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Posts: 814
| WHAT THRUST TROLLING MOTOR DO YOU RECOMEND FOR A 17FT TUFFY ESOX MAGMUM? ITS A TILLER MODEL 50 HORSE MOTOR. ALSO WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK OF THE AUTOPILOT? HOW ABOUT 12V VS. 24 VOLT SYSTEM ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED? I ALMOST FORGOT THE BOAT WEIGHS ABOUT 950LBS.   |
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | I would either go with the Minn Kota 65 lbs 24 volt Power Drive or the 74 pound 24 volt Power Drive.
These are great trolling motors and the low profile foot pedel is SO much easier on your back and hips after a long day/weekend on the water.
Minn Kota Power Drive in either the 65 or 74 pound thrust is the way to go. Also, don't go with a 12-v trolling motor, you will wish you had the extra power. Go with a 24 volt.
Also the auto-pilot is a great feature, when it works. After a year or two on the trolling moter the auto pilots will get a little goofy on you. I like to keep trolling motors as simple as possible.
Also go with the 54 or 60 inch shaft.
Here is the Minn Kota link for the Power Drive: http://www.minnkotamotors.com/products/motors/fw_bowmount/powerdriv...
Edited by MikeHulbert 12/2/2004 7:25 PM
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Posts: 600
Location: West Bend, WI | I have a 55# on a 14' aluminum.Some claim this is over kill,but at times I wish I had more.Sure 55 is plenty in calm water,but if you fish say...25 mph+ wind it's a life saver.Get the biggest you can afford, then a little more. |
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Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | The autopilot is a great feature!! I like it most when I have a fish in the net at boatside. I can pull myself away from the structure (or at a minimum off the structure) and it takes care of itself. You have 2 hands to deal with the fish and no worry about your boat going up on shore or into new water that is unfished. Definitely worth the extra $$ for the AP.
I would also concur that going to a 24 volt would be best. It will take less power with a bigger motor to position your rig. With a 12 volt 55# thrust, you would be running your power setting much higher on windy days, thus draining your battery pretty quick. The only way to eliminate this would be to run two batteries in parallel, which works fine too...but the higher power setting will in the long run take it's toll on the brushes in the motor. More heat to disperse...
AP 65 would do just fine on your rig. Also, going with the longer shaft is the safe bet. you can always cut the shaft down, but it is quite costly to replace a shaft to make it longer....it's about $100 by the time it's all done (money wasted since a longer shaft is about half that price if that)
Steve |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I have a 65# Minnkota Power Drive with Autopilot on my 17' Tuffy Deep V more than enough for that boat. Go with the 24 volt system if you can. |
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Posts: 32954
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The 24 Volt Minn Kota Auto Pilot would be a fine motor for the Magnum. The shaft length shouldn't be more than 48" because of the low profile of the Magnum. A 60" shaft motor will be too long. |
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| I have a 24 volt Minn Kota All-Terrain that I took off a boat that I bought this spring. It has 48# of thrust and very low hours. First 100.00 takes it.
Todd |
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Posts: 1936
Location: Eau Claire, WI | I ran two Esox Mag's over the years and had Minn Kota Power Drives on both. The first one had a 12v 42 pound thrust and to be honest it was adequate for 90% of my situations at that time. However it would poop out during a long 10+ hour day if you used it heavy. My second rig had a 24v unit with I think either mid 50 or 60 pounds of thrust. More than enough power for any situation and I could go two days without a recharge.
I'll second what Sworrall said on the shaft length. Should you go with a Power Drive series motor I also suggest you buy one of the slider plates for mounting. That way you can either slide the unit back or remove it with ease should you decide to get a cover for it. Also on very steep launches the trolling motor had a tendancy to hit the bow roller on the trailer, the slider mount took care of that issue.
If you're running a late model Mag the battery compartment should have room for two #27 batteries and a on-board charger between them.
Good luck, it's a nice rig. |
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Posts: 333
Location: menasha wi 54952 | I agree. My Esox Mag had a PD50 12Volt on it. It would die when you "Used" it for 10 hours. I paralled two 12s and had the lasting power of a 24V sustem. The PD50 was more than enough even in the roughest conditions so a 65 or 74 will be plenty. There is not a better fishing rig out there so enjoy!!!
MR |
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Posts: 1046
| If you plan on fishing in wind and or current at least #74, I fish a 17' boat and will convert to 36volt/#101 for spring 2005. I don`t care what anyone says, bigger is always better, might as well do it right the first time! |
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Posts: 1023
Location: Lafayette, IN | I have a 19' deep-vee with an older 42# AP. I love it. The new ones are better yet. Faster response to directional control is what my old one lacks. I'd definitely get a bigger one for my boat but 42# has yet to keep me off the water. Quick release mount is great too. I use 3-12v batteries in parallel and never run out of power. Be sure to unplug your power supply to the trolling motor when charging to minimize the chances of damaging your circuit board with any power surges.
another happy Minnkota customer,
Dawg |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | I ran a Mag before I bought the Deep V Tuffy. I agree with what Worral and Mark have to say. But I think I had a 48 inch shaft on my Mag (was it Mark??) and I would have went a LITTLE longer...I have some big water (relative) here in Madison and I would blow out quite a bit in big waves...but depending on your application the 48 might be good 90% of the time. Definately the 24 volt system.
Cory
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | I use a Minnkota PD 50 with a 54" shaft on a 12V system on my Tuffy Esox Magnum with a console and 115hp Yamaha. I have been very happy with its performance for years. I use Optimax batteries for my electrical needs and I have gotten "4 years" of very hard use out of the same Optima deep cycle battery. It is especially forgiving in that it allows me to top it off without reducing its capasity.
I was not a fan of the Auto Pilot when I bought my current PowerDrive trolling motor. I can remember saying that, "I have never seen a straight weedline!" I was wrong. I still haven't seen a straight weedline, but when it is windy and I am preoccupied in the boat with releasing a fish or taking care of a guest's problem, it would be very benefitial to point the trolling motor in a safe direction and not worry about the wind and waves taking the boat back into trouble.
My next motor will be an Auto Pilot without a doubt.
Edited by Steve Van Lieshout 12/3/2004 8:57 AM
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Posts: 5874
| AP65, 48" shaft will be the optimum TM for that boat. I have this unit(54") on my Lund Esox Angler SS, and it has plenty of power, for several days. I've never had the batteries go below 50%, and I've been in some rough stuff. I'll use it when trolling for eyes, and this thing will run at 50% all day long, and still have reserve left.
Only problem I've had is it would spin when I was going SW. Took it to Ed Shirling in West allis, and he calibrated it. Now it works flawlessly.
Edited by Shep 12/3/2004 9:01 AM
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