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I was looking at electric trolling motors today at Cabelas. I asked the gentleman at the counter about the difference in thrust and he asked me what I was putting it on.
When I told him what I have he appeared to have guessed and said "about 45". Right in the middle of what they sell. He was very nice but I'm not sure if he was guessing or if he really knows.
He still didn't answer my question about the difference in each motor.
So I have a 16 foot semi-v jon boat. I have put a carpeted floor in it so it has a little extra weight but not much. The boat is welded aluminum so it is on the heavy side anyway.
What lb of thrust would you put on it.
I don't know that I plan on actually trolling with it but more of getting in to places to catch bass and panfish, as well as fishing shallows.
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I would say 50 or more for something of that size and weight. I use a 34 on my pontoon.
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lawdog330 you should be ok with a 45lb. I have a 16foot bayliner inboard with a 48 lb thrust and I do fine.
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I would say that 45lb is a starting point. Maybe he meant, that is the smallest to go.
I have a 45lb on my Outlaw. It is 10' 6", but it does have a bow.
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An electric motor with a 45 pound thrust should be plenty for a boat like yours. I have a 54# MinnKota on my 18.5 foot Lund and it does fine. You will find that unless it's windy, you can get by with using very little thrust. You may want to consider a motor that has totally variable thrust so you can select just the amount you need to handle the boat and the task at hand. I'm very fond of MinnKota motors and I've had mine for over 12 years with zero trouble.
Mike
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Check out this link:
[url "http://www.minnkotamotors.com/selectamotor/"][/url][/url]http://www.minnkotamotors.com/selectamotor/[/url]
I used a 17 pound thrust motor for years on a 12 foot boat , with the maximizer and a 30 series marine battery for years. I could troll for 2 days in good conditions on a full charge at 1/2 -1 speed.
On speed 4 (full bore) at 25 amps draw it would only last 4-5 hours.
I used the gas motor to get from place to place.
The newer motors are much more efficient and have the maximizer built in. I think 34 lb is the smallest one available now. If you are only using it to go into the shallows in stealth mode you probably don't need to worry much about battery charge drain.
My buddy had a 34 lb for his 16 footer and changed to the next bigger size.
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Thanks for the responses, looks like a 45 would be about right.
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Look at it this way...
The pounds the motor says it has means it will pull or push X amount of weight so far so fast...
But lets say you have a 45 LB motor and another person has a 60 LB motor on the same size boat and weight, battery ...Witch motor will last longer with the same battery and same usage???
The 60 will, why cause when you run both to move the boat at the same speed the 45 will be turned up higher to move the boat at the same speed..+ if or when the wind blows the bigger motor will let you move and controls the boat better then the smaller one...
What I would say is get the biggest you can for the bucks you have..The bigger the better..
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Here's another link for you and this is the link that really helped us decide exactly what we needed.
[url "http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product_bgftrst_read_only.jsp?productId=532011"]http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product_bgftrst_read_only.jsp?productId=532011[/url]
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I agree with Bass Rods, get more motor than just minimum to get by.
It also depends on if your mounting it on the transom or the bow. It takes less juice to pull the boat than push it with a transom mount and better controll with a bow mount.
I've got a 36 volt 101 Terrova on my 20 ft. Ranger and it does a good job "BUT" if they made a bigger one I'd have it.
Just my 2 cents worth.
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Ive got a 101 lb tour on my champ 21 and its fine, but I too would go bigger if I could. I say get the biggest you can, you wont be dissapointed.
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That electric motor is only half the deal the other is your battery. I used standard deep cycle vented batteries in my first boat and the gases they vent can explode if ignited or will destroy some materials they are around. Spend a little extra on seal gel or spiral batteries. They last longer and are way less problem.
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You can never have too much power in your electric. I would say the only limiting factor is how many batteries you have room for !! It sounds like you are going to mount this on the transom. Both Motor Guide and Minn Kota make some great transom mount motors. Again, the only factor is how many batteries do you want to deal with, have room for. If you can put a 36 volt system in, go with it.
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Hopefully, you haven't bought a motor yet. I have owned bow mount, transom mount, foot control, etc. and had them installed on boats from 12' fiberglass, 14-17 foot aluminum, and 21 foot fiberglasseverrything from 25lbs to 75lbs. Believe me, go with the biggest (most lbs of thrust ) you can afford-you won't be sorry, especially if the wind comes up (you never know when that will happen) you will very glad you have the extra lbs of thrust.
There is a calculation that someone may have provided in a response, unfortunately I can't remember it. I'm sure either motorguide or minn kota have the calculation on their web site. Another consideration is battery power some are more energy conscience than others, it all depends how long you plan on staying out before recharging. Check out the calcualtion for YOUR boat, one can't compare a 14 aluminum j boat to a 21 ft Rnager bass boat (a little bit of difference in weight, draft, etc.) Best wishes! Bigger is better (within reason $$$$).
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