I just arrived home. It was quite a fright.
A few days ago, I purchased a Everstart deep cycle battery with 120 amps for an electric trolling motor.
I connected the Intex motor to the battery which has an auto read on the battery power. It revealed the Everstart battery, was low.
I then purchased a "speed charger" from Walmart which was specifically for 12 volt deep cycle batteries.
When I saw the battery was at bottom, I began to charge with this "speed charger from Walmart. It displayed green, meaning the batter was at full power...and was in trickle charge mode....
I waited a day...and it did not move in terms of charging....then I began to research....this charger was a trickle charger...and as I studied the manual it stated it would keep deep cycle batteries up to par, but if you attempted to charge them, it could damage the battery. I immediately pulled the plug and went to Walmart for the appropriate charger.....This was a completely different charger, with fast options to charge at 15 Amps, then 10 and 5 I believe.
After only a couple hours, with whistling and cool sounds, the battery charger displayed 100 percent. Now I was confident. And with this confidence and perfect weather for today, I decided to take advantage of the time.
Packed all gear and headed to the Old Saybrook launch near the train overpass. Prior to that I stopped at Teds bait and tackle. Very good service....and told me best place to launch....Very few people and boats left me feeling much more relaxed..and the launch is clean and large.
So I'm feeling good. I launched the boat, but the meter on the motor in the bright sunlight was difficult to read. Based on the night be fore's readings, I should have had full of battery power..
Not even before I was able to exit the launch, DEEP approached. Nice guy......warned me about battery power..asked me how much I had....I told him I purchased a battery twice the recommended size. also wanted to give me a discount package on a better life jacket...he asked me to grab onto his lines, while I gave him my info for a discount on the jacket. He asked me how much I invested in the boat and recommended I study the charts for the area. I was surprised because very large vessels travel under the rail road bridge. Okay I said, I will look into it. I have no clue in chart reading...but will look into it.
He allowed me on my way despite my crumby decals on the boat... I will note, I did have my registration sticker displayed.
So I headed out towards the mouth of the CT river. The guys at the tackle shop told me I should be good 150 anchored from the bridge. This is about a half mile from the mouth.
I arrive there and anchor....It is two hours to high tide....I see lots of people fishing off the pier. As I cast my first line into the water with a fat blood worm, I notice it is quite heave for my bass rod....
I get lots of nibbles, and shortly land a small striper...he was a fighter and I let him go immediately... lots of nibbling, but I expected a big strike afterwards...did not happen.....time was peaking for high tide and now I began to bob like a cork...Ha Ha, the newbie deserves this and maybe more...so I expected it.. MY 15 pound mushroom anchor held me in place but being the first time in this area I was concerned just how choppy it would get.
Turned out this only lasted and hour, I was lucky...a few waves broke in the boat....and the water even at high tide was shallow...six feet at best......but I began to look at the battery meter which now displayed red... "WHAT" I just charged this last night and should have a full 4 hours...Ive only used 45 minutes. I continued to fish and there was not a boat in sight for hours...I was alone...I really wanted something good and alternated from bunker to sand worms...the bunker did not do the trick....I expect because I was not near a school of fish although I did see I large striper jump out of the water right in front of the boat...
Had a snack and organized the boat...the battery meter was on red as I anchored hours before so I knew there was the possibility
I may not make it back to the launch....but there was nothing I could do. The sun eventually started to set and the water calmed...it was time for me to make my way back...I put on my life jacket and headed back....the battery despite only one hour of use or less was still on red....there were no other boats out there...and now I was going against the tide again......
I put the 40 lb Intex motor in full throttle and headed in a diagonal direction to port, came upon a sailboat and gave way...panic was setting in and I was becoming angry about all the research and work I did despite being in this situation...I have a sister with a large power boat and often thought about buying her flairs for safety...and now I felt stupid...I had flashlights still in their packages with batteries and a air horn......and my boat was running slowly against the current....I was pretty sure I was not going to make it back from the train bridge to the launch....but I did not panic....
I eventually did make it back to the launch......I wanted to keep it tight as I rounded the corner as I felt I was running on the last of the "juice." Through the dusk I noticed all kinds of line coming from fisherman on the pier....and I tried to avoid by steering starboard , but one line ended up on my rod holder...then the shouting began....and I grabbed the line and released it....shouts of marine 100 yards from the dock could be heard....but I was focused on getting to safety.....
I did make it thank god. If the battery failed, I would have swiftly been sent out to the sound in the darkness...quite a frightful thought. As I pulled in a concerned father explained his son lost his fishing rod due to my inability to follow marine guidelines.
I explained, I was almost out of battery power and had to cut it tightly...also in the darkness it was difficult to determine the distance...I did despite the fear, move about my boat in a quick fashion release his line while steering my boat and release his line, but I must say, these lines seemed to fill the channel....I did feel I gave them plenty of room....and judging distances is difficult enough during the day let alone the eve......however, I did release the line caught on my rod holder..which is where it landed. I still do not know if my boat suffered any punctures.
In retro, I should have used my air horn, 5 toots and yelling emergency, pull your lines in....that is today's lesson for me...
The boy was able to get his rod back....I felt badly he had to go through that..but at the same time....Ive got a pack of 50 guys fishing on a pier that don't give a sheet about me.....so im in an emergency and im supposed to take a trip in the dark a quarter mile away from my destination against the current.....and I do believe I was within 150 yards from the fisherman on the pier...it was too close to call.
For my second trip in my life...at the moment...okay..I dont think I did badly..but im buying flares and a radio.....
I'm interested to know if other guys have gone out past this bridge to deep waters in the mouth with my sized boat....For one hour at peak high tide, it was hairy...but the boat bobbed like a cork and I only had two splashes...before I knew it, it was calm again...
I'm going to check on the battery now which is charging...but I think I'm going to return it....I'm a bandit at saving receipts, but damn it, I cannot find this one. Being that I purchased the battery within the past ten days...Walmart has to have some record between my name credit card and their bar code showing when the purchase took place.....
After I get the battery figured out, I would like to head out to the mouth...the place I was fishing was shallow....very small fish...but I don't want to risk safety....
I will keep y'all updated....one small striper and a perch was better then I did since opening day in fresh water...plus I learned how to set up a rig in a new place with much larger possibilities.
Maybe this will give experienced guys a good laugh and new guys a few thoughts...
A few days ago, I purchased a Everstart deep cycle battery with 120 amps for an electric trolling motor.
I connected the Intex motor to the battery which has an auto read on the battery power. It revealed the Everstart battery, was low.
I then purchased a "speed charger" from Walmart which was specifically for 12 volt deep cycle batteries.
When I saw the battery was at bottom, I began to charge with this "speed charger from Walmart. It displayed green, meaning the batter was at full power...and was in trickle charge mode....
I waited a day...and it did not move in terms of charging....then I began to research....this charger was a trickle charger...and as I studied the manual it stated it would keep deep cycle batteries up to par, but if you attempted to charge them, it could damage the battery. I immediately pulled the plug and went to Walmart for the appropriate charger.....This was a completely different charger, with fast options to charge at 15 Amps, then 10 and 5 I believe.
After only a couple hours, with whistling and cool sounds, the battery charger displayed 100 percent. Now I was confident. And with this confidence and perfect weather for today, I decided to take advantage of the time.
Packed all gear and headed to the Old Saybrook launch near the train overpass. Prior to that I stopped at Teds bait and tackle. Very good service....and told me best place to launch....Very few people and boats left me feeling much more relaxed..and the launch is clean and large.
So I'm feeling good. I launched the boat, but the meter on the motor in the bright sunlight was difficult to read. Based on the night be fore's readings, I should have had full of battery power..
Not even before I was able to exit the launch, DEEP approached. Nice guy......warned me about battery power..asked me how much I had....I told him I purchased a battery twice the recommended size. also wanted to give me a discount package on a better life jacket...he asked me to grab onto his lines, while I gave him my info for a discount on the jacket. He asked me how much I invested in the boat and recommended I study the charts for the area. I was surprised because very large vessels travel under the rail road bridge. Okay I said, I will look into it. I have no clue in chart reading...but will look into it.
He allowed me on my way despite my crumby decals on the boat... I will note, I did have my registration sticker displayed.
So I headed out towards the mouth of the CT river. The guys at the tackle shop told me I should be good 150 anchored from the bridge. This is about a half mile from the mouth.
I arrive there and anchor....It is two hours to high tide....I see lots of people fishing off the pier. As I cast my first line into the water with a fat blood worm, I notice it is quite heave for my bass rod....
I get lots of nibbles, and shortly land a small striper...he was a fighter and I let him go immediately... lots of nibbling, but I expected a big strike afterwards...did not happen.....time was peaking for high tide and now I began to bob like a cork...Ha Ha, the newbie deserves this and maybe more...so I expected it.. MY 15 pound mushroom anchor held me in place but being the first time in this area I was concerned just how choppy it would get.
Turned out this only lasted and hour, I was lucky...a few waves broke in the boat....and the water even at high tide was shallow...six feet at best......but I began to look at the battery meter which now displayed red... "WHAT" I just charged this last night and should have a full 4 hours...Ive only used 45 minutes. I continued to fish and there was not a boat in sight for hours...I was alone...I really wanted something good and alternated from bunker to sand worms...the bunker did not do the trick....I expect because I was not near a school of fish although I did see I large striper jump out of the water right in front of the boat...
Had a snack and organized the boat...the battery meter was on red as I anchored hours before so I knew there was the possibility
I may not make it back to the launch....but there was nothing I could do. The sun eventually started to set and the water calmed...it was time for me to make my way back...I put on my life jacket and headed back....the battery despite only one hour of use or less was still on red....there were no other boats out there...and now I was going against the tide again......
I put the 40 lb Intex motor in full throttle and headed in a diagonal direction to port, came upon a sailboat and gave way...panic was setting in and I was becoming angry about all the research and work I did despite being in this situation...I have a sister with a large power boat and often thought about buying her flairs for safety...and now I felt stupid...I had flashlights still in their packages with batteries and a air horn......and my boat was running slowly against the current....I was pretty sure I was not going to make it back from the train bridge to the launch....but I did not panic....
I eventually did make it back to the launch......I wanted to keep it tight as I rounded the corner as I felt I was running on the last of the "juice." Through the dusk I noticed all kinds of line coming from fisherman on the pier....and I tried to avoid by steering starboard , but one line ended up on my rod holder...then the shouting began....and I grabbed the line and released it....shouts of marine 100 yards from the dock could be heard....but I was focused on getting to safety.....
I did make it thank god. If the battery failed, I would have swiftly been sent out to the sound in the darkness...quite a frightful thought. As I pulled in a concerned father explained his son lost his fishing rod due to my inability to follow marine guidelines.
I explained, I was almost out of battery power and had to cut it tightly...also in the darkness it was difficult to determine the distance...I did despite the fear, move about my boat in a quick fashion release his line while steering my boat and release his line, but I must say, these lines seemed to fill the channel....I did feel I gave them plenty of room....and judging distances is difficult enough during the day let alone the eve......however, I did release the line caught on my rod holder..which is where it landed. I still do not know if my boat suffered any punctures.
In retro, I should have used my air horn, 5 toots and yelling emergency, pull your lines in....that is today's lesson for me...
The boy was able to get his rod back....I felt badly he had to go through that..but at the same time....Ive got a pack of 50 guys fishing on a pier that don't give a sheet about me.....so im in an emergency and im supposed to take a trip in the dark a quarter mile away from my destination against the current.....and I do believe I was within 150 yards from the fisherman on the pier...it was too close to call.
For my second trip in my life...at the moment...okay..I dont think I did badly..but im buying flares and a radio.....
I'm interested to know if other guys have gone out past this bridge to deep waters in the mouth with my sized boat....For one hour at peak high tide, it was hairy...but the boat bobbed like a cork and I only had two splashes...before I knew it, it was calm again...
I'm going to check on the battery now which is charging...but I think I'm going to return it....I'm a bandit at saving receipts, but damn it, I cannot find this one. Being that I purchased the battery within the past ten days...Walmart has to have some record between my name credit card and their bar code showing when the purchase took place.....
After I get the battery figured out, I would like to head out to the mouth...the place I was fishing was shallow....very small fish...but I don't want to risk safety....
I will keep y'all updated....one small striper and a perch was better then I did since opening day in fresh water...plus I learned how to set up a rig in a new place with much larger possibilities.
Maybe this will give experienced guys a good laugh and new guys a few thoughts...
Briefly....If you take a right out of OS ramp, you are basically in LI Sound. I spent 18 years boating and grinding fiberglass on the CT shore. I have recently become a paddler. I have a proper fear of killing myself because I put myself in a situation I didnt know how to fix, so I'm easing into it. Unscrew the issues with your boat and motor. Work out all your issues in a cove, or lake, or tub, or something, cause there's a lot of pucker factor right of that bridge if your not expecting it. Look, I'm totally stoked too to have this new plastic canoe, but I'm not planning any white water trips or a paddle out to the gut. You can go out without me listening to another boat rescue for OSFD. Fish wisely my friend.
i will not bash, because i dont think it will be helpful. Most deep cycle batteries, take a special type of charger to cycle correctly. If you have any experence with charging rc packs the same thing happens just with a larger battery. If you heard some whistling and cool noises i would guess you smoked the new battery. Check the levels in the battery if its not sealed, and if its lead acid, make sure to top up the water. You also need to watch the total discharge on a battery, because they have diffrent cycle abilities. Real deep cycle batteries like trojan are able to go down to 20%, without damage. If you are using a marine battery i believe but am not positive they should only go down to 50%. The claim of a deep cycle is something to help make money, and the design is diffrent. A real deep cycle is supper heavy due to all the lead, because the plates are supper thick. I hope you can save the battery you have, but find a good charger, and see what happens. Walmart is nice for some stuff but i would recomend a dedicated marine store for good equipment for dealing with boat gear. I just got my bass pro mag, and there are tons of marine spefic chargers there. You may drop into cabela's if your close and talk with one of the people in that department. best of luck.
Yea Batts can be flakey things ive had them go from full to drain in the past in just a few min ...about 5 years ago I purchase a Proline batt charger http://www.chargingchargers.com/marine-battery-chargers/lp2.html and wired it into my boat matched it up with a deep cycle gell cell batt now that boat gos on the plug second it hits the driveway and never comes off even through the winter till I pull out to fish . Granted the to 2 items together cost about 500$ but as you know all to clear when on the water $ sign means nothing when compared to that feeling of safty
Last edited by nwdarkcloud on Mon May 14, 2012 10:55 am; edited 1 time in total
Last edited by nwdarkcloud on Mon May 14, 2012 10:55 am; edited 1 time in total
I dont think you're any of the things you listed. Just possibly a little over zealous for just getting into this hobby. Just take things slow, get to the point where you trust your equipment and your ability, and have a safe blast getting out and back with a bunch of fish.
I don't wanna beat ya up either but I seriously think you bought the wrong craft for the fishing you're trying to do. I'm not familiar with rubber rafts at all but I can't imagine you're moving very fast or efficiently with a trolling motor on the back of one of those,not in a tide and not in a river.I have a kayak,had it 2 full seasons without the trolling motor mounted and now going into my second season with the motor. Ive paddled and motored in both the sound and the river,also the river in flood conditions.Although I have yet to fish the mouth so I can't speak specifically of that stretch. I have found myself in hairy situations with and without the motor because I (like you) tend to push the capabilities of my craft. Check this out. (http://www.ctfishfinder.com/lesson-learned-4813-trip.html)............ So you see there are other things to consider when relying on a trolling motor for power other than a low battery. On your journey back in the dark you could have whacked some debris floating downriver and busted the shear pin. A bad situation could have gotten worse. At the very least I would get yourself some oar locks and a set of oars if you don't already have them for emergencies. I would also consider a small outboard instead if you plan to continue fishing areas that could be dangerous. If for nothing else for peace of mind. I mean your boat is already registered so you might as well think about it for the future,I think I would. Hell if I could put a ten horse motor on my yak I would!..................In a lot of ways I'm like you dude. I'd be fishing out of a 23' center console if I could afford one.
The good thing is that you didn't end up clinging to the Saybrook break wall or worse. I fish a 14' aluminum boat with a 20hp and a 55lb salt water electric motor. I run it in the mouth and the LIS along the shoreline, but it is important to understand the tides, where the rips form, and the wind. I have to pick and choose days. My 55lb. Motor will not push against the tide when it really gets going. Add wind and many places can go from flat to really choppy in a hurry. My boat is rigged for solo fishing, and I often fish at night, much to my wife's dismay. However, despite being a strong swimmer, I always wear a life vest, inflatable during the day, and at night it is a Mustang commercial vest with reflective tap, 2 emergency strobes, a radio and whistle. If you do get separated from your boat or swamped, you won't have time to scramble around and will be on your own. Even a small boat can open up a lot of opportunities, but as others have said, take it slow. You won't find me out in the Race! If you have questions about good places to fish in a small boat, there are several guys in here that can help you out.
Heres the boat
http://rubberboats.com/product/inflatable-mariner-4-rigid-inflatable-boat.html
it has a video.
Heres the motor
http://rubberboats.com/product/intex-trolling-motor.html
video below.
Here is the new battery charger.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-XCS15-15-10-2-Amp-Marine-Battery-Charger/15140196
The battery I purchased was a Walmart Everstart 120amp which is double the manufacturers recommended "requirements." But recommended by the company who sells the boat.
When I mentioned a whistling, blowing sound, that is the sound of the new battery charger. The original on that I only had on the battery made no so. It was advertised as a "speed charger" for 12 volt batteries...But the truth was, it was only a cheap trickle charger and was not made to charge marine deep cycle or even car batteries. It is simply for lawn mowers and motorcycles, to keep the batteries working properly over the winter.
Here it is.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-SpeedCharge-Battery-Maintainer-and-Charger/13005742
It's possible in the short 12 hours I had this charger connected to my battery, it could have messed things up being the battery is brand new.
On a totally separate note, last night when I got the battery in and thought it was just about dead, the new battery charger read it had 60 percent left in it. I don't know what to believe....If the reader on the trolling motor is wrong or as said earlier, if the batter goes down to 50 percent, its going to show on a meter as almost dispensed.
The new charger charged for an hour on speed 15 amp and said it was finished. I unplugged everything and then reconnected and it now said it was only 86 percent full. I began charging for hours repeating this cycle until it finally displayed 100 percent and remained.
http://rubberboats.com/product/inflatable-mariner-4-rigid-inflatable-boat.html
it has a video.
Heres the motor
http://rubberboats.com/product/intex-trolling-motor.html
video below.
Here is the new battery charger.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-XCS15-15-10-2-Amp-Marine-Battery-Charger/15140196
The battery I purchased was a Walmart Everstart 120amp which is double the manufacturers recommended "requirements." But recommended by the company who sells the boat.
When I mentioned a whistling, blowing sound, that is the sound of the new battery charger. The original on that I only had on the battery made no so. It was advertised as a "speed charger" for 12 volt batteries...But the truth was, it was only a cheap trickle charger and was not made to charge marine deep cycle or even car batteries. It is simply for lawn mowers and motorcycles, to keep the batteries working properly over the winter.
Here it is.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-SpeedCharge-Battery-Maintainer-and-Charger/13005742
It's possible in the short 12 hours I had this charger connected to my battery, it could have messed things up being the battery is brand new.
On a totally separate note, last night when I got the battery in and thought it was just about dead, the new battery charger read it had 60 percent left in it. I don't know what to believe....If the reader on the trolling motor is wrong or as said earlier, if the batter goes down to 50 percent, its going to show on a meter as almost dispensed.
The new charger charged for an hour on speed 15 amp and said it was finished. I unplugged everything and then reconnected and it now said it was only 86 percent full. I began charging for hours repeating this cycle until it finally displayed 100 percent and remained.
I read this carp: http://www.ctfishfinder.com/lesson-learned-4813-trip.html
That sounded very scary....much more then my situation.
I will do Saybrook again when I get things worked out..but the is no way I would put in with a yak.
By the way, does anyone know why there are so many leaves, trees and wood coming through that channel right now...especially on the outgoing tide. Its crazy to motor around in any boat like that.
That sounded very scary....much more then my situation.
I will do Saybrook again when I get things worked out..but the is no way I would put in with a yak.
By the way, does anyone know why there are so many leaves, trees and wood coming through that channel right now...especially on the outgoing tide. Its crazy to motor around in any boat like that.
but it is important to understand the tides, where the rips form, and the wind. I have to pick and choose days. My 55lb. Motor will not push against the tide when it really gets going.
However, despite being a strong swimmer, I always wear a life vest, inflatable during the day, and at night it is a Mustang commercial vest with reflective tap, 2 emergency strobes, a radio and whistle. If you do get separated from your boat or swamped, you won't have time to scramble around and will be on your own. Even a small boat can open up a lot of opportunities, but as others have said, take it slow. You won't find me out in the Race!
With your 55lb thrust with regard to difficulty against the tide, are you referring to the channel I was fishing in and wrote about, or tides in general?
Briefly....If you take a right out of OS ramp, you are basically in LI Sound. I spent 18 years boating and grinding fiberglass on the CT shore.
The DEEP guy mentioned their would be a better boat launch for someone like me...He said its off of Exit 1 and it will put me in the marsh area, closer to the mouth of the river. Less boats and better area.
Do you know how to get to that launch or what it is called? A street or address?
I chose to go out yesterday because I was following the weather for a while and would not have gone unless it was perfect. Even on a perfect day, it was not a breeze during high tide...or with the logs and branches in the water. So I can only imagine a windy day during hide tide. Forget it!