Boat Trolling Motor Information.
Electric trolling motors are the best type of propulsion for anyone wanting to troll around a river, lake or pond. Trolling motors are available in a range of sizes from as low as 30lb thrust up to around 100lbs, the size and type of motor you need depends on the size and type of boat you have.
Trolling motors run on batteries and propel the boat in this way. The power of the motor depends on the pounds of thrust it can generate, this is the most important feature you will need to know, in order for the motor to work correctly for your boat. If you purchase a trolling motor without enough thrust, it will make it nearly impossible for you to navigate your boat through any sort of wind or weedy area’s.
The recommendations the manufacturer’s suggest in choosing the right size, is for a twelve foot boat, you need at least 30 pounds of thrust, for a twenty two foot craft, you will need at least one hundred and one pounds of thrust, with many variations in between. Many fishermen believe that it is best to buy the largest motor you can afford. It is much better to buy a trolling motor that is a little overly large, then it is to buy one that is too small.
How Much Thrust Do You Need?
To figure out what thrust you need for your boat you have to do a liitle calculation. A rough guide is 5lbs of thrust for every 200lb of load, so for example a 1500lb boat with a payload capacity of 1200lbs will need around 67/68lbs of thrust (1500 + 1200/5=67.5)
Below is a fair guide to the thrust requirements for a variety of fishing boats. These are minimum figures and it is preferable to go by fully laden weight rather than length. Another factor to take into account is the type of water you will be trolling, a lake with little current and wave action will require less thrust than a fast flowing river or ocean setting.
Which Voltage Do You Need?
Most electric motor’s come in either 36 volt sizes, 24 volts or 12 volts. A 12 volt trolling motor is the least expensive and the easiest to use, but it may be too small for your boat. The larger volt motors draw lower amps, thus providing more thrust for power.
More voltage means less current and if you like to fish all day a larger voltage will give you more fishing time.
Another good piece of advice for your trolling motor, is to buy good batteries. Better to spend a little more on a good deep cycle battery, then to find yourself having to row back to shore.
Shaft Length Guide
Types of Trolling Motor
There are three main types of boat trolling motor and these are, transom mounted, bow mounted and engine mounted.
The transom mounted trolling motor is perhaps the most common as they tend to be hand controlled and cheaper than bow mounted models. The bow mount trolling motor is considered to be more useful and they are certainly more accurate as the prop is pulling the boat rather than trying to push it around the corners. Most pros will be using a bow mount. The third type is the engine mounted trolling motor and as the name suggests they are affixed to the larger power motor and act as a manouvering device when mooring. They are also used for trolling when the outboard would simply be too noisy.
Trolling Motor Controls
Two kinds of controls are available, this being a foot or a hand held control. This is mostly personal preference, although a foot controlled motor allows you to have your hands free for more fishing. The advantages of a hand controlled trolling motor is that you have less clutter on the bottom of the boat, and usually have a quicker response time. Advantages of a foot control are that it’s easier to use, and can be placed anywhere on the boat. Foot pedals can suffer breakage a little more often then hand held one’s, and depending on the type and style, may have slower response time.
On this site we aim to bring you the widest possible choice of boat trolling motors at prices which accommodate everyones budget.
