Battery trolling motor for small jon boat advice needed

[pauldconyers]

Getting ready to buy a 12 foot jon boat and need to get a trolling motor and battery for it and that's what my question revolves around. I am thinking I am going to get at least a 45 lb thrust model as it will be my only propulsion source and I don't want to move around like a slug. I plan on just getting a battery that hooks to the motor with wingnuts screwed on the posts. Do I want to get a motor that works off 12 volts or what? As for the battery do I just need a car battery or does it need to specifically be a marine battery and if so, why? How long a shaft do I want it to have?

[BrianinMD]

Get the highest power trolling motor you can, there is never to much power. Batteries will last longer too since you can run at a lower setting to get the same speed. 

 

You will want deep cycle marine batteries, the deep cycle batteries are made to work better for the charge and discharge cycle of a trolling motor. You will need 2 for a 24 volt motor, personally I would do a 24 volt 70 or 80 lb. thrust. You wont need that much all the time but there if you need it to move spots or run from a storm.

 

For a 12 ft boat a 45 inch shaft should be correct.

[slonezp]

A 12v motor will be adequate for most situations but, as stated above, more power is nice. Do not use a car battery. You need a deep cycle marine battery. All marine batteries are not the same. As you go larger in size from group 24 to 27 to 29 to 31, the batteries are larger in physical size and weight. The larger the battery, the higher the cost, the longer the run time you will get from it. Walmart sells a decent battery with a 2 year warranty for around $100.

 

The battery needs to be kept in a case while in the boat. It's the law. A case will run about $10 or so. You also need a circuit breaker. The amp rating of the breaker will be determined by the motor you get. (It will be in the instruction manual) Breakers run anywhere from $10 to around $30. Minn Kota sells a case with a built in circuit breaker for around $50

[Scott F]

Don’t forget you’ll need a battery charger too. Search the forums here for advice on which charger to get. 

[LonnieP]

A group 29 is the smallest battery you should go with. A 36 inch shaft is all you need on a Jon boat.

[Way2slow]

Understand one thing, no matter what motor you get, you are still going to move around like a slug if you intend to fish more than a couple of hours. 

There is no 12V motor you can connect just one battery to and go zipping around at full thrust for very long, maybe an hour to hour and a half, and on bigger motors it may only be 30-45 minutes. You will find you will need to run at a greatly reduced thrust/speed to get the battery to last for several hours.

So, a 45 should be fine unless you plan to load up with several batteries.

 

Understand also, I'm not saying you can't fish all day on one battery if you manage your thrust setting wisely.  I'm just saying you can't run long at full thrust. 

 

One other thing.  When selecting your TM, it will pay huge dividends in run time if you pay the extra dollars to get a TM that has the variable speed control and not one with the preset number of speeds.  The electronics in the variable speed motors can let you run hours longer at reduced speeds.  At full thrust it does not help run time, but if you keep it below 50%, they make a huge difference. 

[Scott F]

I ran a 55lb thrust, 12v motor pushing a 17' fiberglass boat around for 25 years. Fishing all day on a group 29 battery and I don't remember every running out of juice even on 12 hour days. I didn't run at full speed all day and I typically drifted shorelines with the wind, but a 12 foot jon, will move pretty well with a 12 volt motor. Get the biggest motor and battery you can afford. But, if a smaller motor is all you can afford you'll still be fine.

[Tennessee Boy]

I used to fish with my grandfather in his 16ft Jon boat with one 12v battery and a 45lb thrust motor.  We never ran out of juice.  I'm not saying it can't happen but you will probably be fine with one battery and you can always buy a second one if you need it. 

[WRB]

On July 3, 2018 at 9:44 PM, pauldconyers said:

Getting ready to buy a 12 foot jon boat and need to get a trolling motor and battery for it and that's what my question revolves around. I am thinking I am going to get at least a 45 lb thrust model as it will be my only propulsion source and I don't want to move around like a slug. I plan on just getting a battery that hooks to the motor with wingnuts screwed on the posts. Do I want to get a motor that works off 12 volts or what? As for the battery do I just need a car battery or does it need to specifically be a marine battery and if so, why? How long a shaft do I want it to have?

12' Jon boat with 32" bottom? How do you transport your boat? I hope you use it only on small lake, so moving around at a slow walking pace should be sufficient.

Deep cycle marine batteries used to power trolling motors are heavy, somewhere between 55lbs to 70lbs depending on the size you select. If you trailer the boat the battery can stay in it. If you load it in a pick up the battery and trolling motor must be added after launching or on the bank. 

As memtioned you need a battery charger, case, 50 amp breaker. The TM is transom mounted teller stirring meaning you sit in the back with the battery, not good weight distribution. So you need a extension cable with 6 gage wire to move the battery to the middle seat area plus connectors. See the thread on trolling motor extension cord.

Lead acid wet cell battery is less expensive and availble at Walmart or Costco, get the biggest battery you can handle, size equal run time.

45 lb thrust 12V should becOK for your boat.

Good luck,

Tom

[Angry John]

Spend the time to research batteries, tons of important stuff to know.  Would a gel cell be best in your situation an atm or a li.  The new li batteries are stupid expensive if bought but they can be built waaaaay cheaper.  Tons of YouTube videos to watch on that as well.  More power in the battery is always better but not if you can't move it.  I favor deep cycle led acid but that's me.

[Quarry Man]

On 7/4/2018 at 6:49 AM, BrianinMD said:

Get the highest power trolling motor you can, there is never to much power. Batteries will last longer too since you can run at a lower setting to get the same speed. 

 

You will want deep cycle marine batteries, the deep cycle batteries are made to work better for the charge and discharge cycle of a trolling motor. You will need 2 for a 24 volt motor, personally I would do a 24 volt 70 or 80 lb. thrust. You wont need that much all the time but there if you need it to move spots or run from a storm.

 

For a 12 ft boat a 45 inch shaft should be correct.

^

Im putting a 112lb thrust Terrova on a 14' boat btw

[Further North]

58 minutes ago, Quarry Man said:

^

Im putting a 112lb thrust Terrova on a 14' boat btw

You wanna pull skiers?

 

...I'd be genuinely interested in how something like that worked out.  My 112 Ulterra will see 3.5 MPH on an 18' foot aluminum boat...and last all day for two days in a row (never pushed it past that, but there was still battery left and I'd seen no performance reduction).

[Quarry Man]

On 7/7/2018 at 10:42 PM, Further North said:

You wanna pull skiers?

 

...I'd be genuinely interested in how something like that worked out.  My 112 Ulterra will see 3.5 MPH on an 18' foot aluminum boat...and last all day for two days in a row (never pushed it past that, but there was still battery left and I'd seen no performance reduction).

I fish electric only lakes so this will be my only means of propulsion. Might be overkill, so I may end up with the 80lb version. Other thing to consider with a 14' boat and 36v system is the added weight of 3 batteries and a bigger trolling motor. Hoping to get 5mph, that would be awesome!

[Further North]

2 minutes ago, Quarry Man said:

I fish electric only lakes so this will be my only means of propulsion. Might be overkill, so I may end up with the 80lb version. Other thing to consider with a 14' boat and 36v system is the added weight of 3 batteries and a bigger trolling motor. Hoping to get 5mph, that would be awesome!

Somewhere in there...and I don't have any idea where, it a place where a prop with y thrust maxes out on speed, regardless of boat weight...or close, anyway. 

 

I've been curious for a while what that might be with the MK 36 volt units.

[Quarry Man]

Just now, Further North said:

Somewhere in there...and I don't have any idea where, it a place where a prop with y thrust maxes out on speed, regardless of boat weight...or close, anyway. 

 

I've been curious for a while what that might be with the MK 36 volt units.

i think it is 5mph according to mine kota.

[haggard]

I run a 14' jon (guessing 1,000 lb rigged and loaded) with a 55 lb trolling motor using a single Group 27 RV/Marine battery. It pulls the boat along just great. Never ran it at more than speed 5 out of 10, it lasts an 8 hour fishing day (note: not all on the TM... I use a gas motor to get across the lake), never had it run out of power. For a jon, I like the simplicity and weight savings of a single battery, 12 V system. I recommend "digital control" version instead of conventional non digital, supposedly has better power management. 36" shaft does fine on my jon (mounting surface is less than a foot above the water line). True it's nice to have the power or increased running time but if you start getting too heavy, the weight can work against you and your motor.

 

Keep the battery charged / topped off when done - they don't like to sit drained.

[WRB]

8 minutes ago, haggard said:

I run a 14' jon (guessing 1,000 lb rigged and loaded) with a 55 lb trolling motor using a single Group 27 RV/Marine battery. It pulls the boat along just great. Never ran it at more than speed 5 out of 10, it lasts an 8 hour fishing day (note: not all on the TM... I use a gas motor to get across the lake), never had it run out of power. For a jon, I like the simplicity and weight savings of a single battery, 12 V system. I recommend "digital control" version instead of conventional non digital, supposedly has better power management. 36" shaft does fine on my jon (mounting surface is less than a foot above the water line). True it's nice to have the power or increased running time but if you start getting too heavy, the weight can work against you and your motor.

Your main power is the outboard engine, electric trolling motor for control while fishing is normal. The op's question is electric trolling motor only lakes, no OB.

55 lb trust TM is ok for the op, gr 27 deep cycle marine battery is about average, how long it will last depends on the amp hour drain used.

I could suggest a gr 33 Odyssey or North Star AGM weighing 80 lbs, the biggest AGM deep cycle battery available that cost $400+, more then the boat probably, that doesn't solve his question.

Tom