10 foot angler fishing boat-- what size trolling motor?

[GranolaGirl]

Hello,

Couple of fishing gals here and we just bought a new 10 foot angler fishing boat.  

We know it is a small fry but it is ours and it will get us on the water.

What size trolling motor will we need?  Battery?

 

Thank you fellow fishers

PJ

[padlin]

Welcome to the forum.

 

I have a 55 lb Endura Max but you could get away with less, maybe a 30 or 40 if you wanted to, many do. The 55 is a little quicker when you have a ways to go and is nice in the wind. It’s also nice to have if you fish weedy areas. So the 55 would be my suggestion. Some run it on front, some on the back, I’m one of the latter. I’m glad I got a variable speed motor.
 

I also use a bullnose rudder on the shaft, and use a 100 amp lithium. I could easily get away with one in the 50 amp range for my trips, your needs will likely vary from mine. 
 

Here’s a previous thread on these little boats. https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/25442-any-pelican-bass-raider-owners-out-there/#comment-256765

[Alex from GA]

A 30 lb is plenty for a 10' boat.  The 55 lb are way heavier and you won't need it.  A 50 ah lithium will let you fish for several days before it needs charging if you're like me.  I fish no longer than 5 hours @ a time.  Welcome.

[txchaser]

Texas? Might have lots of wind and weeds to contend with. I assume you are in a bass buster or another plastic boat like that? 

 

Anyway, buy a plain old deep cycle battery, they are cheap. Heavy though. And spend the money on getting a digital control (variable speed) trolling motor, and put a grass ninja on it too. 45lbs at least, maybe the 55 if it is windy where you are. I've been really happy I have the 55, getting buffetted into a grassline in heavy wind because I'm fighting a fish and now I have to get out. -however- it might be totally different on a plastic boat. Seems like worse since high up, but someone here can chime in.

 

At least on a jon boat front-mounting is way way better than in the back, at least when it's windy. Dragging from the front and having variable speed will let you stay roughly in one spot without a lot of fiddling. In the back, it's a lot of correction or be prepared to spin. 

 

 

[WRB]

Wear your PFD’s!

Tom

[padlin]

Like Txchaser, I put a Grass Ninja on this summer. I’ve only used the boat once since but it worked well on that trip, I drift into weeds a lot. Saves stopping out on the water, disconnecting the battery, pulling up and cleaning off the weeds.

[Swamp Girl]

PJ, I'm elated to bump into another female basser at BR. Please keep posting. The BR guys are great. And share your catches in the latest catch thread. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Minn Kota Endura 50lb thrust commonly available at sporting good stores like Academy:  $225

 

Walmart Group of 29 battery:  $110

 

You're good to go.   

[airshot]

With a small 10' boat and two persons, you need to save as much weight as possible !!  Anything 40-60 lbs for trolling motor will be fine, but I highly recomend going LifePo4 battery to save the weight !  Longer run times and about 1/3 the weight..  Just be sure you have the right charger !!  Looking for some pics when you get it on rhe water!!

[GreenPig]

I run a 30 lb transom motor on my 12' jon in ponds only and it's slow going with two grown men and gear. I'd suggest a 40 lb minimum but a 55 lb is what I'll replace my 30 with if it ever dies. Battery, the lightest 100 ah that fits you budget.

[detroit1]

5 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 The BR guys are great.  

And, Handsome!  

[Swamp Girl]

Is this your boat?

 

[airshot]

6 hours ago, GreenPig said:

I run a 30 lb transom motor on my 12' jon in ponds only and it's slow going with two grown men and gear. I'd suggest a 40 lb minimum but a 55 lb is what I'll replace my 30 with if it ever dies. Battery, the lightest 100 ah that fits you budget.

I had a 36 lb MK on my 12' jon boat, found a 50lb thrust at a garage sale to put on my jon.  It got up to speed a little quicker, but top speed was barely .2 mph faster...  Handled weight better but no advantage on speed.

[Bankc]

You'll rarely regret getting too big of a trolling motor.  Though, for a 10 foot boat, 30lbs will work well enough.  A bigger motor will work a little better, but whether the slight performance advantage is worth the extra cost is up to you.  I wouldn't go with anything that runs on 24v or 36v.  That would be far beyond overkill.  

I'd get one with a continuously variable speed as well.  They not only give you more control, but they tend to save battery life at slower speeds.  Other features like spot lock, remote controls, and other stuff would be really nice to have, but you'll pay significantly for those upgrades.  So it may not be worth it to you.

 

I'm also going to recommend a lithium battery.  Those lead acid batteries are very heavy, and don't last as long.  Usually about 3-5 years versus 7-10 years.  Also, you're not supposed to drain lead batteries below 50%, so you can get away with a smaller lithium battery.  A 50 Ah lithium battery will have the same amount of usable energy as a 100 Ah lead acid or AGM battery.  If you look around, you can find some cheap ones from China that often tend to work pretty well.  I've got a 50 Ah Weize brand lithium battery that wasn't too expensive.  Chins is also a good brand.  But do your research, as there are many brands to avoid.  There are more premium brands like Battle Born and Dakota, but you'll pay significantly more for them, and you're mostly paying for a warranty and customer support, as the technology will be about the same.  So it's up to you if the peace of mind of a warranty (that the company will actually honor) and being able to contact the company is worth the cost.  But especially on a lighter boat where you'll probably be removing the battery to charge it, 60lbs, vs. 15lbs is a HUGE difference and well worth the cost.  

[GRiver]

Don’t know the conditions you’re wanting to fish, I had a 12 ft flat bottom Jon boat, with a 30 lb 12 volt Minn Kota. They are about $100 bucks a Walmart, got a deep cycle battery there too. I used the small one, the size of a car battery, group 24 I think. III worked just fine for my style of fishing. Just remember boat that size are weight sensitive, keep your gear and other items to a minimum.

I’ve got a 15ft mod v with only a 45lb-12v  and it works just fine for me. 
I’d keep cost down to a minimum, probably be wanting to upgrade before long.

 

[Carolina Pines]

I have a 12 foot V-hull aluminum boat with a Minn Kota Endura Max 45, along with a weedless wedge prop (the prop makes a huge difference, gets me through thick lily pad fields with relative ease).  The Endura Max 45 is on sale for $230 at Academy, that's where I got mine.  I highly recommend a TM with the digital maximizer circuit. 

https://www.academy.com/p/minn-kota®-endura-max-45-freshwater-transom-mount-trolling-motor

 

If I remember correctly, one big reason I went with the 45 is the smaller diameter & weight of the motor itself compared to the 55.  I think the 55 is bigger and heavier, but you only get an extra 10 pounds of thrust out of it. 

 

I have a 50 amp hour LiFePO4 battery that weighs only 11 pounds!  Before I upgraded to lithium I used to run 2 lead acid batteries that were 35ah each, and almost 50lbs combined weight.  The 50ah lithium performs better and is so much lighter.  I can get 2 or more trips out of it before recharging it, though I usually recharge it after every outing. 

 

$140 on amazon right now, I think the price has come down some.  Lithium is well worth it.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BQRF4N7/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I can attest to the Power Queen customer service... I couldn't get mine to charge at first, so I contacted them and they were very responsive and helpful.  I needed to use the Power Queen charger instead of a cheap off-brand Lithium battery charger.  Their charger was like $80 but it's pretty nice, and it also charges my other 30ah LiFePO4 battery that I use for my anchor winch.   

 

I also have a 6hp outboard for my "big" (lol) motor.  If I was using a TM for my primary source of power I might have gone with a 55lb or bigger... but honestly I've been really impressed with the 45lb, it moves both me (190lbs) and my buddy (210+lbs) around very well.  I don't fire up the outboard too much unless we need to get to the other end of the lake.  I think y'all would probably be just fine with a 50ah lithium battery, but you'd definitely be good with a 100ah. 

 

[Will Ketchum]

Don't leave your oars at home. You never know.

[Skunkmaster-k]

I’ve got a 4 stroke 2.5 HP Merc for my little boat. I didn’t want the extra weight of a battery . Works great, but it is more expensive . 

[GranolaGirl]

That is the one!  

On 10/17/2023 at 1:56 PM, Will Ketchum said:

Don't leave your oars at home. You never know.

Absolutely Not Leaving them at home.