Trolling Motor Questions

[02baylinercapri-NM]

I am planning on buying a new electric trolling motor. I have a 17.5 ft Bayliner Capri Mercruiser 3.0 4cyl. I have no idea where to start. Bow Mount? Transom Mount? Would an electric motor work on my boat? What size? I'm thinking the transom mount because you have to be nearby to steer it right? Also if I buy a deep cycle marine battery would it do for a day of fishing? Plus I would need to buy a good charger, so I might be better off with a 4stroke? Thanks in advance.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Trolling Motor Questions

Your boat has a swim platform yes? You would have to mount a bracket to the platform to use the transom mount motor. I would go with a 55# thrust Minn-Kota bow mount with Maximizer technology. A good battery will get you a full day of fishing. Buy a good, name brand, automatic charger for the battery. You could go with a gas kicker, but the Minn-Kota wil do just fine.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Trolling Motor Questions

Actually on that boat I would go with a 70 lb with maximizer. On another forum I visit, someone pointed out that battery draw is in amps, and the 70 uses fewer amps per hour. Sure you would need another battery, but it would be worth it as you would get longer battery life, and that is a rather large boat for a 55 lb.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trolling Motor Questions

Any I/O almost requires that an electric trolling motor be a bow mount. There is no easy way to control a transom mount on an I/O due to the lack of room at the stern. Most electric steer trollers can be controlled from anywhere in the boat. There is one other option and that involves mounting two or three power units on the stern drive. However, those are 24 or 36 volt units so you would need two or three batteries. My vote goes for a Minnkota 55# and the largest deep cycle battery you have room for. A Guest 10A on-board charger would suffice. My 17 footer uses a 55# motor and it rarely needs to be on high speed. Trolling is different things to different people so if you need to troll at speeds of 1 MPH or more for hours at a time, you need a gas engine.

 

[02baylinercapri-NM]

Re: Trolling Motor Questions

Silvertip, I can see how the transom mount motor would be harder to mount and control, how can you steer the bow mount trolling motor from anywhere on the boat?

 

[JB]

Re: Trolling Motor Questions

Go to Minn Kota and look at the Copilot.

Wired or wireless remote control.

 

[wileecoyote985]

Re: Trolling Motor Questions

No question that a bow mount would be best for your situation. My vote would be for the Minn Kota Power Drive with autopilot and cordless remote. 55 pound thrust is the most you'll get if you want to make do with only one extra deep cycle battery.

Also - hopefully you realize that the term "electric trolling motor" is somewhat of a misnomer. While you can certainly use an electric to troll with, if you plan to troll for hours on end, covering large areas, a small gas motor would be a much better choice. Electrics are primarily designed for boat repositioning and covering smaller areas more or less silently.

One more point; If your boat has a bow rail, it can complicate mounting a bow mount electric. This can entail modifying the bow rail or using a longer shaft motor and building a platform that clears the rail.

Gary

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: Trolling Motor Questions

The PowerDrive V2 with 70LBS of thrust and a 54" shaft will cost you $639.99 at any Bass Pro Shop. The top of the line Power Drive V2 with 70 LBS of thrust and a 54" shaft (with Auto-Pilot and Universal Sonar 2) would run you $939.99 at any Bass Pro Shop. Just a couple of prices to give you a ball park idea of what to expect....