Made the Switch to Lithiums

[Bassin Bob71]

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I was having issues with one of my Interstate TM batteries and was really on the fence about going Lithium. I did take the plunge and installed (3) Ionic 50AH batteries from Drew, battery trays from BBT and a new Noco Gen Pro 10x4 charger. Yesterday was the first day out with the new setup and all the hype you hear about Li batteries is real! Didn't get a chance to run WOT (lake has a speed limit) but I noticed the improved hole shot everyone talks about. My boat has always had a great hole shot but it is markedly better now. The other thing that I'm happy about is the reduced backwash from the PP brackets when setting it down. Still have to "goose" the throttle a little at final set down but nothing like with lead acid batteries. I kept the batteries in the same locations as factory and with the reduced size, it let me keep some tools and other items in the back freeing up compartment space.

I fished what I would consider a normal fishing trip for me and ended the day at 83% battery life. The brushless Ghost motor is easy on batteries which surely helps. Overall very, very pleased with the setup!




Next one to get replaced is the Interstate cranking AGM. For those on the fence about going to Lithium, make the jump. I'm glad I did

[jc2bg]

Same experience here, Bob. I have three 80ah lithiums for trolling, and even in extreme current (Detroit River) or fighting topped out weeds all day, it takes at most 2 hours to bring those batteries back to full charge. I also have a series 31 AGM cranking battery, and the reserve power of that battery (not as good as lithium) plus *much* longer time to charge at the end of the day has me wondering about replacing with 100ah lithium. As soon as fuel costs go down again and I have expendable income….

[MengRanger]

I have the Ionic 125 for starting and accessories and it has been great!

[cmbtvet]

[davethebuilder]

Thanks for the post, I'm trying to decide if I should bite the bullet

[northdallasfisherman]

I made the switch also to ionic lithiums. I dumped the Johnny Morris lithiums it came with after several isssues and lots of back n forth and couldn’t get them covered on warranty. Very happy with the ionics and their customer support

[TopgunZ521C]

same here except i went with 4 125ah and charger boat is totally different hole shot and no more backwash from pole brackets.

[CatCanDoo]

Haven’t been able to get my #2 100ah below 60 percent even with heavy current most of the day. Ionic was back ordered so got 2 impulse lithiums and have been very impressed. Plan to get a lithium for cranking as soon as my big 31 blue top AGM dies.

[Capw]

I have (5) Ionics in the boat. I put (3) 50’s in for trolling motor. (2) 125’s in parallel for the engine and electronics. The 50’s went down to 68% in an 8 hour tournament. I was spot locked in a decent breeze most of the day. The 125’s were at 68% also and I have a lot of electronics on the boat. My power concerns are long gone unlike when I had agm.

[davethebuilder]

I have (5) Ionics in the boat. I put (3) 50’s in for trolling motor. (2) 125’s in parallel for the engine and electronics. The 50’s went down to 68% in an 8 hour tournament. I was spot locked in a decent breeze most of the day. The 125’s were at 68% also and I have a lot of electronics on the boat. My power concerns are long gone unlike when I had agm.

What charger are you using

[Bassin Bob71]

Thanks for the post, I'm trying to decide if I should bite the bullet

Do it!!!! I was on the fence too but very glad I made the switch. You won't regret it.

[Capw]

What charger are you using

Ionic 4 bank. The trolling batteries charge quick. The two 125’s take a while longer since they are in parallel.

[Bassmada]

Good to hear positive things about the Lithiums.

Was the backwash you guys are talking about caused from the weight of the batteries?

[Bassin Bob71]

Good to hear positive things about the Lithiums.

Was the backwash you guys are talking about caused from the weight of the batteries?

Not sure I would say caused, but the weight of the wet cell batteries surely added to it. In my case, the (3) group 31 Interstate TM batteries weigh 180 lbs total whereas the (3) Ionic 50ah weigh 49.5 lbs. Added to that, the dual pro 15x4 charger weighed 35 lbs while the Noco weighs 17. All said and done, I removed 148.5 lbs from the rear of my boat. It simply floats higher in the stern and when coming off plane, the rear doesn't sink as much now as it did before minimizing any PP bracket wash. I still have yet to see impact on the top end and suspect I will need to lower the motor some. All in all though I couldn't be happier with the change.

[Bassmada]

Not sure I would say caused, but the weight of the wet cell batteries surely added to it. In my case, the (3) group 31 Interstate TM batteries weigh 180 lbs total whereas the (3) Ionic 50ah weigh 49.5 lbs. Added to that, the dual pro 15x4 charger weighed 35 lbs while the Noco weighs 17. All said and done, I removed 148.5 lbs from the rear of my boat. It simply floats higher in the stern and when coming off plane, the rear doesn't sink as much now as it did before minimizing any PP bracket wash. I still have yet to see impact on the top end and suspect I will need to lower the motor some. All in all though I couldn't be happier with the change.

Thanks for the info Bob!

[MakingWaves]

Not sure I would say caused, but the weight of the wet cell batteries surely added to it. In my case, the (3) group 31 Interstate TM batteries weigh 180 lbs total whereas the (3) Ionic 50ah weigh 49.5 lbs. Added to that, the dual pro 15x4 charger weighed 35 lbs while the Noco weighs 17. All said and done, I removed 148.5 lbs from the rear of my boat. It simply floats higher in the stern and when coming off plane, the rear doesn't sink as much now as it did before minimizing any PP bracket wash. I still have yet to see impact on the top end and suspect I will need to lower the motor some. All in all though I couldn't be happier with the change.

I made the switch to the same setup Bob has last year so I've had some time fishing with it. My only complaint is I'm not a fan of the "attitude" of the boat now that it sits more parallel to the water surface. Where this is a negative is fishing in decent sized waves and having them come over the bow while running the trolling motor. This is happening now more than ever since removing the large amount of weight out of the stern. I literally told my wife the other day that I'm going to start filling my livewells when I'm fishing in conditions that now would have waves coming over the front while on the trolling motor. My only complaint.

[dean c]

Looking good Bob…see you still have the interstate AGM…guess it’s been working for you?

[Bassin Bob71]

Looking good Bob…see you still have the interstate AGM…guess it’s been working for you?

Well, I'm on year 3 with it and its working well but my confidence in it is low (since it is an Interstate). When the time comes, I'll likely replace it with a X2 AGM.

[dean c]

Well, I'm on year 3 with it and its working well but my confidence in it is low (since it is an Interstate). When the time comes, I'll likely replace it with a X2 AGM.

3 years is pretty good.

[411sponge]

I absolutely love my Battleborn lithiums!! Well worth the investment! I will never go back to a traditional battery ever again!