Good Trolling motor for a Bass Raider 10E?

[TriStateBassin106]

Hey Bassresource, 

 

Recently I made a post about what Kayak I should get but after conversations with some helpful anglers on here I decided to opt out and get the new Pelican Bass Raider 10E they have at Cabelas. 

 

A friend of mine recently bought one this past season and highly recommended it to me. My only question about this boat is what would a good trolling motor and battery would you guy recommend? I'm a big guy at 6'0 and 300 so I need something that can get me around and not be sluggish in the wind, my friend had a 55lb trust and it zooms him around the small lakes we fish, should I follow or get something else that has more power? My price range for a trolling motor is no higher than 220$. 

 

I look foward to the responses. 

[Fishes in trees]

I used to have a boat very similar, slightly heavier than the Pelican 10E.  I presume you're going transom mount.  I've never seen a foot control mount on one of these little pond boats - don't mean it can't happen, just means I 've never seen it, and at that point you're getting way over $220.

 

Anyway, on my boat I ran a 36 lb thrust trolling motor for a couple of seasons - then it broke (my fault) and I used that opportunity to upgrade.  I got a 55 lb thrust variable speed motor, and that's what I'd recommend.  I don't think the brand makes much difference, but I got a Minn Kota, because of the Maximizer they advertised at that time.  With the 55 I could get from point A to point B quicker and that was a plus, but the coolest part of that motor was how slow you could go.  With the other 5 speed motor, sometimes back in a cove with light variable winds, speed 1 was too fast.  I thought then, and I still do, that a very slow constant speed didn't spook fish as much as the on & off does.

 

You might want to get more battery.   I started out with 2 of the biggest deep cycle batteries I could find at the time (wired parallel to stay 12 volts ) and after a while went to 3.  The 3 batteries helped to balance out the load a little bit better also, because I was closer to the other end, with the hand controlled trolling motor.

 

You'll find that getting the boat balanced it pretty important so that it sits right in the water.  I knew other guys, who only ran 1 battery, who kept a cooler in the back & filled it with water to help with the weight balance.

 

I'm pretty sure that boat can be comfortable to fish out of, but what with you being 300 lbs, there will be a learning curve to getting the balance right.   Either way, to answer your question, I'd go with the biggest 12 volt trolling motor you can find that has the variable speed and 2 big deep cycle batteries wired parallel and don't forget a 2 bank charger so you can keep the 2 batteries charged the same.   At this point you're over $220, but there isn't any substitute for trolling motor power on the water and more is almost always better.

 

BPS 2020 Master catalog suggests a price tag of $289 for the Endura Max 55 lb thrust, 12 volt, variable speed, 36" motor shaft.

[LonnieP]

I started out with a 30lb trolling motor and that worked fine unless the wind was blowing. I upgraded to a 55 and like that better. I use a group 29 everstart maxx battery from Walmart  and I’ve never ran out of juice on the water.

[Chowderhead]

16 minutes ago, LonnieP said:

I started out with a 30lb trolling motor and that worked fine unless the wind was blowing....

 

I use a group 29 everstart maxx battery from Walmart  and I’ve never ran out of juice on the water.

Same here. No issues, but can see myself upgrading to a 55 in the near future.

[jeffo21]

On ‎2‎/‎25‎/‎2020 at 7:00 PM, LonnieP said:

I started out with a 30lb trolling motor and that worked fine unless the wind was blowing. I upgraded to a 55 and like that better. I use a group 29 everstart maxx battery from Walmart  and I’ve never ran out of juice on the water.

I am the same as Lonnie. I started with a smaller motor and it just wasn't getting the job done so I went with a 55 and love it.

[tcoile26]

What length shaft did you guys with the 55lb thrust use?

[Guitarfish]

36" works fine. And yes on a 55lb.  Ideal for this class of boat.

[tcoile26]

Awesome! Thanks Guitarfish!

Will that be long enough to use a troll king for control? I’m going from a 21ft ranger to a flat bottom so I’d prefer to be more or less hands free 

[Ratherbefishing75]

I run a 55 foot pound minnakota  on my 16.5 canoe  ant it pushes it along nicely