Ocean Rowing with Titan Lithium Batteries: Powering Through the Pacific

Ocean Revival began its journey in 2021 with a bold mission: to conquer the world’s most treacherous ocean crossing—a 3,700-mile battle with the North Atlantic, from New York to London. Since then, we’ve completed four ocean crossings, gained multiple world records, and continue to set our sights on even greater adventures as we prepare for our next challenge in 2025.

Ocean Rowing with Titan Lithium Batteries: Powering Through the Pacific

In 2024, I completed my fourth ocean row, this time across the mid-Pacific from San Francisco, California, to Hawaii, a gruelling 2,400-mile journey in a classic 27 ft ocean rowing boat. It was a completely independent crossing, with no safety yachts, no backup teams, and no fanfare. Just over 46 days of rowing two hours on, two hours off, 24/7, with nothing but the open ocean around us.

This crossing was the 4th in a of a series of challenging previous expeditions. My previous rows included the Mid-Atlantic Ocean from Gran Canarias to Barbados, where I was part of a world record breaking 8-man crew across the Atlantic in just 32 days. I also rowed the North Atlantic, leading the first team to row from New York to London (71 days), and completed a first-ever Arctic Ocean crossing, leading a 4-person crew over 15 days. While each of these expeditions had their own unique challenges, the hardest part, as always, is getting to the start line.

The Challenges of Ocean Rowing Logistics

Before every row, there’s the colossal task of logistics; shipping the boat, food, and equipment; securing sponsorship; managing the budget; and preparing the boat for such a demanding journey. When I got our boat, No Great Shakes, back from the Arctic expedition and started preparations for the Pacific crossing, we realised something: our existing batteries simply weren't up to the job.

We had two battery banks onboard: a pair of 65Ah lithium batteries in one, and a single 100Ah lithium battery in the other. After leaving them on full charge and returning to check on them days later, we noticed a concerning 10% power drop, even though they weren't being used. That drop could easily spell disaster on a long crossing, especially when you have no way of replacing faulty batteries once you're at sea. After testing, we identified that they did indeed need changing.

Why Battery Choice is Critical

On an expedition like this, your power systems are everything. From navigation and communication to lights and water preparation,you depend on batteries to keep everything running smoothly. A failure in your power system would be catastrophic, leaving you without essential equipment in an environment where failure is not an option. For this reason, I made the decision to swap out our existing batteries, ensuring we had a system that could endure the harsh conditions of an ocean row.

The new battery had to meet certain criteria:

1. Marine-grade lithium technology capable of withstanding saltwater and damp conditions.
2. 100Ah capacity or greater to ensure we wouldn’t run out of power during our crossing.
3. Ability to withstand rocking and rolling in the high seas, so the battery could be stored on its side if necessary.
4. Bluetooth monitoring with an app that would let us check the battery status at a glance, no matter where we were.

Enter Titan Lithium Batteries

After scouring the market for a suitable option, one name kept popping up: Titan Lithium. They offered a 120Ah battery that ticked all the boxes. I reached out to Titan, explaining the unique conditions our batteries would face: likely being on their side for months, exposed to damp conditions, and charged by solar power. Titan confirmed their 120Ah lithium batteries would be perfect for the task, so we went ahead and ordered two.

Upon arrival, we immediately set them up. Charging the batteries shoreside before fitting them onto the boat was quick and easy, and we had them up and running in under 10 minutes. The Bluetooth connectivity was especially helpful, allowing me to monitor the battery’s performance directly from my phone. This proved invaluable, as it often provided more real-time data than our onboard Victron battery monitors.

Performance During the Crossing

How did they perform? In short: flawlessly. We never had to switch between our two battery banks, as the Titan batteries more than met our needs throughout the 46-day crossing. We used the same battery bank continuously, without any issues, 24/7. Despite several days of strong cloud cover, the battery never dropped below 70% and that’s after several days of continuous use. In fact, the voltage rarely dipped below 13V, which greatly reduced stress levels on board and allowed us to focus on other critical tasks.

Having reliable power on board also meant I could sleep better, knowing the systems were functioning as expected. As a skipper, one of the hardest things is anticipating potential issues before they become problems, and the steady performance of the batteries gave me peace of mind. I was able to focus on navigation and the well-being of my crew, rather than worrying about power failure.

The Long Journey Back

After 46 days of tough rowing, we reached Hawaii in early August 2024. A day of rest was followed by a thorough cleaning of the boat and preparations for shipping her back to the UK. However, due to port strikes and delays, the boat spent an additional three months in transit before we finally received her back.

When we checked the batteries, I was astonished: both of them were still at 99% charge! Not only had they performed exceptionally throughout the crossing, but they were also in near-perfect condition after months of travel.

What's Next: The Indian Ocean

As I prepare for my next challenge, rowing the Indian Ocean from mainland Australia to mainland Africa in the summer of 2025, I’ll be taking the same two Titan 120Ah lithium batteries with me. They performed brilliantly in the Pacific, and I have no doubt they’ll power us through this new and even more formidable ocean crossing.

When you’re out there, thousands of miles from land, reliable equipment is everything. With the Titan batteries, we had the power we needed, and I’m confident that with them by my side, we’ll have the same success in the Indian Ocean.

Matt Mason – Ocean Revival Adventures and multiple world record holding Ocean rower

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Photos from the Pacific Ocean row in 2024:

TITAN Lithium Proudly sponsors Ocean Revival Adventures - be sure to follow them on Instagram and their progress via their website.