Trolling Electric Motors

[Saltamontes]

I am contemplating investing in an inflatable boat for 2 - 3 people, to be used for fishing mailnly. The unit I'm looking at would definitely suit my needs, as it is big enough and would have the characteristics I am looking for. It comes with oars, but I would really like to have a motor to go with it. The boat is 10 ft long, and they say the maximum motor it can take is a 10 hp motor, this to me is foreign as I know absolutely nothing about this matter. I tried looking it up but did not get anywhere, I read terminology that makes it even more confusing, such as thrust, etc.

Can someone enlighten me? looking up online I see lots of Minnkota (sp) and other brands, yet none of them say anything about Hp, just thrust.

I believe all of these operate on a 12v battery (motorcycle, right ?). Is it reasonable for me to expect to have enough of a charge to float around a lake for a day or an afternoon without worrying about running the battery dead at the far end of the lake? the more hp, the more battery it will use, correct? how does thrust relate to hp? .

I see Cabela's and other dealers offer what I think would be an OK motor for this boat for about $100. Am I on the right track?

Lots of questions here, hopefully someone can assist.

[coolwaters]

horsepower=gas. Thrust= electric. If your boat can handle a 10 horsepower motor then i think that any electric trolling motor on the market will suit your boat just fine.. I run a 24lbs thrust motor on my 12ft jon boat, its moves the boat pretty good even with 3 people on board.

Thrust ( electric trolling motors) is the amount of water that the prop will push whereas horsepower is the amount of power produced from the small engine. A gas engine will be faster, more powerful, however they are noisy and obviously not as good for the enviro as a electric.

 

they run on deep cycle batteries, however a car/truck battery will do for a while( deep cycle batteries can be recharged over and over again) I got my battery from crappy tire for about 80 bucks, when it dies i hook it up to my truck and drive around for a bit until it has a full chrage again ( you can buy battery chargers for around 80 bucks)

hope that helps!!

 

[Tungsten]

Ya any electric motor will work.I would recommend one with digital maximizer,I have a 50lb that burns less battery at trolling speed then my old 30lb.

 

Yes a good deep cycle battery will last a weekend if you use it on slow speeds.Wally world in the spring has energizer group 31 battery's for under 100$.Not a true deep cycle battery but they work fine for me.

[jack]

If you are indeed using the motor for trolling, then your only option is an electric with maximizer. Couple of things that a maximizer does:

-Substantially reduces battery draw at very low (trolling) speed. Up to 4 times less battery drain for the same amount of rated thrust.

-Infinite speed control, maximizer allows you to adjust your motor speed down so low, that you can actually visually count the revolutions of the prop. If you are trolling, you want "dead-slow".

(If you want the semi-technical explanation for how "it does it", just ask, otherwise I'll save everyone the long, drawn out yada, yada.)

 

Maximizer equipped electric motors are more money. Over 4 years you will recoup that money on new deep cycle batteries that you haven't had to buy.

 

One thing about boat batteries: keep them in a fully insulated battery box(including the bottom). The insulation provides separation from the sometimes cold bottom of the boat, which will draw the stored power from your battery, very quickly(like setting a battery on a cold concrete floor), it will also absorb a lot of vibration when boating or transporting, which tends to weaken the lead plates inside the battery.

 

j(Spent 4 years on MinnKota pro-staff)

 

[slingshotz]

"Modern battery cases are made of polypropylene or hard rubber. These cases seal better, so external leakage-causing discharge is no longer a problem, provided the top of the battery is clean. Temperature stratification within very large batteries could accelerate their internal "leakage" or self-discharge if the battery is sitting on an extremely cold floor in a warm room or in a submarine."

 

Link to a better explanation: http://www.homepower.com/article/?file=HP127_pg12_ATE_5

 

However in a boat there's still value in having it insulated in case any acid leaks and for when it's very cold.

[Smitty]

Saltmontes:

 

Had a beautiful reply typed out yesterday and literally the power went out in my house right in the middle.

 

Anyways, the other responses have pretty much covered it, but as someone who has fished out of an 11 foot inflatable for 20 yrs, I'll add;

 

1) Inflatable boats are stable, you can stand up, and they are beautiful boats to flyfish from. They are, however, incredible wasters of motor power. They are polar opposites of canoes, because canoes track nicely and slice through the water. Inflatables skim over the top.

 

2) So in light of comment #1, I recommend getting a fairly sizable thrust motor; something in the 40 - 60 lbs thrust range. Make sure, as stated previously, you get a maximizer and infinite (variable) speeds. This will also help with the frequent winds that can crop up. There is a cut-off point where the motor is powerful enough to warrant a rating of 24 volts, requiring 2 batteries. You don't need to go there, unless you are frequent visitor of Maligne Lake (or similar). But I wouldn't get a motor with thrust level below 30, but that's my preference.

 

3) You want deep cycle marine batteries. Some guys get them from Cdn Tire or Wal-Mart and that's perfectly fine. Three years ago, on the advice of another message baord, I decided to try the blue-top Optima batteries sold at Costco. They're double the price at $190 per battery, and I have loved mine. Just a thought.

 

SMitty

[Saltamontes]

Thank you all for your informative comments. I think I have a better understanding of the issue. I will shop carefully and find something that will fit my needs and budget.

[wingshooter]

Costco has a Minn Kota Traxxis Transom mount motors on for $399 which is a great deal as they are $394 on the company website which is in US funds. I picked up a deep cycle @ Napa for $169 as they were also on special. I have a 15 foot zodiac and it pushed it in heavy wind and is very efficient as it has a digital maximizer and a built in battery test light. There is nothing more frustrating than running out of juice when the wind picks up and you are on the other side of the lake.

 

Good angling!