what lb thrust is needed?

[ky_boater]

Not sure if there is anything out there on the net for this but just thought i would throw this out here. I have 17ft nitro w/ a 120 hp motor. Just wondering if there is a minimum or maximum lb thrust for the trolling motor?

Thanks

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: what lb thrust is needed?

I would say 40lbs would be a minimum. With no wind or current it would be sufficient. In some wind and against the current you my find that you would want a little bit more than that. I think I would be looking in the 50-60 lb range.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: what lb thrust is needed?

put a motor guide W45 wireless remote on this boat, it's more than enough, even on a windy day. if the wind gets to much for it, it's time to go home.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f119/tashasdaddy/bow.jpg

18' Bluefin Spectrum, Johnson 1988 88 spl, total weight 1200-1300 loaded and full of gas.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: what lb thrust is needed?

I think Tas has a good point. :%

The 56 lb does a great job on an 18' boat; more than necessary, so I think I will go along with the 40 recommendation for min.

But whatever you have, if your batteries aren't up, it won't be enough. I learned that on my last outing. I use a built in charger and when the light turned green I'd disconnect it.

After this incident, I went home and did some troubleshooting. Found that my batteries were way down. Recharged them and when the green light came on (supposedly indicating full charge) I measured the batteries and they were a long way from being there. Now I just leave it connected and when I'm ready I'll have a full charge. (New to me boat and didn't know how the onboard charger really worked.)

Mark

 

[wileecoyote985]

Re: what lb thrust is needed?

Hard to have too much power. Sure helps when it's windy, and I don't mean gale force winds either.

I have a 55 lb MK Powerdrive on my 15 footer that only sports a 30HP outboard and I don't consider myself over powered on the troller. Frankly, I wouldn't personally consider anything less than what I have.

You'll find that 55 pound thrust is about the max for a one battery set up. My philosophy is that with a more powerful trolling motor, I'll be using full power less than I would with something smaller. With MK's maximizer, this should help extend my battery life while chasing fish for a full day. I haven't had the chance to use my current set up a great deal, so time will tell if my theory holds any water.

Gary

 

[Boatist]

Re: what lb thrust is needed?

I agree if you buy a motor with one of the power saver circuits they work great to save the battery when on low to mid power. They pulse the motor and between pulses no power flows.

When you have to go to full power to keep boat where you want it the motor is full on not pulseing and it will run the battery down fast. If the unit you buy has no power saver circuit then really make very little difference what power setting you use.

 

[Major Woods]

Re: what lb thrust is needed?

I had a 40lb troller on my 17' with a 40hp motor. Never had a problem of needing more power.

 

[ky_boater]

Re: what lb thrust is needed?

Thanks for all the info. Its greatly appreciated.

 

[jurgenscraft]

Re: what lb thrust is needed?

I went throgh the exercise of comparing electric trolling motors and found for my purposes the best bet was to go for a smallfour stroke motor (5hp)
I made a bracket that enables me to connect to the main steering when required, I also modified the throttle system and kill switch so that it can all be controlled from the helm, mind you I am not trying to sneak up on any body or any bass,the modern four strokes are very quiet at low rpm depending on the bracket and linkages these little petrol motors are just as manouverable as any electric trolling motor and depending on the brackets you make, the motor can work as a thruster to steer the stern around the bow and will last for ever and you dont need a seperate battery,two deep cycle 90 amp batteries are half the price of a 3Hp four stroke,add the price of a equavalent trolling motor and what have you got.??
I suppose if you are bass fishing, electric is the way to go but I see no real reason why a quiet 4 stroke wont do the job My motor idles the whole day without any ill effect
and I have done a fair amount of trolling in my time, all I need to work on is a foot control,...HI....HI... here in Africa we go for the tough option.
Kind regards William Wright,

 

[koolerb]

Re: what lb thrust is needed?

I had a 30 on my 17 ft Tracker, and it was way underpowered. The wind used to kick my but. I just upgraded to a 46 and it made a big difference. I would go with a 45 at minimum, 55 might even be better.

 

[TheChad]

Re: what lb thrust is needed?

I would say a 55lb Minimum, and a 70lb Max.

Sure a 45lb would work, but lets face it, a 60HP outboard would work too, But you have a 120HP don't you? 8)

A 55lb would give you enough torque to get out of a tight situation if need, and give you room to play with the wind in and out of coves. A 65lb-70lb I say Max because You don't need more than that. Any more, your just spending more money for power you probably wont ever use.

Just my $0.02.

-TheChad