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Royce Offline OP
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Would like some a advice on buying an electric trolling motor. It will be used on a 12 food inflatable to begin with, with other possibilities in the near future. I plan on getting the salt water version because it is likely to be used in bays and sheltered water in Canada/Alaska. Should I get a 24 volt system or 12 volt? Is it possible to get too big a motor? Would like to extend my cruising range as much as possible.

Thanks for any input.

Royce

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Well im certainly no authority but ill tell you what i have and
how its set up. Fist off i have a Minnkota Riptide 55# thrust.
Its bow mounted on a 17' Key West center console along with a 90
hp main engine on the transom. Its primary use is keeping the boat positioned while drifting. Also slow trolling for crappies
etc. Its rigged up 12 volts with its own battery. Both batteries
are linked by a selector switch allowing the use of either or
both. I have an onboard 2 bank charger which is always plugged in to my house current when the boat is not in use maintaining both batteries. The Wall Mart marine batteries are now 3 years old. While my use may differ from what your describing ive not had a power failure during a days use. If it will be a primary power source id be seeking other advise as to how its hooked up. As for the size id say the 55 would probably be acceptable.

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I use a 24-volt 80# Terrova on my 20'er.
I don't think you have to go over a 12V 55# either.

I would get a GOOD battery though. I run 4 of the DieHard Marine Battery Size 31m in my boat, and they are Great..

Of course you would only need one. The weight may be a concern though @ 75# each.

For my 80# thrust, I very often run 10 hours straight, at about 1/2 to 3/4 throttle and don't even come close to running them low..

As said before, Get a good charger...


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I have a 12volt 55# terrova with I pilot. My boat is light, a 15' jon boat. The lighter the boat the less need for a high thrust motor, but if its your main means of travel then a bigger motor would be favored. A good charger and the highest quality battery is the most important thing especially if you only have a trolling motor. I put a blue top optima battery on my boat and its the best battery I have ever owned.


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I have a 55lb thrust terova with iPilot as well on a 16 foot Jo boat. All good.

For small lakes all I use is the trolling motor - but get a big deep cell.

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Quote
Would like to extend my cruising range as much as possible.

With trolling motors everything is a compromise.

Adding thrust will let you go a little faster, but you'll drain the battery much sooner.

Quite often the biggest difference in the "salt water " model is the length of the shaft, which won't help you on an inflatable.

On a small boat you'll seldom need the highest speeds or huge amounts of thrust.

It's not hard to drain even a fairly large battery on an all day trip if you spend a lot of time running at the higher speeds or in cold weather.

Keep all that in mind when picking the right model


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I agree that you only need a 12 volt motor. I have a terrova which handles a 20 ft boat with ease except in high wind. Not sure that they make a transom mount - assuming that is what you need. I have Minnkota's low end 12 volt system on an 18 foot sailboat. Endura? works well.

If you see another boat in your future, consider a bow mount. The terrova with I pilot has lots of nice features, but will lighten you wallet a bit.

As everyone says, battery is important. I haven't been able to lay out for an AGM, but see one in my future. Be sure to get a deep cycle battery - starting batteries are designed to deliver lots of amps at once, rather than a smaller load over more time. . which is what your trolling motor will need.

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I'm more concerned about the performance on an inflatable. that raft will move like wet carpet, they take a lot to get them going. I've used a 4hp outboard and top end I would say was about 3-4 knots max. and that's being optimistic.
Personally I would go with a 45 lb thrust minimum, if you want range double up on batteries before going out. don't expect speed, range will be what you're after. be sure to bring an oar or two just in case


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Thanks for all the input. The deal on the inflatable boat/motor was a series of compromises all the way around. We wanted the inflatable so that we could haul it around while towing a camper- Towing a boat trailer behind the camper is not practical at all for us. If the inflatable doesn't work out this year, we will probably look at something we can muscle up on top of the pickup, but that doesn't sound like fun.
This will be the third summer we bounce around Alaska and Canada so having a bigger boat and keeping it docked somewhere won't work for us right now. Maybe in a year or two, we might settle on just going to someplace like Haines or POW Island for the summer, and if we do, then we are likely to get a bigger boat and motor.
Thanks again.

Royce

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Originally Posted by Colorado1135
I'm more concerned about the performance on an inflatable. that raft will move like wet carpet, they take a lot to get them going. I've used a 4hp outboard and top end I would say was about 3-4 knots max. and that's being optimistic.
Personally I would go with a 45 lb thrust minimum, if you want range double up on batteries before going out. don't expect speed, range will be what you're after. be sure to bring an oar or two just in case
I agree with Ryan here. You're gonna need some azz to that motor. A 45 lbs. thrust sounds about right. Be sure to invest in a good battery and charging system.


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Possibly you could find a 12-14 foot deep V that is light enough to load in the back of the pickup and short enough as to not interfere with towing the camper. Add a small outboard that you can easily put on and off and I would think you would have a great fishing rig for all but the roughest waters.


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