My new Kayak Fishing Battery
It's crazy to see how technology is improving batteries these days. I'm amazed at how small batteries are getting and the technology built into them. In this journal I'm walking through a new battery I've been using on my ocean fishing kayak that powers my fish and finder.
I need to start this article admitting that my electronics are probably my most important piece of gear that puts me on the fish. Admitting this does strike my fishing ego, but fish finders are so key to success in tidal fisheries. especially for finding bait and studying structure. It's not too exaggerated to say but being on the ocean on a kayak and having a dead battery can be a complete trip killer. It's something that just can't happen, I'll pack multiple batteries and backup wires and wiring connectors... all that to say, I take my electronics pretty seriously.
And finally that's what's led me to LiTime 12V 30Ah portable lithium battery which suites my ocean kayak fishing perfectly here in the pacific northwest. This battery is compact to perfectly fit into my Old Town kayak's dry storage and it has Bluetooth so I can check the battery life via phone app in real-time while fishing! More on this below...
More Juice!
In the past I've used a 12V 10Ah battery to run my fish finder, after each use I always recharged my battery. The reason being my trips are anywhere from 4-8 hours long, and if I don't recharge the 10Ah (10 Amp-Hours) there is a good risk the battery would die before the end of the 2nd trip. If I'm going on back-to-back trips or even heading out for a weekend getaway with limited charging access points, my smaller kayak batteries won't last.
So I'm looking for something with more juice BUT will NOT sacrifice size. If you're a kayak angler you know space is a premium and I'm constantly downsizing on all my gear. So I looked for a battery with more juice without losing much on the size.
Size Matters on a Kayak
The LiTime 12V 30Ah battery has been an incredible addition to my kayak gear in this space. This battery has 3 times the Amp-Hours (aka "juice") than my previous battery and the size difference is minimal!
For comparison, I'll put another high end 12V 10Ah battery next to the LiTime 12V 30Ah battery and let you see the difference (dimensions are roughly: L6" x W4" x H5"). That said, there is a weight difference as these batteries have more cells. My previous battery weight was roughly around 3 lbs and the LiTime 12V 30Ah battery is 6.5 lbs.
The image below shows my old battery in front of the new LiTime battery, you can see the width is near the exact same, the width and height of these batteries is minimal. However, the life of these batteries is 3 times different!
The LiTime has a significant increase in battery life than the other 10Ah battery! It's a no-brainer to give up a slightly larger battery for 2-3 times the battery life. This is a massive upgrade on my kayak electronics.
How I install and mount the battery in my kayak
On the inside of my Old Town PDL kayak it's water tight and is accessible under the seat area. My fish finder wires are wired into this internal section of the kayak where everything is kept dry. Of course the dry section of the kayak is where my battery and backup electronics live. Because my battery goes in and comes out I had to come up with an easy way to lock the battery inside the dry area. I found some heavy duty industrial strength Velcro patches that are perfect for this. Essentially, I put the soft end of the velcro patch on the battery and the matching rough patch on the inside of my kayak. It holds the battery in place perfectly! Whether I'm loading my kayak on top of my car or bouncing it along the path, the velcro has not failed me yet. This velcro has not failed me yet! Here are some photos to outline this.
How long will this battery last?
Since I've been using this battery to be honest I have not yet maxed out the hours. The run time for the typical fish finder should be roughly the Amp-Hours rating and in this case around 20 to 30 hours (equivalent to 3 or 4 fishing trips for me). That said, I don't flirt with letting the battery go below 25%, and will always recharge before then. But how do I know when to charge this battery or when it's getting down to its last 25%?!?
How much life is left in the battery?
In the past I've always monitored my batteries with battery load testers. These are tools that give me a voltage and strength reading of my battery. They've been hit/miss in some of the readings, but regardless they're an additional tool I've had to buy.
With the LiTime battery and app this is no longer needed! The LiTime battery app pairs to your battery via BlueTooth technology and has incredible features one of which is knowing exactly how much life (juice) you have in the battery. Other features of the app show the health of your battery cells and balance and even allow you to turn on heating mode for ice fishing (more on that below).
The battery quick and easily pairs with BlueTooth similar to pairing a set of earbuds. Below are some of the screengrabs of the app I ran off my battery, this information is all real-time showcasing all the details and health of your battery.
Self-Heat Feature for Ice Fishing
For those of you who need a battery while ice fishing in rigid conditions, the LiTime 12V 30Ah Ice Fishing Lithium Battery also has a self-heating component to it. Think of this like warming up your ski-doo or quad before ripping out onto the ice. Here in northern British Columbia in really cold winter conditions, I've seen electronics not turn on because of extreme cold temps. This self heating feature reduces the time it would take to warm up in your ice shack or vehicle and helps to ensure your electronics will start from the get-go!
If your using Live Sonar electronics on the ice e.g. LiveScope, LiTime has a number of different battery sizes to pair with your device.
Another reason I really like the LiTime 12V 30Ah battery is the usage I get year round. I'll use this battery on my kayak from Spring to Fall and on the ice in Winter.
Quick Summary Table for understanding Volts & Amp-Hours
|
Measurement |
Measures |
Unit |
Higher value means... |
Changes with... |
|
Voltage (V) |
Electrical pressure |
Volts |
Higher power delivery |
Cells in series |
|
AH |
Charge storage capacity |
Amp-hours |
Longer runtime |
Cells in parallel |
|
Watt-hours |
Total energy |
Wh |
More overall power & runtime |
Both V and AH |
Practical tip: When comparing batteries for the same device, match the voltage exactly (or very closely), then choose higher AH for longer runtime.
Final thoughts on the LiTime Battery
This is the first year I've been running this battery and so far I've been very happy with it from a kayak fishing perspective. Having the app to let me know the battery life has been such a help as well, as oftentimes I'll forget if I charged a battery or not. Looking at the app and checking the battery length has become a part of my fishing trip routines which as outlined at the beginning is very important as electronics are one of the most important pieces of gear for me on the ocean.
If you're into kayak fishing or any marine battery to power your fish finder, lighting and other electronics on the yak the LiTime 12V 30Ah Ice Fishing Lithium Battery is a great choice!
Feel free to drop me any questions or comments on any of this. Cheers! Jesse