marcum shuttle battery

Anybody found a replacement battery for a marcum shuttle? Having to send it in and pay 140 dollars is insane. If I had known this before I bought I would not have.

I’ve now seen this sad story way to many times

Steve, when did you buy your shuttle? I purchased mine December 26th and by the middle of February, after about 5 fishing trips, my battery display was frozen, the LED light would not shut off, and battery life was way down. I brought it in and they didn’t even ask for a receipt to prove date of purchase. They replaced the battery and gave me a new charger for free. I’ve heard of this many times. I think they know something is wrong with several of their units.

R and D Battery in Burnsville re builds all our medical batteries. Give them a shot. Most of the time its just one cell gone bad not all of them.

With all the issues people have brought to this forum about their Marcum flashers and the shuttle, why doesn’t Marcum give us any insight? Since Marcum is part of “Ice Force” and IDO, you would think they would want to clarify some of our concerns?

sheppy wrote:

With all the issues people have brought to this forum about their Marcum flashers and the shuttle, why doesn’t Marcum give us any insight? Since Marcum is part of “Ice Force” and IDO, you would think they would want to clarify some of our concerns?

Wishful thinking. No company ever gets involved in these. Occasionally false rumors get squashed but in general it is not in their best interest to get involved. You can and should go directly to the company if you have questions or concerns.

Fyi… I have never owned a marcum product in my life I’m just saying it as it is.

What is the proper care and feeding of lithium batteries anyhow. I read to store them during the months you’re not going to use them below 70% charged.

Now I just read an article from Target Walleye on storing your ice fishing gear. They say to charge your auger and flasher lithiums at least once a month during the off season. Anybody know the actual real way of storing lithiums?

From the Marcum website

Lithium Shuttle storage
Prior to storage, ensure that the battery is charged to 70% capacity. This can be done by monitoring the battery level on the battery meter. Once charged to 70% of capacity, it should be stored in a cool dry place (0-70 degrees Fahrenheit, humidity range of 40-60%) Charge level should be checked every 6 months and charged back to 70% for optimal longevity. Never store a completely dead battery.

Steve, I wouldn’t hesitate reaching out to Marcum and going through their warranty repair process. My shuttle was clearly losing juice, so I gave them a call. They replaced the battery and only charged shipping to them, shipped it back to me after a week no questions asked. They did not request a receipt and it was just outside the warranty period.

https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

Research would actually recommend storage around 40%. Take a quick glance at the link seeing how much loss a battery can take pending charge at temp during storage. Who would have thought…

Really hesitant to buy a shuttle for my lx7 now. Seems like everyone has issues…

I like the shuttle features but I am not paying $140 for battery that won’t last.
I am retro fitting mine to use a regular 9 amp battery or a dakota lithium.
I will post a picture when I am done. It will be a little heavier but I am OK with that.

I’ve had mine for 3 seasons now running my Helix 7 and I have not had any issues. It will run for nearly a entire weekend without a charge depending on if I remember to turn the brightness down on the screen. This makes a big difference. I really like knowing I don’t have to drag extra batteries if I’m just going out for a day of fishing I know it will last. I don’t use the light or the usb ports. I carry a small Battery Tender jump pack that has those features on it as well as being able to jump start my side by side or truck if I or anyone else for that matter needs it.

I consider it a good investment but if it craps out I would probably look for a alternative power source rather than pony up $140 for a replacement.

Ok, a couple of comments from this post.
1. Li-ion battery packs are not all designed the same. The (Cell) manufacturer and the control portion of the pack design and how the pack interacts with the charger make up the longevity, safety and quality of the product.
2. One of the comments above mentions most of the time a cell is bad. Swapping out a cell in a li-ion battery pack is bad practice, I would never do this process you will be throwing away your money. The individual cells within the pack will be unbalanced and the pack will fail in time, especially in higher voltage packs. Not trying to be offensive here, this is based upon experience.
3. Companies like Strikemaster/Rapala have skilled design personnel and work with skilled engineers to ensure proper battery and charger design.
4. I figured I would make a comment on using a maintenance charger designed for lead acid on a li-ion pack. It is CRITICAL that when a li-ion pack is fully charged that no more current is applied. Using a maintenance charger designed for lead acid on a lithium pack is a bad idea and in some cases could be a safety issue depending on how the lithium pack is designed.

I would make more comments but as I mentioned above not every design using lithium is the same. In most cases if you follow the manufacturers instruction for care and storage of your battery pack you will be in pretty good shape. I’m sure Marcum would be happy to help with any issues, I love their product with the shuttle. Hope these comments help some..

Hello Mr. Big Crappie, is there any way I could email or contact you directly to have a friendly chat. Plus I love catching Crappies))

Here is some pics of what I did to put a conventional battery on my shuttle.
Yes it is heavier but can us a normal battery. Now that I have everything working I will take it back apart and paint the plywood. Still have all my shuttle options without the $140 bull-crap from marcum.

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Ice Cap wrote:

I’ve had mine for 3 seasons now running my Helix 7 and I have not had any issues.

3 years? Weren’t they on the market two Octobers ago? 1.5yrs?

jaybird1 wrote:

Strikemaster/Rapala have skilled design personnel and work with skilled engineers to ensure proper battery and charger design.

I was with you until…

______________ wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Keith wrote:</div>
I’ve had mine for 3 seasons now running my Helix 7 and I have not had any issues.

3 years? Weren’t they on the market two Octobers ago? 1.5yrs?

I’m sure this is the 3rd season using it. My son and I each bought one at a small outdoor/fishing show at Black Bear Casino. First time we ever seen a shuttle and neither one of us have heard of them before so we were in on the ground level.