I just bought a Caracal and am thinking about getting lithium batteries again. I had them in my 2015 V-20 which made a night and day difference in the hole shot but not much for speed. I’m interested in what I could expect with the Bass Cat hauls. Please post some numbers if you have them. Thanks!
It definitely will make the Caracal a different boat. Just a value vs. return situation and your affordability. It’s not worth the dollars unless your chasing speed and hole shot. Hole shot alone can be accomplished by going smaller on the propeller.
Many folks fail to realize the extreme risks running Lithiums. I just don't see any real neccessary gain vs. Risk in todays boats especially a basscat with it's already phenomenal performance. They are an extremely volatile battery and when they fail it will almost be guaranteed to destroy your entire boat. I would never run one unless they design an auto halon system in the bilge area. I've been messing with Lithiums for over 10years and they are just to risky even when handled with care and charged properly with the best equipment available.
Whats your current set up? If your running poles, 4 batteries, tons of gear etc... I think the gains would be very minimal. I had a caracal loaded down, 36v fortrex, poles, and went to a 4 blade prop, the boat handled all the way around better and top speed was about 71 (4 blade 24). I could get 73 with a 24p fury. I've heard of Ivan running one with a manual plate up to 78 with two guys and gear, no poles, 80lb troller. I think you would be better off getting another prop or having what ever you currently like/ are running worked. May pick up that 2-3 mph. And save alot of $$$
"the head, the tail, the whole damn thing"
Something I've wondered about batteries getting lighter and trolling motors getting heavier. Taking weight out of the rear and moving it to the front seems to be the trend.Originally Posted by Bass Cat Boats
Lithium should not be looked at in regards to performance of ones boat but should be looked at in regards to run time of ones trolling motor and electronics. Lithium at least in my opinion is the way to go for those two pre mentioned items. I am not aware of any "boat melt downs or explosions" where it was shown that a lithium battery was the root cause of failure. Not to say there has never been one, but I haven't read of any. A lot of time was spent by myself and others that decided to put lithium batteries in our boats, basscat, stratos and rangers and have no regrets. Anyone ask us, we will tell them go for it. Performance and reduced weight is just a added feature. Hope this helps.
I've worked with lithium batteries for years under conditions more extreme than a bass boat and have never had an issue, nor heard of any with batteries and chargers from reputable suppliers. Lead-acid batteries have risks as well. Please elaborate.
The opinion shared by the parties above would need elaborated on to understand the types of lithium batteries. They extend from large multi tiered cells for vehicles to your cell phone battery. The risks and experiences for those batteries vary with charging styles and use.
Relion RB100 12v for trolling motor, two of them and RB100HP 12v for cranking. Those ae the batteries that are in use. As a side note, one of your tour pro staffers is running the exact same batteries in his boat also. Hope it helps
I had a single 36v 40ah battery from Lithium Pros and one of their 12v batteries in my Legend V-20. I didn’t have any issues for the 3 years I used them. They made a night and day difference with the hole shot but I’m not sure about the top end speed. I loved that they would last all day and if I forgot to plug in the boat at night or was traveling it didn’t matter. I sold them with the boat and now and going to have to shop around to see if I can find a deal.
I was really curious if there was a difference with top end speed. I’ve heard from a few local guys that have a Caracal amd they say it’s 68-71 mph boat. I plan on putting a hydraulic jack plate and 10’ Power Poles on it. This is my first Bass Cat and my fist boat with a 225 rather than a 250 so I have some things to learn about the set up. Thanks!
Funny you say that...I know of a guy that is taking re manufactured Nissan LEAF batteries and somehow converting them to run his 36V Trolling motor
"Any pizza is a personal pizza if you believe in yourself"
Lithium Ion and Lithium Phosphate are far different in terms of volatility. Every Marine lithium I have seen is Lithium Phosphate which is perfectly safe. Not these things you see on the news. I would say maybe even safer than lead acid batteries.
When the time comes for new trolling motor batteries, this is what I plan on doing.
I am going to remove two of the batteries and leave the third in and go for reduced weight boat ride. This load test should give me a close idea of what to expect if I convert to lithium batteries.
I am assuming the third battery will still be the cranking. Side note, sometimes the more you purchase at one time, from the manufacture/sales person, the cheaper they are.
[QUOTE=Phisherman;9942125]I am assuming the third battery will still be the cranking. Side note, sometimes the more you purchase at one time, from the manufacture/sales person, the cheaper they are.[/QUOT
Oh yea, I run 3 batteries on a 36 volt trolling system.
I was thinking changing the trolling system out to lithium when the batteries go out.
If I take two of the three trolling batteries out for a load test, this should give me a feel for the lighter lithium load.
Dont believe you can mix a lithium with a lead based battery. Biggest reason I would think it because of the lithium having a auto protection system inside of the battery, in series. As the lead based battery looses its charge, it would actually effect the lithium batteries. Remember Lithium are 100% output until they shut down.
I would replace all three trolling motor batteries with two lithium for sure.
I will pull the third 12 volt lead battery after a boat ride.
The test ride should reveal how the lighter load will be.
The one lead battery weight is more than two lithium 36 volt batteries.
Lithium batteries weight about 1/3 of lead batteries.
I run lithium batteries so I know all about the weight advantages and performance advantages also
Wow why is this so hard for people to understand
I am not saying its not hard to understand, I just don't understand the train of thought. You want to know how the boat changes when it comes to floating, mark with tape, take batteries out, measure change.
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