The motor will not be set up permanently in the boat, nor will the battery. I'd prefer not to slop acid all over the place, but the AGM or Gell batteries are pretty pricey compared to the "maintenance-free" well cell batteries. I know that the regular open-top batteries allow better testing and water-replacement, and I have a plastic battery box, but still wonder about the sealed batteries as a better option.
My boat is 14', weighs about 400lbs, and will have a fairly long cable run from the bow (where I need the battery weight) to the transom-mounted trolling motor. Weight is also a factor as I'll be hoisting the darn thing in and out of the boat.
I won't be running the system for hours and hours, and realize that a 'proper' setup would consist of dual 6v golf-cart batteries, chargers / testers /meters / etc.
But at this stage I'd like to pick up an inexpensive 12v deepcycle battery to test with, and might combine it with another deepcycle later on if the system works and I need the extended range.
There is a lot of info on the web, mostly from battery manufacturers, but it sure looks like the AGM is replacing the gell battery and has a slightly reduced cost - but still 2-3x the cost of a wet-cell battery.
Any suggestions?
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