36v Lithium Batteries

[CaptDavis]

Has anyone tried the new 36 volt Lithium batteries?  They are expensive, but saves on weight, and one company that I saw has a 10 year warranty. (If they are still around)  What have you heard about them, good or bad?

[triplec]

I don't run them but Capt. Leon Dana does up here in NE Florida. He swears by them or used to. Give him a call and he will fill you in,

 

[Josh B]

Everyone I know personally who runs them is "sponsored" by them... so either getting for free or at a really large discount. 

Until they can bring the price down low enough for the common guy I think they will struggle. They are obviously a great advantage, especially in poling skiffs where draft is easily affected... but at this point the cost/benefit is just not worth it for the majority of folks. 

They'll get there one day, they get cheaper every day. I wouldn't be surprised if in 5 years everyone has them.

Josh B.

[linesider 159]

I have them and am not sponsored. I have 2 36 volt 40AH lithiums from lithium pros. I have had to send two back for warranty purposes, and when one started bulging 2 months out of warranty (4 years) I was given the cold shoulder. Going on 2 years of hard use with my most recent one and it has been great. 

One battery will last all day and a 20 minute run will recharge it pretty quickly. At $2300 a piece and ~500 for chargers its a tough pill to swallow. Not really sure Id do it again. My new boat came with optima blue tops which are 60-70lbs a piece, so I'm tempted to switch it over to lithium. 

On a light boat that is weight sensitive its great for storage and weight purposes. 

Josh is right about the sponsored guys. Take it with a grain of salt when they preach about them, my buddy was a rep on the Bassmaster elite tour and said they were constantly being replaced because of issues (granted this was 2 years ago)