Trolling Motor....which one?

[Gerald Barnes]

I have never used a trolling motor. Need a little help in getting the right one for bass fishing. Here's what I've got: 17'8" Crestliner with a flat bottom, 70 hp Johnson. Nice large front deck area with removable chair, tm plug. Need thoughts on tiller vs. foot control, 12 vs. 24 volt, long shaft vs. short shaft, etc. Don't want to spend a lot of money. What works best for you? Thanks.

 

[JB]

Re: Trolling Motor....which one?

Howdy Elk River.<br /><br />With trollers, like anything else (or most things, anyway) you get what you pay for.<br /><br />You are going to get the most performance per buck with a bow mounted, hand controlled motor.<br /><br />You would get the most convenience with a wireless controlled auto pilot bow mount, but you would pay a LOT more for it.<br /><br />You will get the most battery life with a pulse modulated controller. Well worth the cost.<br /><br />Somewhere in between is a troller that fits your priorities. One caution: You are better off with more thrust than you actually use than with less than you need.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[Gerald Barnes]

Re: Trolling Motor....which one?

JB, thanks for the good advice. Tell me more about "pulse modulated controller".<br /><br />I've been looking at the Minnkota website, but need to know prices of different models. Where is the best place to shop for Minnkota?<br /><br />Thanks

 

[smcg71]

Re: Trolling Motor....which one?

Elk River, I was also looking for a trolling motor and found Cabela's website to have large selection to choose from. Go to www.cabelas.com and follow the links to electric trolling motors.<br />It gives the lbs. thrust, voltage, shaft length and price.<br /><br />EDIT: Cabelas does not provide this wonderful free Board for you, iboats does. Don't you think it a bit rude to come here and recommend the competition?

 

[Gerald Barnes]

Re: Trolling Motor....which one?

sheephead, Thanks. Going to the Cabela's site now. Do you think their prices are competitive with Bass Pro, West Marine, Wal-mart, etc. ?

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Trolling Motor....which one?

Hi Elk River. Old school trolling motors used resistors to bleed off excess voltage from the battery when running at slower speeds. The problem was that the resistors themselves used battery power. New technology motors use pulse modulators. A modulator in the motor sends pulses of energy from the battery to the motor at increasing wavelengths as you increase speed. There is very little energy wasted with this method and you can see a marked increase in battery reserve in the "Slower" speed ranges. At full speed however, there is no advantage. If you plan on using your troller only or mostly at high speed, it probably won't pay to get the pulse modulated model as they are very expensive. Hope this helps, good luck.

 

[Gerald Barnes]

Re: Trolling Motor....which one?

DROWNED RAT, Thanks for the well written explanation of pulse modulation. I've been thinking about what you said. Now, if I were to be just bass fishing and not running wide open most of the time the pulse modulated motor would save battery power right? So, how about getting a momentary on-off switch on a less expensive motor and just operate it briefly at the wide open setting? This should save battery power, but is it just too tricky or bothersome to do it that way?

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Trolling Motor....which one?

Hi ER. I do think it would be a bit tricky. It would probably make boat handling very difficult and erratic, and you would spend more time fooling with positioning and less time fishing. If you're willing to get a used motor, keep an eye on ebay. Trolling motors tend to retain their value very well, but you can still find great deals sometimes. Good luck.

 

[Gerald Barnes]

Re: Trolling Motor....which one?

DROWNED RAT, good advice, I'll check e-bay. Like JB was saying, 'You get what you pay for'. I usually start out trying to buy something for as little as possible, but eventually wind up digging a little deeper in the wallet and usually am happier for it. After researching some the MinnKota 55PD looks like the motor I need. Also thinking about springing for the extra $150 and getting the Copilot remote control.