What size electric motor?

[macscabin]

I just bought a 14' aluminum boat and would like to get an electric motor for it. I will be using it for my main motor and trolling also. What is the minimum thrust I should get and how much would be overkill?
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[Gville_tangler]

Last year I picked op a used 52lb minn kota for my 14'. It was too big for my needs. I picked up a 36lb this year and it seems to fit my needs better. A 32lb might be the best so you have slow trolling speeds.
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[bvs]

Considering that this will be your primary means of propulsion, I wouldn't go any lower than 50lbs. I used a 65lb 24V motor as the primary on an old 1960s 14' fiberglas for several years. I'd troll 1.5mph with it at 50%. At max power I'd hit about 3.5mph on still water and 2.5mph into a steady 10mph wind/waves. I couldn't imagine going with any less unless you are going to limit yourself to small 100 acre ponds, in which case even 30lbs is probably sufficient. Water drag increases exponentially until you get on plane so a 30lb motor will probably push you 2mph, a 50lb motor will probably push you 3mph, a 100lb motor will push you 4mph, a 200lb motor will push you 4.25mph. The real difference is in the wind. A 30lb motor will leave you standing still in a 20mph wind while a 70lb motor will still get you off the lake at 3mph.

FYI, beware that the cheaper Endura motors are very inefficient at 50% speed. The Traxxis motors with the maximizer will give you about 30% more battery life at 50% speed.

Being all electric makes for really nice and peaceful fishing trips. Even now that I've got a 21' boat with a shiny new 9.9hp honda kicker I still plan to troll most of the time with the silent electric.

However, there are a few things I don't miss about my old setup:
1. Time on the lake--With two huge group 29 batteries I could troll at 1.5mph across the lake for about four hours and just barely have enough juice to make it back home at full speed (in an hour and a half). There were many days I wish I had more. Also, all fishing voyages started at the place the boat went in the water. There was no buzzing across the lake to get to a certain spot.
2. Battery cost--In order to maintain 3-4 hours of trolling time, I ended up having to replace the batteries every other year at a cost of about $150.
3. Weight--The motor and 2 batteries came to about 150lbs total. I tried four batteries and it nearly sunk the boat.
4. Charging--Letting batteries sit discharged, even for a few hours, wasn't good for their longevity. I found having a second charger ($50) quickly paid for itself.
5. Speed--It always seemed like it took for forever to get off the lake.

If you plan to go on larger lakes (Deer Creek, Jordanelle, etc.) get a small gas motor first and then add a cheap single battery 30lb Endura when you've got the cash. It won't work for primary propulsion to get you off the lake in wind, but most of the time it will push you along just fine.

Run the numbers...By the time you buy a maximizer motor($400), a couple of batteries ($170), a couple of chargers, ($100) and get it all hooked up you will be about $700 +sales tax. For $800 you can get a brand new 4-stroke 2.5hp Nissan motor shipped to your door. You'll be much lighter, can fish as long as you want, and don't have to hassle with charging. Then, if you decide, for another $100 + $60 for a small battery you get the electric and can run silent at times.
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