Which motor to get?

[fish_or_die]

Looking to get back on a toon this spring and would like to do so with an electric motor, which one do y'all run on your boats? Is a 30# enough or are you running more thrust?
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[flygoddess]

I use the 30 on my 8' boats like the Predator or the Assault. I used it on my Renegade too. On my X5 I use a 45 or a 55, but I also use that on my Aluminum boat too.
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[nztube64]

I have a outcast fs1000 , i did use a 36lb was okay in good condition ( no wind) later i upgraded to a 55lb much better enough power event in light wind , but he battery was going very quickly.Now i have a 3,6hp Parsun gas motor [], much better lot of power no more worry's about the battery..... [] i feel more confident to take it in a larger lake, go caught last week in a very strong head wind and had no problem to go back , i had the same situation with my 55lb electric and i really struggle with it nearly run out of battery not a experience i will do again !![]
electric motor are fine for most of fly fishing situation in good condition , getting to the spot fish move on , do it again they very good but if you want to go the other side of the lake and back and more gas powered is the choice form me... i'll post my setup in couples days....
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[fish_or_die]

Thanks man!

If I want to go across the lake though I think I'd rather be in a boat! I plan to drive as close to where i want to fish as possible and put in there!
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[flygoddess]

Let us know what you end up with. Not trying to push it on you, but that Navigator would be fine with a 30.

Gas motors are great for going long distances or up river like Idahoron, but they have their limits. They can't troll at slow speeds, they can't hold you in wind, they require starting them every time you have to use them and that means a pull cord. Awkward in the middle of a lake. Lastly, you will probably end up going forward. Motors are more efficient pulling plus you are hands free fishing as you will steer electric with your feet. (if mounted on the back) Just remove the head and turn it 180 so the handle is now facing the same as the prop.

Welcome, NZTube64. Where do you fish and what for, love to hear more from you.
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[albinotrout]

I use the minn Kota 34 on my toon. Gets me around where I want to go. My wife uses 30 on her FC4. When it comes time to upgrade I will probably go with the 40.
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[flygoddess]

Footprint of the tube or toon will make a difference. By that I mean the width of the toon. not so much the length. My Cardiac Canyon had 12" diameter toons, but it was 12' long. It did great with a 30. In fact sometimes too fast. But my X5 are 15" diameter (by diameter, a straight line up the middle, so 15 is a lot bigger than 12). Bigger foot print. Float tubes are total drag, so they would tax a small motor more than a pontoon will.
Just like a boat pulling a water skier or one of those kids tubes. More footprint = more drag.
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[fish_or_die]

It's looking more and more like a renegade is what I want...so the motor would be for that boat
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[flygoddess]

It will work.
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[idahoron]

[quote nztube64]I have a outcast fs1000 , i did use a 36lb was okay in good condition ( no wind) later i upgraded to a 55lb much better enough power event in light wind , but he battery was going very quickly.Now i have a 3,6hp Parsun gas motor [], much better lot of power no more worry's about the battery..... [] i feel more confident to take it in a larger lake, go caught last week in a very strong head wind and had no problem to go back , i had the same situation with my 55lb electric and i really struggle with it nearly run out of battery not a experience i will do again !![]
electric motor are fine for most of fly fishing situation in good condition , getting to the spot fish move on , do it again they very good but if you want to go the other side of the lake and back and more gas powered is the choice form me... i'll post my setup in couples days....[/quote]

I was in your shoes so to speak. I had a Outcast/Sportsman's 10 and put a gas motor on it. The frames on these are not designed to handle the load. I had a 2.6 hp Coleman and the force of it pushing down on my frame caused a catastrophic frame failure. Every time the motor forces the frame down it will bend the frame a small amount. Then when you let up it will spring back. This work hardens the metal and the frame WILL fail. In this picture it shows where the frame cracked.



Your boat was designed for at the most a electric motor. The gas motors like yours and mine are FAR more powerful than any electric. Trust me your in for a swim with that set up. Ron
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[MasterDaad]

Outboard motors (gas) also create orders of magnitude more vibration that will cause frames and welds to fail on frames not designed for the shock.

I have a compromise system I am working on....

An electric motor with a quiet gas generator as the power source.

This isn't something you'd want to buy from scratch but many folks have camping/emergency generators already.

And even buying from scratch the whole system would be less than a brand new 4-stroke outboard.
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[idahoron]

My honda 2000 inverter cost 1000 dollars. I don't think I will be taking it on a pontoon. An electric motor like a 30 to 40 pound thrust is a great motor and match that with a marine 27 series battery and a person can go a lot of places. I can get 7 hours at 1 mph or 7 miles on high. For almost all of my fishing I can use the electric. I do have a few places I need a gas motor so I have a Steelheader that is rated for a 5 hp gas motor.
I want to stress that people follow the manufactures guidelines on motors. Gas motors are neat and they have a lot of power but like FG said they have down sides too. Ron
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[flygoddess]

Here is food for thought, the Late Great Dennis Brakke had a genius setup. He got a bunch of solar panels. Not big ones, maybe 10" long. He got them from a Volvo dealer, when they ship the cars, they put a solar panel on them. We they get here they take them off.
He used four or six of them wired in parallel I think. Two or three per side. Then the 12 volt inverter (or converter) and hooked it to his battery. Not a big charge but enough he could run on 4 or 5 way more than anyone else. Plus they were out of the way.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I started out with a 30# Minnkota on my tube. Worked fine but the shaft length was just a bit short to keep the motor head deep enough in the water and the control handle high enough for the extended control to fit over my shoulder. The shaft length was only 30 inches so I upgraded to the 40# thrust...with a 36 inch shaft. Just right for my needs. Probably not necessary for a smaller person. I sit tall in the dle.

My personal opinion is that I got just as much speed at top end from the 30# motor as the 40#...but the 40 drains the battery faster.

I also had the 40 on my Renegade. Worked well but I know that others use the 30 and get good performance too. You ride higher...with less drag...in a pontoon than with a tube. Lots of drag while motoring in a tube...with more of your body below the water line. Toons are more efficient.
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[TyeDyeTwins]

I own a 8 foot creek company pontoon and I started out with a 20# thrust motor and did just fine with it! It had a low and fast speed with no reverse.

I eventually bought a 30# thrust minnkota for 5 speeds for foreward movement and reverse with 3 speeds.

Personally both work great out on the water.
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[fish_or_die]

Thanks for the input guys!
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[pontoonman]

[quote TubeDude][#0000ff]

My personal opinion is that I got just as much speed at top end from the 30# motor as the 40#...but the 40 drains the battery faster.

Pon: Your opinion holds up to theory and my observations as well. Measurements with a wattmeter show that doubling power only increases the top speed by about 20% for my float tube. So going from 30# to 40# motor might hardly be noticeable.

I also had the 40 on my Renegade. Worked well but I know that others use the 30 and get good performance too. You ride higher...with less drag...in a pontoon than with a tube. Lots of drag while motoring in a tube...with more of your body below the water line. Toons are more efficient.

Pon: Yes, my toon's top speed is about 50% higher for the same watt input compared to my tube. "Frameless" toons and SUPs that touch water in the middle should have a considerably lower top speed (because of footprint) than the equivalent (same length & total weight) true toons for the same thrust input.
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Hope above comments are helpful, just my humble experience.

Pon
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Spot on.

I was (unpleasantly) surprised at the performance of the Renegade with the 40# motor. Yes, it did go faster than it did with my tube...but not as fast as I had experienced with a two-chambered pontoon...with a smaller "footprint". Aerodynamics at work...on the water. Speed is a function of lift, thrust and drag.
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[flygoddess]

If I remember right, you had a Fish Cat Cougar. Small diameter toons. Granted, two per side.
My hubby and Brother in Law notice a big difference on drag with them each and gear weighing in at about 230 and add a large battery and motor. Even on the Cardiac Canyon.
Like Pontoonman mentioned the water level line. Not the length so much but the diameter of the toon make bigger footprint.
The 30 worked fine on "my" Renegade as I am lighter even with a battery and Baxter, but my Assault will go faster...smaller diameter pontoon.
Again in sking description, One ski the biggest drag and hardest to get up because the body is dragging, once up, there is little to no drag regardless of length of ski. Wake board there is much more noticeable drag not only getting up but pulling. Again length doesn't matter.


Amount of weight makes the biggest difference on the water level line. That is why the guys prefer to row and leave batter and motor on shore most times.
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[TubeDude]

[#FF0000]The 30 worked fine on "my" Renegade as I am lighter even with a battery and Baxter,

[#0000FF]Hey, hey, hey. Now you're gettin' pers'nal. I know I ain't a skinny li'l gal, but ya don't gotta be so in-yo-face about it.

In all humility, I do admit to my ample proportions. Somewhere around two hunnerd and plenty. When it comes to powering a small craft, even a few pounds difference can affect the efficiency of the motor. And when I am dragging legs and a fish basket it cuts down on the speed and battery life even more.

The waist is a terrible thing to mind.
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