rubble Posted October 24, 2016 Report Posted October 24, 2016 Planning a two week fishing trip in Dec and am shooting for more TOW in 2017. HAVE to replace my TM and will be going from 24v to 36v. So need to get some suggestions on Batteries, Charger and TM. Batteries: Currently using Exide Group 31 Nautilus Deep Cycle. Didn't use them enough to get an opinion on how well they worked but I do know that the last two years they have held minimal charge. They are dated 2011. Must Replace regardless. I use Exide because of a relative that owns an auto parts store. Never run into any issues when it comes to warranty but he says He replaces his TM's every 3 years regardless. What TM batteries give you the most bang for the buck? Odyssey? Deka? Duracell at Sam's? Other? Flooded or Gel? What about Cranking Battery? Charger: Will be going with a 4 bank Charger. Have had very good luck with the Dual Pro. Have read some great reviews on the Stealth but my boat will be sitting for a month at a time. Will most likely leave plugged in. That isn't an issue with the Dual Pro system. What about Stealth? Trolling Motor: Want to go with a remote operated TM but will likely try to get a foot control that is wired. I think iPilot is the only option there. Haven't studied TMs much. Is the iPilot the right way to go? Can it spot lock without a Hummingbird unit? Can it set it's own path or does it have to be linked to the Hbird to do that? Will have to purchase the Charger and the TM online or thru a dealer not in my area since nobody around here carries those things. Where are the best places to look for a deal and good support?
fishmanjj Posted October 24, 2016 Report Posted October 24, 2016 I can only speak for mine....36 volt 112 lb I Pilot, 3 Deka's 31's, Minn Kota 3 bank charger, the trolling motor batteries and charger are completely separate from my starting or deep cycle livewell/ bait batteries. Long story....so anyway...I have had zero problems with the Deka's , the TM or the charger. I use them almost every weekend...sometimes back to back 6 hour days and easily get two days from an overnight complete charge after two years of using. My boat is a 22 ft Pathfinder.
Wanaflatsfish Posted October 25, 2016 Report Posted October 25, 2016 2 hours ago, rubble said: Planning a two week fishing trip in Dec and am shooting for more TOW in 2017. HAVE to replace my TM and will be going from 24v to 36v. So need to get some suggestions on Batteries, Charger and TM. Batteries: Currently using Exide Group 31 Nautilus Deep Cycle. Didn't use them enough to get an opinion on how well they worked but I do know that the last two years they have held minimal charge. They are dated 2011. Must Replace regardless. I use Exide because of a relative that owns an auto parts store. Never run into any issues when it comes to warranty but he says He replaces his TM's every 3 years regardless. What TM batteries give you the most bang for the buck? Odyssey? Deka? Duracell at Sam's? Other? Flooded or Gel? What about Cranking Battery? Charger: Will be going with a 4 bank Charger. Have had very good luck with the Dual Pro. Have read some great reviews on the Stealth but my boat will be sitting for a month at a time. Will most likely leave plugged in. That isn't an issue with the Dual Pro system. What about Stealth? Trolling Motor: Want to go with a remote operated TM but will likely try to get a foot control that is wired. I think iPilot is the only option there. Haven't studied TMs much. Is the iPilot the right way to go? Can it spot lock without a Hummingbird unit? Can it set it's own path or does it have to be linked to the Hbird to do that? Will have to purchase the Charger and the TM online or thru a dealer not in my area since nobody around here carries those things. Where are the best places to look for a deal and good support? I had 4 DEKA series 31's....I now have 2 27's and a DEKA as the house. Charger....MK or Dual Pro are easy installs.... TM - I have had zero problems with the Ulterra...best investment I've ever made. If EXIDE's worked, go for it if the price is right.....but, remember, they have to be managed....get the most reserve you can get for the 36V dc
rubble Posted October 25, 2016 Author Report Posted October 25, 2016 Dino, The Ulterra is the self deploy model, correct? One question I've had about these remote TMs is what happens when you get in grass or a rocky bottom and need to pull the TM up manually? Is that even possible?
JEM Posted October 25, 2016 Report Posted October 25, 2016 On the Ulterra, you simply hit the button to trim the motor straight up.....easy peasy! It's easier than the IPilot in shallow water.
fin-addict Posted October 25, 2016 Report Posted October 25, 2016 DEKA series 27 dp. two for my 24v tm and two for my start/house, wet cell. charger is three bank guest.
rubble Posted October 25, 2016 Author Report Posted October 25, 2016 Any suggestions for installing the Ulterra? Will I need to use some type of adapter over the existing area where the old TM is removed? Need to get the quick release bracket? Is it a decent DIY or have a Minn Kota Dealer do it? I'll be in Tampa for a few days with the boat sitting. I could see if a dealer there could install it. Any suggestions for a dealer in Tampa or in the Naples area?
fishmanjj Posted October 25, 2016 Report Posted October 25, 2016 Trapper Custom Marine is in Naples, they were a Pathfinder dealer some years ago..not sure about now. Worth a try to check on it.......... JJ
JEM Posted October 25, 2016 Report Posted October 25, 2016 50 minutes ago, rubble said: Any suggestions for installing the Ulterra? Will I need to use some type of adapter over the existing area where the old TM is removed? Need to get the quick release bracket? Is it a decent DIY or have a Minn Kota Dealer do it? I'll be in Tampa for a few days with the boat sitting. I could see if a dealer there could install it. Any suggestions for a dealer in Tampa or in the Naples area? You definitely want to use a quick release plate. Master Repair in Stuart installed my Ulterra. Once you get use to the auto self deploy, you will not want to fish a boat without one. It ruins you, especially if you are old and decrepit like me!
rubble Posted October 25, 2016 Author Report Posted October 25, 2016 Wish I could head to Master Repair. Heard a lot of great things about them. Just on the wrong coast.
JEM Posted October 25, 2016 Report Posted October 25, 2016 I had an extensive redo, so it was definitely worth my drive down from Georgia. But if you have anything else needing done, a cross state tow is worth it. It gets done right the first time and no going back for corrections. And no, I am not a paid rep for Mike.
conocean Posted October 26, 2016 Report Posted October 26, 2016 My suggestions.... Batteries: Odyssey 1200's for Trolling Motor and either a Deka 31 or Optima blue top for house. Charger: Stealth AC/DC. (once you buy this unit you will wonder why you didn't buy one sooner!) Trolling Motor: Old school 82lb Motor Guide with extension handle. (the turning noise/vibration of the remote TM's drives me crazy and they spook fish!) Rigger: Bob @ Inshore Marine Specialties
Capt. Troy Posted October 26, 2016 Report Posted October 26, 2016 3 hours ago, conocean said: My suggestions.... Batteries: Odyssey 1200's for Trolling Motor and either a Deka 31 or Optima blue top for house. Charger: Stealth AC/DC. (once you buy this unit you will wonder why you didn't buy one sooner!) Trolling Motor: Old school 82lb Motor Guide with extension handle. (the turning noise/vibration of the remote TM's drives me crazy and they spook fish!) Rigger: Bob @ Inshore Marine Specialties I second this. ^^^^^^ Another alternative for the TM batteries is the Duracell at Sams Club. Same spec as the Odyssey but shorter warranty but a LOT cheaper. If in Tampa for rigging I would give TA Mahoney a call. They may can help answer some of your questions and get you fixed up. Or try family boating center if their not too busy.
linesider 159 Posted October 26, 2016 Report Posted October 26, 2016 Batteries i use are duracell from sams club group 27. Charger is Minn kota 440d. Trolling motor is ipilot riptide and order the foot pedal. Whatever boat i have next will either have the stealth or minn kota charge on the fly system. In LA last week my troller died every single day and it drove me nuts
rubble Posted November 2, 2016 Author Report Posted November 2, 2016 Talked to the guy at Stealth today. He is full of info. Talking way over my head. For you guys running Stealth chargers, are you using the Stealth AC and DC system together? He says I can just purchase the DC and Gauge while continuing with the Dual Pro. I like that idea since the Dual Pro works fine but should I just pull it and try to sell it so that I can go with the complete AC/DC system? Also, I didn't quite understand everything about staying inside the numbers and doing regular maintenance (quarterly?). Is there much to that? He suggested that the worst thing to do with the batteries is to leave them plugged in when not using them. Says that burns a battery up quicker. I'm on year 5. Started loosing strength in the TM batteries at year 4. He believes that one could just take the standard walmart elcheapos for TM and Crank and they would work great with the Stealth as long as they all have over 200 reserve amps. No use spending big $$$ on the better known batteries. He also mentioned that they had a Lithium 36v battery that is the real deal. Big price tag for that and the charging system but if I were in the boat weekly, sounds like a great option as it saves a ton of space and weight. Ordered the new Riptide Ulterra 36v, 60" with i-pilot link and bt. They apparently quit making the previous model without the BT. Doing the quick release and the Pedal. Any install tips on matching the current TM footprint? Will the quick release slide right in over where the old base was or am I going to have to do some glass work to cover up the old holes?
bernieNC Posted November 2, 2016 Report Posted November 2, 2016 57 minutes ago, rubble said: Talked to the guy at Stealth today. He is full of info. Talking way over my head. For you guys running Stealth chargers, are you using the Stealth AC and DC system together? He says I can just purchase the DC and Gauge while continuing with the Dual Pro. I like that idea since the Dual Pro works fine but should I just pull it and try to sell it so that I can go with the complete AC/DC system? Also, I didn't quite understand everything about staying inside the numbers and doing regular maintenance (quarterly?). Is there much to that? He suggested that the worst thing to do with the batteries is to leave them plugged in when not using them. Says that burns a battery up quicker. I'm on year 5. Started loosing strength in the TM batteries at year 4. He believes that one could just take the standard walmart elcheapos for TM and Crank and they would work great with the Stealth as long as they all have over 200 reserve amps. No use spending big $$$ on the better known batteries. He also mentioned that they had a Lithium 36v battery that is the real deal. Big price tag for that and the charging system but if I were in the boat weekly, sounds like a great option as it saves a ton of space and weight. Ordered the new Riptide Ulterra 36v, 60" with i-pilot link and bt. They apparently quit making the previous model without the BT. Doing the quick release and the Pedal. Any install tips on matching the current TM footprint? Will the quick release slide right in over where the old base was or am I going to have to do some glass work to cover up the old holes? Stealth maintenance? Not sure what you are talking about there. Been running one for 3 1/2 years now. I check connections now and then. Check water in batteries (Interstates) and that is it. Actually have been very surprised at how little water they require. I fish a couple times a week and have plugged the charger in twice in the last 6 months. I still say the Stealth system is the most amazing "gadget" on a fully rigged boat.
SWilson Posted November 2, 2016 Report Posted November 2, 2016 I ran the Stealth DC, with a 2 bank Dual Pro for a couple of years on my old HPX; it worked perfectly. I'm going to run the same thing (3 bank Dual Pro / Stealth) on our new 2300HPS when it's built. We fished for days without ever charging the TM batteries. It's a must have for me.
polliwog Posted November 2, 2016 Report Posted November 2, 2016 You asked about a rigger in Naples, I have used Sawyers for last 7yrs for many electrical things including TM installation and they are great, Ask to speak to Kit,the owner.phone#239-417-0141. I'll be there tomorrow for a new GPS/depth sounder install. The quick release pad just goes right over the former install and should cover the holes. Great item to have BTW.
rubble Posted November 2, 2016 Author Report Posted November 2, 2016 20 hours ago, bernieNC said: Stealth maintenance? Not sure what you are talking about there. Been running one for 3 1/2 years now. I check connections now and then. Check water in batteries (Interstates) and that is it. Actually have been very surprised at how little water they require. I fish a couple times a week and have plugged the charger in twice in the last 6 months. I still say the Stealth system is the most amazing "gadget" on a fully rigged boat. What he was suggesting was to take a battery tester to the batteries and put a draw on them and watch the onboard gauge to see where the numbers are. That way you can seem an eye on the status of each battery and address the battery as soon as it isn't within the numbers. I didn't really follow what he was saying because it was numbers and chemistry but it sounded good. I think he said it's in their O.M.
rubble Posted November 3, 2016 Author Report Posted November 3, 2016 Can anyone confirm this setup is correct for the 36v system with a Stealth DC Box? I've looked all over the web and tried to verify by cross checking some. This is the diagram that makes the most sense to me.
rubble Posted November 18, 2016 Author Report Posted November 18, 2016 Follow up... Batteries... So I went back with the Exide that my uncle carries at his automotive parts place. I know that if anything is wrong they will just hand me another battery. Got Group 31 Deep Cell for the 36V TM system and got the Group 27 Cranking Battery. Lot of weight in that Center Console and it fills up the entire floor. Had to take the thing fiberglass rigging cap and put in 3/4" starboard with a strap to hold the 4th battery which means I'll have to remove the battery to get access to the rigging area but it's just the one battery (see photo) Charger... So according to the guy from Stealth, the only problem with the drawing above is that TM1 and TM 3 are backwards. Just switch the two. Otherwise this is the proper setup for going from 24v to 36v keeping the current Dual Pro AC Charger and adding the Stealth 1 DC Charger. That is exactly what I did. I'm a Stealth Fanboy like Paul. Danny at Stealth is great. He always answers the phone and is in no hurry to get to any other duties. He is all about customer service and will fill you full of information that you have no clue about. Well, he did me anyway. They actually sent out the DC charger and he told me when I ordered to throw his diagram away and just call him and he'd walk me thru the connections. He actually didn't want anything connected so that he could walk me thru everything with a digital tester so that I could see how the system worked. I still haven't figured it out but it did everything he said it would so I trust him. If I were fishing all the time, I'd go with his 36V lithium battery and may even setup a connection from the boat to the trailer so that I could charger while trailering the boat. That is an amazing idea. If you fished weekly, there would never be a reason to plug in the AC Charger. You would charge the entire system every time the engine was on or the boat was trailered down the road. Trolling Motor... I called a dealer about an hour away that I was told had a great price on TMs. He quoted me a price about $300 cheaper than anywhere in FL that I had checked with but I had to order by a certain date to get the Fire Sale Price. I called that day and he said he'd check the inventory. Ordered the Riptide Ulterra 36v 60" i-polot link with 112# thrust. He called back and said that model was being replaced with the new bluetooth version and asked if I wanted to spend another hundred and get it. I said I'd prefer to get what I ordered if it was still available. He called back to inform me that his supplier was out of the old model and had the new models coming in. They just arrived at his supplier today and I should be able to pick up next week. Looking forward to getting that installed. Will also be getting the wired pedal and quick release mount. Here are a few of the rough-in photos. Everything is connected now but I'll have to clean up some wires as soon as I have some time. Will post those later as well as the TM install. Also added a Terk XM Marine Antenna to the top of the CC today. I have the Pioneer XMP3 that I take from my truck to the boat and keep in the glove box. I use a home kit base and added a 12c cig plug inside the glove box with an Aux line to the CMD4. Neat little setup. Was tired of the home antenna (and the zip tied 20' of cord stashed in the box) coming out of the glove box and not being able to close the door. For anyone out there afraid DIY rigging... It isn't so bad. If you have the tools and are even halfway handy, it's actually pretty rewarding to do your own work.
JEM Posted November 18, 2016 Report Posted November 18, 2016 Nice job, and nice write up! Congratulations!
Wanaflatsfish Posted November 18, 2016 Report Posted November 18, 2016 NICE JOB...JUST DON'T FORGET TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE WATER IN THE BATTERIES.... I HAD ONE GO DRY AND ME AS I WAS CHARGING ON A REGULAR BASIS AND DURING THE SUMMER, IT MUST OF JUST GO TOO HOT. DC
rubble Posted November 18, 2016 Author Report Posted November 18, 2016 Dino, Danny at Stealth explained why that happens. He wants to charge the batteries until they are in the right amp range. He doesn't want them to cycle all the way down and then charge back up. That creates HEAT which causes the water to evaporate. His system is designed to avoid causing the batteries to heat up. Sounds like that's what happens when they continually draw down and charge up while plugged in all the time. He says that will ruin a battery quicker than anything. I asked how often to check the water and he said if you stay inside the numbers, never. If you are charging all the time, probably monthly.
fishmanjj Posted November 18, 2016 Report Posted November 18, 2016 Keep the console door open while charging......the process needs ventilation.
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