Posts: 531
Location: Hugo, MN | That isn't a very big boat he's talking about, and it's certainly not a boat that is going to be battling four footers any time soon. If you encounter four footers in a small aluminum boat, I'd worry more about a properly rated life jacket. A 55 lb 12volt would be more than enough. I ran a MinnKota 50# 12v on my 17' Lund Mr. Pike for five years, and the only time I had an issue with not having enough power was in heavy current (like 3 mph current near a bridge). My boat is much heavier than the boat in question. I ran two batteries in parallel, and never ran out of juice even in a fifteen hour marathon day. I have since upgraded to an 80# 24V system, but I think I could get by with even 70#.
I've seen firsthand a trolling motor that was oversized for a boat. You typically run somewhere between 2 and 4 out of 10 on the minnkota footpedal. If the motor is oversized you'll have to run it between 1 and 2, which doesn't give you much room for fine tuning. It will always seem like you're going too fast or too slow. With the transom mount unit especially, it's a hassle to be constantly changing speeds. With a small margin of error, you'll find yourself occasionally overaccelerating and knocking your fishing partners off balance.
I'd recommend sticking with the 55#, 12v with two batteries run in parallel. You'll not be disappointed. |
