Prop upgrade on a 30lb. Minn Kota electric?

[Huron Angler]

I've been considering the advantages of buying a larger weedless prop for my Minn Kota. I believe that they do make one that is larger than the factory prop for around $16. I would be doing it more for the weedless aspect than for any hopes for increased thrust or performance, although that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

By the way I run this electric on a 12' aluminum v-hull and various canoes.

Has anyone done this? Suggestions, tips, advice on this...???

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Prop upgrade on a 30lb. Minn Kota electric?

If it was beneficial to run a larger prop don't you think Minnkota would have installed one? So no - it will probably decrease run time because the larger prop takes a bigger bite on the water, which puts more load on the motor, which causes it to consume more electricity than before so the battery runs down quicker, and speed may not and probably will not increase since the motor doesn't have enough power to twist that prop efficiently. The same principle applies to gas engines by the way.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Prop upgrade on a 30lb. Minn Kota electric?

If it was beneficial to run a larger prop don't you think Minnkota would have installed one? So no - it will probably decrease run time because the larger prop takes a bigger bite on the water, which puts more load on the motor, which causes it to consume more electricity than before so the battery runs down quicker, and speed may not and probably will not increase since the motor doesn't have enough power to twist that prop efficiently. The same principle applies to gas engines by the way.

Silver- I'm not sure you understood what I was asking.

I also think Minn Kota is a great company but like all other companies their primary goal is to make money. That's why they sell after-market props.

They have two props that are designed for my Endura 30lb transom-mount:

http://www.minnkotamotors.com/_docs/propSelectionChart.pdf

The MKP-2 is what came with the motor brand new.

The MKP-6 is also designed for my motor but did not come with the motor.

It is a weedless wedge and like I stated that is the reason for the upgrade.
I'm not looking to get more power or speed I just want to be weedless.

I was curious if anyone has used this prop to see if it improves performance through the weeds.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Prop upgrade on a 30lb. Minn Kota electric?

See how important that bit of information was to the conversation. Had your second post been the first -- my response would have been very different. Details, details, details!

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Prop upgrade on a 30lb. Minn Kota electric?

See how important that bit of information was to the conversation. Had your second post been the first -- my response would have been very different. Details, details, details!

LOL I hear ya Silver- I did a little more research the second time around that could've been done prior to the first post.:redface:

I've seen that weedless prop at ****'s sporting goods but they don't stock it anymore and nobody seems to have tried it out that I know of so maybe I should just order one and find out myself.

 

[AZcamperguy]

Re: Prop upgrade on a 30lb. Minn Kota electric?

You can get it on Amazon for 15 bucks or I think Wal-Mart has it for a bit more. I bought one for mine to replace the original prop that was beat up. I got it used. I haven't gone through any weeds so I can't comment on that aspect of it but it runs just fine. I trolled around a lake last week with it for the whole day. It pushed my 12 foot aluminum just fine with a 6hp outboard, 2 batteries, 2 guys, and all the tackle and cooler.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Prop upgrade on a 30lb. Minn Kota electric?

The only way to know how effective the prop is would be to measure current flow with the old and new props. If they both result in current draw the same or nearly the same then it's simply a matter of how well it does in the weeds. But if a weed whacker is what you have, that alone takes additional power so I would expect run time to be shortened. There simply is no free lunch when it comes to props. Try it and see. But the truth is in the measurements and the numbers -- both of which are probably inconsequential since weeds are the real issue.