pauldconyers Posted October 2, 2017 Posted October 2, 2017 As a gift I am looking to possibly add a trolling motor to parents 25' Suntracker pontoon. I have been told that 48 inch is about the standard shaft length for a trolling motor on a pontoon and I've been advised that I would need a model with 55 lbs of thrust at the minimum. Do you guys agree with these two statements? Also I had a question about the wiring and battery aspect of it. Would I need to get a new, stronger battery to replace his current one to also run the trolling motor, get a dedicated 12v model just for the trolling motor? I have seen most motors come in the 12 or 24v variety but I am at a lose as to how I would go about it. Advice please! Quote
Super User Further North Posted October 2, 2017 Super User Posted October 2, 2017 Pontoon boats are gonna get pushed all over the place by the wind...a 25' pontoon more than most. Go long shaft & as much thrust as you can afford. If it were me I'd go 60", 36 volts. Quote
Crappiebasser Posted October 2, 2017 Posted October 2, 2017 I agree on the 60" 36v. You will need 3 new batteries in addition to what you have. 1 Quote
pauldconyers Posted October 2, 2017 Author Posted October 2, 2017 THREE MORE BATTERIES???? That just seems extremely excessive and a huge hassle wiring-wise. I've got a cubby hole very close to where the trolling motor would be mounted, what about getting a 12 volt model and just running it off its own battery like that? Quote
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted October 2, 2017 Global Moderator Posted October 2, 2017 Would you rather have a 12v trolling motor and have it be too small and basically useless? You have a 25' toon. That's basically a big sail. I'd rather have too much than too little and a 12v trolling motor would be way too little. 1 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted October 2, 2017 Super User Posted October 2, 2017 17 hours ago, pauldconyers said: As a gift I am looking to possibly add a trolling motor to parents 25' Suntracker pontoon. I have been told that 48 inch is about the standard shaft length for a trolling motor on a pontoon and I've been advised that I would need a model with 55 lbs of thrust at the minimum. Do you guys agree with these two statements? Also I had a question about the wiring and battery aspect of it. Would I need to get a new, stronger battery to replace his current one to also run the trolling motor, get a dedicated 12v model just for the trolling motor? I have seen most motors come in the 12 or 24v variety but I am at a lose as to how I would go about it. Advice please! Seems you’ve been contemplating the trolling motor addition for a while. I’ll tell you that in my experience a vessel that light and with that much sail area (meaning flat surfaces above the waterline that are directly affected by the wind) using a trolling motor on anything but the calmest of days is a tricky proposition. When there’s wind, that boat’s going to blow around; sometimes a little other times a lot. This is one reason the responses above mention three batteries and a larger trolling motor. While a trolling motor is your best bet to quietly & effectively move short distances, to ‘hold position’ or to ‘fish a spot’ for any length of time, you’d be better off simply deploying an anchor off the bow. Anchors are very inexpensive, use no battery power, require little storage space and when used correctly, are very effective. So depending on how you plan on using & fish from that pontoon boat, will determine what would be your most effective choice here. Finally, not adding at least one additionally battery for the trolling motor will quickly become problematic. You will eventually drain your starting battery to a low point where it will not start the outboard motor. You will not be happy. Good Luck. A-Jay 2 Quote
Super User NHBull Posted October 2, 2017 Super User Posted October 2, 2017 A simple Google search with" pontoon trolling motors" will show you very specific options. There are a few on my lake, and they are used to navigate rocky areas, then drop an anchor. For this, they are fine! A 24v is all you need, but get the biggest you can. A remote is also useful. 1 Quote
Super User Further North Posted October 3, 2017 Super User Posted October 3, 2017 8 hours ago, pauldconyers said: THREE MORE BATTERIES???? That just seems extremely excessive and a huge hassle wiring-wise. It's only a "hassle" when you set it up the first time, and it'll eliminate frustration every time after that when it does what you want it to do and you don't wind up frustrated and PO'd because you wasted you money on a 55# thrust twelve vote model... ...and it's not that much of a hassle to set up a 3 battery system. 8 hours ago, pauldconyers said: I've got a cubby hole very close to where the trolling motor would be mounted, what about getting a 12 volt model and just running it off its own battery like that? IMO, you will wind up disappointed and frustrated with that set up and wind up feeling you wasted your money. 8 hours ago, 12poundbass said: You have a 25' toon. That's basically a big sail. I'd rather have too much than too little and a 12v trolling motor would be way too little. Bingo on the "...big sail...". I know folks with multi-species boats who went cheap with 12 and 24 volt set-ups and get booted all over the lake by the wind...and multi-species boats are much less of a "sail" than a pontoon... 6 hours ago, NHBull said: A 24v is all you need, but get the biggest you can. A remote is also useful. Absolutely agree on the "...get the biggest you can." While a 24 volt may fit the need, for me it's like choosing between riding a bike to work or driving a car. Both meet the need, one does it in a way that it's less likely to fail to meet expectations... 6 hours ago, A-Jay said: Finally, not adding at least one additionally battery for the trolling motor will quickly become problematic. You will eventually drain your starting battery to a low point where it will not start the outboard motor. You will not be happy. Understatement of the month... It was about this time of year last year when I towed a gentleman with a pontoon full of dead batteries to the dock. "Unhappy" doesn't quite capture his state of mind as he tried to paddle that big girl across a windy bay... 2 1 Quote
Super User slonezp Posted October 3, 2017 Super User Posted October 3, 2017 Yesterday, I saw an elderly couple, in a pontoon, fishing a dock, presumably for crappies. It was a tad windy and they were apparently dragging anchors...yes 2 anchors. As I approached, I saw the guy using a push pole with a duck bill on the end to reposition the boat and drop anchor. I thought to myself, "I'm glad I'm not him". Buy the right motor the first time. 2 Quote
Super User Further North Posted October 3, 2017 Super User Posted October 3, 2017 12 minutes ago, slonezp said: Buy the right motor the first time. Quote
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