How fast does your trolling motor get you going?

[CHOC]

I'm thinking about getting a trolling motor for my Trident Ultra 4.3. It's a fairly large yak (14'). I love to paddle, but the reality is that it really limits the territory that I can fish. If I were to put a 30-55lb thrust kayak trolling motor on my kayak, what kinds of speeds can I expect? I'm not asking for exact speed or anywhere close. More of a ballpark. Over 10mph? Just trying to see if it's worth it. I can paddle my kayak on calm water around 4.5mph with 80-90% effort.

[Oldbayrunner]

A. it's not about speed using a trolling motor. Most will get between 4-5mph.
B. the speed difference between a 30#, 45# or 55# is negligible.
C. the main difference is how well the trolling motor pushes ones kayak through wind and current.

It does come in handy for trolling and really handy when the winds and current come up and your a long way from your launch. If your fishing the bay with your size yak I wouldn't consider anything less than a 45# or 55#. Another difference to consider is the battery use and what is needed to extend runtime. So if your looking speed then you would need to consider putting a small gas powered motor on it or getting a jon boat.

[CHOC]

Thanks for the info. I've done a fair amount of research now and it seems like the Torqueedo is the way to go. It defeats the purpose if your throwing a 40 lb battery into your kayak only to go the same speed as I would paddling. I just don't know when I can justify dropping that kind of money.

[Memory Maker]

I thought the same thing before I bought mine ........ in fact ....... I think that is the common thought. But once you do ...... you wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

[john from md]

My normal cruise speed at 50% power is 3 MPH with a Endura Max 40 in a OK Trident 13. 75% gives me 4 MPH, 100 gives me 5MPH. From above 75%, the amperage use is not linear so I try not to go up that high.

[CHOC]

John,

I have virtually the same kayak. If you paddle while the trolling motor is running how fast do you go? I have a few spots that I'd like to hit that simply take me too long to paddle to given family/schedule. The spots are roughly 2 miles away.

[john from md]

John,

I have virtually the same kayak. If you paddle while the trolling motor is running how fast do you go? I have a few spots that I'd like to hit that simply take me too long to paddle to given family/schedule. The spots are roughly 2 miles away.

Using the Motorguide Machette III prop and paddling, I can make 5.5MPH or so at full power. My 50% cruise is about 3MPH and paddling gets me an extra .5 or so MPH.

Just for reference, I am 66 years old. A younger person may do even better.

[CHOC]

Thanks, John

[Yak Fish]

The kayak makes a huge difference I've found.
In general, if you run your motor at 100% (5mph), it won't last very long...say 1 hour. 3 mph it may last 3-4 hours. Cutting back on speed just a little adds a lot more life. It's tough to push water.

[Oldbayrunner]

In general all that is true but it really depends on the motor, controller and battery combination as to how long the run time is. The right combination one can run a few hours on High and several hours at between 2-3 mph and it does not necessarily have to equate to using a big heavy battery.

[Hemingway]

Maybe just get a Hobie Revo with Turbo fins. Cost is about the same as the battery and motor. Speed is the same or better. And it will run all day with a little prep in the gym.

[john from md]

err, my MK 40 Endura Max was $139 and my battery cost $80. If you have know where you can get a Hobie for that kind of money, I'm all ears.

[Hemingway]

err, my MK 40 Endura Max was $139 and my battery cost $80. If you have know where you can get a Hobie for that kind of money, I'm all ears.

Well you got me there John LOL Obviously since he mentioned the Torqeedo that was the only price I checked

[Oldbayrunner]

True, but in the same token a Hobie Mirage Drive can be devastatingly painful to someone with bad knees. So it isn't the go to for everyone.

[richellealessi]

The larger the rating, the more power the battery can hold, and the longer it will be able to power a motor at a given speed. For example, a 100 amperage hour battery is one that would be able to supply 25 amps of power for 4 hours (25 amps * 4 hours = 100 amp hours) before running out of energy.
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