Trolling motor suggestions

[tech11165]

I tried doing a search but it is all over the place. I want to put a trolling motor on my Adventure Island Hobie; 16ft. No outriggers or sail. What thrust do you recommend to use for trolling for rock. I won't go out in heavy wind but normal. 5-10 mph with tides. Would a 20 with PWM or Minkota max 40 thrust. I have batteries figured out and plan to use PWM, just not sure what thrust I will need to troll. I plan to use mirage drive to get where i need to be in a hurry. Just want trolling motor to troll.
I know a Torqueedo would work but don't have the funds.
Thanks

[dasher]

I have an island hopper 46# of thrust ( http://www.islandhopperoutboards.com...bie-drive.html) and have caught plenty of stripers in my PA 14. I'd reccomend a variable speed ( & that in itself is a great deal of research, most variable speeds generate heat & not reduce amp draw generating heat) . I have been very happy with it, & I cant imagine your yak is heavier tha my pa loaded.

[john from md]

I have a MinnKota 40 Endura Max on my Ocean Kayak Trident. I made the rig myself and basically split the upper and lower half of the motor. The PWM circuitry makes it easy to do as their are only two wires running down to the motor.

I use either a 35 amp or 55 amp battery depending where or how long I am going out. I also paddle when moving between spots. If they had the Endura motor in 30, I would have bought it as the 40 is heavier. However, the 40 has done a great job for me and I have never taken my batteries down below 50%. Normal cruise is 3.5 GPS and flat out is 5.5. Paddling gives me an additional .5 mph.

I have switched to a three bladed Motorguide (BassPro) Machete prop as it is smoother and has a more powerful reverse than the two blade MinnKota.

I would never buy a motor without a PWM as the running coils waste too much energy.

Hope this helps.

[tech11165]

I have been looking at the 40 as well. I was going to get a 30 and add my own PWM but I did mot want to much hassle. What do you mean you split the top??? Is the head relocated? Did you cut the shaft? I have two 35AH batteries; so for trolling all day should I bring two? I plan to keep my mirage drive in and have both of need be. Does it handle head wind and chop well?
Thanks

[john from md]

I removed the head and mounted it, using an existing rod holder and pvc, on my left side. I used a through hull fitting to plug it in and remove it from the hull. I cut the carbon fiber shaft down and ran the wires to a through hull fitting also. I made a motor mount and attached it where my rudder was. I used the rudder cables to turn the motor.

I can use one 35 amp motor and stay out 4 or 5 hours with no problem. I do not troll all the time. I like bottom fishing and jigging so I don't get the drain a full time troller would get. If I think I am going to be out longer or I am going to the main bay, I take my 55 amp battery.

FYI, the kayak I have installed this on is a Ocean Kayak Trident. I have a inner pod where I store the main battery inside the hull. Also, my fishfinder operates off a separate 10 amp battery as it draws a lot.

For all day trolling, I would take both batteries. I take good care of my batteries and put them on a Battery Minder smart charger whenever they are not in use. I get years of life out of them. I throw the charger and inverter in the car and put them on a charge as soon as the yak is out of the water. They have never let me down.

[tech11165]

Well I pulled the trigger on a Endura Max 40. How does it hold up maintenance wise in the bay? I plan to spray it off of course, what about tbe internals?

[Oldbayrunner]

Minn Kota Web Site......

Can my freshwater Minn Kota trolling motor be used in saltwater?

We designed a special line of motors for use in salt or brackish water. The Minn Kota Riptide trolling motors have a number of "saltwater-engineered" enhancements, including stainless steel hardware, sealed electrical connections and an advanced painting process for improved corrosion protection. Using any of our standard Minn Kota motors in saltwater may dramatically reduce the life of the motor and voids the manufacturer's warranty. To extend the life of your Minn Kota Riptide saltwater trolling motor, thoroughly rinse the motor with freshwater after every use in saltwater and store indoors. Never leave the motor submerged in saltwater when the boat is moored.

I use the Riptide 45 on my yak. Battery selection for runtime is a whole different discussion.....lol

I'd reccomend a variable speed ( & that in itself is a great deal of research, most variable speeds generate heat & not reduce amp draw generating heat) .

This absolutely makes no sense at all. Your recommending a variable speed then state it generates heat and doesn't reduce amp draw when in actually with a 5 Speed controller a lot of amp energy at lower speeds is lost by powering more amps then needed which creates heat build up. In a nutshell, with a variable speed or Pulse Width Modulation controller the unit pulses the motor so only the amps needed for the percentage selected is used which cuts back the heat build up at lower speeds. With lower more efficient amps being used it extends battery runtime more than a 5 speed at lower powers. This of course is more so at lower speeds than high due to more amp draw being used at full setting.

[dasher]

Sorry for the confusion, yes most variable speeds generate heat but not all do. Mine does not & reducing the speed does reduce the amp draw. Not all variable speeds are PWM.

[Oldbayrunner]

I'm not quite sure which motors your considering a variable speed motor without modulation. Most that I know that use that term are pulse width modulation type and do not build up heat. I use a converted 5/3 speed Riptide ran via a manual/wireless pwm controller.

[dasher]

I'm not an expert, but found a number of studies that examine battery life at various speeds. many motors used the same amps ta low speed as high speeds. I simply read what others had reported. if it is no longer an issues, then i'm sorry. As far as the original question my pa 14 is heavy loaded & a 46 # thrust is ample for striper trolling.

[john from md]

In my experience, all the trolling motors I ever used had speed coils until the Endura Max came out with a PWM. They are both variable speed motors but one draws more energy than the other. That said, I have had a motor with a PWM circuit using a speed coil motor. This was all home made and worked well. I don't remember how much it cost to put it together, but I do know that buying an Endura Max motor took less work.

[Oldbayrunner]

True they all are a type of variable speed control. Personally since the specs today list motors as either 5/3 or variable I find there is less confusion when talking about motors by using the same terminology. I am curious in your thoughts regarding, since you mention splitting the shaft of your trolling motor, being less work then cutting the head off a standard 5/3 and adding a pwm controller. By splitting the shaft on either require the same work in that regard. Please correct me if my presumption is incorrect, if your moving the controller head to another location would to me require the same amount of rewiring and splicing regardless. Then it would seem by removing the head with the controls still inside and relocating it one would need put together some type of mount to affix it. Even if removing the inner controls then one would need to put it inside some type of encasement and do cutout etc for the control knob. Maybe I'm picturing your set up wrong in my mind, wouldn't be the first time...lol.

For me I like having the addition of a separate pwm controller, especially since the one I use is either manual or wireless. With the wireless I have the freedom to control my motor from any position sitting or standing etc. Yet if there is for some reason wireless interference then I still have manual selection backup control. That's what's cool, there are different ways to do things.

[john from md]

I guess I assumed that you were building the PWM like I had to. Are there ready made modulators now? If so, then it is basically the same amount of work.

FYI, if you have to cut the shaft for your build, make sure you run a piece of aluminum conduit or copper pipe down over the wires before you cut. Also, wrap several layers of tape in the area you are cutting to keep the carbon fiber from splitting.

[Oldbayrunner]

mines already done.

[john from md]

Where did you get the motor mount? Homemade?