Tracker Targa, 150 Mercury Optimax, Humminbird Helix 9. Got whatever the right cranking battery is according to Tracker (sorry, can't tell you more than that).

Question: Drifting with motor off and Humminbird on, how long can I expect the battery to retain its cranking power?

Jump starting from trolling motor battery not an option - have no use for trolling motor thus no battery.

Without knowing what size/brand battery thats impossible to tell. If it helps, a Helix 9 draws a max of 2.4 amps.

livewell running? lights, etc?

those will affect the duration. if it is the factory tracker battery I would suspect 3-4 hrs. tops and still crank the engine. since you don't use the tm, turn on the helix while parked and with muffs on the 150 see if it cranks in 5 hrs. or 4 hrs. whatever your expected use will be.

or, just buy a wal mart dual purpose and store as a back up, does the boat have a 2 bank charger?

the 150 will crank easier with muffs on than it will when submerged in the lake, no back pressure.

I have a group 31 AGM cranking battery and have run Lowrance Elite 9 with livescope along with stereo radio for 3 or 4 hours before cranking big motor. Also have a LSS1 that is hot with power switch on and running baitwell aerator.
I am adding a Lowrance 12 Live and I am going to do exactly what Hop said. I have an alternator charger that will kick on and start charging TM batteries when cranking battery hits full charge. It will start charging TM batteries within minutes even after running radio, Lowrance, and aerator for 3 hours. Thinking about getting a lithium jump starter.

Buy you a NOCO Battery jump starter and take it with you .

I went to a place that sold wheelchair batteries. They are 12v, but have a smaller footprint. I wired both my Helix's to them. I can go all day without a problem running two units.

When you’re drifting with the motor off and your Humminbird fish finder is running, the battery’s cranking power retention depends on a few factors. Let’s break it down:


Battery Type and Capacity:

Marine batteries are rated in amperage hours (Ah). This rating indicates how long a battery can consistently supply a specific amperage.
For instance, a 100 Ah battery can provide 25 amps of power for 4 hours (25 amps × 4 hours = 100 Ah) or 10 amps for 10 hours (10 amps × 10 hours = 100 Ah) before running out of energy1.
Think of the amperage hour rating like a gas tank in a car—the larger it is, the more energy it can store.



Motor Amperage Draw:

The amperage draw of your motor refers to how much current it consumes at a given speed.
To estimate how long your motor will run, divide the battery’s amp hour rating by the motor’s amperage draw.
For example, if your motor draws 20 amps at medium speed and you have a 100 Ah battery, the run time would be:20amps100Ah​=5hours


Richland Chambers Bait and Tackle
9866 US 287
Corsicana, TX 75109
903-257-8566
rcbtpos@rcbaitandtackle.com
Facebook.com/rcbaitandtackle
Richlandchambersbaitandtackle.com