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Craftsmen's Corner / Hobie Fishfinder Battery Upgrade
« on: August 29, 2019, 08:34:19 AM »
It was time to replace the battery after noticing I was only getting 3 hours of use out of my 12V 9AH Gel Cell battery that came with my Hobie Fishfinder Kit. On a full charge the voltage topped off at 12.1V! The thing about these battery’s is that they don’t like to be discharged and my Lowrance Elite 5 TI drew 1.2A, virtually damaging the cells by running them dry on every outing.
The solution: Buy a bigger battery! But the downside is you would have to carry the additional weight. So even better, buy a Lithium Iron Phosphate “LiFePO4.” Not only lighter but they don’t mind being completely discharged!
Time to salvage the cover and connector using a flat blade:
Great job Hobie!
Now let’s clean up those wires and remove the plastic covers so we can use them on the new battery:
Use a good flexible glue for the connectors and let’s fill up those covers:
Make sure the opening is completely sealed off to prevent corrosion and then clean off any excess:
Finally let the glue dry for 24hrs and install in the existing Hobie tray.
I opted for the 12AH to give myself ample time to enjoy using my Fishfinder. It’s wider so it won’t snap into place but nothing a bungee cord can’t fix.
Another added benefit is that lithium battery’s can be mounted on its side if you want to avoid the wires being pulled by the battery tray:
Here are the specs from the battery app and the voltage from the Fishfinder:
This lithium battery cost $79.00 and works with the existing Hobie charger. At the price of just $9 more than the Hobie replacement battery and a 5 year warranty, it was a no brainer. I hope this helps anyone out there looking to replace or upgrade their existing Hobie battery kit.
Link to the battery:
https://lithiumhub.com/product/12-volt-12ah-battery/
The solution: Buy a bigger battery! But the downside is you would have to carry the additional weight. So even better, buy a Lithium Iron Phosphate “LiFePO4.” Not only lighter but they don’t mind being completely discharged!
Time to salvage the cover and connector using a flat blade:
Great job Hobie!
Now let’s clean up those wires and remove the plastic covers so we can use them on the new battery:
Use a good flexible glue for the connectors and let’s fill up those covers:
Make sure the opening is completely sealed off to prevent corrosion and then clean off any excess:
Finally let the glue dry for 24hrs and install in the existing Hobie tray.
I opted for the 12AH to give myself ample time to enjoy using my Fishfinder. It’s wider so it won’t snap into place but nothing a bungee cord can’t fix.
Another added benefit is that lithium battery’s can be mounted on its side if you want to avoid the wires being pulled by the battery tray:
Here are the specs from the battery app and the voltage from the Fishfinder:
This lithium battery cost $79.00 and works with the existing Hobie charger. At the price of just $9 more than the Hobie replacement battery and a 5 year warranty, it was a no brainer. I hope this helps anyone out there looking to replace or upgrade their existing Hobie battery kit.
Link to the battery:
https://lithiumhub.com/product/12-volt-12ah-battery/