What to use of outboard quits

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bruc
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What to use of outboard quits

#1 Post by bruc » Sat Dec 08, 2018 9:04 am

New to pontoon boating and wondering what I should carry onboard in case of engine failure.Don't know how easy it it to paddle a 19' pontoon boat so I don't know if it's worth carrying a couple of paddles.I was thinking of a small trolling motor.I'm not sure how small a motor I could get by with and if I could get away with just hooking it up to my starting battery in an emergency instead of hauling around another battery.What does everyone else do? Thanks for any advice.

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Marc K
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#2 Post by Marc K » Sat Dec 08, 2018 9:49 am

With calm conditions, my 25' pontoon does right at 2 mph with a trolling motor rated at 55 lbs. of thrust. Against any headwind forget it.

At full throttle, it draws almost 50 amps- so that would drain a typical small outboard start battery in about 30-40 minutes. I do have enough deep cycle battery power permanently mounted, for six hours wide open. (Batteries are mostly for water pumping, music, lights, and a 1200 watt inverter)

On nice weekends, I can be 15-20 miles from home. So, I signed up for an on-lake towing service for only $72. per year for unlimited towing events including rescue from soft groundings. Boat U.S. offers the towing service here on my lake, but there are others, covering different geographical areas and offshore.

Marc
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jrolin1
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#3 Post by jrolin1 » Sat Dec 08, 2018 9:55 am

Cell phone. If you are worried sea tow or boat us.

bruc
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#4 Post by bruc » Sat Dec 08, 2018 2:43 pm

Thanks for your responses.Up here in n.h. on squa m lake there are no tow services available.

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Liquid Asset
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#5 Post by Liquid Asset » Sat Dec 08, 2018 5:32 pm

Knock on wood , I've always made it back to the dock even when I blew up a motor. It was ugly but we made it lol.
I'm not really huge into " karma" but on the water I have towed in more boats than I can count. I boat on small lakes so it's not a big deal. I figure if I help others maybe they would return the favor should I need it. Like your lake there is no tow service ,but I usually boat with friends so it not needed.
However for the rare time it's just me I am prepared. After blowing up that motor I figured I needed a " return to shore system" so to speak. I bought a trolling motor and built a cabinet to store it in. It's never been used but nice to know it's there. I honestly don't remember what size it is. It's not big but the sales man at Bass pro knew the lakes I visit most often. He said I would not break any speed records but it would work fine.
The cabinet also holds a 5 gallon bucket used as a trash can, and a cup holder with the bottom cut out to allow empty cans/bottles to be stored. I have to return them here in Michigan.
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Liquid Asset
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#6 Post by Liquid Asset » Sat Dec 08, 2018 5:38 pm

Forgot to mention that I have two batteries. One just for starting and navigation lights. I also have a deep cycle that runs stereo, subwoofer, decorative lights, gps. I made a set of jumper cables just long enough with plugs for the trolling motor.
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Oldchuck
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#7 Post by Oldchuck » Sun Dec 09, 2018 6:12 am

I hear your concern.
When younger I fished offshore a lot and was cavalier thinking that all would be fine and if anything went wrong then I had a VFH radio.
Well, one day 12 miles offshore my engine died. As it always happens when the engine quits it is seldom calm with sun shining. Very long story short, got picked up by a fishing boat 30 mies offshore by chance in 12' seas and was taking on more water than we could keep up with. Life Lesson Learned.
Fast forward, moved to SE Alaska and quickly realized NO ONE EVER goes out without an auxiliary engine or twins. So for 20 years I always carried a 10 hp kicker on the stern of my 22' . I got me home on one other occasion and I was thankful.
So this day, I always carry a small 4 stroke outboard on a bracket on my stern. On my 22' CC I can got a tad over 3.5 mph with a 2.5 hp in calm conditions but always heading toward shore. I do not need extra batteries and it only weighs 30 lbs and has a self contained tank. Have I ever had to use it NO but I know it is there.
Am I over cautious? YES but I have seen the other option.. NOW, most of my current boating is on freshwater without fear of dying but I like the convenience of knowing I can always get back in if needed. I have also used US Boat for tow service but currently live where it would take them several hours to get me so I still like the convenience of knowing I can get home with the small kicker.
I am in the process of selling the CC and making the move to a 'toon but will still mount the Garllick kicker bracket on the stern and carry my "peace of mind" kicker.
Again, I know I am over cautious but do not like to depend on anyone but myself...And having lived in some remote areas have learned that sometimes you can not depend on someone to come and tow you in...But, that is just me and presenting another option not seen much.

boocat
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#8 Post by boocat » Sun Dec 09, 2018 5:44 pm

If you don't want the expense of a trolling motor , I would think a a smart phone would be the next best choice. We use our 18' pontoon for fishing and I'm equipped with a a 68lb troll motor with 2 deep cycle group 27 batteries. I would think I could get at least 5 miles at 3-4 miles per hr if needed. If you want to depend on just the phone I would have numbers of friends, game wardens and local sheriff. Here in Texas I usually try to know the local game warden numbers of whatever lake I'm on. But then again, with a smart phone you can just look all that up. Also a small kicker is not a bad idea. In my former life, all my time was on the salt and alot of single engine boats had little kickers on them.

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Marc K
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#9 Post by Marc K » Sun Dec 09, 2018 6:34 pm

Chuck,

My younger boating days (late 60's and early 70's) were Southern Left Coast offshore islands at 25-65 miles, so I can appreciate your caution and respect for redundancy! I hadn't thought about it in years, but a lot of guys ran kickers in the harbors. That's a great idea for larger lakes that I would not have considered.

My old, heavy two tube pontoon is a slow dog anyway, so another 250 lbs of batteries doesn't appreciably impact my performance. If you are a high performance guy, weight is the enemy! For me the extra weight likely costs a little more fuel consumption, but 4.5 GPH at 20 MPH is fun for us. I'm an AGM battery guy, so no-muss-no-fuss-no-maintenance for many years makes it a no-brainer for me.

Our lake is 18 miles long, but it is long and narrow so in a big emergency, I am am only 1-2 miles from landing on a shore. But that is not what I want to do! Some of our lake has usable cell coverage, so VHF fills in when needed. We boat by ourselves mostly, but living on a lake I watch the weather.. In this part of Texas, weather doesn't sneak up on us and there is always tomorrow.

The reason for this long post is to offer different options because everyone has different needs.

Respectfully,
Marc
Last edited by Marc K on Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Oldchuck
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#10 Post by Oldchuck » Mon Dec 10, 2018 5:59 am

Marc,
I respect your opinion and as you said there are many different solutions to a "get home solution". I also see that several batteries with a 24 or 36 volt system would be advantageous with your set up as weight is not a factor and would get you quite a while of running time if needed.
I just got used to having a kicker with a dedicated fuel tank on my boats and weight was always a factor. I now live in Central Florida on a fairly large rural lake and most folks think it is overkill but it gives me piece of mind as old habits die hard. I say we all should enjoy boating in whatever way makes up happy.
Appreciate your input and past history as it is always useful to see what a person's boating background has been and perhaps learn from that..

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Marc K
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#11 Post by Marc K » Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:58 pm

Oldchuck wrote:
Mon Dec 10, 2018 5:59 am
Marc,
I respect your opinion and as you said there are many different solutions to a "get home solution". I also see that several batteries with a 24 or 36 volt system would be advantageous with your set up as weight is not a factor and would get you quite a while of running time if needed.
I just got used to having a kicker with a dedicated fuel tank on my boats and weight was always a factor. I now live in Central Florida on a fairly large rural lake and most folks think it is overkill but it gives me piece of mind as old habits die hard. I say we all should enjoy boating in whatever way makes up happy.
Appreciate your input and past history as it is always useful to see what a person's boating background has been and perhaps learn from that..
I will agree and add that "some old habits keep you alive" :bowdown
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rancherlee
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#12 Post by rancherlee » Sun Dec 30, 2018 7:15 pm

I have 2 backups + paddle. 55# 12v trolling motor and a 9.9 kicker WITH separate 3 gallon tank. The 9.9 will push my tritoon around 7mph and burns less than 1 gallon a hour doing so. Even tried our 2.5hp and it pushed the pontoon over 3mph and weighs under 30#. Lots of options, an electric trolling motor would get you to shore, but I wouldn’t count on traveling more than a mile or so per deep cycle. The 2.5hp gas moved my pontoon quite a bit better than the 55# troller. Separate gas supply is key for a gas backup, otherwise a bad tank of gas takes out both motors.
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#13 Post by Oldchuck » Mon Dec 31, 2018 10:08 am

Rancheriee,
You are a wise man...I agree completely..

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Mosnowman
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#14 Post by Mosnowman » Sat Jan 19, 2019 3:05 pm

Trolling motor with spare battery, is in my opinion, the best defensive strategy. If expense is a concern don’t forget you have a modified sailboat..uh..sail barge so wind can also help by using your Bimini. I would simply troll with the wind to the nearest shore and walk from there...since your new to pontooning I know this may be common sense, but you want to get as close to shoreline if you are going to troll home! These things are extremelu sensitive to wind and it will push you around!
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guy48065
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Re: What to use of outboard quits

#15 Post by guy48065 » Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:46 am

Sometimes the nearest shoreline is rubble, cliffs, snags, or swamp. You definitely want the ability to move & navigate some distance if the lake isn't fully developed flat shore.
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