In the process of

[pootnic]

wiring a MK power drive(50lbs.thrust) to a 16' utility boat.I'm thinking i'll have about 18-20' of wire to run.
My problem is i dont know if the wire i have is 10 gauge or not.A friend gave me wire and it seems to be the same size as the wire that comes out of the trolling motor.The wire has writing on it that say"Canada Wire F 600V 10 TWU (-40c)",I'm hoping the 10twu means 10 gauge.
Questions: Is 10 gauge wire good enough from 20'away?
What size fuse is needed?the motor is second hand,no manual.

The power drive overhangs the bow by about 4"s.I bought a quick release mount,it has a screw in it to holds it in place,i removed the screw and drilled another hole in the bottom plate an inch from the end,so when its not deployed or when I'm docking the boat the trolling motor will moves back about 4 inches so it doesn't overhang.Anyone try this?

 

[jtexas]

Re: In the process of

Have a micrometer? AWG 10 is 0.1019 inches (conductor diameter). Sorry, don't know the mm's - the metric system never really caught on down here, unless you count the nine-millimeter bullet.

Running in salt water, consider getting marine grade tinned copper strand wire.

Usually a 12-volt T/M will spec out at 48 amps peak, 38 for a 24-volt motor. Manual reset is the norm so the motor won't start back up while you're clearing your fishing line from the prop.

What are you anchoring your screws into? The t/m mount has to be immobilized and rock solid if you're running in any kind of chop.

 

[JB]

Re: In the process of

For that long a run I wouldn't use anything smaller than #6. Put a plug close to the for'd station to plug the motor in to. Hard wiring would be a big error that you would regret.

The whole purpose of the quick disconnect mount is so you can take the motor off the bow and put it in the boat (or truck) when towing or under cover.

 

[pootnic]

Re: In the process of

thanks for the replies

the standard measurement will be fine thanks for the info

as far as the quick connect goes all i did was drill another hole in the base so i could haul it back if i want to.Leave the screw where it normally goes when your trolling but if you would like to haul it back(only when not deployed) remove the screw pull it back(as if you where talking it off) and line up the threads with the new quarter inch hole;screw the bolt in.Pulls it back about 4 inches so only the skag is protruding the bow a bit.Still comes off the same,sorry if my discription in still sucking.You know when your sliding the trolling motor off and you say to yourself wish the motor was there but the threaded hole is behind the base(thats connected to the boat)...i just drilled a hole there.Remember i havnt even used the motor yet,dont see what the problem could be though.

thanks again for replies

do i use the 12 volt and the 48 amp to figure out the size of the fuse

 

[jtexas]

Re: In the process of

They didn't say if it was 12 or 24 volts? 50 lbs thrust is *probably* 12-volt. If it has 3 wires instead of 2, it's 12/24v selectable. Most people use circuit breakers for the T/M. I have a 12V motor on a 30-amp circuit breaker (automotive, but I'm in fresh water only) - it's all I could find that day - it's never thrown it. They mostly only hit peak current draw if they get bogged down in vegetation or whatever.

sorry I was thinking of holes in the boat - you just modified the mount - never mind.