Need advice on trolling motor.
 

I have a 16 foot bluefin side console aluminum boat.It has a 40hp outboard on the back.I have a minnkota 55lb thrust saltwater riptide trolling motor on the transom.I have a 55lb thrust bow mounted trolling motor up front with copilot and autopilot.With both trolling motors on full speed i can do 3.2 mph.I want to replace the bow mounted 55lb thrust motor with a 112lb thrust 36 volt minnkota saltwater riptide with ipilot link.My question is is it worth the extra money to go with a 112lb thrust or should i go for the 24 volt 80lb thrust.I fish the Delaware river,Raritan bay,Barneget bay big freshwater resevoirs ahd all the smaller lakes.Not sure if the extra 32lbs of thrust will improve my boats preformance to justify the added cost.Any help would be appreciated.Thanks.Ps battery power is not an issue as i have 6 big batteries on board.

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

the maximum displacement speed for a 16' boat is right around 5-6 mph, so with some more push you could probably go a little faster, but not much. anything more than that will take a lot more power and you'll start to come up out of the water. i don't think you would see much practical difference between the 80 and the 112 on a 16'.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hull_speed

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

how fast do you go with just one of the 55# motors going on full?

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

Probaly around 2 mph.

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

I have an aluminum 16.5 center console and a minnkota 70lb. Powerdrive and I can hit 3.2 on my gps with the motor at full speed. The biggest benefit I see is that your battery life on the bigger motor is gonna be off the charts. You should be able to run all day with the 112.

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

I have a 17.50 crestliner deep v, with a 90&a 9.9. I run a terrova 80 lb 24 volt and get 4.7 mph maxed out flat calm water.

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

I also have a BLUEFIN 16. They are a pretty robust hull & are already on the hefty side-no a sleek hull design but very stable.

My biggest concern would be going to a 36 volt system would be the required 3 dedicated batteries for the front motor alone. Now a 36 volt will run a lot longer, draw a lot less amp so your run time will definitely increase but the added weight may negate any increase in speed the larger thrust motor provides.

I run a MOTORGUIDE SALTWATER series wireless 55lb thrust up front & a MOTORGUIDE 55lb VFD on the transom plus a 9.9 gas motor. This helps the boat draft shallower & allows me to fish the boat in all electric lakes for a full day on a set of batteries.

Light is right!

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

This is my trolling motor:eek:

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

Wilson, How many books of GREEN STAMPS did that baby run ya? :D

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

LOL
Bought it 1972 or 3, still have it and it still works.

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

Dear Sir,

I have a 16 foot Lund Rebel XL with a 60hp evinrude with a 80lb. thrust fortrex 24 volt system and it does a fantastic job propelling the boat. Remember more batteries will add weight.

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

Yes, I love my old BLUEFIN. It has been a work in progress since I rescued it, rebuilt & continue to refine it. It is getting closer to perfect for me & the Yuma dog to fish from!

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

I install electronics and have alot of experience with trolling motors, I currently run an Minnkota Ulterra 80# unit that isnt even avail to the public yet. There is a max on speed on 95% of hulls out there and 4mph is the ceiling. Adding thrust and voltage to a motor increases your run time and efficiency but NOT the speed. I have personally seen only 1 boat run 4.1mph with a motorguide 36v system with an aftermarket prop, most minnkotas will get you to 3.7 max. There rly isnt a need for a 36v system on smaller than a 17' V hull, 18' Vs and larger can benefit from a 36v as far as run time goes. On my 19' crestliner sportfish I could troll almost 7hrs continuously at 1.5mph before I had to turn up the speed to compensate for battery loss with an 80# terrova ipilot. The minnkotas use pulse width modulation which essentially is turning the motor on and off multiple times in a second, giving you almost 50% more run time, but can cause transducer interference. If you are having good results w a 55# thrust an 80# will be perfect for you. You also cut the amp hour draw in half when going to a 24v system, so right now you are drawing 1amp hour for every poiund of thrust, meaning you pull 55amps at full power, so with an 80# 24v system you will pull 40 amps at full power of 80# of thrust, thats why everyone pretty much uses 24v systems minimum. Another thing you can do is run 2 batteries in parallel and extend your runtime. I highly recommend the 80# minnkota terrova with ipilot, it will change the way you fish, and if you troll the ipilot link is the top of the line, lakemaster now has a chip for Northeast region. Remember the added cost of a 2-3 bank charger and the 2-3 batteries when making a choice on motors. 29 series deep cycle batteries are a minumum and 31sereis is what I recommend, batteries plus carries a nice duracell with 225amp hours RC for under 130 bucks. good luck

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

....And a 20 mph tail wind with 3 beavers pulling the boat!:rolleyes:

Re: Need advice on trolling motor.
 

I fish in the rivers and bays with alot of current and wind.Would the 112 with ipilot hold me in one spot better than the 80lb thrust with ipilot if i have it on spot lock.Thanks for the help.