AA's for fishfinder - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

gcsasher · 12-10-2008, 11:06 AM

I have the hobie kit and I find that the batteries don't last all day, and yes I've tried both kinds. they also don't fit snug enough to stay in the holder so if you hit a good wake they will loose the connection and you have to push them back in.(a rubber band works ok for this problem) the dry bag that you get with the kit aslo gets soaked and with the wire running in it tends to get a bit of water inside. On that note I will be going to a battery box.

speedydk · 12-10-2008, 07:10 PM

I use a Humminbird 383c as well. I went with the sealed lead acid battery since I was planning on a kayatank install and wanted a single power source I haven't run it dead in a single day but generally my days run 4-6 hr.s. My battery generally lasts 3 trips (figure a min. of 12hr.s) before I recharge, running the livewell has not proven to be a problem thanks to the timer I'm sure. I am also considering running a solar charging system so I will always have ample battery power. Has anyone else tried this I have heard of someone else doing it but woul like to know more?
tia
Darren

PescadorPete · 12-11-2008, 08:28 AM

You want to use high capacity NiMH AA cells. You'll need 10 cells to get 12 volts. Here is how I do it. The batteries are 2.6 amp hours so they last a long time.

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?page=19

http://www.all-battery.com/t-698810c...ries--new.aspx

bluesquids · 12-11-2008, 02:09 PM

You don't have to have 10 AA's. 8 works fine. I've gotten 20 hours out of a charge on a 3 day trip. I have the 2300 maH. rechargeables. They won't hold the charge over many days or weeks like regular batteries will. I keep reg. batteries as a back up and they seem to last pretty long too.

Heres's the info on it....
"The operating voltage of an NiMH cell is 1.2. Eight obviously gets you 10.6v when connected in series. Since most FF's are designed to run on 12 volt boat batteries will this work? Not to worry. The literature says the operating range is 10 to 15 volts. Most will probably work slightly outside of this range but 10.6 works just fine. Incidentally, I emailed Humminbird on this and they said you need 12v to operate properly and my Matrix 10 will draw 1/4 amp. When I questioned them further they said they will operate on 8 volts. Society's litigiousness makes most companies err very much on the safe side when speaking in public. We all know we don't need the full 12v and I estimate the average draw on my Matrix 10 at 165mah."
http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/art...ak_Articles=23
http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/art...ak_Articles=39

12-11-2008, 02:09 PM	#4
bluesquids Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Jamul, CA Posts: 243	You don't have to have 10 AA's. 8 works fine. I've gotten 20 hours out of a charge on a 3 day trip. I have the 2300 maH. rechargeables. They won't hold the charge over many days or weeks like regular batteries will. I keep reg. batteries as a back up and they seem to last pretty long too. Heres's the info on it.... "The operating voltage of an NiMH cell is 1.2. Eight obviously gets you 10.6v when connected in series. Since most FF's are designed to run on 12 volt boat batteries will this work? Not to worry. The literature says the operating range is 10 to 15 volts. Most will probably work slightly outside of this range but 10.6 works just fine. Incidentally, I emailed Humminbird on this and they said you need 12v to operate properly and my Matrix 10 will draw 1/4 amp. When I questioned them further they said they will operate on 8 volts. Society's litigiousness makes most companies err very much on the safe side when speaking in public. We all know we don't need the full 12v and I estimate the average draw on my Matrix 10 at 165mah." http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/art...ak_Articles=23 http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/art...ak_Articles=39 __________________ Thanks, bluesquids

12-10-2008, 11:06 AM	#1
gcsasher Junior Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 27	I have the hobie kit and I find that the batteries don't last all day, and yes I've tried both kinds. they also don't fit snug enough to stay in the holder so if you hit a good wake they will loose the connection and you have to push them back in.(a rubber band works ok for this problem) the dry bag that you get with the kit aslo gets soaked and with the wire running in it tends to get a bit of water inside. On that note I will be going to a battery box.

12-10-2008, 07:10 PM	#2
speedydk Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Orange County Ca. Posts: 99	I use a Humminbird 383c as well. I went with the sealed lead acid battery since I was planning on a kayatank install and wanted a single power source I haven't run it dead in a single day but generally my days run 4-6 hr.s. My battery generally lasts 3 trips (figure a min. of 12hr.s) before I recharge, running the livewell has not proven to be a problem thanks to the timer I'm sure. I am also considering running a solar charging system so I will always have ample battery power. Has anyone else tried this I have heard of someone else doing it but woul like to know more? tia Darren

12-11-2008, 08:28 AM	#3
PescadorPete Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Leucadia, CA Posts: 261	You want to use high capacity NiMH AA cells. You'll need 10 cells to get 12 volts. Here is how I do it. The batteries are 2.6 amp hours so they last a long time. http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?page=19 http://www.all-battery.com/t-698810c...ries--new.aspx