Leaderboard

Great post by Ken, there are only a couple of things I would add - when looking at electric motors keep in mind that the higher thrust models won’t propel you any faster, they all max out at about 5mph. Where they do come in to play is maintaining that speed with heavier vessels and in more challenging conditions (wind). That said, if you decide to go to a bigger boat at some point, you might want to go for a higher thrust model now so you don’t have to buy another motor when the time comes (buy once, cry once). If you plan to use your motor to move from one spot to another then a basic motor is fine, but if you plan to troll then it might be worth looking at one with the digital maximizer technology. Basically, a standard motor uses the same amount of power at the lowest speed setting as they do at the highest, and they use resistors to control the speed. The maximizer sends the power to the motor in pulses, so at lower speeds the pulses are shorter, meaning less power is used. But again, it’s a moot point if you’re just going from point A to point B. Lastly, if you go with a conventional battery I’d recommend getting a charger intended for trolling motor batteries. I don’t know the how/why behind it, but I do know I killed a few batteries with an automotive charger before I got my minnkota charger. Lastly, if you do get lithium battery keep in mind that you will likely have to get a charger for it separately. I’ve been looking at Alberta lithium and who knows, if I get a decent tax return I just might splurge this year… lol.