How long for shaft on trolling motor ? Help..

[Ksam1234]

So I decided to get a new trolling motor, going from a basic 400$ stock one to the Ultrex ! My question is I’m not sure which shaft to get.. the 45 inch or 52 .. i own a 17 ft Lund adventure series. The 1675 to be exact.. some help would be appreciated thank you.  

[A-Jay]

Break out a tape measure and then consult the guide ~ 

 

https://www.minnkotamotors.com/support/faqs/how-do-i-select-shaft-length

 

A-Jay

[Ksam1234]

18 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Break out a tape measure and then consult the guide ~ 

 

https://www.minnkotamotors.com/support/faqs/how-do-i-select-shaft-length

 

A-Jay

Looks like either would be fine then honestly.  

[A-Jay]

9 minutes ago, Ksam1234 said:

Looks like either would be fine then honestly.  

May boil down to how & where you fish.

Where one length may come out of the water occasionally, it may never be too high to be in the way.

Where another length will probably never come out of the water - it may need to be raised occasionally to access skinny water.

 I fish some bigger water - a longer length is useful.

I accept that and raise it when I need to;

perhaps 5-10 times a season. 

Keeps the 360 transducer in the drink too, which is mounted on the shaft 12 inches above the trolling motor prop.

A-Jay

[Way north bass guy]

I saw a saltwater Terrova at the fishing show yesterday that had to have a 10’ long shaft! Wish I had taken a pic of it.   The guy said it’s used a lot for the guys fishing offshore reefs, where they can’t anchor anymore so they use spot lock instead. I’ve been on Georgian Bay a few times where I could’ve almost used one that size! 

[Smokinal]

I'll echo A-Jay's advice in that it comes down to the water you fish.

 

Are you more of an off-shore fisherman who will encounter some waves or are you more of a cove/pocket fisherman who will be in calmer water most of the time?

[A-Jay]

3 minutes ago, Way north bass guy said:

I saw a saltwater Terrova at the fishing show yesterday that had to have a 10’ long shaft! Wish I had taken a pic of it.   The guy said it’s used a lot for the guys fishing offshore reefs, where they can’t anchor anymore so they use spot lock instead. I’ve been on Georgian Bay a few times where I could’ve almost used one that size! 

The few times the 62" on the Fortrex has actually come totally out of the water for extended periods of time,

trying to fish up there was pretty close to being at Six Flags !

And I wasn't tall enough for the ride . . . .

A-Jay

[Way north bass guy]

3 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

The few times the 62" on the Fortrex has actually come totally out of the water for extended periods of time,

trying to fish up there was pretty close to being at Six Flags !

And I wasn't tall enough for the ride . . . .

A-Jay

I’m the same way, I have a 60” Terrova and I’ve been on some smallmouth on the “outside” of the bay before, and it’s like riding a very large, angry bucking bull. One of the reasons why I picked up a new hydraulic front pedestal seat yesterday. Haven’t had one in a few years and the last time I was out there I wished I did. 

[Ksam1234]

24 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

May boil down to how & where you fish.

Where one length may come out of the water occasionally, it may never be too high to be in the way.

Where another length will probably never come out of the water - it may need to be raised occasionally to access skinny water.

 I fish some bigger water - a longer length is useful.

I accept that and raise it when I need to;

perhaps 5-10 times a season. 

Keeps the 360 transducer in the drink too, which is mounted on the shaft 12 inches above the trolling motor prop.

A-Jay

Yeah I’ll be fishing Lake Erie a lot Nd bigger water , none of the lakes I fish rarely get to low or skinny .. and in that case as you said I would just raise it up.. sounds like the 52 inch is better 

18 minutes ago, Smokinal said:

I'll echo A-Jay's advice in that it comes down to the water you fish.

 

Are you more of an off-shore fisherman who will encounter some waves or are you more of a cove/pocket fisherman who will be in calmer water most of the time?

Lake Erie I’m going to be fishing a lot and mainly deeper lake stuff as the lakes I fish don’t have many coves etc 

[A-Jay]

Just now, Ksam1234 said:

Yeah I’ll be fishing Lake Erie a lot Nd bigger water , none of the lakes I fish rarely get to low or skinny .. and in that case as you said I would just raise it up.. sounds like the 52 inch is better 

Can always shorten it up a bit.

Kind of hard to add length.

?

On a separate note - I mounted my motor to one of the Minn Kota Quick Release Brackets.

Makes sliding the motor on & off easy.

Otherwise you never know it's there.  

There's several models that fit several motors.

Back plating the mounting hardware will ensure a super secure install.

Good Luck

A-Jay

[MickD]

Go long, it will handle more conditions than the short.  For 7 inches one would sacrifice better performance in rough water?  Not I.

[Smokinal]

51 minutes ago, Ksam1234 said:

Yeah I’ll be fishing Lake Erie a lot Nd bigger water , none of the lakes I fish rarely get to low or skinny .. and in that case as you said I would just raise it up.. sounds like the 52 inch is better 

Lake Erie I’m going to be fishing a lot and mainly deeper lake stuff as the lakes I fish don’t have many coves etc 

I would go longer then

[Ppennin986]

I own Lund fury 1625 xl and I have minnkota power drive 55lb with 52 inch shaft I believe the longer shaft is better as AJ says can always adjust up as needed just my 2 cents worth

[MickD]

I would not buy another trolling motor that did not have remote control (deploy, store, trim, spot lock) and the equivalent of spot lock.  More expensive, but well worth it.

[J Francho]

Every boat I've had, from deep-v to aluminum bass boat, to glass boat, I've upgraded to a 52" shaft.  Yes, sometimes you have to raise it a bit in shallow calm water, but usually no more than 12" with is about as high as my graphs, so no biggie.

[Ksam1234]

Got the 52 inch ultrex today!! 

[J Francho]

Nice, congrats!  My next boat will probably have a 72" shaft!

[WRB]

Good choice

Tom

[Ksam1234]

Thank you ! @WRB @J Francho @A-Jay @Smokinal @MickD  for helping and everyone else 

[LakeWinni]

On 2/15/2020 at 6:21 PM, A-Jay said:

Can always shorten it up a bit.

Kind of hard to add length.

?

On a separate note - I mounted my motor to one of the Minn Kota Quick Release Brackets.

Makes sliding the motor on & off easy.

Otherwise you never know it's there.  

There's several models that fit several motors.

Back plating the mounting hardware will ensure a super secure install.

Good Luck

A-Jay

How would you shorten it? Are there wires inside? Looking for some step by step help on this and cant find much but I wanna try.

[A-Jay]

14 minutes ago, LakeWinni said:

How would you shorten it? Are there wires inside? Looking for some step by step help on this and cant find much but I wanna try.

Search You Tube 

There are several DIY videos 

A-Jay