Trolling motors are great to use in a boat or kayak.
But what limits it sometimes is the distance you can cover with a single charge from the battery.
This often leads to questions like can I charge my trolling motor batteries with a solar panel?
Yes you can charge your trolling motor batteries with a solar panel.
This will help extend the use time of your electric trolling motor when you are boating or kayaking on the water.
In this guide, you will also learn of the benefits of charging trolling motor with a solar panel.
Benefits Of Charging Trolling Motor With a Solar Panel
1) Increase In Use Time Of Trolling Motor
When you make use of an electric trolling motor that uses a battery as a source of power, the time of usage is usually limited to some people.
This is usually due to the number of hours the trolling motor can run before using up all the charge in the battery.
If you make use of a lead acid battery, the time of use will not be too long.
But if you make use of a battery like the lithium ion battery, then you will have a better and longer use time.
But irrespective of the type of battery that you make use of, you have to make sure that you recharge the batteries when they run down.
With the use of trolling motors that output more power, the energy in the battery will be used up quickly.
To continue using the battery with the trolling motor, you have to make sure that you recharge it.
This requires doing it at home or any place in which you charge.
This reduces the time you can optimally spend on the water while boating as you will need to recharge the batteries when they run down.
But there is a way in which you can have more usage time while using your trolling motor.
This is by having something that can charge the batteries of the trolling motor while on the water.
This will help make sure that the batteries do not run out of charge.
One of the best ways to achieve this is to make sure that you use a solar panel in your boat or kayak.
This will help charge your batteries and prevent them from running down while you use your trolling motor.
This is one of the benefits of charging trolling motor with a solar panel.
2) It Makes Use Of Boat Or Kayak Cheaper
One of the things that makes the use of a boat or kayak scary to some people has to do with the running cost of using them.
If you make use of a gasoline powered trolling motor for your kayak or boat, you will have to feed the engine with fuel for it to be able to function.
This really adds up to the cost of running the boat or kayak.
If the engine is the type that consumes a lot of fuel, you will have to spend a lot of money in buying fuel.
But if you are using an electric trolling motor, you will not spend any money in buying any fuel.
The source of power for the electric trolling motor will be from the batteries that is connected to the electric trolling motor.
With this, you can easily use a solar panel to charge the batteries when they reduce in voltage.
And the beautiful thing is that the energy from the solar panel is from the sun which is totally free.
This saves you from a huge expense of paying for the charging of the trolling motor batteries.
This is one of the great benefits of charging trolling motor with a solar panel because it will make the use of your boat or kayak less expensive to operate.
This has made the electric trolling motor have an increased in demand especially when the price of fuel is on a consistent increase.
3) It Reduces Stress Of Charging Trolling Motor Battery
Another advantage of charging trolling motor with a solar panel is that you reduce the stress of removing the batteries to charge when the batteries are low or out of charge.
It is always a very pleasant thing to make use of the electric trolling motor.
But there is always a stressful time attached to it.
This is when you want to replenish the energy in the batteries when they run down.
Some people pay in order to do this which does not really make meaning when compared to someone that is still using a gasoline powered trolling motor.
This is because you are still going to spend money to pay for charging the batter even if you are charging it in your house with the grid.
But to really enjoy the fun of making use of the electric trolling motor without spending much, the charge has to be replenished at a low or no cost.
This is when the use of solar panel to charge the batteries in a trolling motor comes in.
With the use of a solar panel to charge the batteries that you have in your trolling motor, you do not need to take out the battery for charging.
You do not need to even spend a dime too.
The whole process is totally free as the energy to charge the batteries will be generated from the sun and this is totally free.
What you have to do is to install a solar panel with a charge controller in your boat or kayak.
As you make use of your electric trolling motor, the energy from the solar panel will help in replenishing the used energy.
This will reduce the stress of replenishing the power in the batteries of your trolling motor.
As a result of this, you will have a higher drive time when you make use of your kayak or boat on the water surface.
4) More Devices Can Be Used
Another useful benefits of charging trolling motor with a solar panel is that it will help you to make use of more devices when you are boating.
When you are boating or kayaking, the provision to make use of 110volts or 220 volts is not usually available especially on very small boats and kayaks.
This will limit the type of devices you can power while you are boating or kayaking.
Due to this, you may not really enjoy your kayak or boating moment as much as you should if you had some devices with you.
But this should not be a big issue to you as it can be easily fixed.
An easy way to fix this is by having an inverter in your boat or kayak.
This will help in the production of a 110v or 220volts depending on the need of your device.
But using an inverter directly with the batteries of your trolling motor will lead to quick depletion of the energy in the batteries of the trolling motor.
If you do not have a means of replenishing the used energy, you may become stuck on the water due to a dead battery.
But to avoid this, you have to make use of a solar panel with your trolling motor batteries.
This will ensure that adequate power is supplied to the batteries of the trolling motor and help keep it functional for long.
This is one of the great benefits of charging trolling motor with a solar panel that you stand to enjoy.
If you have any question or suggestion on can I charge my trolling motor batteries with a solar panel, you can use the comment box.
Further Readings
Why Minn Kota Trolling Motor Won’t Turn On