# Battery for Fish finder



## JapaneseZero

I want to try and stay away from putting a 12v rechargable battery in my yak. Any suggestions on options? I was thinking about trying a dewalt power tool battery which is 12 volts and 2 milliamps or an 18 volt 2.4 miliamps will either of these be enough power to get the finder running for a max of about 7-8 hours? electrical things aren't my forte'

Thanks


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## WURK2FISH

It'd be easier to put the Cabelas Rechargeable 12V Batteries in than trying to rig the Power Tools Rechargeable Battery into your Set-up


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## Lip Ripper

8 AA batteries. it works the best.


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## JapaneseZero

Lip Ripper said:


> 8 AA batteries. it works the best.


have an example of how to right this? Are you using something from Radioshack to put the batteries together? Have an approximate run time?
Thanks!


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## moby dick

Hey I have used a sears 14.5 v.I got some gator clips and put them on the metal ends.One pc. of elec. tape it got me though 7 hr of drum fishing at sandbridge.I haven't been out long enough to see the batt. die.


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## Lip Ripper

its a battery bank about the size of a pack of smokes. put in 8 aa's and it hooks them in series. hook the leads to your fish finder and your ready.

i have fished 8hrs 1 day, and 8 the next without changing the batteries. so the life of the batteries is more than 16hrs. i try change the batteries about every 4th trip, so i dont know how long they will go for.


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## Jesse Lockowitz

WURK2FISH said:


> It'd be easier to put the Cabelas Rechargeable 12V Batteries in than trying to rig the Power Tools Rechargeable Battery into your Set-up


yeah i bought 2 of them from cabelas w/ the charger. they are HARD to beat IMO...great price.

i charged mine when i got it, and i bet i got 20+ hours on that stupid thing, and still havnt taken it outa the kayak in over a month...i got the other one charged as well, but im just curious to see how long it'll take b4 it dies!

plus the 12v fits perfect in the Ocean kayak prowler tridents hanging pouch already.



Jesse


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## WURK2FISH

Jesse Lockowitz said:


> yeah i bought 2 of them from cabelas w/ the charger. they are HARD to beat IMO...great price.
> 
> i charged mine when i got it, and i bet i got 20+ hours on that stupid thing, and still havnt taken it outa the kayak in over a month...i got the other one charged as well, but im just curious to see how long it'll take b4 it dies!
> 
> plus the 12v fits perfect in the Ocean kayak prowler tridents hanging pouch already.Jesse



PLUS.......for $19.99 One-Shot-Purchase as opposed to $5.00 every other trip for AA's........I'll go with the Rechargeable Set-up!!!

I set mine in a Wal-Mart Dry-Box Gooped to the Floor in the Mid-Hatch..........clean install!!!


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## BIG FINN

I use a 14.4 drill battery, last many days no problem.


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## JapaneseZero

I thought about that cabelas battery and charger but I dont have a Ocean Kayak... Im riding on a Mad River Synergy 12. minimal inside the hull storage. so looking for a space friendly option. also thinking about doing 8 rechargable AA batteries.


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## keezy

I am using a 8 AA battery pack for my running lights, but have been thinking about going to something bigger so I don't have to change out batteries.

I never thought about a drill battery pack before. Thanks you gave me a great idea for my situation. My boat is stored outside in the elements very far from an outlet and I would like something I can remove and bring inside to charge.

My ideal situation would be to get a 12V cordless screwdriver for free or cheap at a yard sale, cannabalize the handle, mount it to my boat, pop it out whenever I need to charge it. That would be slick! This is of course a bad idea if you try to buy new because screwdriver batteries are at least $50.

The Cabela's gel-cell battery is a great deal b/c it comes with a charger for $20 and it's an 8 Amp Hour battery, vs. 1-2 Amp Hours for a Screwdriver battery. It's not really that big at 4"H x 6"L X 2-1/2"W.

Batteries Plus has smaller gel-cel batteries, they are around $30 each, no charger. That's another option.

To figure out what your run time will be, divide the Amp Hours for your battery by the number of Amps your FF draws. They may show the amp draw for the FF in the manual.


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## NAVYIDC

*My 2 cents*

Go with the 12v, ya it's more weight but in the long run you can operate your FF as long as you want, for me I am on the water 12+ hours at a time and those AA get pricey. I have a color FF and run a 12V and the charge last about 3-4 fishin trips. IMHO its well worth the expense, for the return you get on it.


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## We_Got_A_Floater

Bass Pro Shops sells the same 12v battery that Cabela's sells for $30. In order to find it in the store, you have to go to the hunting section since I believe they are sold to run automatic feeders. It works great for me. 

Ken


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## Pomeroy

I used the 12v battery mentioned above for automatic feeders,but I installed a solar charger that is 4"x6" & haven't touched it since I put it in this summer,when it's stored in my building I leave the light on above it stays charged 100%


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## Xi Bowhunter

Lip Ripper said:


> its a battery bank about the size of a pack of smokes. put in 8 aa's and it hooks them in series. hook the leads to your fish finder and your ready.
> 
> i have fished 8hrs 1 day, and 8 the next without changing the batteries. so the life of the batteries is more than 16hrs. i try change the batteries about every 4th trip, so i dont know how long they will go for.


Where are you getting these "battery banks"?


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## JapaneseZero

Got my piranah max 170 for Christmas... an 18v dewalt drill battery DID work... I still went ahead and got a 12v from cabelas though... I dont know how long that drill battery would last.


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## landlocked

Just got a cuda FF for Christmas and thinking of going with the battery from BPS.(gift certificate) Any comments on this battery for FF and nite lite.


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## Grady-Black

You can get the battery banks from Radio Shack..


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## JapaneseZero

landlocked said:


> Just got a cuda FF for Christmas and thinking of going with the battery from BPS.(gift certificate) Any comments on this battery for FF and nite lite.


I just ordered the one from cabelas (part number 91s-018049) pretty much the same battery but came with a charger for $10 less... im going to run the battery in my forward tank well in a rubbermaid lock down tub with a small hole drilled in it for the wire to come out.


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## AtlantaKing

I have the same Cabelas 12v 8a battery for my FF. I mounted it inside one of the large size dry boxes from the Wally World camping department, and ran a Perko waterproof flush mount on the lid to hook my power wire to. When I'm done for the day, I pull the entire box out of my front hatch, unplug it from the FF and take it inside to charge. I'll get some pics up later this afternoon.


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## huckfinn38

We_Got_A_Floater said:


> Bass Pro Shops sells the same 12v battery that Cabela's sells for $30. In order to find it in the store, you have to go to the hunting section since I believe they are sold to run automatic feeders. It works great for me.
> 
> Ken



Battery and charger right now is $19.99 clearance at cabelas. 
2 batteries and 1 charger for $49.99. These are 12V 8 amp


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## JapaneseZero

Jebson38 said:


> Battery and charger right now is $19.99 clearance at cabelas.
> 2 batteries and 1 charger for $49.99. These are 12V 8 amp


Yeah but if you buy the battery and charger for 19.99 and the single battery for 14.99 you can save $15... they are math experts at cabelas!


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## narfpoit

If they use Battery backups for the computers at your place of business then ask your IT person to hold any that go bad for you. The seem to go bad fairly often at my work place and it is ussually a 50/50 shot that the battery is still good. They are typically 12 volt 7ha batteries and free is hard to beat.


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## JapaneseZero

narfpoit said:


> If they use Battery backups for the computers at your place of business then ask your IT person to hold any that go bad for you. The seem to go bad fairly often at my work place and it is ussually a 50/50 shot that the battery is still good. They are typically 12 volt 7ha batteries and free is hard to beat.


are they sealed? i dont know about u, but the though of battery acid rolling around the boat isn't on my top 10. If they are sealed, i can't argue with free...


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## harlyalice

Informative thread.


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