First boat motorized since the mud-80s!

[BrianMDTX]

Today was my first outing with my new boat…motorized! I stayed local just in case the 38-40 year-old Minn Kota decided it was past retirement age. No worries! It ran fine. With an inflatable, even on 1 it moved well. What a difference from paddling and rowing! 
 

I wanted to fish Lake Raven but it’s still closed due to Beryl. Maybe Lake Conroe next!

 

[Way2slow]

Looks great, I'm sure it feels good to be able to get on the water again.  I'll bet it great for just packing it up and going.  It does have one major problem that would make it unusable for me with the arthritis in my back and neck.  The location of the TM and the seat would not work for me.   My canoe is a square back for a motor, and the seat is lower and a lot closer to the motor but I when I ran the TM on it, I had to do it with a mount clamped onto the side next to the seat.  It doesn't look like you have that option.

[BrianMDTX]

@Way2slow No, that’s not an option.  But the seat swivels 360° so it’s pretty easy to turn and operate the motor without twisting. 

[GaryH]

Looking good.. Enjoy

[GRiver]

Nice rig, do you keep it inflated all the time? Is transporting pretty easy?

[BrianMDTX]

I keep it inflated. I did run that past Sea Eagle and they said it was perfectly fine to do so. 
 

It’s very easy to transport. It slides easily into the bed of my pickup, and with the the EZ Cart wheels, you can easily pull it fully loaded. It’s got a lot of space and the draft is minimal so it can reach very shallow water. And having a 12 lb. vs. a 45 lb. battery is a big plus. 
 

So far I’m very pleased with it. With the floor elevated (it’s not directly on the water), and the 7” pedestal installed on the quick release mount, you’re sitting up relatively high. You can stand in it, but I’m not comfortable enough to do that. I’m ok with that. I can easily carry 5 rods (if I bought the Scotty 3-rod holder I could carry 9). All-in-all I really like it. I fished almost 5 hours and had over 80% battery charge left. It moves easily and swiftly with a 17 lb. thrust TM. I can imagine what it would do with a 70 lb. TM!

[Ryamane]

I agree, looks great. I have a trolling motor for my inflatable and due to back surgery issues need to keep the weight of a battery as light as possible.

I'm looking at lithium batteries but have no experience with trolling motors and their battery needs and expected run times. My TM is 55lb and will push a SeaEagle STS10, so I'm looking at 100ah lithium batteries and hoping to be able to run all day. Does this sound reasonable?

[BrianMDTX]

Your boat is a bit bigger and heavier than mine. Especially if you have two anglers. With a 55 lb. TM, a 100ah  will probably suit you. I used less than 20% of my 50ah fishing all morning, and I’m sure the efficiency of my 40 year-old TM is less than yours. I’m not going to give a great review on my Eco Worthy battery yet after one use, but the reviews were sound and for its initial use it worked perfectly. At 12 lbs. it was a snap to carry vs a heavy lead-acid battery. 

[Alex from GA]

• I have a 50ah lithium on my 16' tin boat with a 45 lb trolling motor and it lasts several days without charging every time.  I only fish 4-6 hours a day and rarely on high power.  12 lbs compared to 70 is the reason I changed.

[BrianMDTX]

Man, oh man. I fished a different pond, and even with all the heavy rain we got in July the water level was a bit low and the bank was steep. Getting into the boat want too bad. Getting out was a real experience. But I motored all morning and battery life was great. 
 

Just have to hose all the mud off and out lol. 

[BrianMDTX]

Also found out the registration numbers stick great but not the state decal. Going to have to use clear Mylar tape or something.