new trolling motor

[brgbassmaster]

just have a quick question im thinking about getting a new trolling motor becuase my 40lb thrust minn kota motor doesnt push my boat fast enough when there is rough water...actually it doesnt even move most of the time..my boat is a bass tracker pro 17. i was looking at a 55lb thrust trolling motor and was wondering if i have to have a circuit breaker hooked up to the motor or not..becuase on my last boat i just had the 40lb thrust motor hooked straight up to the battery on our 14ft old jon boat.. thanks

[H-SCbassman]

Hey brgbassmaster,

I was actually in the same situation right at the beginning of the summer. I had a 40 lb trolling motor and needed something with a bit more thrust, so I went with the Minn Kota Power Drive 55 lb. It had a big tag on the power cord recommending that you wire in a manual reset breaker. Like you, my old one was just hooked straight to the battery. With my new one, though, I didnt want to take any chances, so I went ahead and put on the breaker. Minn Kota recommended a 50 amp breaker, and actually they make one. Look online at Cabelas or Bass Pro Shop. I think you can pick one up for like $40. Although I never had any problems previously, I would recommend one just in case you do get some kind of short or something, you wont burn up your new trolling motor. By no means am I am expert on this stuff, but I figure it's better to play it safe if you are gonna put out a lot of money on a new trolling motor. Good luck! Feel free to let me know if ya have any questions.

Respectfully,

Jon

[TopDog]

I agree! Definitely get the breaker if you can!

[sneaker]

The Circuit breaker can save you a motor if you were to hit a rock or ground the prop at full throttle. When the prop stops turning, the amperage to you motor can rapidly exceed 100 amps, twice what it is rated for. It doesn't take long to fry the brushes in the motor.

You should use a type 1 breaker. It is a fast acting/manual reset breaker. An auto resetting breaker is a bad idea and not recommended by MK or the coast guard. You should be able to find an automotive C/B for much less than 20 bucks. Just keep it in a dry place. These breakers have a little button on them used to reset a tripped breaker.