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...
Wow, that sucks on the battery thing. They should at least test the battery where you bought it(Walmart). They can check the barcode on the battery without your receipt, you may have to take a store credit and not a refund because you don't have your receipt. There has to be something wrong with the battery, they come fully charged. If your charger is working effectively, you should be able to get at least 5 hours of power for a 40 lb. trolling motor, if it's a proper 12 volt deep cycle battery, and the trolling motor is 12 volt not 24. Good luck, hate electrical crap. We've been thru things like that, ran out of gas on our lake, didn't charge our batteries, almost out of power, a mile to get to our house, and here comes a massive thunder storm. Thought the wife was going to have a heart attack!! I literally had to swim push the boat to our dock in the pouring rain with lightning crashing in the sky. Boat troubles suck, but wouldn't have it any other way. By the way, we use the Walmart Everstart batteries, and done well with them for years now. But good luck.
IMO you should look at the date code on every battery you get. Theres usually a code there to see the DOB. I can see a walmart deep cycle battery sitting on there shelf a long time before you get it. I have also charged up deep cycle batteries with a regular 2amp trickle charger and it works fine. I happen to work for napa and sell deep cycle battery so go to a real parts place and not walmart.....You might have a better experience! Looks like you have a nice rig, how do you like the inflatable? I was looking at those online the other day and they can be had pretty cheap used on craigslist.
Thank You... good info to know.
As far as the Intex inflatable goes. I would have to say the PVC material it is made from is extremely rugged. It's made of three separate layers.
It also has a "fold up" rigid hull, so if you are coordinated, you can stand and cast....or modify and ad swivel chairs..... It's made up of 4 separate chambers, so if you get a puncture, the whole boat doesn't cave in. The 4 main chambers have Boston type valves which are great for pumping air in quickly and without it coming back out. When you are ready to deflate, unscrewing the entire boston valve instantly deflates the chamber for a quick get away....The motor mount kit is easy to assemble even for a novice like me...The 40 lb intex motor I ordered off the site is very powerful in a pond....and managed to get me through that channel out off of long island sound at a decent pace....The debris out there concerns me though. It didn't seem to effect any one elses driving out there though...maybe they are used to it.
The 4 man Mariner, is 400.00 at Cabella's and 250.00 at rubberboats.com plus shipping....but you can buy the motor and the motor mount together at a discounted rate.
Only draw back with this internet purchase is, you have to know for sure this is what you want..because once you get it, there is no warranty...you buy the product from the retailer. In this case "rubber boats.com" But if an oar breaks on the first day, as in my case, you must contact Intex, the manufacturer to order a replacement. In my opinion, this is a good inflatable that is sturdy..you wouldn't worry about capsizing as easily as a canoe of kayak. My only complaint with regard to the entire set up would be 5th air chamber is something new....its an inflatable keel...but this last chamber is not Boston valve and is much more difficult to inflate...The oars simply do not go with this boat...and the Intex trolling motor is great for the price, but the LED green lights that indicate battery strength are completely invisible in the sun.
If you scroll down this page, there is a video on the boat.
http://rubberboats.com/product/inflatable-mariner-4-rigid-inflatable-boat.html
Here is a link for the video on the motor
http://rubberboats.com/product/intex-trolling-motor.html
Looks like they just lowered their prices by on the boat and accessories.
As far as the Intex inflatable goes. I would have to say the PVC material it is made from is extremely rugged. It's made of three separate layers.
It also has a "fold up" rigid hull, so if you are coordinated, you can stand and cast....or modify and ad swivel chairs..... It's made up of 4 separate chambers, so if you get a puncture, the whole boat doesn't cave in. The 4 main chambers have Boston type valves which are great for pumping air in quickly and without it coming back out. When you are ready to deflate, unscrewing the entire boston valve instantly deflates the chamber for a quick get away....The motor mount kit is easy to assemble even for a novice like me...The 40 lb intex motor I ordered off the site is very powerful in a pond....and managed to get me through that channel out off of long island sound at a decent pace....The debris out there concerns me though. It didn't seem to effect any one elses driving out there though...maybe they are used to it.
The 4 man Mariner, is 400.00 at Cabella's and 250.00 at rubberboats.com plus shipping....but you can buy the motor and the motor mount together at a discounted rate.
Only draw back with this internet purchase is, you have to know for sure this is what you want..because once you get it, there is no warranty...you buy the product from the retailer. In this case "rubber boats.com" But if an oar breaks on the first day, as in my case, you must contact Intex, the manufacturer to order a replacement. In my opinion, this is a good inflatable that is sturdy..you wouldn't worry about capsizing as easily as a canoe of kayak. My only complaint with regard to the entire set up would be 5th air chamber is something new....its an inflatable keel...but this last chamber is not Boston valve and is much more difficult to inflate...The oars simply do not go with this boat...and the Intex trolling motor is great for the price, but the LED green lights that indicate battery strength are completely invisible in the sun.
If you scroll down this page, there is a video on the boat.
http://rubberboats.com/product/inflatable-mariner-4-rigid-inflatable-boat.html
Here is a link for the video on the motor
http://rubberboats.com/product/intex-trolling-motor.html
Looks like they just lowered their prices by on the boat and accessories.
