The short answer
Which lithium battery to buy
Budget pickLiTime 12V 100Ah LiFePO4$25012 volt trolling motors and electronics on any boat; the value pick.
Best for most Tennessee anglersBattle Born 12V 100Ah$850Any 12 volt motor, or in series for 24 and 36 volt bow mounts.
Top of the rangeDakota Lithium 36V 63Ah$1,70036 volt bow mount trolling motors on bass boats.Typical street price, rounded, October 2026. The live price is on Amazon. Affiliate links: buying through them pays this site a small commission at no extra cost to you. The picks are what works on Tennessee water, not what pays most.
Side by side
Lithium Marine Batteries compared
Every lithium battery on this page, cheapest first. Tap a model for its own page with the head to head cards and the Tennessee water it suits.
| Model | Typical price | Voltage | Capacity | Weight | Max discharge | Rated cycles | Warranty | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LiTime 12V 100Ah LiFePO4LiTime | $250 | 12 V | 100 Ah | 24 lb | 100 A continuous | 4,000+ | 5 years | Amazon → |
| Amped Outdoors 12V 60AhAmped Outdoors | $430 | 12 V | 60 Ah | 15 lb | 100 A continuous, Bluetooth | 3,000+ | 5 years | Amazon → |
| Dakota Lithium 12V 54AhDakota Lithium | $450 | 12 V | 54 Ah | 16 lb | 54 A continuous | 2,000+ | 11 years | Amazon → |
| Battle Born 12V 100AhBattle Born | $850 | 12 V | 100 Ah | 31 lb | 100 A continuous, 200 A surge | 3,000 to 5,000 | 10 years | Amazon → |
| Dakota Lithium 12V 100AhDakota Lithium | $900 | 12 V | 100 Ah | 29 lb | 100 A continuous | 2,000+ | 11 years | Amazon → |
| Dakota Lithium 36V 63AhDakota Lithium | $1,700 | 36 V | 63 Ah | 50 lb | 100 A continuous | 2,000+ | 11 years | Amazon → |
Typical street price, rounded, October 2026. The live price is on Amazon.
Affiliate links: buying through them pays this site a small commission at no extra cost to you. The picks are what works on Tennessee water, not what pays most.
Each one
The 6 lithium batterys, in detail
LiTime 12V 100Ah LiFePO4
The budget 100 amp hour pack that made lithium common on jon boats. A full day of 55-pound trolling motor at a quarter of the Battle Born price. The BMS is simpler and there is no Bluetooth, but the chemistry is the same.
- Cheapest 100 Ah here
- 24 lb
Watch for: No app, basic low temperature protection.
Amped Outdoors 12V 60Ah
Built for trolling motors: a 100 amp BMS in a 60 amp hour pack, Bluetooth so you can see the charge on your phone, and cold weather charge protection. A good match for a 55-pound bow mount for a half day.
- 100 A discharge in a small pack
- Bluetooth monitoring
Watch for: 60 Ah runs short on an all day ledge trip.
Dakota Lithium 12V 54Ah
A half size pack for kayaks, canoes and small boats: a morning of transom motor or several days of fish finder, with Dakota’s 11-year warranty. The size that fits a kayak’s battery well.
- 11 year warranty
- Fits a kayak
Watch for: Not enough for a bow mount all day.
Battle Born 12V 100Ah
The premium 100 amp hour pack, assembled in Nevada with a 10-year warranty and the BMS that tolerates abuse. The battery to buy for a boat you plan to keep.
- 10 year warranty and US support
- Proven on thousands of boats
Watch for: Heaviest 100 Ah here and three times the LiTime price.
Dakota Lithium 12V 100Ah
Dakota’s full size pack with the longest warranty on this page. Popular with the crappie guides on Kentucky Lake who run a 12 volt motor all day and want one call if something fails.
- 11 year warranty
- Cold weather charge cut-off
Watch for: Priced near the Battle Born.
Dakota Lithium 36V 63Ah
One battery instead of three for a 36 volt Ultrex, Force or Ghost. Fifty pounds replaces 180 pounds of lead acid, with one set of cables and one charger port. A full day of 112-pound motor on the ledges.
- One pack replaces three
- 130 lb off the boat
Watch for: Needs a 36 volt lithium charger.
How to choose
Choosing a lithium battery for Tennessee water
Lithium iron phosphate batteries weigh a third of a lead acid group 27, hold voltage until they are empty, and last ten times as many cycles. On a Tennessee bass boat that is a full day of spot lock in wind and 90 pounds off the stern. The catch is price, and the fact that a 36 volt motor needs the matching pack.
Match the voltage to the motor. A 12 volt trolling motor or fish finder takes a 12 volt battery; a 24 volt motor takes two 12 volt batteries in series or one 24 volt pack; a 36 volt motor takes three or one 36. Do not mix lithium and lead acid in one bank.
Capacity is run time. A 55-pound motor pulls around 50 amps at full speed and 10 to 20 at fishing speed, so a 100 amp hour battery gives a full day of ledge fishing and a 50 amp hour gives a morning. For a fish finder alone, a small 12 volt 10 to 20 amp hour battery is plenty.
The battery management system matters as much as the cells. Look for a continuous discharge rating above what the motor draws (100 amps covers any 12 volt motor), low temperature charge protection for January crappie trips, and Bluetooth monitoring if you want to see the charge from the deck.
Warranty is where the price difference shows. The budget packs carry 3 to 5 years; the premium brands carry 10 or 11. Both use the same chemistry; the difference is the cells, the BMS and who answers the phone.
Every lithium battery here was picked for Tennessee water first and price second.
Where you’d use it
Tennessee water where a lithium battery earns its keep
Each page lists every public access point, the fish that swim there and the live conditions.
More gear compared
Other gear compared for Tennessee
Common questions
Lithium Marine Batteries questions from Tennessee anglers
Can I replace lead acid with lithium on my trolling motor?
Yes, for any motor. Match the voltage and keep the amp hour rating at or above what you had. Lithium holds voltage longer, so the motor runs at full power until the battery is nearly empty rather than fading all afternoon.
Do I need a special charger?
A lithium profile charger, or a charger with a LiFePO4 setting. Most modern onboard chargers have one; an old lead acid charger can overcharge and the BMS will shut the battery off.
How much lighter is lithium?
A group 27 lead acid battery weighs about 60 pounds. A 100 amp hour lithium weighs 20 to 30. On a 24 volt bank that is 60 to 80 pounds off the stern, which changes how an aluminum boat sits.
Will lithium work in a Tennessee winter?
Discharging is fine below freezing. Charging below 32 degrees damages the cells, so look for low temperature charge cut-off in the BMS, or charge the battery indoors.
What size for a fish finder on a kayak?
A 12 volt battery of 10 to 20 amp hours runs a 7-inch unit all day. The small Dakota Lithium and LiTime packs are the usual choice.
What is the difference between the cheapest and the most expensive lithium battery here?
$1,450. The LiTime 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 (voltage: 12 V) the budget 100 amp hour pack that made lithium common on jon boats. The Dakota Lithium 36V 63Ah (voltage: 36 V) one battery instead of three for a 36 volt ultrex, force or ghost. Match the voltage to the motor.
Which lithium battery brand is best?
This page has Amped Outdoors, Battle Born, Dakota Lithium, LiTime. Dakota Lithium makes the top of the range here and LiTime the budget pick; the brand matters less than the spec table above, where the rows that differ are the ones to decide on.
What does a good lithium battery cost?
The 6 here run from $250 (LiTime 12V 100Ah LiFePO4) to $1,700 (Dakota Lithium 36V 63Ah). Battle Born 12V 100Ah at $850 is the one that suits most Tennessee anglers. Prices are typical street prices; the live price is on Amazon.
Are these affiliate links?
Yes. Each link goes to Amazon with this site’s tag and pays a small commission at no cost to you. The picks are what works on Tennessee water.
Can I buy locally instead?
Yes. Bass Pro in Memphis, Nashville, Kodak and Chattanooga and the marinas on the big lakes stock most of this; every county page on this site lists the shops with directions.
How were these lithium marine batteries chosen?
6 models that cover the range from the budget option to what the guides and tournament boats run, each one a product that has been on the market long enough to have a track record on Tennessee water. Warranty is where the price difference shows.
How often are prices updated?
The figures on this page are typical street prices, rounded. When the live price feed is on, every price on the page is refreshed from Amazon every two weeks and the date shows next to it; either way the buy button opens the current listing.
Keep going
More Tennessee water, and who fishes it
Every guide and charter on this site is listed by the water they run, so you can call the captain direct. Licences, limits and the state record list are one click away too.