what kind of battery do I use?

BTW, if you need a battery source to get by until you get one, you are more than
welcome to use the one I bought from Cabelas. It is heavy for sure but this thing
will last you a week of fishing until you need to charge it again.

(kuya) Jedmo

BTW, if you need a battery source to get by until you get one, you are more than
welcome to use the one I bought from Cabelas. It is heavy for sure but this thing
will last you a week of fishing until you need to charge it again.

(kuya) Jedmo

thanks, kuya.  Is this the one? http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Rechargeable-12-Volt-Battery/700551.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch%2F%3FN%3D10000047%26Ne%3D10000047%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dbattery%26Ntx%3Dmode%252Bmatchall%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26WTz_st%3DSearchRefinements%26WTz_stype%3DSP%26form_state%3DsearchForm%26search%3Dbattery%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&Ntt=battery&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

I think i read somewhere that it's like 7lbs which isn't too bad.  I might consider your setup though, just have to locate the nearest Fry's and get that battery.  3-4 Kayak trips? approx how many hours is that? thanks for the tip but if all else fails.... *cough* you willing to sell Cabela's battery? 

I got this battery at Napa Auto Parts here in Santa Rosa. It weighs 4lbs 3.5oz and lasts for several days with my fishfinder which is a simple black screen low power draw unit. Eagle 245DS. I used to have the 10aa holder with rechargables. Over the course of 3 1/2 years I had several of the plastic holders fail from corrosion and also from warping due to accidently setting the terminals onto a metal surface causing heat damage from shorting out. I also had several of the individual aa batteries fail from corrosion. The sealed 'brick' style battery terminals can also be damaged from corrosion but there are only two whereas there are many many more within the plastic holders and all those batteries. Also the 'brick' is sooo much easier to charge. The only drawback is weight but after having the other 10aa setup fail on me so many times I'm willing to carry around the extra three pounds. If you have to carry all of your gear for a long distance then I would consider the 10aa setup. jim

You can have it for free Pern since you fish with my nephew a lot. I'll charge it now
and bring it to the Party today. I haven't use it for a while so hopefully it still works.

Jedmo

I use the Cabelas when I'm out of town and want to fish more than one day, I use aa pack for one day trips or if I have to carry all the stuff a long way to launch.

Thanks for the reply guys, and for the battery kuya.  I took a trip to Fry's electronics today and found something similar to Salty's.  As for the trickle, I was gonna get the one at Harbor Freights until I saw the warning sign on the box, but oddly enough when I opened the box and read the manual under cautions and warnings, it didn't say anything about not using it as a trickle *shrugs*.. here are some pics.  Gives you an idea of how big the battery is, I weighed it in at 4lbs.  Here are the pics...

oh poopers, sorry some pics came out upside down, the pic of the bottom battery is the actual one i got instead of the pic of the battery on top (12v/12ah).  Now I have to find a trickle.  Gotta get this done before RF season opens at FR.  Thanks again for the help, guys.

That Harbor Freight charger you have pictured is the one that I use.
I leave it on for as much as 24 hours with no problem. jim

What's the part number on that float charger?  Most float chargers are not made for charging drained batteries, rather they are designed to maintain an already charged battery.

-Allen

What's the part number on that float charger?  Most float chargers are not made for charging drained batteries, rather they are designed to maintain an already charged battery.

-Allen

Allen, in the upside down photo it says ...

Not intended for use on discharged or dead batteries.

Even after three days of fishing I've never completely drained mine.
I just throw it on the charger and leave it for a day and it's good to go. jim

I'm actually worried that I dont drain mine enough before charging!  But I was told so long as your battery isn't running HOT, its probably fine.  I did have one die on me, but not sure if it was from over charging, or possibly not handling it gently enough.  On occasion you will find the Cabelas one for 19.99 with the charger, and thats a pretty darn good deal if you ask me. 

I don't quite know what the part number is, but after reading that it shouldn't be used as a trickle it made me do an about face on it.  I'll just do some more research, and keeping a close eye on the charge time.  I did order the Cabela's one as a back up.  Correct me if I'm wrong on this one guys, but I'm obviously going to put the battery in some sort of container inside the yak, but won't it cause the battery to "heat up" or is the heating up just due to long periods of use or something else?

Overcharging results in heated batteries, as far as i know.  Drawing from them does nothing like that. 

My past experiance is that the Harbor Freight model shown is a maintainer (tender) NOT a charger.
A tender will keep a battery from loosing it's charge over extended periods of storage and not really charge as well (it will put a charge but not as well).
A charger will actually build a charge on a low battery (not really maintain).
Your best bet is to get a quality charger/tender combo - It will charge your dead battery than maintain that charge in the event you forget to disconnect it within the first few days. This unit will shut down when the battery beguins to heat up than continue the charge as the battery cools thus giving a better charge. This cycling process will progressivley drop in amps and duration so as not to overcharge the battery and will help the battery live a longer life.
The best place to look for this type of unit would be at a place that sells Motorcycle accessories (like Cycle Gear).
Hope this helps.

See Ya Soon,
Eric / Yakhopper