Learned something new! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gel battery before, but our selection is pretty limited around here.

I've rarely seen them either. Their voltage runs a bit lower, and they are a bit less rugged than an AGM. I think longevity may be good; I've seen them used in some industrial applications where the cost of changing out a battery was also taken into account.

they charge different too. this is from the minn kota pc charger line, I have the 4 bank.

Battery Type Selection: Each charging bank can be selected to your specific battery type (AGM, gel or flooded lead acid) to guarantee a safe, protected charge

https://minnkotamotors.johnsonoutdoors.com/battery-chargers/board-precision-chargers

I have the minn kota dual bank digital charger. Snagged a couple of interstate batteries yesterday from Academy with an extra 10% off. I got one DP and one DC for the TM. I took the parallel wire off and made sure everything is hooked up to the DP. Took it out and everything seemed to work great. Instead of putting it up for the night, I brought it home and charged it up. Hopefully this saves some hassel down the road. I appreciate everyone's input and help with this. Just when you think you have something as simple as batteries figured out, you realize you don't

It sounds like you've got the electrical set up correctly now. You should find it to serve you well. One more tip is always charge batteries right after a trip; don't store the boat with them discharged, then plan to charge it up before you make the next trip. Batteries do not like being stored in a discharged state. Good luck fishing.