Trolling Motors

[padlin]

I have a little 10' Bass Raider and am looking at trolling motors, the Endura Max series to be specific. The motor selection guide at Minn Kota says a 30lb is recommended for up to 14' but I see most folks getting the 55lb for the same boat I have.

 

A smaller motor is cheaper, lighter, and eats less battery, all of which are attractive, but I'm sure there are reasons others go bigger. So what's the pros of going up in thrust for such a small boat? I will guess at it's faster and maybe chews weeds better?

[Bruce424]

honestly speed for one. high winds or current for another reason. but with your raider i doubt u will take it out on high wind days or alot of current just for safety reasons. a 30 or 45lb would be plenty i believe.

[padlin]

You would be right, I fish ponds and small lakes, and stay home if the wind is up.

[Last_Cast]

The bigger the better. 55 at least.

Always good to have more thrust 

[Way2slow]

I have used a `12v MinnKota 65MX on a 12ft jon in ponds for more years than I can remember, never seen a need for anything bigger for pond fishing.

Now, I would not even try to use it in the river, where they have a good current flow.

I'm only running a 60 lb Enduro on a 24' 4,500lb pontoon in big water and had no problems

 

[GreenPig]

I run an 80 lb on front of my 1448. Overkill? Maybe. But it's so much more efficient that I can fish from dawn to dusk in wind that runs most folks off the lake. I'd go with a 55 lb.

[padlin]

What changes as the thrust rating rises, bigger prop, higher rpm? 

[Last_Cast]

Exactly..

It's well worth it.

I learned the hard way.(expensive lesson)

 

[Deephaven]

If it were me I would go up to the 80.  Easy to try down, but can't turn it up past max.  

 

[Way2slow]

Wow! I must be missing something.  I thought a 10' Bass Raider was one of those plastic pontoon things.  Where would you even put that much battery in the thing.  I must be doing something wrong; I've always considered my 28# thrust more than enough for my 1232 jon I use for ponds and small water.

[WRB]

Simple 12V 55 lb thrust TM is more then normally needed. You rarely run at full power and a 55 lb will give you power when needed.

Higher thrust = higher amp draw at full power using a single 12V TM battery in a small boat.

Tom

[jbsoonerfan]

I better not give my opinion. I was told that the thrust makes no difference in speed. A 30lb TM will move a boat the exact same speed as a 112lb. 

[Glenn]

I had a small boat, and a 30lb worked just fine....on windless days.  If a 10+mph wind kicked up during the day, it basically held me in place at full speed.  

 

I never dared try it in current.  Really doubt it would've held up.

 

I went to 45lb and it made a world of difference.  So 55lb for you would be the absolute max I would go.  A good choice if you plan on fishing windy days and/or current.  Otherwise 45lb will work just fine.

 

Good luck!

[Junk Fisherman]

9 hours ago, Last_Cast said:

The bigger the better. 55 at least.

Always good to have more thrust 

Since you are having 1 battery, go with the 55 lb.  And I am not a constant max out the HP, max out the thrust sort of guy but in this case spending the extra money for more thrust is worth it.  

[N Florida Mike]

I have a 40 and it’s perfect for my 10’ bass hunter. One thing you must consider: How strong is the transom? 

I liked to run my 40 on the front because it cut through weeds better, the steering was better, and It was easier on my arms. 
But I cracked the transom above the waterline where the motor clamped on . It was because 5th gear really pulled it forward at a rapid pace. I fixed it where water didnt come in, but didn’t want to chance having the TM there again.

That was with a 40. Cant imagine what a 55 would do… 
I go 3-4 mph in my 40 . That’s plenty for my small water fishing.

[Bird]

55lb endura Maxx 36"shaft with a group 27 battery, you'll never run out of juice. 

On the Raider, much prefer the motor on the bow with the head spun and battery in the stern.

[Bird]

For bow mount, simply wire the male plug into trolling motor, plug and play.

[Bankc]

13 hours ago, padlin said:

What changes as the thrust rating rises, bigger prop, higher rpm? 

Nope.  Thrust is a measurement of propelling force.  It's how much weight it can push in the water.  The speed, RPM, all of that stuff is largely the same.  Sometimes, higher thrust trolling motors will have larger props, but that's mainly just because the motor itself is larger.  And the prop size doesn't matter as much as the pitch when it comes to speed.  

 

Thrust can sometimes make your boat accelerate faster.  And if the thrust provided by the trolling motor isn't sufficient to push or pull the boat, then moving to a higher thrust trolling motor will increase top speed.  But once you cross that threshold, going up in thrust doesn't provide any additional benefits.  

 

Think of it like a linebacker in American football pushing a sled in practice.  A stronger linebacker can push around more weight on the sled.  And if the weight is a significant amount to them, then they can push it faster if they're stronger.  But if the weight isn't a significant amount, then the speed at which they push that weight doesn't have anything to do with their strength.  It has to do with how fast they can move their legs.  And here, most trolling motors will do about the same speed, so long as you're not exceeding their recommended weight and boat size (because it's pushing against drag forces created by the water).  Though, sometimes changing the prop can increase speed.  And, as I understand it, Motorguides typically run a bit faster than Minn Kota's.  But here we're talking about fractions of a mile per hour.  If you really want a faster motor, then find an electric outboard, like a Torqueedo.  They're made for speed.  Trolling motors are purpose built to go slow, as they're designed to compliment a large, powerful, IC engine.  

[LonnieP]

I started out with a 30 lb thrust TM on my 10 foot Pond Prowler and it worked fine for calm days.  Windy days it felt like I was barely moving. Upgraded to a 55 and it made a big difference.

[Lead Head]

A 30 will work, but there will be a lot of times you really wish you got the 55. A 55 will work, and you will probably never wish you had the 30.

 

Running a 55 at lower settings will make your battery last longer than running the 30 at higher settings. 

 

It takes very little wind to drastically affect small light boats. Since (I'm guessing) this will be your only source of propulsion for the boat you will likely be better off having more power than you really need, as opposed to not enough. 

[Bird]

12 minutes ago, Lead Head said:

A 30 will work, but there will be a lot of times you really wish you got the 55. A 55 will work, and you will probably never wish you had the 30.

 

Running a 55 at lower settings will make your battery last longer than running the 30 at higher settings. 

 

It takes very little wind to drastically affect small light boats. Since (I'm guessing) this will be your only source of propulsion for the boat you will likely be better off having more power than you really need, as opposed to not enough. 

Yes, well said.

It's never a good idea to run a trolling motor for long periods on the highest setting. 

I've actually melted the wires on one fighting wind and had to be towed back to the ramp.

BUT, you can run infinitely on lower settings without depleting the battery, as you said. 

 

[DaubsNU1]

I'd rather have it and not need it...than need and not have. 

 

When buying a trolling motor, outboard, ATV, tractor, car, truck, etc...always opt for the most power you can afford. You will not regret it.

 

Exceptions:  I opted for the 550 Polaris vs. the 850's...mainly because my wife loves to go fast...and the 550's are plenty fast enough. And I opted for the 4cylinder Accord on my "to-work-every-day" driver...cause it gets 32 MPG, vs the V6's 24 mpg...and maintenance is considerably easier / less costly.

[Way2slow]

I just picked up a 12V Motorguide X3, 45# 36" shaft at BPS to go on bow of my 1436 Lowe jon boat.  I feel that's more than enough for that boat.  I wanted the X3 digital which is only available in the 55# but the shortest shaft available on that one is the 42", and I didn't want that.  This will be the first non-digital TM I've owned since they came out with the digitals.   I figure I can make or buy a mosfet controller to go on it and make it a digital easier than I can deal with all that extra shaft sticking up.  

[Bankc]

16 hours ago, Way2slow said:

I just picked up a 12V Motorguide X3, 45# 36" shaft at BPS to go on bow of my 1436 Lowe jon boat.  I feel that's more than enough for that boat.  I wanted the X3 digital which is only available in the 55# but the shortest shaft available on that one is the 42", and I didn't want that.  This will be the first non-digital TM I've owned since they came out with the digitals.   I figure I can make or buy a mosfet controller to go on it and make it a digital easier than I can deal with all that extra shaft sticking up.  

I looked at building my own, but it was a lot cheaper just to buy a premade one on Amazon (at the time, who knows now).  Be careful with the one's on Amazon, however.  A lot of them don't last long and overheat easily.  Counterintuitively, look for the ones without a cooling fan, and smaller SMD components.  They create less heat and seem to last longer.