Game changer for Trolling Motor systems - Amped Outdoors Lithium.

[Yump]

So as y'all have seen I've been on a crazy rampage with trying to deck out the "Boat" aka Busted Bandit. The gentleman had run this thing down it seemed. Totally bragged about never having to scrub it and whatnot. However he kept immaculate maintenance on the outboard. Was a no brainer when I saw the listing price. Okay tangent over.

Everyone who's running a trolling motor and has been on the fence about lithium batteries then honestly check Amped outdoors. My step-dad builds lithium batteries for a living no correlation to the plug to Amped. However when he saw the cells being used in their batteries he advised me as them being the top quality cells that's being used in batteries over twice the price. I opted for a 36v trolling motor strictly for the battery life and performance. Went with what I knew and what was able to pair with my fishfinder. My rout was minn kota. Rhodan looks like a mighty fine alternative though.

Anyways if you're looking to get a lithium battery and that's something that's intriguing then reach out to them on Facebook messenger. They're extremely responsive and know their way around the older ways of Customer service. Also their batteries come with waterproof onboard chargers. One 36v 60ah battery and the charger weighs less than 50lbs. One of my lead acid batteries weighs 61.8lbs. No brainer and a game changer.

I will update when the battery arrives and is tested to the fullest. Essentially my 320 fatty that never left the bow of the boat is about to have major major major liposuction performed lol.

 

[Dave LeGear]

Great write up and very interested in hearing how this all works out!

So which model of their batteries did you elect to go with? In the process of equipping the next Skiff, so weight is always an issue to help keep draft as little as possible

Thanks much!
Dave

 

[Yump]

Great write up and very interested in hearing how this all works out!

So which model of their batteries did you elect to go with? In the process of equipping the next Skiff, so weight is always an issue to help keep draft as little as possible

Thanks much!
Dave

Whats up Dave thank you for the help with the drain plugs. Been working like a champ ever since!
For the battery I opted with the single 36v 60ah battery. The best part of the battery line is they're lightweight compared to most other lifepo4 batteries. They're releasing new models of batteries for bigger applications too everything's getting rolled out this comimg up week. Also if you're in the market for a trolling motor definitely check out Rhodan. They have a really good product that's going to be compatible with simrad and Garmin in the future. Their 24v systems max is rated the same as a minn kota's 36v system minimum in terms of thrust to weight ratio. Either way you go about it they have an option available that's lighter than the rest of the super name brand lithium phosphate batteries, and they use the same cells as them too lol. They cuts costs by not advertising oddly enough. Only way I found out about them was because of my step-dad refused/couldn't make me a battery at work since he works in a government building lol. The transparency they showed in messages about their product and how they're willing to let my step-dad tear one apart and test it in his lab was proof for me though. I'm hoping the battery will show up by Thursday as shipping sates. That way if weather permits I can test it out. I'm literally going to try and kill the battery to try and see what the stress test reveals in terms of actual use. That's something I feel like is missing from all the reviews I read online lol. Then if they send a battery omg the real tests will begin haahah. I look at it like this I have a 5 year warranty on a product and I'm about to test that out to the fullest extent!

 

[Yump]

Battery showed up today. Thing is sweet!! Total weight with charger included is 47lbs!!! Can't stress that enough how crazy it is! The battery box recommended is a tad too big I terms of length but easily compatible with the foam inserts they used to keep them in place while shipping the batteries. I sliced off about a 1/4" from the foam to make it fit per ocd specs lol. Battery won't move inside now that's for sure! Little side note the charger came with easy attach cables. I have a cutout from a template I had used to have starboard made for the mega hold. Fits just right against the back perfectly compared to what room I was left with holding 3 batteries in there. Install tomorrow when the storm passes. Also waiting on my victron bmv 712 unit. Still $100 cheaper than the comparative brand that uses the same cells also have 10ah more lol. The amped outdoors has a shunt battery monitor for $48 does the same thing as the victron product that's twice its price. I opted for Bluetooth for the phone to monitor consumption and to easily take screen shots for future questions. Anyways I hope the images load and are clear

 

[Dave LeGear]

Something else that might help save on all of those battery investment dollars

https://www.performanceoutdoors.net/threads/new-product-from-megaware-the-batteryguard.10004/#post-55912

 

[Yump]

Something else that might help save on all of those battery investment dollars

https://www.performanceoutdoors.net/threads/new-product-from-megaware-the-batteryguard.10004/#post-55912

I like that and have some on the way that you so much for the find!! Definitely worth the $45 if it's going to protect as such!

 

[Yump]

Okay so storm was lame and stuck around a little later than anticipated. Saw my window and went for it!! Here is what I had configured to hold the batteries from sliding from side to side. This things sweet!! Testing tomorrow if the weather permits.

 

[Dave LeGear]

And that unit would not fit in the smaller hatch up by the bow?

Also, I would hit that puppy with some of this and make it all white again



http://www.starbrite.com/item/mildew-stain-remover

 

[Yump]

Funny if you're talking about the one below the rope locker then I tried to go that route lol 1 inch to wide unfortunately.

I also had this bad boy show up last night to combat the mildew/mold. I have a buddy who works at an old folks home so they gave him this as a sample. Hahaha I'm definitely going to see what I can do about the mildew it's definitely not what I wanna deal with at all. The under deck area is horrible. I used that in the past when I had gotten the boat and it works like a charm.

Also I learned that when installing the battery I still have a slosh box in the mega hold floor with transom drains open and nothing coming out for a couple days. Going to have to figure out another way to get the water out again haha. What I need is the forklift I had seen someone use in a previous thread I had read lol.

 

[Yump]

Man, oh man this battery is legit! Finally got a full test out of her. The battery performance is definitely longer than the lead acid counterparts I removed... along with the 157 pounds of worthless weight associated with them and their onboard charger lol.

I ran a stand alone capacity test on the battery, and it read 64ah. Starting off that's a huge plus in my book! This trip out I used 60% of the usable capacity. Currents were extremely wild. Battery lasted like a champ during all my testing, and hard fishing applications offshore. This was a true test of endurance for the 36v 60ah amped outdoors lithium.

There is no way that I could kill this battery in one day of practical use. I fished from 7am until 6pm. Those times are on the water fishing. I used the lithium battery for a solid 8 hours. Most of that use was between spot locking in currents of 3+mph, and pulling the boat on prop speed settings 5-7 in same currents. Also plenty of times where I sped it up to 10 or "max speed", and throttled down once I got the boat moving against the current to direction I wanted.

All in all I am one happy camper! If you can get the 24v 80ah battery that will last you a solid two days... depending on how hard you are on the throttle lol however I could definitely guarantee one day of full abuse!

 

[Dave LeGear]

Great keeping us all informed on this one Brother!

Talk to me about the charger... Is it a separate component, attached / built into the Battery, and how do you connect it to 110 VAC?

Now it appears to be separate from the Battery and has a fan from the pictures, and I wonder how well it has been designed to hold up the Marine Environment?

Thanks again!
Dave

 

[Yump]

Great keeping us all informed on this one Brother!

Talk to me about the charger... Is it a separate component, attached / built into the Battery, and how do you connect it to 110 VAC?

Now it appears to be separate from the Battery and has a fan from the pictures, and I wonder how well it has been designed to hold up the Marine Environment?

Thanks again!
Dave

Sorry for the late response. Had a tragic loss in the family that shook me pretty bad.

As for the charger it's a 110v charger. The fan is to pull the heat from the body of the charger. The charger itself is completely sealed off from outside intrusions. I've flooded the lower compartment with water, and the battery box has enough height to it where water didn't get inside, so that's a solid plus, but then again these batteries are sealed. They don't need to vent, and water intrusion to the cells would take a serious act of God, or a drop from 5 feet up. I secured the charger to the box by using scotch 3m extreme mounting tape. It's double sided, so peeling the tape off the back is always fun.

So far I have taken the battery out on 7 trips. Two days were far from ideal to be on the water, but perfect for an added stress endurance test. The most battery life I have consumed was %52. That was a long, long, long day full of spot locking, and pulling the boat to different paddies offshore. This battery is no joke lighter than a single battery, and packs twice the usable battery life on the water!!!! Also what blew me away was when I did a capacity test on the battery. I was able to use almost 64Ah of battery life. I was concerned that possibly I had a faulty bms (battery management system). However the battery cut off at the intended 33.06v safety number as advertised. Mind was blown when I used up 63.7Ah running a load of 4amps for almost 16 hours.

So I contacted Amped outdoors, and they put my mind at ease, stating that they sell batteries rated at usable Ah. So what that means is when you get a 36v 60Ah battery, or a 24v 80Ah battery. So you're getting what's stated on the battery and more! Per Amped Outdoors they state that the 60ah is somwhere in the 64ah of usable power before the Battery management system kicks in. Then it simply shuts off the battery before it passes the %20 SOC (State of charge) cutoff point. Also the 80Ah battery is rated somewhere around 88Ah usable!! I'm definitely intrigued by this company, and how they're pushing the limits of the other more known about companies out in this industry. They've fashioned their business model after the most successful lithium battery product... yet half the price, and better customer service. Trust me I have bugged them like crazy.

Attached photo is the battery test me, and my step-dad ran. Don't mind the voltage cut-off in the photo. We were running for total capacity usable. So we never set that number to cut off the test on purpose! Hope this helps some of you guys and gals!