Jon boats don’t require too much power but they certainly do need some from time to time. Whether you’re powering it to move around, to start up your motor, or to power your accessories, you may be wondering what size battery you need for your jon boat.
So, what size battery do I need for my jon boat? Choosing the right size battery for your jon boat depends on the weight of your boat, how you’ll be using it, what accessories you’ll be powering, and the available space on your boat. Generally speaking, the bigger the battery you can get, the better.
Putting a marine-specific battery in your jon boat could be done for any number of reasons. It’s good to have some extra power on your boat even if you don’t plan on using it very often since it’s nice to have when you need it. However, batteries can be expensive, so it’s not uncommon to find a battery of just the right size when powering jon boats.
Choosing the Right Size Battery for Jon Boats
There are a lot of marine-ready batteries out there that can be used for many different purposes. Apart from jon boats, some use them for powering sailboats, yachts, dinghies, and even pontoons. If you’re reading this article, you’re likely interested in finding the right size battery for your jon boat, so let’s get into it.
As I mentioned before, the bigger battery you’re able to afford in terms of money and space the better you’ll be when out on the water. Having that extra power is always a good thing since you may lose track of time or maybe you haven’t had the time to recharge your battery in a while. Either way, if you can afford it, you most definitely want to get a big battery.
With that in mind, there are some questions you should ask yourself before diving into purchasing a battery for your jon boat, including:
- What’s the weight of your jon boat?
- Are you just trolling?
- What kind of accessories are you powering?
- Do you have enough space on your jon boat?
These are certainly the most important questions you should be asking yourself before purchasing a jon boat battery. There are a lot of different batteries out there to choose from and being able to answer these questions should allow you to make a better choice as a consumer.
Depending on the weight of your boat and if you’re intending to power your jon boat’s propulsion through the water with it, you’ll likely need a strong battery. Jon boats generally weigh less than 1,200 pounds with everything included, which means you’ll need a battery of a decent size. Consider looking at a group size of about 35 and up.
If you plan on using your battery as a way to simply troll around, it’s really no different than considering the weight of your jon boat as mentioned previously. In all honesty, it’s very unlikely that you’ll want to power your jon boat’s propulsion this way as an outboard motor is by far more effective. Nonetheless, your jon boat could be sufficiently light to get away with electric motoring and you may want to be on a lake that doesn’t allow combustion engines.
Depending on all the items you’d like to power on your jon boat, you’ll want to consider specific amps and voltage for your jon boat battery. While you’ll find the voltage to usually be 12 volts, the amps are the most important consideration since they’re the juice that runs through your accessories.
The size of your next jon boat battery is highly correlated to the number of amps it’s able to generate, so the more equipment and accessories you have on your jon boat that requires power the more energy you’re going to need to keep them running. Batteries are generally measured in amp-hours, which is what you need to look at when matching the power you need with the power your battery generates.
A good way to go about figuring out the right amp-hours for your next jon boat battery is to turn everything on in your jon boat and measure the current (amps) running from your existing battery. Also, make sure you take a measurement of the current when you start up your engine to see any spikes that occur. This is important when choosing the right size battery for your jon boat.
Depending on the maximum, minimum, and average amps used on your jon boat when running your accessories, you’ll want to find batteries that display their amp-hour capacity and divide that number on the battery with your number. By doing that, you’ll have a number that’ll be an estimate to the number of hours you can power up your jon boat. Be sure to check the average as well as the extremes to get an idea of what you may experience when out on the water.
Another important aspect of choosing the right battery for your jon boat is to consider how much space you have available on your boat. A battery can get mighty big depending on the size of your jon boat and will definitely take up some space. While it’s certainly true that the bigger battery you can afford the better, but you still want to be able to get around on your jon boat without having a massive battery take up a bunch of unnecessary space.
All in all, you want to make sure you’re able to find the right jon boat battery depending on how you’ll use it, what you can afford in terms of space and money, and how high the energy demand will be on your jon boat. If you’re able to answer these questions, you’ll be well on your way to getting the right size battery for your jon boat.
Should I Get a Deep Cycle Battery?
If you plan on powering various accessories in your jon boat, you want to get yourself a marine deep cycle battery. However, there are several other types of batteries to consider, including starting and dual-purpose batteries.
Deep cycle batteries are specifically designed to slowly trickly current out over an elongated period of time. When running accessories on a jon boat, this is exactly what you should be looking for when it comes to your next jon boat battery. They also offer great performance when it comes to lasting a long time and providing necessary power when there are surges.
You can also look at starting batteries and dual-purpose batteries, but the former is less necessary than the latter. Consider getting a dual-purpose battery if you think you’ll need that extra power when starting up your motor, but it’s likely a deep cycle battery can handle that surge.
Do I Need Multiple Batteries for My Jon Boat?
There may be a case where you’ll be out on the water without any energy or maybe you just need a little extra juice to keep your jon boat moving along. Having multiple batteries for a jon boat can be helpful when you need it, which is why you may want to keep in mind having two batteries on your jon boat.
While it may seem like having an extra battery on your jon boat makes sense because it’ll give you more power for your boat, you’re most likely better off just getting a bigger battery. If you have a jon boat that’s bigger than average and requires a strong supply of current to keep everything powered, then it may mean you’ll need two batteries.
If you’ve maxed out on battery size for your large jon boat and you need more power, consider getting another battery that you can put in parallel to your existing battery. Before you do this, you need to make sure the specs of the batteries are similar, especially voltage, but the amps can be different. By putting batteries in parallel, you can electrically add the amps together to get even more energy to your jon boat.
Most jon boaters won’t need an extra battery due to needing more amps, but they may want to keep one for emergencies. I believe this is a great idea if you’re able to afford the space and price of an extra battery in case your existing one dies on you while out on the water. Having another battery, even a small one, can be a lifesaver if you find yourself stranded out on the water all alone. Just make sure your spare battery is working properly before heading out on the water.
Required Accessories for a Jon Boat Battery
If you get a battery for your jon boat, there are some accessories that you can’t get away from purchasing. You may get a battery that comes with all of these accessories already, but some may need to be purchased on the side. Luckily, they’re easy to find and not too expensive.
First things first, you’ll need to make sure you invest in a good battery cover. Most places require battery covers by law for those using them to power marine vessels, including jon boats, so you’ll certainly want one for your battery. The good thing is that most marine batteries come with an effective battery cover, so you’re most likely good to go.
Another required accessory you’ll want to invest in is a good recharger. It can take quite a while to recharge a marine battery since they often hold a decent amount of energy, which is why getting yourself a good recharger is so important. Thankfully, battery recharges are plentiful and relatively inexpensive.
