Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › Battery Status
Bass Cat Boats.
I currently own a 09 Puma FTD with a 250 Pro XS. My question – Previous boat was a 01 Classic which would shut off accessories (pumps, graphs, etc) when the battery volts would get to a certain level. Is the Puma setup the same way with the computer? I made one run all day today and ran pumps and two flashers. Had the biggest limit that my partner and I have every had in team trail (Great day of fishing) and when we went to leave the starting battery wouldnt turn overthe motor. The graphs and pumps had been working fine up to this point. Needless to say DQ and had the fish to win not to mention had to use the trolling motor to get back to the ramp ( hour and a half).tksBigAl
Sounds like you need a battery. Ive had that happen next time take the battery cables off of the cranking battery and put them on a trolling battery to to start then put them back.
Tried jumping it with cables from my trolling batteries and then I was able to flag one boat down and try jumping – no luck.Thinking about it ran the pumps and two flashers (one HDS) from about 7am til 240pm. Never started big motor after first stop.Plan on buying a battery Jump box to carry in the boat after I resolve battery issues.tksBig Al
i have had that happen on my r boat with the optis. the optimax takes more power to turn over than any other motor on the market. I messed around with some different batteries and found out the best for me was just breaking down and putting a gel battery for my starter got the biggest one i could find and never had another issue again after that even with both pumps running and all my 5 graphs. just break down and drop the $250 and never worry about it again. this will happen to you again if you turn on your pumps early with the optimax i can guarantee it! that being said i would never have anything but the optis i love them just a small issue you have to deal with
bigal, you probably have a 24 series 1000 cca cranking battery. We have suggested to customers, dealers and other brand owners to go the route DaveThompson suggests for several years. Though we suggest the AGM style over gel style and in a 31 series. We have informed people here for several years of your potential issue and this is why we suggest the biggest, baddest, heaviest 31 series for only the cranking battery. A mid grade set of 27 series is plenty on the trolling motor batteries. Lets address how to get through this next time so that limit comes in, and it should have. Good jumper cables should have worked to at least start the engine from a battery over 11.6 volts, however there is a minimum voltage an Opti will run at where the ECM shuts down, running nor not. You also probably had enough voltage in your trolling batteries to get you in. So good quality jumper cables should have worked, though read further if that does not work.Next time remove the trolling battery nuts, the take ONLY the engine harness leads and run them straight to one of the trolling batteries. Dont worry about any of the other leads in an emergency. If you have time, then go ahead and run your main boat harness leads there too and then your fish will be heathier on the trip in.The issue you faced has been dealt with here several times in the recent years as we are using more batteries with todays on board needs. We have suggested 27 series batteries or more on the cranking battery goung way back to the mid 1990s. Graphs, engine, hydraulic plates, aerators and more all add to more voltage and in 2007 we did a major study in house to assess batteries and on board amperage uses daily. We fast learned that even we were underestimating the required amperage we used each day on the water. We actually ruined four (4) good high quality batteries in our testing and never left the shop floor. We first thought it was two, though two more were unable to fully charge. It was a real eye opening experience where Stuart, Rick, Lance, Josh and Scott all monitored the voltage all day long in long and short stretches. The documented the fall of voltage continually to the point that they reached final fallout on the curve. From your explanation leaving a mere 30 minutes sooner and you would have started and came in. We just use more amperage than at any time in the past, especially if you have a couple of those large screen 800 or larger units. We hope this explains it to you and we hate to hear that you were unable to make it in. You left winnings and Quest on the table and we know that s__ks! BCB http://basscatowners.yuku…arge-on-cranking-battery
This is one of the best and most educational threads Ive come across. Its good BCB and others put enough cable in to be able to move it over to the TM batteries if needed. Only had to do it on my last boat once but it was a life saver. Now Im thinking of getting a bigger battery or a second one with a A/B switch. Before now wasnt aware Optis have some unique power needs. Thanks all for the education.
BCB, Thanks for the response. All batteries charged up and started the outboard fine. I plan on purchasing a new starting battery before my nexttournement. A couple of other questions. Will the AGM battery work with my onboard charger without any mods? What about the gel type battery? How do the touring pros deal with these issues – Any special setups (i.e. 4th battery for electronics only?) Great information and it is appreciated.tksBigAl
Take notice to BCB saying “good cables” cheap jumper cables wont cut it, they allow too much amperage drop between the batteries. Also the shorter the better, you can make your own cheaper than you can buy good ones. That way you can also keep them short.
BigAl,First what battery is in your boat? We suspect a smaller 24 series case with 1000 cca for your engine. If so then quite simply it will not hold up. Batteries are about weight we feel, and the more they weigh with good ratings the better they are for your application. The solution is a larger AGM battery for everyone, including touring pros. The gel batteries we are not fond of and the NOCO or Cullmrite chargers do not do the best on. The AGM batts your charger is the most desired for by Trojan.If you are running a 36 volt with three batteries, then this will solve most all of your issues. If you are running a 24 volt with three batteries then you should have no issues, except on days of extreme use. If you do not run your engine during the day while fishing long and hard, with lots of electronics and pumps running, then you could have a potential to have a battery problem not matter. Though the 31 Platinum Sears is one of the better ones to use. There are others too of course. The failure rate of Exide has been higher than we prefer, though the battery works very well till it fails.
© 2026 Bass Cat Boats
