4 years ago I bought a small sailboat; and got a trolling motor and battery for it.
I quickly decided that it was impractical and never used them. Just too much "stuff" for the little boat.
I just bought a bigger sailboat and expect they will work there; if I can find some way to charge the battery. I hope not to use them, but if the wind dies completely and I am a few miles from home, it would be nice to have something.
So, my questions....
1) I charged the battery and it quickly went to 12.2v, which I think means it is dead. Checked the level and it was full.
My charger has a recondition setting which supposedly forces the sulfate off the plates and back into the electrolyte. I did that for a day and then charged. Repeated 3 times. At the end of the all that, it was 13.0v. After 3 days it is still 12.9v. That sounds good.
Did I actually FIX the battery, or will it fail after light use?
2) The battery 101ah and the motor draws 30a. Does that mean I can go 3 hours? That ought to be enough to get me home, though a bit slowly.
3) I will be mooring the sailboat, so recharging the battery (this one, or new one...) off line power will be difficult. Would a solar apparatus work? If so, what would I need>
Thanks much.