A question for you Deep-Vee fishermen

Been thinking bout new boats a lot this winter. So many options out there that I am almost overwhelmed. I have been looking at some of the 19 foot deep v models (Stratos/Ranger Fisherman/ Nitro Zv) and a question occured to me. I know many of these boats are rigged with small 4 stroke kicker motors for trolling. Would a 36 volt 112 lb Ulterra move these boats fast enough to pull crank baits? If so, how long do you suspect a full charge would last? Or am I just making things to complicated trying to skip the kicker motor?

And yes, I am looking at 19-20 foot bass boats too. Would any of you multi-species folks go back to using bass boats?

36 volt would last only a short while at those speeds running solo. You could just engage the big motor for propulsion and steer with the ulterra if you don't want to buy a kicker.

I have a buddy that fishes out of a ranger 620 fishermen that trolls crankbaits with a terrova. He does have 6 batteries tho but can troll all day.

Fished out of the big Ranger Fisherman with 80lb at the Crappie Master Nationals couple years ago, could get about 5 hours out of the batts. A 112 with GOOD batts will do the job. One thing I noticed about that boat was that it was a pain to get in and out of, especially at the bank when loading and unloading. He also had a ladder that he set up beside the boat when it was on the trailer so he could get things in and out of it, they sit very high on the trailer.
In the land of many docks they are great boats but in the land where a dock at the ramp is almost non-existant these boats are a pain.

Our 619 Fisherman has the 112 Terrova with Optima blue top batteries. We can get maybe 4 hours max pulling cranks. We have a 9.9 kicker so we run it and use the Terrova to steer as lcookie suggested.

Get a 112#'r, a drift sock, and use the big motor to pull CB's. The right sized drift sock will slow you to ~1.5mph at idle speed, then use big motor throttle to control speed, and TM to steer with.

Go see AAD welding in Peoria Illinois.

Have them build what YOU want.

I sure wish I had

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

I'm throwing the proverbial B.S flag here~!!

I own a Deep V alluminum boat and tournament walleye fish. I fish with and next to many of the boats you are talking about. Most however are a 21 footer and not a 19 like you are talking about.
Many of these boats are equiped with a 36V trolling motor and they get more than 8 hours of use on an average tournament day trolling at speeds between .8 and 1.5 mph.

Some guys do in fact utilize a kicker motor BUT.. it is primarily utilized when the trolling motor cannot handle the wind/waves, or currents they are fishing. IE, the trolling motor cannot get them up to or sustain the speeds they are looking for. In other words, with they wind, use the trolling motor. Into the wind, use the kicker and the trolling motor.

Most guys that do use their kicker will also use their trolling motor at the same time. The kicker is set to the speed they want and then locked in to position. The trolling motor is used to steer the boat.

The kicker motor however does come in to play when you move up from trolling spinners (less than 1.5mph) and cranks under 1.8. When you step up to running lead core, jet and dipsy divers, and start pulling spoons, they require faster speeds. Speeds you cannot get out of a trolling motor (for very long). 2.2 to 3.0 for example. Then they do the above and run the kicker and the TM is used to steer.

So, to answer your question: If you get a 19 foot fiberglass deep V and a 36v trolling motor and are pulling cranks in normal conditions at a speed up to about 1.5 or 1.6, you will more than likely get 8 hours or more.

The key is to purchase good batteries. Good doesn't equate to price either. Get the highest cold cranking amps you can get. The key however is "reserve capacity" and "amp hours". Make sure all of your batteries are the same. Do yourself a favor and purchase AGM batteries. You will thank youself later! Best AMG's on the market that I have found with the best numbers is the Duracell group 31 batteries (can be purchased at Sam's club).

My Excel Bay Pro 203 center console aluminum hull weighs 1550 pounds empty and unrigged. That's almost as much as many 20-21 foot glass boats. I troll with a 36 volt Rip Tide i-pilot (white saltwater Terrova) with 3 golf cart batteries. I have up to 4 clients at a time and we can troll jigs or cranks all day with zero worry of running the batteries down. I also bought a Trolling Mode switch from Suzuki for my 140 that allows me to adjust the rpms up or down 50rpm to control speed if the lake was rougher than I want to be out there with the RipTide.

MrDux,

How do you like that Troll mode switch on the 140? Been thinking of getting one myself. How slow does it get you down to?