Electric motor and battery for kickboat.

[Bearcreek]

Good Day. Hoping to have some input to buying electric motor and battery for 9-foot kickboat. Just bought a new kickboat and looking to buy electric trolling motor as well a decent battery. If anyone cares to give me some recommendations it is (as always )greatly appreciated.  Thank you everyone for responses.  

[haggis57]

Minn Kota 12 volt trolling motors are probably the most commonly available and Minn Kota have a decent Motor Size Selection document.  This page has additional information.

The Minn Kota Endura C2 30lb thrust with 30" or 36" shaft is their entry level motor and is available at Cdn Tire, Cabelas/BassPro, the Fishin Hole.  They all usually have the Endura C2 on sale at some point during the Spring fishing sales.  You can also pick up good used ones from Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace.  That's where I bought mine for 1/2 the retail price.

Sealed lead acid(SLA) batteries are the most commonly used batteries for trolling motors.  Lithium batteries have become more widely avaiIable in the last few years but are significantly more expensive than SLA batteries. If you can justify the initial cost, they weigh quite a bit less than SLA batteries and provide more useable power.  Certainly worth considering since you haven't invested in an SLA battery yet.

Battery capacity - Amp-hour (A-hr or Ah) - is dependant on whether you are going to the motor occasionally to changing location or if you  are going to use the motor for trolling.  Continuous use for trolling with will require a larger battery capacity.  Keep in might that the weight of the battery is directly related to the battery capacity.  A 35 A-hr SLA battery is probably the smallest to consider for occasionally changing locations.  My 35 A-hr battery weighs 22 lbs.  A couple of guys I fish with were concerned with having enough capacity for multi-day trips and rather than buy a larger battery they bought 2 - 35 A-hr batteries.  They find it more convenient to move two small batteries around than one larger 50lb battery.  Batteries this size are often sold for mobility carts, wheel chairs, etc. and are commonly available.  

I have a 7 ft Outcast Fish Cat Scout and I have an Endura C2 30lb motor with a 35 A-hr sealed lead acid battery.  I just use the motor for changing locations or motoring back to the boat launch at the end of the day so the smaller 35 A-hr battery has been fine.  I believe I can get over 1.5 hrs of motoring between locations if I keep the motor at speed 3 or less.  

Good luck with new boat!

Ken

[Bearcreek]

Thank you Ken. That is very useful information. 

[danhunt]

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.

[Bearcreek]

Thank you Danhunt. This information is more then I had hoped for. Tight lines (Bearcreek)

[EarlARamos]

Good one bro,

[DonAndersen]

Just to be contrary, forget the motor and battery and row. The exercise will aid in longer life and more fishing. 
I own a motor and haven’t used it for many years. 
 

Don