trolling motor size

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ron nh
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trolling motor size

#1 Post by ron nh » Sat Mar 07, 2015 2:26 pm

my friend is selling a 55lb thrust trolling motor, Do you guys think that is enough for an 1,800lb toon? I believe thats what tracker offers on there bass buggy 18 for an option but sounds a little small to me.
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Re: trolling motor size

#2 Post by steveiam » Sat Mar 07, 2015 4:31 pm

Yep--
I think it would be too small--
You may want to check the shaft length also before you buy one, I have seen many TM's for sale that would be too short-
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Re: trolling motor size

#3 Post by C_M_25 » Sat Mar 07, 2015 8:45 pm

You'll find that this question has a polarizing affect with people similar to debating politics. The question you need to ask youself is how do you plan on using the motor? Have you noticed how easy you can move a pontoon in the water by hand? It takes minimal effort to push it around when standing in the water. Unfortunately, wind is the big factor. I have a 55 lb and I plan on using it to help fish protected coves, and I will use it to get me into flooded timber where I will just tie to a tree. Now, I don't fish open water very often, and even when I do fish out there, I rarely go out in winds greater than 15 mph. 55 lb should work for everything I need it to do. I agree with previous poster. Make sure shaft is at least 52 inches.
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ron nh
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Re: trolling motor size

#4 Post by ron nh » Sun Mar 08, 2015 5:00 am

thats a good point, most bass fishing will be in the smaller lakes up here in those coves, while trout & salmon will be on huge lakes, in open water. where I would use the real motor if trolling.I think thou I would use it alot to get to those coves in shallow water so that may be restricting in windy conditions, but I don't know. thats why I ask. Thanks guys.
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megawatt
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Re: trolling motor size

#5 Post by megawatt » Sun Mar 08, 2015 8:09 am

Another consideration may be your battery setup, and what you're willing to do for a higher thrust motor. Your friend's motor is probably a 12V setup, whereas if you go to, say, a 70 lb thrust motor like my Minnkota PowerDrive, you will probably need another battery for 24V to the motor if you're not already set up for that configuration.
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Re: trolling motor size

#6 Post by Ddancers » Sun Mar 08, 2015 8:44 am

My toon is 25' 8" wet weight 3423 lbs. I did a lot of searching on forums and even called Sweetwater before purchasing a trolling motor.
I was surprise when Sweetwater expressed to me under normal conditions a 45" shaft and 55 lb trust trolling motor should be adequate.
I was hopeful my Internet searches would support this statement because of cost and battery requirements, but at last they did not.
If you can get the results you need with a smaller motor than certainly it's the way to go.
In my case I know the 55 lb 45" shaft would not have performed as needed.
I ended up with a Minn Kota Terrova 80/US2 80-lb Thrust Freshwater Bow Mount Trolling Motor with i-Pilot, 60" Shaft.
This unit does a nice job even in 15 mph winds, however the best I can hope for is around 4.7 hours of continuous running at 2.4 mph and less time in 15 mph winds, using two group 27batteries.
I love my i-Pilot, 60" Shaft system and again know the 55 lb with a 45" shaft would never had perform well for my toon.
Definitely go with at least a 52" shaft or greater, and if you have easy battery charging capability consider a 24 volt system you can't go wrong.
With 24V your size toon you should get 7 hrs or more run time and likely be able to exceed 3.4 mph.
Minn Kota also has a shaft length chart on their site.
Don't know if weight is based on dry or wet.
Good Luck with your purchase.
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Re: trolling motor size

#7 Post by ron nh » Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:46 am

Thank you, great info there, I love that i-pilot. I may have to do an "end round' on my wife for this one. when she saw my list of want's and needs with prices she almost fainted. I really do think I need a 70lbthrust and would like a seperate battery for electric anyway. I didn't consider shaft length, my friends is to short. I think wet weight will be under 2,500lbs.. I know i'll regret it if I don't buy i-pilot. thanks again.
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Re: trolling motor size

#8 Post by Ddancers » Sun Mar 08, 2015 1:18 pm

You're Welcome.
I know you will love the i-pilot and I 'm sure you've checked out it's many features.
It's the greatest thing to come along in years. It's also easy to deploy and I feel it's an advantage to go with the longest shaft you can get for the model you choose.
By doing so there is enough length above deck so that you can always see the direction the head is during from anywhere on the boat.
I'm truly glad I went with the 60" shaft.
On another note:
I had marina mount it on a quick release pad so that I could remove it if and when I wanted to, but I've only removed it for winter storage doesn't present a problem for me in up position.

I had a to budget a bit when I purchased my toon, and there's a lot of things I would do without before not getting my i-Pilot setup.
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Re: trolling motor size

#9 Post by Tlowry » Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:54 am

The Mon Ark 20 has a 50# and is no match for wind over 10 mph.

For the new 22' toon, I just bought the Terrova 80# with a 60" shaft and I-Pilot. Haven't got to try it yet but believe it will get the job done.

One way I use them is bass fishing in the morning where I move around docks and bulkheads and in coves pitching and running spinners.

The other is when we find schooling whites in the afternoon, instead of fighting an anchor, I station keep with the TM so we can toss slabs and as the school moves, we can adjust out position to get back on top of them. The anchor feature of the I-Pilot will be quite handy here and the 80# with the longer shaft will give the TM more bite so light to moderate wind shouldn't present a problem.
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Re: trolling motor size

#10 Post by rpoe » Tue May 12, 2015 10:38 am

I'll chime in here, having owned a pontoon for 2 days and equipped with so much knowledge......the salesman at bass pro, when asked about a trolling motor, said the way pontoons catch wind, it's impossible to buy a powerful enough trolling motor to fight that. The best option is buy a 55 lb, use it with little to no wind, and not even try to use a trolling motor, regardless of it's power, in windy conditions. In about a year, I'll let you know how that advice is working out for me. By the way, first time poster but have really learned a lot from you guys, Appreciate it!

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Re: trolling motor size

#11 Post by PlaynDoc » Tue May 12, 2015 10:50 am

i have the Minn Kota Terrova, 80lb thrust, with 60" shaft, with wireless control
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Re: trolling motor size

#12 Post by JBO » Tue May 12, 2015 11:23 am

rpoe wrote:I'll chime in here, having owned a pontoon for 2 days and equipped with so much knowledge......the salesman at bass pro, when asked about a trolling motor, said the way pontoons catch wind, it's impossible to buy a powerful enough trolling motor to fight that. The best option is buy a 55 lb, use it with little to no wind, and not even try to use a trolling motor, regardless of it's power, in windy conditions. In about a year, I'll let you know how that advice is working out for me. By the way, first time poster but have really learned a lot from you guys, Appreciate it!
It sounds like the salesman doesn't know what he's talking about.
PlaynDoc wrote:i have the Minn Kota Terrova, 80lb thrust, with 60" shaft, with wireless control
We have a 80lb Terrova 24V w/ 60" shaft and I pilot Link on a 22' Pontoon and it pulls it just fine. Wind can become a factor on how well it controls the boat movement but it has no problem moving it around 4-6hrs with 2 deep cycle batteries.
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Re: trolling motor size

#13 Post by killerkernrich » Tue May 12, 2015 11:25 am

I have a 22ft I use a 24v 70lbs with I-pilot I troll alot but wind is a problem.
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Re: trolling motor size

#14 Post by rancherlee » Tue May 12, 2015 12:32 pm

I have a 55PD on my 20' triple and its JUST enough, work good on light winds days and has just enough power to keep the boat going in the right direction into a stiff headwind. I only use mine for moving around bays and such casting off the front deck, never for actual trolling, the Yamaha 9.9HT is for that. Honestly I don't know if a bigger one would do me much better, when its windy it's a pain the the rear controlling the pontoon anyhow to keep it pointed where I'm casting and more power wouldn't help that situation. Top speed on mine is 2.2mph with no wind.
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Re: trolling motor size

#15 Post by JBO » Tue May 12, 2015 3:06 pm

Our top speed without any wind is about 2.8mph with our 80lb 24v trolling motor with a 22' boat weighing approx 3000lbs including gear/people. Normally we can troll at 1.5-1.6mph at the 5-6 speed setting as long as its not with a head wind.
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