trolling motor thrust?

[mdtolic]

I know that when I got my FC Cougar, there was some doc. that told me not to use a trolling motor that put out over a certain amount of thrust. What size motors are folks using on their 'toons? What would be a good match for someone (about 220lb.) who would just use the motor to putt around fairly calm lakes? I don't even really know the difference between 30 vs. 50lb. thrust to begin with.
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[buckdawg]

Let me preface my remarks by saying I have no idea what I'm talking about. [] I own a pontoon boat but no trolling motor yet. I have done a little research and that's what I base my answer on.

I can't imagine you needing more than a 30 lb. thrust motor. they weigh considerably less than a 50 lb.'er and should provide more than enough thrust to move you around. i believe the minn kota endura 30 weighs around 25 lbs. plus you'll need a halfway decent battery which will probably add another 15 to 20 lbs. so keep that in mind.

there are others here that actually have the tm setup and i'm sure they'll chime in with smarter answers but i thought i'd toss in what little i know!
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[flygoddess]

[#008000]I am going to agree that a 30 is plenty (my old man is at 225 and has no problem with the 30) It is going to have a shorter shaft which on a pontoon is a big plus.[/#008000]
[#008000]I am going to guess the weight of the motor more at 15 to [/#008000]
[#008000]20 lb's, but the battery......you will need a deep cycle (they can take the constant recharging you will be doing) and they are going to weigh 50 to 60 lb's. The trick is to mount the battery as close as you can to the back of your seat to balance the pontoon out. Even at that you might have to slide the frame forward or backward on the toons to even it out, but if battery is close to seat, movement should be minimal.[/#008000]
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[basstoon]

I have a MinnKota 36 and it is more than enough for me. I'm not a heavy guy but I do take alot of stuff out with me.
I get long batt life too, which equals more time on the water[]

36lbs and under are at the low end of amp draw for a 12v motor. A 50lb motor is about as high as you can go before you move up to 24v motors. Which means a 50lb'er(very high amp draw) won't last but half as long as a 30 or 36.

If time on the water is a factor for you in selecting a motor go with a 30-36lb'er.



just my .02[]
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[mdtolic]

This is great. Thanks for the help everyone. I'll believe I'll focus in on a little 30. But now I have a question on the battery. I know that the trolling motor requires a deep cycle rather than a cranking battery, but is there a good, light batt. that works well with your 'toons? To be honest, I was a little surprised at the cost of some of these marine batteries. Does a $200 Optima really out-perform a $90 cheapo? I'm sure I really know the answer already.
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[Majja]

Well I am not qualified to answer any of them, but I can tell ya a buddy of mine just has the Cheapie form wal-mart. the coast was around 59 or 69 dollars and he has had no problems with it at all.
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[flygoddess]

[#008000]I have no idea if the $200. will warnt the twice as much price or not.[/#008000]
[#008000]There is not recharge system on a pontoon......yet![/#008000]
[#008000]I am with Majja and I go to Nappa and got one for around the $60. price. They usually last at the most (with a lot of use) four years for me.[/#008000]
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[mdtolic]

Perfect! That is not what I expected to hear.
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[idahopanfish]

I have a 50# thrust motor and it at times is tooo much for trolling, I have found if I go in reverse it is slower so if thats what I am going to do I just point the motor the other way.

I go even a cheaper way on the battery. Interstate Battery sells used batteries for $30, gaurenteed for 90 days and are 100% charged. I have used mine for 2 years now and just put it on the trickle charger when I get home. I figure I might be saving a buck or two and I have been able to go for 8 hrs, I'm sure with a 30# thrust motor you'd never run out.
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[flygoddess]

[#008000]Just a note for discusion. I heard, read, whatever, that trickle charge is not the answer for recharging a deep cycle. To just do a normal charge up on them. Maybe it was even on the side of the battery. Mine is in a battery box or I would go look.[/#008000]
[#008000]Anyway, maybe someone has more on that.[/#008000]
[#008000][/#008000]
[#008000]Anyone should be able to get a day's worth out of a minn kota and a battery, but just remember, each time you go up to the next # that time is shorten. Keep it on one and use your fins and maybe even oars to get out to where you want and you can get a couple of days.[/#008000]
[#008000]Experimenting is the only true answer.[/#008000]
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[Playas44]

I just put a 30# thrust on mine and it is more than enough.
With help from Flygoddess and some of the others I have been able to get the toon running straight and true.
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[Tarpon4me]

Personally, i'd go with the 50 lb thrust. LOL, I like over kill. [] But, since you're on a toon, you may want to stick with the 30. In a lake, you don't need much anyhow. There's no current so there's not much resistance. The only time I think you'd wish you had a little more juice is if the wind was really whipping. Wind affects water crafts twice more than an under current does, unless it's a really bad current, then i'm sure you've got no business in there with a tube. Of course, you could always keep an anchor with you and you'll be good. []

As for batteries, they ARE NOT created equal. I had a cheapo on my bass boat one time. I would run it dead just running the live well and the trolling motor for just a couple hours. Then, I was pull starting the motor to get back to the hill. I broke down and bought a Nautalis Marine Battery for around 80 bucks, and it works great. Same cranking amps, deep cycle, and it lasts most of the day with out having to run the boat for a bit to charge it back up. I have a heavy duty deep cycle on my 21' center console. It's 1200 cold cranking amps, and it runs right around 150 bucks. A standard battery just doesn't cut it, atleast not for me. The optima you mentioned is top of the line. They are fully enclosed and you can completely submerge them and they will still work. Upside down, sideways, what ever, they work with out fail or danger. So, if you dropped it in the water, it started raining, or it got knocked over during your trip, it won't hurt it and it'll keep functioning without fail.

As for you "charging system" for the batteries, there IS one. Sure you can't affix a magneto to a trolling motor, atleast not and get enough voltage to charge the battery. But, check this out:

[url "javascript:popUpLargerImage();"][/url]

This is a solar battery charging panel. It floats, it's easy to mount, and it provides a non stop 6.5 watt charge to your battery. It runs right around 99 bucks. A 12w model is availible for 200 bucks. Here is some of the factory info on the product:
[li]Works with Automobiles, RV's, Boats & Small Electronics [li]Maintenance Free / Easy Installation [li]Works in all Weather conditions [li]Built-in Blocking Diode Protects Battery Discharge at Night [li]Made of Durable Nylon with a High Efficiency Thin Film solar Cell [li]Temperature Range: -40 to 176F [li]Max output 6.5 Watts, 433 Mamps [li]Dimensions: Open 29.25" x 9" x 1/32" - Closed: 5" x 9" x 5" [li]Unit weight: 1.31lbs [li]Warranty: 1 Year[/li]

I'm going to purchase one for each of my boats before the end of the season so the batteries don't get drained down to nothing in the off season. These would be perfect for all you tubers. [] I would recomend the 12w system for an board charge though for you tubers.
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[basstoon]

Note on cheapo batts,

"Most" of the cheapos are cheap because there bought from a bulk type store. That means they may have been sitting in a warehouse in who know what conditions for who knows how long. If you you get a batt from say Wally World look on the side and find the date it was made. If it was made only a few months ago it should be fine. If it was made over a year ago, keep looking.

I have a EverStart Deep Cycle Trolling (115 Amp hrs/160 reserve cap) from Wally World. It was made a month before I bought it, which was a find. I had to look at ever DC batt(in that size)on the self. Some were made over a year ago.

EverStart has a 1 year warranty and only cost $50-60(for the 115amp hrs size). I haven't had mine that long but no problems yet. I have talked to some guys who have had their for couple years with no problems.

You might not need a batt as big as the one I have(it's heavy)
Here are some numbers from my setup(if anyone can make this more accurate feel free to do so)

115 Amp Hr batt + (36# motor)drawing 32amps at full thrust =
Around 4 hrs at full thrust and 16 hrs at lowest thrust
So it's a good day worth of power.

hope my .02 helps []
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[flygoddess]

T4M, I have a friend that got a bunch of solar panels from a BMW dealer(I guess to keep the batteries up in transport)
Not sure what the volt or amp is on them but he has 4 (ea about 6" X12") wired in parallel, and he can use a battery all the time it seems like.
I don't know how big of a solar panel to get or how many volts to slow charge a battery while using it. Is 15 enough?
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[Tarpon4me]

Mmmmm, that's a good question flygoddess. The deciding factor would be the wattage out put more so than the voltage. I'd say if you had two of those 6x12 panels wired in, that would be enough to keep it going nonstop. Now, keep in mind i'm guessing just based on the panel size, and since niether of us are sure how much they put out, trial and error is going to be the deciding factor. I'd say if you can talk him into rigging you up a couple pannels and sealing them however you see fit, you'd be good to go. Which ever way you go, make sure you seal it so it's water proof, but i'm sure you already know that and have probably already figure out how you'd do it if I know you. []
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[tubeN2]

15 of those will only give you 6.495 amps of juice. You need to make sure that your are not over running the actual charging capacity of the total volume of your parrallelled capacitance. That could burn up your solar device.[cool]
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