Well, I have finally entered the lithium battery game. For over a decade now, anglers have been stretching their budgets to eagerly test the waters of this new age technology—one that promises longer battery life not only for the day, but for the decade.
I’ve had lead-acid and AGM batteries in every boat I’ve ever owned. They’ve almost all failed me in less than two years. Many needed replacing in less time than that. My most recent trolling motor battery lasted 8 months. Solar Panel
As a part of a larger testing of lithium batteries we’re doing as a team here at Wired2Fish, I installed a Millertech Marine 24 Volt LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery) to run my trolling motor as well as a Goldenmate Orion 1000 Lithium Battery to run my electronics (and as it turns out my aerators). More on the latter in a moment.
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As I stated at the onset, I’ve been plagued with the same recurring issues many of you have experienced with traditional lead and AGM batteries. They’ll do great for a while, but then crap out pretty quickly. The cost of lithium batteries has always been their main drawback, many coming in around $1,000 apiece with several exceeding that.
However, I was dumping hundreds of dollars every year or two into regular old batteries. I had been considering making the investment into lithium batteries for the last few years. These things often have a decade-long warranty. I was spending the money anyway swapping old batteries out year after year. Not to mention hauling around over a hundred extra pounds. For what reason?
This was my internal dialogue as I tackled more pressing issues on my boat; looking down the road to when I could afford to upgrade to a lithium battery. Well, Christmas came early and I received the aforementioned two batteries free of charge through Jason Sealock to test out. Here’s my experience with the Goldenmate.
With this being my first lithium battery, I didn’t really know what to expect. For example, I didn’t even know I’d need a battery charger specifically designed for lithium batteries. Goldenmate doesn’t make a charger, nor do many other lithium battery companies. However, I was able to order a quality 10 amp 12 volt charger from Dakota Lithium for under a hundred dollars; it’s served its purpose well.
I had planned to use this battery to solely power my electronics. I currently have a modest setup by today’s standards: a 9-inch Humminbird Helix mounted on the front and a Lowrance Elite 9Ti on the back. These two serve my fishing style well and don’t pull a ton of power, especially in comparison to the 5 or more graphs you see on a lot of rigs now.
I expect I’ll inevitably be adding a forward facing unit. Just the two relatively small graphs I have currently were draining and killing my cranking battery over the course of a simple day of fishing—a battery that is only a little over a year old.
When trying to decipher the madness of electrical wires coming to my cranking battery, I found that both graphs were powered by the same wire that runs my aerators, recirculates and bilge pump. This led me to assume they were all connected at the dash, or somewhere else along the way by the electrical engineer who owned the boat before me. Untangling that mess would be a project for another day. I figured testing the battery with the added pull of the aerators would really push it to the limits. So, that’s what I did.
I’ve been fishing a few times now with the Goldenmate in the boat, but I wasn’t able to really put a full day in until recently. A few days ago, I launched at 6:41 AM, turned on both graphs and both aerators and set sail for the day. I fished almost 9 hours with the graphs on and lit up the whole time and the aerators on a timer as they would be in a tournament. On the timer, my pumps run approximately the same amount of time as they are off.
When I loaded the boat at 3:34 PM, the Orion 1000 still had 64% of charge left. Suffice to say, I could have run the pumps continuously and even had another unit or two on for those near 9 hours and still had some juice left at the end of an 8-hour day. Although, neither of those stressors would be necessary even in a tournament setting since I use the timer on my pumps and put my dash graph on standby while fishing. I put the battery on charge when I got home and it was fully charged from 64% in 3 hours and 42 minutes.
Let me start by saying that I’m not big on the tech stuff. I like to know something will work, as opposed to how it works. I put this battery to the test on the water. It works. That’s good enough for me. However, for those that like to geek out on the tech, here you go:
The Orion 1000 has two sturdy handles for easy transport and maneuvering down into the boat as well as padded low-profile feet on all four corners, to keep it from sliding around. I weighed it myself and it clocked in at 29.2 pounds. I love how light this battery is after wrestling with lead-acid batteries all these years.
The coolest feature on this battery is the little LCD display on top of it. With one touch, you can instantly check the charge. The screen brightly lights up and displays a simple percentage, so there’s no confusion. You can also use Goldenmate’s app to check the charge, as well as monitor the voltage, current, power and other details. Worth noting, the app was a little glitchy, and it took me a few minutes to link to the battery. However, the app is just a bonus in my opinion, the LCD screen more than makes up for any shortcomings.
The price is what really sets this battery apart. The Orion 1000 comes in around 25% less than some other comparable 100 amp hour, 12 volt batteries. It’s currently priced at $459.99 on goldenmateenergy.com. There is one small drawback, this battery only has a 5 year warranty whereas other lithium battery manufacturers often offer a decade or more.
I make an intentional effort to eliminate bias in my own head and heart when reviewing products, especially when those products come from companies and brands that I like or that I have a prior relationship with. From the standpoint of a guy who has never had a lithium battery before, it’s hard not to be a little starry eyed with my first one, regardless of the manufacturer.
Many of the long awaited benefits of lithium batteries that I’ve eyed from afar have come to fruition with the Orion 1000. It’s a powerful, light and long lasting (on the water) battery. It will be a few years before I can really attest to the lifespan though. That will be necessary to tell the whole story, but it can only happen over time.
For now, I’m pleased with the Goldenmate Orion 1000. First impressions appear to be a great battery, especially for the newcomer to the lithium game looking to join this stratosphere without breaking the bank. For five years, you’re covered with the warranty. Even if the battery only lasts 5 years, if you do the math, you’ll have invested roughly the same amount of money had you been swapping out lead-acid batteries every 8 months for five years.
After testing the battery up to this point, I’d be comfortable buying the Goldenmate Orion 1000, if I didn’t have it already.
Use code WIRE2FISH to SAVE 30% on their site OR
Buy at Amazon Code for 5% Off : 786Q9JNH
Shaye Baker grew up fishing with his father in the state of Alabama. While in college, he was involved in the creation and early years of the Auburn University Bass Team, which expanded his testing grounds to the southeast. After college, Shaye began to fish the semi-pro circuit while simultaneously starting a freelance journalism career, providing content for Wired2Fish, FLW, B.A.S.S. and a few other publications. As Shaye has transitioned from in front of the lens to behind it, his career has taken him to fisheries throughout the country and provided him intimate access to some of the best bass anglers to ever wet a line. Shaye now enjoys fun fishing and local tournaments with his father and friends, while working fulltime in the fishing industry as a freelance journalist shooting pictures and video, editing and writing.
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