Anyone using a trolling motor????

Do you have a small boat or water craft?? Do you have a trolling motor on it?? If so what are you using and what do you think of it??

Can’t go above 40lb’s of thrust with my boat but I’m looking for comments...

 

Oh wait, on a boat......nevermind

 

What type of boat? Are you looking for a bow mount, simple tiller handle style/transom? Why the 40# limit? Watch for sales on Minn Kotas; Wally World will put them on clearance towards the end of the season and you can pick them up for decent prices. Figure out your expected range, add a safety margin then pick out a marine battery that meets your needs.

 

I have a 9ft inflatable pontoon boat and when I called the company that made it that said min 36” shaft and I shouldn’t got over 40# because it could tip the boat??

 

If you are looking for a cheap used one jump on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. Always available.

The battery may be crap or not have one.

 

I know WHERE to find them.. I’m hoping to get feed back from people that have them. I like real life reviews since sometimes companies like to fake their reviews to get better star ratings

 

My bad . Minnkota!
Had one on our bass tracker 2 man bass boat. It had plenty of power.

 

It’s all good! Thank you!

 

I've got a transom mount Minn Kota for use on my canoe and I've had other MKs in the past. They've all seemed to work well enough. Most of my friends use them as well. My neighbor just bought a new one for his little john boat. His twenty plus year old one finally died after his kid got it stuck in the mud and tried to power out.

Just look at the ones in your power range and select the features you want. More speeds is a plus since it allows greater control; it's nice to be able to cruise slowly and quietly while fishing. Some are salt water rated, etc.

Be sure to have a way to secure your battery. If you should flip the boat you don't want to lose an expensive battery. Keep your wiring secured and out of the way so that you can't get tangled in it.

 

Ok thanks for the info

 

This is what I’m working with

 

I have 1986 sylvan 16 ft deep v fishing boat with walk through windshield and seats,decking, etc. The main engine is an ancient 1971 40hp, but I use a 30lb thrust minn kota for weedy areas, shallow water, trolling, and maneuvering.
The 30lb pushes the boat up to 3 or 4 mph with 2 adults in it. It does just fine for what I use it for. I use the same battery for my main engine and the trolling engine motor, but I am very careful not to run it all the way down on the trolling motor. I have a separate battery to run my radio, lights, pumps, and accessories. As a rule I charge the batteries anytime the boat is docked, trailered, or parked in general.

 

I have a minn Kota on my 18’ Alumaweld for trolling. Never a problem with it. Minn Kota are good quality motors. 30lbs of thrust should move you around quite well.
I’m thinking of getting a toon like yours for smaller mountain lakes. How do you like yours? As far as paddling it, does it track fairly straight or does it want to go side to side?

 

A 30 should really push that well, and you should get a decent battery life out of a decent deep cycle

 

Honestly I haven’t taken it out... got it two weeks ago and been to busy to take it out. But I plan on using it either tomorrow or next weekend for sure...

The only issue I have ran in to so far (I may just not have looked in the right places...) the pontoon boat company said 36” shaft and I’m having trouble finding the 36” shaft that only does 30# thrust that’s not like 1.5-2x more then the 36”/40#

 

I imagine you could set up a plate to lower the motor further if you decided to use a shorter shaft one

 

Possibly

 

You want it to rotate at least 180 in either direction.

A weed guard for the prop is something I found useful.

I had on on my 14' Whaler, moved it to a canoe.

An old Sears unit made by who knows. Worked great. Not Bill Dance great, but good enough for me.

Till I went straight kayaks.

 

Minn Kota is what I've always used and was always happy with them.

Down here a boat like that is a open invitation for a redneck to figure a way to mount a 40hp Yamaha on the back of it. Oh and bbq while doing it.

https://youtu.be/17_BEkOYoX8

 

Good call on the weed guard. I added one to mine after a few years of unwrapping weeds every trip and one busted prop