possibly dumb question about trolling motor as primary motor

[amateurhour]

So I had an idea and I searched the forums but I haven't really seen anything on this.

I've got a little Gamefisher 3HP air cooled outboard on my boat now and it's nice but it's noisy as all hell. I was digging around looking at electric outboards because I'd like to go all electric as I mostly plan to stick to flat lakes. Most electric motors are crazy expensive though, as much as a gas outboard, and the ones I found had pretty bad reviews overall.

Then I found this.

https://www.amazon.com/MinnKota-Riptide-Engine-Mounted-Trolling/dp/B000EQW5L2

It comes with a remote throttle/direction control and is meant to be mounted to an existing outboard with steering as a fishing solution for bigger runabouts/ski boats or pontoons.

It seems like it would be pretty easy to take a standard push remote steering setup and just fabricate a bracket to mount the motors on. It's got 160 lbs of thrust too which isn't shabby at all.

1) Would this be realistic for a small 14 foot v hull? I don't care about going fast.

2) How many batteries/bank chargers would I need to power this for a full day of fishing?

3) Anything I'm missing that would make this a bad idea?

This thing is a grand brand new and that's pretty reasonable considering it would perform above and beyond anything else I could get new for that price, and a lot of used stuff too.

Thanks!

 

[user 10949]

that will push a glass boat on a calm day pretty nicely. I don't know if the bang for buck is there. search it on youtube for a guy with a yellow boat, it's all he uses.

just remember 2 x 80# motors totalling 160# is not going to give you twice the performance of a single 80#, but it will have twice the power drain on batter and will be twice the price.

personally if i was gonna drop that kind of coin i'd go for one of those autopilot models, but that's me.

 

[TNtroller]

have seen those you posted advertised but no 1st hand experience with 'em. Why not just get a MK with auto pilot or Ipilot depending on the type of fishing you do. I have a MK Terrova 55 12v w/Ipilot on my Tracker PT 175 and I troll/longline for crappie the majority of the time. With the gps abilities and all the other things it does, it frees me up to relax/enjoy my fishing trip more than just a foot controlled TM, and I can troll at .6mph up to 1.4mph/gps for 6-8 hrs on a single battery. when I get home, battery still has 50% or more charge. The IP has anchor lock (electronic gps anchor), cruise, gps heading control, can record trolling tracks along the shore line/over structure, and several other things that are nice and convenient. The autopilot has magnetic bearing cruise vs gps on IP, and speed control. Both are well worth the $$ IMO. I'm glad I upgraded to the IP, life is good on the water. :mrgreen:

 

[Lowe 2070 CC]

Seems like a little overkill to me. they make single 80 pound thrust models as well. You will need to consider that you'll be running 2 batteries for the 24 volts you'll need to power them. I would think 4-6 hours is what you might expect out of a full charge. I have a 75lb motorguide that handles my 20' boat pretty well.

 

[ol sarge]

I have a 14' Smokercraft that weighs in at about 400lbs and I use a 55lbs thrust Minnkota Traxxis to push her along. I can go all day on a single charge and it pushes really well. Even on the Wisconsin River with current I have never felt under powered. Just remember the break point for TMs is at 55lbs and then you get into the 24 volt systems which on a 14' can add alot of weight. I stand by my MinnKota. (thats her in the picture)

 

[amateurhour]

so a minn 55 would be my best bet? possibly with a dual battery/bank system if it was going to be my primary propulsion?

Now I know that the minn e-drive electric outboard has it's own tilt tube steering harness built in but are there aftermarket adapters or kits for trolling motors (not the double up kicker style) so I can take an existing steering setup and use it with my trolling motor?

Basically I know that I want to go all electric so I'm trying to figure out the best way to do that. The ipilot sounds pretty awesome and I may go that route in the end but I'd love to actually have a steering wheel just for the personal joy of it, compared to a foot control or remote control.

 

[user 10949]

found that vid for you, in case you didn't look.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfbiI5f525c[/youtube]


I really don't think his boat is moving much faster than my buddies 18ft stratos with the 80# bowmount maxed out.

 

[Jim]

NO SUCH THINGS AS DUMB QUESTIONS HERE ON TINBOATS!

If you are asking, I can almost guarantee someone will have the same question(s). So never fear to ask! :beer:

 

[amateurhour]

Thanks Jim! I just hate being that guy that shows up on a forum like this and goes "hey can I hook up two 20hp motors synced together on my 12 footer and add in a ski pole and sun deck!?" : )

There's just surprisingly not a LOT of info on the internet about steering setups for electric motors other than the default minn kota foot controls since most people have no interest in putting a steering wheel to an electric trolling motor.

I'm just weird like that. I want to be able to steer my boat around!

I like the idea of using an outboard hull as the frame for the steering and then just using the remote throttle control that comes with the trolling motor. Thanks for that video NL

 

[MrSimon]

You could get a used 55lb transom mount motor fairly cheap .... and then get creative and hook it up using a set of outboard steering cables. Honestly, I think it would work really well. A steering cable/ram set-up is simple and straightforward. Some basic fabrication and you could hook it all up and have the best of both worlds.

 

[amateurhour]

Any ideas on remote throttle controls? I know some of the higher end models come with a lever style throttle control and rely on the existing steering setup for the left/right control but most standard bow mount models have a remote foot control with your left right and up/down throttle in one.

 

[fool4fish1226]

Thanks Jim! I just hate being that guy that shows up on a forum like this and goes "hey can I hook up two 20hp motors synced together on my 12 footer and add in a ski pole and sun deck!?" : )

What do you mean, I think it might have been done :LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2:

 

[user 10949]

I would take mine apart to look at the throttle system but the Varimax is a varible speed and won't be like 5 speed trans mount models that click.

I would assume that the regular 5 speed (click)controls are based on a resistor. low speed = high resistance, full throttle = no resistance. the same way blower motor resistors work in a car. that is just a guess (maybe somebody here will know if it's true) but if that is the case, the throttle would be pretty easy to relocate with 6 wires...


gave my good buddy youtube a go around again and found this, might give you an idea about steering too.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zyR8OmJIBM