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I have a 17' aluminum War Eagle (side console). I figure my 60 hp motor weighs around 300-320 lbs, 3 batteries, 16 gallons of gas, around 80 lbs of trolling rack, 2 grown men and maybe 100 lbs of other "stuff." With my 2006 MK 55 lb thrust TM (12V), I can max out at 1.5 mph. Boat is wired for 24V, so I'm thinking I'm at the threshold of my TM's limit. Should my TM be able to pull me faster than this?
Seems fast enough to me
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I can get that speed out of my 42lb thrust Motorguide .... ProCraft 16' w/90Merc + about 500lbs of anglers & equipment. Boat is very heavy for it's length (1700lbs dry weight) but is very buoyant (bounces from small waves, blows/drifts easily with moderate wind). I get that speed with big motor still down, so I might get a bit more speed with it trimmed up ... but I'd probably lose a bit of tracking control in the wind.
Even when I'm Pushing .... 1mph is about as fast as I go. But, I'm only running on one 29series battery.
If you need more speed & longer battery use .... I'd look at getting a 24v variable speed TM w/80# thrust.
I think Pappy hits the nail on the head. If you are not getting the desired longevity out of the batteries (time on the water), or speed necessary to do the job, then you may want to upgrade. I run an 18 foot deep V boat, big motor, kicker, three batteries, 32 gallons of fuel, 60 gallons of livewell water, three guys, and enough equipment to sink a U-boat. Max speed on my 24 volt system under perfect conditions is around 2.2. I can troll 1.5mph for 10 straight hours though and that is what is important to me.
That said, I'm a dude and bigger is always better :biggrin
My next one will be 36V
The big thing is can you troll as long as you want to on a windy day and not have the battery die on you. You could always add another batter to your set up or if you want another trolling motor then go to 24 volt.
I have an Alumacraft Pro 175 with a 50 merc. I had a 55 mk edge, recently upgraded to edge 70. Night and day difference. I already had 2 trolling motor batteries, switched wiring and off I went. I also ran around 1.5 mph. With the 70 I run around 3 mph. That part is great I fish a lot of elec motor only lakes. Best part I can run lower speeds in wind or current.
move up to a 24 volt. you'll be glad you did.
Depends on what you want out of it. If your jig fishing or spider rigging it's fine. I have a 55 terrova on my 17 Wareagle with 2 group 27 batteries hooked up to it. I can long line at .7 to 1.0 most all day unless real windy. 1.5 is about max for it.. If pulling cranks it will last about 4 hours. If wanting more consistent speed go with the 80.
You do realize it's a trolling motor right...ment for moving a jig or lure at a speed to attract fish, not run a race with...If it is 12 volt motor and your not getting the longevity of daily use out of it, it dies before the end of your day of fishing, you can either add another battery to the lineup keeping everything 12 volts or go to a lager more powerful motor that requires two batteries, i.e. a 24 volt or three batteries and a 36 volt motor, but your only trolling....
I'm satisfied with the longevity I'm getting out of the TM. I trolled for 7 hours Wednesday on 1 battery, no problem. But if I want to pull cranks at 1.5 I'm sure I can switch to my spare battery and be fine. I'd like to upgrade to a 24V 80#, but I'm going to have to make do for now. Just wanted to get everyone's $.02 on the issue. Thanks.