Trolling motor questions. Update. Another Q.

[bassboy1]

I want a trolling motor for my B-day in March. I have two boats to use it on. A 15 ft lund, and a 12 ft grumman.
I have a minn kota 10 lb thrust that we got from grammas basement. Will it be powerfull enough for the Grumman?
For the lund I want it to be mounted on the bow. Preferably a transom mount on the bow. We can easily make a bracket for a transom mt.
I also want it to be 12 volt. Only want one battery. I don't need it to be electric steer and don't really want to waste money on that either. I don't know what lb thrust is needed. The lund will get most of its use on large lakes.(lanier)
Would there be a problem with running too much power on the little boat? Would it waste any charge?
I also don't know how much thrust I need either.
I don't mind getting a used one, just need to know what to tell my dad to be on the lookout for.
If I have left anything out please tell me. Pics of the Lund can be veiwed in the shareaproject link in my sig. No, the Lund is not finished yet, but will be soon. I will post pics of the grumman as soon as I can.

Thanks and Happy New Year.
8)

 

[wileecoyote985]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

10# thrust is very minimal for any application. Would work in a pond with no/very little wind.

On the Lund, you'll probably want a minimum of 40#, although I personally would opt for 50-55#.

If you plan to use a stern mount converted to the bow, make sure you get one with a long enough shaft. It takes more shaft length for a bow mount than one would think.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Oh yeah I meant to put that in. If you see the lund pic you can see it has a high bow. But, that can be overcome. Would running a 55 on the Grumman waste power?Would it run it down any faster than, say, a 30?

 

[DJ]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Would running a 55 on the Grumman waste power?Would it run it down any faster than, say, a 30?

You only use as much power as you need. Most trollers can be run very slowly. Some have "infinite" speed settings.

Get as much as you can with a 12V unit. Get as long a shaft as you can. The shaft can be adjusted up/down to meet numerous applications-on most.

Also, look into getting a unit with a "Maximizer", as featured on Minn Kota's. It makes a big difference in battery life.

iboats has a wide selection. I believe they have a free shipping deal on now.

 

[DJ]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Yep, the iboats "free shipping" deal is on-now.

Take a look at these.

http://www.iboats.com/mall/?view_id=52238&cart_id=223671821&session_id=488881512

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

How long does the free shipping last?

Is there any place to find a good used one other than ebay?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

There are a few things that are not being considered here. The less expensive motors do not have the maximizer circuit that the PowerDrives and newer MotorGuide motors do. Speed control on the cheaper motors is accomplished with speed coils which are nothing more than wire wound resistors. Except when running wide open, that excess current is going through one or more speed coils and is being dissipated as heat and therefore wasted. The bigger the motor, the more waste. These are not efficient motors. The point here is if you use a 40 or 55# motor you are wasting a bunch of energy on a boat that does need that much power. 25 - 30 pound is fine. If you insist on a 55# motor (the largest you can run with a single battery) by all means make it a PowerDrive or at least one of the other designs that has the maximizer (Minnkotas terminology).

 

[DJ]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

I agree on the "Maximizer" technology, as previously stated. Motor Guide has it too. I just do not know what it is called. If you go "big", get a Miximizer. If you go smaller, it doesn't matter as much but you will be disappointed on the bigger boat.

I disagree on size. I had a Minn Kota 36 on a 16' Sea Nymph (aluminum) bass boat. It was marginal in any breeze or current. Plus, it was a battery eating pig. It was not a "Maximizer" unit. I also had a Minn Kota 48 on a 19' Bay Boat. It was a Powerdrive/ Maximizer/Auto Pilot unit. It did well and I was surprised at how long it would run.

I do not know how long the free shipping deal lasts. Give iboats a call.

As far as used, eBay would be my first choice. I've never been disappointed there. Sometimes certain outlets have "reconditioned" motors available. I would not be afraid of one of those as long as it has a factory backed warranty, which most do.

Let's not forget about the battery. That is just as important as the motor. Get the biggest baddest deep cycle battery you can find and a good charger to go along with it.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

I am leaning toward one of these two. The nice thing about the Motor guide Toon mount is that it has the longer shaft. I am not sure if it has the Maximizer variation because I dont know what they call it.

I would want the first one in this selection.
http://www.iboats.com/mall/?view_id=52227&cart_id=223671821&session_id=387795339
Or I want the second one in this selection.
http://www.iboats.com/mall/?view_id=52238&cart_id=223671821&session_id=387795339

 

[Bass-A-Holic]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

on my old 12ft sears we used to have an older motor guide 36lb as the primary motor and that worked out fine but for the lund i have to agree that a 50lb or so would be better, unless u want to get a bow mount.d

 

[Bass-A-Holic]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

sry for all the posts but it may be a good idea to go the the websites of the manufacturers and ask lots of questions about their motors, when i bought my new mk powerdrive the people at the site and on the phone were very helpful and polite- you cant beat good service

 

[DJ]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Personally, I would choose the MK over the Motorguide. That's just a personal preference from past experiences.

However, you need to be careful about shaft length. I'm not sure the longest MK will work as a bow mount. It all depends on what kind of bracket you come up with.

Give Motorguide a call. I'm sure they are well aware of the MK "Maximizer" feature. Ask them what theirs is called and what motors it is on.

iboats personnel may also be able to help you. If they don't know, they'll find out.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

on my old 12ft sears we used to have an older motor guide 36lb as the primary motor and that worked out fine but for the lund i have to agree that a 50lb or so would be better, unless u want to get a bow mount.d

Cannot afford a bow mount. Can use some good ole' "southern ingenuity" to make a cheaper transom or pontoon mount into a bow mount. As I said in one of your previous posts, I have the ability to do anything with anything. My dad builds houses and furniture in his spare time. So he has all the big framing equipment along with the finishing equipment. We also can cut + weld anything to do with steel. The Lunds trailer is also homeade. And, aluminum, though we cannot weld it at this time, we have friends who can.

 

[DJ]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

bassboy,

You can shop eBay with confidence as long as you know what you are looking for.

Contact M-K and Motorguide and get some education on which motors have which features. Armed with that info. yoiu can make a good choice.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

bassboy,

You can shop eBay with confidence as long as you know what you are looking for.

Contact M-K and Motorguide and get some education on which motors have which features. Armed with that info. yoiu can make a good choice.

I know I can shop confidently on ebay. My families ebay account has close to 400 stars on it. I run through there daily. I was just wondering how many other places there were.
I have been running through the MG and MK website. I am now armed with enough info to buy what I want.
Thanks to everybody who posted here and have a happy new year!!8)

 

[Bass-A-Holic]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

when i got my 14 footer i had that MG hand control on the bow untill i got the MK bow mount, i bought one of these bigfoot troller buttons so i could turn it on/off without having to reach down every time, it really inexpensive yet very handy to have you may want to get if you plan on using it quite a bit during bass fishing

heres a link for one on basspro
http://www.basspro.com/servlet/cata...arClassCode=2&hvarSubCode=4&hvarTarget=browse

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

i love my MG w45. can't say enough about the wireless, controls. i use the key fob, the foot control is under the seat. i can move any where in the boat and control it.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Even though I originally wanted a hand control stern mount, too many people have tried to talk me out of it. Not only on here, but locally as well. I have found a place that has a reconditioned minn kota powerdrive with the 18 ft foot control cable. I can get one of those for the same price as a new transom mount hand control. This one will actually fit around the bow rail on the lund, which was one of my beginning concerns. Now I just have to talk my dad into it.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

I suggest that you "never" let the foot control loose in the boat where it can be exposed to water for long periods of time. The internals are not protected very well. Store it in storage area that won't get wet. If the boat is stored inside that's obvously not a problem.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Re: Trolling motor questions.

Okay, Having trouble finding the funds for the nice Minn kota 55. And, the Lund is not water ready. And might not be until March or so. But, I may be able to get a good deal on a used motor guide 32 lb for the Grumman. My question here is; since it doesn't have the maximizer, how much power would be wasted?