what size electric trolling motor and battery for 8 foot ply boat

[Parrot_King]

hi all,

I recently bought an 8 foot poly boat and i'm wanting to put an electric trolling motor on the back and use it for fresh water dams that only allow electric motors and maybe really small creeks. what im wanting to know is what size motor and battery should I get? I can supply the below info and a photo of the boat.


101623

#1 - the boat weighs 32kg, transom is 15"(37cm), buoyancy is 800kg, max HP is 2.

#2 - I will be fishing with a mate and limited gear so all up the total weight would be around 250kg which excludes battery and trolling motor.

Any info or help you can provide would be fantastic.

[davo]

Budget considered I would go for a transom mount with variable speed control and about a 130 Amp / hour battery. Also a good charger like a Ctek or similar. The variable speed motors are very efficient at lower power speeds and will go much further on a battery charge. I used a Minnkota Riptide 42 lb motor with variable speed control and a similar battery. I never flattened the battery and used it for saltwater trolling on a 3.9 metre tinnie. Pay a bit more and get more enjoyment out of it

[aussiebasser]

To get the best battery performance, I'd suggest a Minn Kota Traxxis 45lb. It has a Maximizer, which means if you don't go flat out, your battery will last longer.

[Parrot_King]

thanks guys, what amp hour battery should I be looking at? the minn kota traxxis sounds great. how much are they worth? do you think it would push a weight of around 250kg excluding battery and motor? look forward to hearing your response.

[aussiebasser]

The motors are worth what the retailers are selling them for. Shop around and you'll get the best price. It will move you boat around. Remember that an 8' long dinghy is a very, very inefficient hull. A flat bottom 12 foot punt would be quicker and support more weight.

[Parrot_King]

thanks aussiebasser. if I want to keep battery weight to a minimum and don't want to go real fast what is the smallest size motor and battery I can get away with? I don't want to spend too much as this is just a trial on this boat. in future I will be getting a flat bottom punt.

[aussiebasser]

It's not a speed thing. How long to you want to be able to travel under electric power, and how far to you want to travel? If you buy a cheap motor it won't matter if you go fast or slow, your battery drain will be the same. You could get away with a car battery, as long as you don't want to travel far, and are willing to paddle home. Your boat will be very inefficient, if you buy a cheap motor and battery it will be even worse. You'd be better off buying a kayak, at least they're easy to paddle.

[Parrot_King]

thanks aussiebasser. I wont be travelling to far as I only want to use it in a dam or small creek. I will mainly be fishing with bait or soft plastics and very rarely trolling a lure or 2. so I only really need it to get to a fishing spot. I will have oars with me and wont mind if I have to use them. I was thinking I might be better off buying a decent motor so I can use that with my 10-12ft punt that ill get in the future. would a 30-45lb thrust be ok on a 10-12ft punt?

[Parrot_King]

thanks fellas i've decided to go with a 44lb watersnake as I can use that on my 10-12ft punt ill get in the future.

can anyone recommend a good size amperage hour battery for this motor? it draws 44amps at max speed.

[Mike Delisser]

Normally the answer would be as big of a battery you can afford, but you have a pretty small craft and don't need to travel far. Fighting against strong wind or strong current (water) are usually the biggest drains on your battery, if you won't have much of that you could save a few bucks and go for a deep cycle around 70amps.

Cheers

[Parrot_King]

Thanks Mike, I will have a look for some deep cycle batteries around the 70aH-100aH. My only concern is weight. would I be better off with 2 batteries at say 35-50ah each to evenly distribute the weight?

[scuttlebutt]

good choice on the watersnake. I've used one for the last 3 years. Great little motor and excellent warranty service too (late in the warranty period my forward speeds stopped working - contacted Jarvis Walker and they sent a courier to pick it up, fixed it and returned it at no expense to me).

As for battery on the usage you describe I reckon a single 50amp deep cycle would do the job. Thats all I use on my 54lb watersnake (3.15mtr vnose ally punt) and I've never ran out of juice.

[Mike Delisser]

I recon 1 battery would be better Parrot.
I think I have a pretty new 80amp glass mat deep cyc in the shed you can have for $40 in you want it. Any probs with it you can have your money back. Not sure if a cheep charger will charge a sealed glass mat though, I use a Ctek.

[Parrot_King]

Thanks mike I have sent you a pm