Cougar FTD 18

[Cougar76]

Wondering if anyone has transitioned to lithium batteries and which route you went. Had people say go with one 36V lithium for trolling motor (36 volt ultrex). Have the 2 stroke Merc soil have oil tank still. Then run two agm in parallel for cranking and electronics. Would like to hear from those that have made them switch. Would like to get a battery dedicated for electronics and only have room for 4 batteries depending on size. Thanks

[RonCat]

I went with Ionics, got a package deal. 3 50a for TM and 1 125a for engine/electronics. Run 2 HBirds and 1 Garmin plus Livescope, poles, never run down the 125a battery. Have had days where turned aerator on and run it 8+ hours, no issues. This has included on the Potomac River with its tide and wind. Have seen guys put lithium in rod locker for electronics. So many options…..

[Bill2e]

I have a 2017 Puma

Running Ionics

3 x 50 amp for TM and 1 125 Amp for cranking and 4 - 12 inch graphs - NOCO chargers and no issues with power at the end of the day.

[06 SB]

On my 2017 Cougar, I went with a 100ah Relion and 3x 50ah and never had any low voltage issues. I sold that boat to a buddy and everything is still going strong.

On my 2020 Caracal, I am using 3x 60ah Impulse LiFePo4s and a Northstar 31AGM for cranking and electronics. The 3x 60ah fit in the BCB tandem battery tray with some simple and inexpensive modifications. I have 3 10” Helix units, Mega 360 and MegaLive plus all the pumps and never have voltage issues either. I am keeping the AGM as a cranking battery due to having a 4-Stroke.

A guy in my club has a 2016 Caracal and he just went with the “All-In” package with charge on the run from Impulse. He has a single 36v battery and a 120ah cranking LiFePo4. It is amazing how much room he has in the bilge now! We fish the same tournaments and he has never had the single 36v die during the day.

There are some great options out there right now and can HIGHLY recommend Impulse Batteries. Be careful of some of the cheap batteries on Amazon or other places. There are differences in LiFePo4 battery cells and BMS just like you have differences in quality and price between Lead-Acid, Gel and AGM batteries.

[catdude28]

I would not go with a single 36 volt battery for the following reasons:

1) If the battery fails, you are at the mercy of the manufacturer until you are sent a new one. If you have 3 12's, if one fails, you could replace with a lead acid until your replacement comes.

2) If the battery fails, you are done fishing with a troller. If you have 3 12's and one battery fails, you can still run on 24 volts on many of the newer trollers.

3) You need a 36 volt charger. With 3 12's, you could likely use the charger that is already in your boat.

I would buy from a board sponsor if I were going lithium (Impulse, Ionic).

[TNReb]

I have a 2016 Cougar, but a 2019 Four Stroke.

I went with Ionics. 3x50 for TM, a single 125 for cranking. I have a 16, two 12's, SS3D, and LiveScope all on the cranking battery. I've never been below 65% on any batteries after a full day. With that being said, I don't fish many places that have current so my trolling motor doesn't stay on high constantly. If I'm fishing two days in a row (all day), I don't even have to charge my batteries at night.

[Cougar76]

So you can now use lithium for cranking battery and electronics and not void warranty on Merc Pro XS 2 Stroke? Remember when they first came out they stated not to use them.

[printman71]

I started with a clean slate, a new 2022 Cougar/250 Mercury from Sherm's Marine. It has the ProGuide cranking battery as installed by BassCat. I left the TM batteries out that Sherm typically installs and purchased a single NextGen 36V/40A Lithium battery with a stand alone charger. With several trips and 8 hours of fishing between charging, I have yet to see the battery go below 67% charge. My logic with the single battery is I can add a second matching battery and go to 80 amps if I ever need. I don't see that happening with my use so far. Charging from 67% back to 100% took less than 30 minutes. I chose the NextGen 36/40 as it is a 31 series size and fits the BassCat trays correctly. It's a lot of trouble to remove a BassCat battery tray. They are screwed in and glued down.

[06 SB]

So you can now use lithium for cranking battery and electronics and not void warranty on Merc Pro XS 2 Stroke? Remember when they first came out they stated not to use them.

Nothing can “VOID” a warranty. The manufacturer can deny a claim if, in this case, the LiFePo4 battery causes the damage. There are some good reasons to stay AGM if you have a 4S with its alternator output profile. This is not a concern on a 2S though.