfuric acid will change with temperature so in order to ensure consistent readings, be sure the battery is around 80F. Additionally, electrolyte batteries will have multiple cells so the hydrometer readings should be taken from each individual cell. Use the owner’s manual of your hydrometer to determine if the reading is good or bad. A bad battery will typically have deviations between cells. A
