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Trolling Motor/Battery Question!

5K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  oldschool 
G
#1 ·
looking to upgrade from my stock trolling motor. I have the 42# 5 speed MotorGuide that came with it. the boat is an 08 PT175TXW.

i am probably going to stay with 12Volt and just go to a variable speed 55#. anyone have one on their tracker and does it move the boat around good?

i also plan on adding the stay'n'charge and an optima blue top to the boat to help with staying charged and at good power all day (which is my main problem with the motor im trolling with now.)

any experiences/advice would go a long way!
 
#2 ·
I have a 45# prowler by BPS which I believe is made by motor guide ( 5 forward, 2 reverse ) on my 17 foot aluminum. To be honest, I do feel under powered alot if the wind gets up any. ( maybe a 55# would correct that :dunno: )

I was fishing East Lake ( after Faye came through last year ) I was trying to use the trolling motor going into A-Jay ( I was maybe 100 yards from the mouth of A-Jay in the canal. The wind was blowing down that canal, and I had to crank the big motor to make it into A-Jay.
 
#3 ·
My advice to you is go with the largest you can afford in lbs thrust, it's better to have more than you need than not enough.
 
#4 ·
I have a Minn Kota 40# on my 86 PRO 16 & am underpowered most of the time, at other times I'm over powered even at the lowest speed. I have a hand control motor & am going to replace it with a 42" shaft 55# variable speed unit. My mount will except it so i can purchase a transom motor & change it to work on my boat. The 16' boat doesnt have enough foot room for my taste so a hand control motor is the way for me to go. The biggest variable speed motor you can afford, even a 24 volt system is the best way for you to go. IMHO
Rodney
 
#5 ·
I'm a firm believer in go with as much power as your particular boat/set-up can handle. I have a 12/24 80lb thrust and my boat is probably 200 lbs lighter than yours. Variable speed adjustment...On a good day with calm water my TM will cause a wake behind my boat.....LOL
 
#7 ·
My advice is get a 24V unit and 2 group 29 to 31 size batteries, plus a cranking battery to start your OB and run your electronics. 24V pulls 1/2 the amp per hour than a 12V at the same power draw. You don't move your boat great distances with the trolling motor, you keep the boat in position to fish.
I have a 17'6" bass boat and use a 82 lb thrust digital MG with 42" shaft. Over kill? no way, boat control is essential to the way I fish, which is slow. The variable speed control allows you to adjust the speed exactly where you want it, under almost any condition.
The Blue top marine Optimum batteries are light weight, smaller in size and expensive.
Quachita has a Tracker, maybe he will see this and give you some first hand advice.
Good luck.
Tom
 
G
#8 ·
yeah...good info everyone. im looking to increase boat control throughout the day, not really to gain power.

i do make runs on the big motor throughout the day so the stay'n'charge will help keep my trolling battery charged, which doesnt happen currently.

im picking up a blue top for $150 shipped in the next week and i really dont want to pay more than $300 (used unit) on a new trolling motor. Unless I can sell my exisiting one to reduce the price of a new one (retail, new unit)

if i can get a deeeeeal on a 24v i might go that route... but i'll figure that out when it happens.
 
#9 ·
I had a TE82 that was in perfect working order but I got a bit of money and decided to buy a new one just like it. I put my old unit on a few websites and it sold in a jiffy. The buyer even made a trip to my house to pick it up because he was going to be in Branson, MO anyway.

You can prolly sell your old one pretty quickly.
 
#11 ·
Lots of reconditioned motors to you can buy with a 1 yr.warranty?

I would get a motor guild 82 digital tour series with spring return mounting.You have total controll this way.And digital is the way to go now days,if can find it.Just make sure you always unplug it,cause any digital motor will always have some small current drain cause of its self monitoring nature,small but still will draw electrical current.I have fished hard for over 3 to 4 trips without recharging batteries,running the 27#interstats,thats how good a digital motor is ! Not saying thats my battery of choice,they just came with the boat.I also do have one blue top 31 optima for cranking and all electronics,The no#24's are just to small for todays demands.

O yeah! you can also find minn kota's to around.If you need info. to contact about a reconditioned motor let me know,maybe I can help you find the right contact.
Bill
 
#12 ·
If your tracker is like mine, there is no room for a second battery for a 24 volt system. If yours has a plug in the front for power like mine, I just took some wiring and made a new plug and wired battery clamps on the other end. I have a spare battery I put up front to go to after my main goes down on me.

My stock TM was a 42 as well and it would power me upstream in the river quite well for a long time. The only time I have trouble with it is on the lake in a lot of wind. Then I tend to pull out the socks and drift more.
 
#13 ·
if you can manage it, go with a 24v troller instead of the twelve. with the 24v, you use half the amount of draw you use with a twelve volt, and you have twice as much available amperage to draw from. the only way to increase your usage time with the 12v is to use two batteries hooked parallel. also with the 24v, if you can manage the price, go with one that have infinite speed control, and digital maximizer. when not on full usage, this allows the juice from the battery to be used intermittantly as the armature rotates thereby extending usage time. good luck.
 
#14 ·
i have a fisher 175(made by tracker) walk Thu with a 12volt 55# thrust it is good 98% of the time and the 10% maybe i shouldn't be out in the wind fishing, lol , i believe it would be a good choice for you boat , maybe Rodney,{ oldfart} could chime in he ran my trolling motor once an my boat and he could give you a good review and compare his boat which i believe is closer to yours
 
#15 ·
CFLcoangler said:
looking to upgrade from my stock trolling motor. I have the 42# 5 speed MotorGuide that came with it. the boat is an 08 PT175TXW.

i am probably going to stay with 12Volt and just go to a variable speed 55#. anyone have one on their tracker and does it move the boat around good?

i also plan on adding the stay'n'charge and an optima blue top to the boat to help with staying charged and at good power all day (which is my main problem with the motor im trolling with now.)

any experiences/advice would go a long way!
Just a reminder that this thread ? was started in Nov 2009.
Tom
 
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