Today we’ll be reviewing the Dakota Lithium 24V 5A LiFePO4 Battery Charger. We’ll also touch on the 12-volt 10-amp charger from Dakota Lithium at times as well. I started running two lithium batteries in my boat back in February, a little over 5 months ago. Since these are my first lithium batteries ever on the boat—and since regular lead acid battery charges can damage lithium batteries—I also found myself in need of lithium battery chargers.
I found out quickly during my search that there aren’t many lithium battery brands that also make lithium battery chargers. Dakota Lithium does, however. This is a name brand that has become synonymous with the introduction of this tech into the bass fishing space. So, I bought a Dakota Lithium 12V 10A LiFePO4 charger and a Dakota Lithium 24V 5A LiFePO4 charger off their website to test out. These are two of their more basic offerings for 12-volt and 24-volt batteries. At the time of writing this, both are on sale for $89 and $99 respectively.
MY BATTERY SETUP
I have a 24-volt 80-amp hour Millertech Sport Series Lithium Battery with Bluetooth running my Minn Kota Ultrex 80-pound thrust trolling motor and a 12-volt 100-amp hour Goldenmate Orion 1000 powering a couple 9-inch graphs, my aerators and other small accessories. I still run a standard lead battery for my cranking battery.
BASIC DESIGN AND SPECIFICATIONS
The Dakota Lithium 24V 5A LiFePO4 charger comes with positive (red) and negative (black) gator clamps for connecting to the corresponding battery poles. A standard 110-volt plug is the only other wire coming out of the charger. There is one LED light on the charger. This light is green when the charger is turned on, red when the charger is connected and charging the battery and green again when the battery is fully charged.
- INPUT: 100-240 volts, 50/60HZ.
- OUTPUT: 28.8 volts, 5.2 amps
- RATE OF CHARGE: 5 amps per hour.
*(From Dakota Lithium’s site- To determine your charging speed take the amp hour rating of your battery and divide by 5. For example, a 24v 10 amp hour battery (Ah) would charge in 2 hours.)
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
Both the 12-volt and 24-volt chargers have performed flawlessly, when used correctly…more on that in a minute. I understood when I bought these chargers that they were not designed to charge the batteries super fast. Rather, I bought them because they were among the more affordable chargers that Dakota Lithium offers. They’ve served their purpose over the last 5 months very well. I have only been without power on the trolling motor once in that time span and that was purposeful.
I wanted to test how long it would take for me to completely charge the 24-volt Millertech from dead empty back to 100%. Thus, I intentionally ran the battery without charging it for 4 or 5 trips. Once it drained completely, I hooked the Dakota Lithium 24V 5A LiFePO4 charger to it and started the clock.
It took right at 15 hours for the battery to recharge completely. Remember, this is a 5-amp charger working to recharge an 80-amp hour battery—a battery that has lasted me all day and then some ever since I got it. This is right in line with the 16 hour estimate that you’d get from the equation on Dakota Lithium’s site (Number of amp hours/amps=total charge time). The math for my Millertech trolling motor battery looks like: 80 amp hours/5 = 16 hours.
At the end of the day, the 24-volt 5-amp charger paired with this sized battery has proven to be more than sufficient to run my 80 pound thrust Ultrex for a full day of fishing and recharge between trips—even with consecutive practice and tournament days.
I want to point out here that you should not let any lithium battery drain completely if you can prevent it. Many experts recommend recharging a lithium battery after each trip, even if it isn’t fully drained, to increase the lifespan of the battery. I only allowed my battery to drain completely for the purpose of testing.
WORDS OF CAUTION
These chargers (the 12- and 24-volt ones I have) do not like water. I was cautioned of this ahead of time by a friend. Since my boat is kept outdoors, I keep the chargers covered by the back lid when they’re in use and inside the house when they are not in use. This was a bit of an inconvenience at first, as I have used onboard chargers with my lead acid batteries for over a decade. However, unclamping the chargers when they’re done charging the batteries and returning them to the shelf in the house has become second nature and something I’m not bothered by.
The only issue I’ve had with either of these chargers was my own doing—I accidentally connected the positive clamp to the negative pole and the negative clamp to the positive pole once. Since their was a residual charge in the battery at that time, this mistake fried my charger. This is not an issue that is covered by warranty, as it is due to operator error. However, as I learned myself, it’s an easy mistake to make. I suggest using red and black tape or paint to really highlight which poles are which on your batteries, especially if you find the factory identification hard to see.
OTHER RESOURCES
Jason Sealock wrote a comprehensive piece on Everything Anglers Should Know about Lithium Marine Batteries that is extremely helpful for an angler like myself who is new to this tech. I strongly suggest checking that one out as well as our buyer’s guide on the Best Marine, Lithium and Trolling Motor Batteries. These are two invaluable resources, whether you’re new to this conversation or you’ve been running lithiums for years.
IN CONCLUSION
The marine lithium battery market contains a lot of high dollar products; this is no secret and really the only drawback to swapping over to lithium power. I did a little research and found an economical option from a reputable brand and I have been very pleased with the results.
I consider myself to be an avid angler, I enjoy what I do on the water but also take it seriously at the same time. I still fish tournaments fairly regularly. I typically spend 6 to 10 hours on the water even when I’m simply fun fishing or shooting content for work. If you put yourself in the same category, or even if you’d say I’m a little more avid of an angler than yourself, I think the Dakota Lithium 24V 5A LiFePO4 Battery Charger is a solid buy for you. It’s served me well, as has it’s little brother, the 12V/10A charger. Both are great products at great price points.
