# Electric Trolling Motors



## MarkM (Sep 7, 2007)

Last fall I bought a 16ft Aluminum Fishing boat and a 18hp 4 stroke motor to go with it. It worked great the one time we used it last fall, the 18hp has plenty of power to haul me and my wife and daughter around the lake. We trolled alot with the outboard motor and although we caught fish I felt that we were moving a bit too fast. I am wondering if the addition of a electronic trolling motor would give us better trolling speeds. What is the typical battery life using a trolling motor? What thrust would I need to troll with a 16 ft boot and three people in it?

Mark


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

You can make your gas motor work if you do a few things.
You could add a trolling plate to the motor.
You can change props to get the one that gives you the speeds ypou need.
You can drag a bucket behind the boat which will slow you down.
I don't know if an electric will get you the speeds you need for trolling.
[1 to 2.5 MPH]
An electric does have some uses though.
When you are casting from the boat, the electric can navigate the boat with little noise.
As far as how long the battery lasts, that's all up to how you use the motor.
I would say 4 to 6 hours of high output use would be all.
The type of battery will play a big factor in how long it will work.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

+1 on the electric version perhaps not being the best option. There are definitely ways like GrandpaD said to slow down your 18 horse. Just throw out some HUGE pop gear! My Dad used to have a 16 foot aluminum (now he just has a pontoon boat that weighs as much as one) and he used 2 gas outboards. One was to get where you were going, the other was a 5-horse trolling motor that did fine for that size of craft.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

threshershark said:


> +1 on the electric version perhaps not being the best option. There are definitely ways like GrandpaD said to slow down your 18 horse. * Just throw out some HUGE pop gear! * My Dad used to have a 16 foot aluminum (now he just has a pontoon boat that weighs as much as one) and he used 2 gas outboards. One was to get where you were going, the other was a 5-horse trolling motor that did fine for that size of craft.


Thats good thinking Tresh !! *\-\* *\-\*

I usually troll with all the fish I've caught, plus my tackle box, life jacket and a chain I carry around my neck.....  

Anything to slow down that 5.0 speed electric motor..... _(O)_


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