Minn Kota 68lb for Pontoon?

mike2587

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
May 20, 2013
Messages
31
Hello,

I'm bartering with an individual over a 68lb Minn Kota Pontoon version trolling motor that's a bow mounted system. I have a 1975 Chrysler outboard that has been known to run horribly and die from time to time when out on my boat. I'd like to have a backup motor and/or slow putz around motor if mine were to die or to just use to go around the bay a bit. I don't want to spend a lot, so buying a new gas motor is out of the question. This is why i've been pondering going this route. I have a 30' Jand pontoon boat. It doesn't have a canopy or anything short of 3 bench seats (1 in back and two in front and a captains chair. Will that work with my setup or would I be wasting my money? At any given time I would probably have 3-5 people riding on it as well. I really don't think I'd be going out when it's incredibly wavy or windy, but in the event I'm out there and something rolls in, or if my gas motor dies, I'd like to feel comfortable knowing I can make it back to my dock... Peace of mind is always nice.

Thoughts? Any are appreciated.....

Thanks,
Mike
 

Snowfish

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Messages
234
Re: Minn Kota 68lb for Pontoon?

You do know that's a 24v system, right? So 2 nice deep cycle batteries, at about $100+ each, needs to be figured into the barter/budget. And you'll need shore power to charge the batteries. Don't think the outboard will cut it.

If bad weather comes up, and the outboard craps out, the Minnkota will make the crash into shore softer. You have a pretty good sized pontoon. Even with a smaller one, the Minnkota will struggle in heavier seas.

I had an older bow mount trolling motor on my 24ft. But I like to fish a lot. On breezier days, I could do a controlled drift. But not make any real headway.

Floor space should be a consideration as well. Trolling motors use up quite a bit of space when not in use.

My 2 cents is, if you're not a fishing fanatic, like me, I'd invest the dollars into make the outboard trustworthy.
 

wgl333

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Messages
140
Re: Minn Kota 68lb for Pontoon?

I would think your first concern is the safety of you and any passengers and do all you can to ensure your primary motor is as functional as possible. Secondarily, that motor with your size boat is wayyyyy under sized.
 

calvinator

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
Messages
286
Re: Minn Kota 68lb for Pontoon?

Get one!

I just added a bow mount Motorguide 75lbs thrust to my 30' pontoon w/sundeck,rear canvas, full bimini, a lot of furniture and 5 ppl. Trial run this week and was very happy.

I bought the motor for trolling and as a backup to main engine.

My lake has two areas. An area with full wake, lots of traffic, and medium wind and strong currents. The other area is no wake and calm. In the busy area I was able to gain headway and troll along the sides. I can easily use that motor to get me back to the dock if main engine failed.

Another use for the trolling motor is to point your bow into any boat wakes when you are floating around and not under power. When boat wakes hit my pontoon broadside, the pontoon has a lot of back-forth movement and the littler kids and grandma can get off balance. With the troll motor, I can point the bow into the wake waves and the pontoon isn't rocking all over.

In the calm area it was great. It moved my pontoon all over the place, real close to shore, and into the 2' shallow areas no problem. We really enjoyed trolling around the shallow areas b/c it is peaceful and scenic. A big bonus is my trolling motor is wireless, so I can sit on the furniture and drive the pontoon with a keyfob :)

My system is 24v. I have 2 group 27 deep cycles. We were out 5 hours and I used the trolling motor 3 hours. My batteries were only 20% discharged when I got home and put them on the charger. I don't have a fancy setup either. I bring the batteries with me from home (boat is 1 hr away and no elec). I put the batts behind a seat and then I have 6 ga. jumper cables with ring terminal ends to connect the batts to the troll motor.

Here is my toon for reference..


 

mike2587

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
May 20, 2013
Messages
31
Re: Minn Kota 68lb for Pontoon?

Thanks for all the insight. Not sure why all the negatives and then a huge positive with no issues? I'm not looking to take someone tubing behind it and I'm on an 11 acre lake, nothing even close to lake michigan. The lake is actually Big Cedar Lake (if that helps determine size/needs) Big Cedar Lake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I really wanted higher than 68lbs thrust, but I can't find any used ones for a decent price around here and don't feel like dropping $7-1,000 on a trolling motor. If I wanted to throw around that kind of cheddar I'd look into a bigger/better gas motor. I'm "hoping" my Chrysler will get going this summer and that will be my main workhorse but I would hate to not get any cruise time if that isn't the case or have to continually worry that it's going to die at night and I'll have to get in and swim the boat back to shore. May I ask what lake you were on that you had the success (calvinator)? I'd like to compare and see if there's any similarities in terms to size. I found someone local who has a Minn Kota 68lbs Pontoon motor with 2 deep cycle marine batteries, the manual, the cables, mounting plate for $500. I'd basically have to setup a circuit breaker I assume and not too much else... He claims it was only used 6 times and is in excellent condition. He's selling it because he sold his pontoon and got a different boat. I don't want to get ripped at the same time and $500 to me is a lot of money. But heck, if I can cruise around the lake a few times on both batteries with 3-5 people on board and not much weight other than that, it might be a nice backup to have.

Thoughts? I need to make a decision by Sunday of this weekend. If it's a leery purchase then I'll pass, I just appreciate some good insight from other experienced boaters.

My rig is an oldie, and I painted it this past year but can be seen here:

sendpontoon1.jpgsendpontoon2.jpg
 

mike2587

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
May 20, 2013
Messages
31
Re: Minn Kota 68lb for Pontoon?

So for the size of the lake I'll be on you don't anticipate many issues? I just don't like the word "struggling" :). If it's a struggle to go anywhere for my boat then I definitely don't want it. So you think bow mounted the 68lb will be good for what I'm looking for? I really would like to sometimes just use the electric motor even over dealing with my outboard sometimes if you think I could get a scenic ride out of it...

What are your thoughts on $500 for 2 deep cell batteries, wiring, the unit, manual under the assumption it's in excellent condition? If I were to find out it doesn't work for me or something I'd like to get most of my money back if not all of it by reselling it.

Any thoughts on what I should look for or request upon going to look at the unit? Any problematic things for those motors?

Thanks for the help thus far!!

mike
 

Snowfish

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Messages
234
Re: Minn Kota 68lb for Pontoon?

What are your thoughts on $500 for 2 deep cell batteries, wiring, the unit, manual under the assumption it's in excellent condition?
Price out new and decide. Used I would very rarely go more than 1/2 price.

If my 20ft SweetWater was my only boat, for fishing and cruising, it would have a trolling motor. Yours is 10ft longer. Don't expect the Minnkota to move it like your outboard or gas kicker motor.
 
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