Best Trolling Motor

[Gilles]

How big of a trolling motor should I get for a 18 foot fish/ski boat and what brand is the most durable?  Does anyone have experience with minn kota all terrain reconditioned motors, Cabelas has them on sale?

[jigginstick]

 From all I can read the Minn Kota Maxxum is the motor to have now. You'll really like variable speed control with the most pound thrust you can afford

[jyoung]

I have 17 1/2 foot crestliner and I run a Minn Kota Maxxum 24 volt 74lb. thrust Bow mount trolling motor and I love it, It has never given me a problem at all.
It has tons of power, I usually only run it at 30% on a normal day and if it get real windy and chopy I'll put it up to 60%.
If I run it at 100% the boat will do 2.7 mph on a gps.

As for the recondition trolling motors, A friend of mine has the same boat and the same motor and he has had nothing but trouble with the speed control.
I feel that there is a reason why it had to be recondition and for the extra money just by new.
Tight lines, Jeff<*)))))><

[Gilles]

The maxxum is definatly the way to go, thanks for the input.

[baginwal]

I am also in the market for a trolling motor for my 18 ft starcraft.  I would like to go with a bow mount.  Any recomendations?  I know some are wireless, cable driven or electric.  Also what pound thrust is sufficient?  Do most of you run at 12 volts or the bigger boys 24V, etc.  Thanks

[jyoung]

baginwal,
My boat is about the same size as yours and as I was saying in my previous post the Minn Kota Maxxum 24 volt 74lb. thrust is more than what  you will need.
As for cable drive or wireless or electric drives, I personally like the cable drive because I know that while I toe down on the pedal I'm going to the left and when I heel down I'm going to the right.
On the electric drive(wireless or otherwise) you always have to keep an eye on which way the head is facing.
So for me I would rather concentrate on fishing and not on which way my trolling motor is facing.
Let em go and let em grow, Jeff<*))))))><

[baginwal]

Jeff,
Thanks for the info.  I never ran a 24 volt set up.  How do you rig this? 

[jyoung]

baginwal,
What you are going to do is take the positive from battery 1 and run it to the negitive on battery 2 than take your positive from your trolling motor and run it to the positive on battery 2 and than run the negitive from thr trolling motor and run it to the negitve on battery 1, This what they call a series curcuit.

And your batteries will last longer as a 24 volts system in series  than in parallel with a 12 volt system with the same thrust trolling motor, That is the advantage to running a 24 volt system.
I hope this helps, Jeff

[Cider]

I have two transom-mount Minn Kotas.  An Endura 28 lb and an Endura 47 lb thrust.  They have been very reliable for me.  I like the telescoping arm feature.  Just wish they also had the tilt tiller arm like the Maxuum does.

[baginwal]

Thanks Jeff. 

[Hack58]

The 74lb Maxxum is the way to go.  We have an 18ft Tracker that we put a Merc 9.9 on to fish Dogwood.  With the Weedless Wedge I can go through more with the trollong motor than I can with the 9.9, and in clear I can outrun my Buddy's 14ft Smokercraft (with a 6hp) just using the trollong motor (and I'm carrying 3 people + the weight of the 60hp & gas tank).

My brother calls it "like being saddled up to a submarine"!

[baginwal]

Thanks Hack58.  Submarine???   LOL

[Semper Fi]

Cider, what size boat are you using the 28 lb. Endura on? I've ordered a 14' aluminum Roughneck jon boat and am looking at a 28 lb. Endura for it. I have a 25/20 jet coming on the boat, so I'm looking at a positioning motor and maybe a trolling capability.

Semper Fi

[Cider]

SF - I don't have my boat anymore.  I sold it last year and will be looking for another boat in the next year or two.  I use my trolling motors on my 16' Old Town canoe.  The 28 lb works great on glass like conditions.  When it is windy I use the bigger motor which originally was boat for my big boat.  You could get away with the 28 lb, but I would go with one a little bigger.

I will be looking for a 14 - 16' boat with a 10 hp engine sometime.  Probably a Lund, Starcraft, or Grumman.  Nothing too fancy though.  I don't care about all the "extras" like live-wells, bucket seats etc.  I just want a basic v-hull fishing boat that will get me where I want to go and keep me dry from the neck up!!  I am limited by hp in most places I fish so it was pointless for me to hang onto my other boat.

[baginwal]

Semper Fi,
We have the endura 28 on our 14 ft aluminum Sylvan sea snapper rowboat and it works great.  Plenty of power to get you around.