55# trolling motor to propel 1000 lbs of boat and gear - will I be disappointed?

[catfighter]

Howdy - so I have all but decided to get a 55# trolling motor this year, since my 15hp outboard blew up on me.


I frankly don't have the money to invest in a new outboard and my wife refuses to use the boat with a old outboard that could leave us stranded [again] miles from the dock.


My question is this: if I get a 55# trolling motor in lieu of a 15hp motor, will I be that disappointed in how it works? my 15hp would get my fully-loaded boat up to about 10mph; with just me in it it's about 18mph. I figure the boat with 2 ppl, a battery (or two?) and some gear probably weighs about 800lb.


I actually can't find the data on my boat but it's a 1984 Sears Gamefisher 14' tri-hull without a steering console.


ALSO - I have a bow-mounted trolling motor that I use now for backup, but it's old and I can't find any information on it at all! kind of annoying. I assume it's not 55# Here's a picture of it:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.ne..._128627926729_689756729_2394272_7673627_n.jpg




Thanks for the help!!

 

[johnson89]

Re: 55# trolling motor to propel 1000 lbs of boat and gear - will I be disappointed?

there will be a BIG diffrence.....i have a 54# motor on my 16 bass boat i guess it will push it maybe 2-3 mph .then you could still be left stranded if your battery runs out of power...i would not even attempt to go miles from the dock,it will work great if its a small lake ..a good running older motor would be much better

 

[catfighter]

Re: 55# trolling motor to propel 1000 lbs of boat and gear - will I be disappointed?

there will be a BIG diffrence.....i have a 54# motor on my 16 bass boat i guess it will push it maybe 2-3 mph .then you could still be left stranded if your battery runs out of power...i would not even attempt to go miles from the dock,it will work great if its a small lake ..a good running older motor would be much better

Well, I thought as much. . . I only ever go 2mi from a ramp (b/c my boat is small) but probably not the smartest thing in the world. . . unless I take two batteries or something. Even then it's 2 hours of running a trolling motor versus 25 minutes with an old outboard (round trip).

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 55# trolling motor to propel 1000 lbs of boat and gear - will I be disappointed?

The only thing a 55# trolling motor and a 15 HP motor have in common is they both troll nicely. But the 15 HP outboard will do it much longer on a tank of fuel than an electric troller would on a single battery (or two of them for that matter). An electric troller shouold NEVER be used as a the main source of propulsion unless you are on an electric only lake and a very small one at that. Electric motors have a top speed in the 3 MPH range and simply cannot run long enough on a battery to be of any use over longer distances. Buy a new gas motor or use the money you would speed on a 55# electric, the big battery, and the charger as "seed" money for repair of the 15 HP. You would be well on the way toward a rebuilt motor. But then you didn't say what happened to it other than it blew up. That means different things to different people.

 

[catfighter]

Re: 55# trolling motor to propel 1000 lbs of boat and gear - will I be disappointed?

No, it's blown -- spun bearing so the whole powerhead is ruined. I bought a used powerhead off ebay and it was DOA (broken crankshaft), so I'm done trying to fix it.

I have a couple months to decide what to do. Chances are I'll buy a new[ER] 15 or 20hp outboard. Seems like the trolling idea is a dud.

Thanks for the help.