Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

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Curious1

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May 22, 2007
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Hi, I have recently became interested in boating. In the past we never had the time, room, or money to get into boating but now that we live in an area with many beautiful lakes we would like to get into it.

The only catch is many of the lakes only allow paddle, ore, or electric boating. For us Electric boating seems best suited for us. The only problem is we know very little on electric boating. I spent an hour researching it on Google but it doesn't really have enough information.

What I am interested in is a small Aluminum boat between 12'-15' feet long. It needs to be powered solely on an outboard electric motor. Also it must seat at least three people comfortably and safely. I've seen a few models with swivel chairs and that particularly sparks my interest.

I saw a person out on the lake and had exactly what we were interest in but he was busy and didn't want to bother him.

Now I have a few questions. Other than needing a license for the boat I know nothing about the subject. Firstly I am interested in price. I don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on it. So if you can give me an estimate on a price for such a craft I would be grateful.

Second I am wondering how good these electric boats are? I saw the person using it and he was making very decent speed, I was shocked by the speed. I am worried about range and battery life. Also how are they recharged? What is the average recharge time? Finally do they require any kind of maintenance?

I also need to know about towing it, licensing, and price of the trailer and equipment. I have a Honda Ridgeline, it can tow 5,000 pounds so I am set. I just need to get some information on the proper trailer hitch, and price.

Thats all of the questions I can think of for the moment. If I am missing anything please don't hesitate to tell me. If you have any resources you can share with me on the subject I would be thankful for it. I welcome anyones knowledge on the subject. Thanks again.
 
jtexas

jtexas

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

12' jonboat with trailer brand new ought to be less than $800, look around at cabelas, basspro, academy sports to get an idea of what's available. small flatbottom jonboats are built with bench seats and are too unstable for standing and walking around in, for that you'd want a wider boat, 4 1/2' wide or more. If you'll encounter any rough water you'd probably want a v-bottom.

electric trolling motors, $200 and up, come in 12-volt, 24V and 36V varieties and are powered by one, two or three 12V deepcycle batteries (looks like a car battery), recharged with a battery charger much like you would an automotive battery. check 'em out on the minn-kota and motorguide websites, you'd want transom-mount.

A 12V motor with one fully charged battery should give you several hours of run time, you can combine batteries to double your time, but that adds weight and takes up space. Take care of your batteries they'll last several years.

Registration fees for boats vary by state, see your state's fish & game or natural resources authority. trailers are usually licensed by the dept of transportation vehicle licensing division.

will you be fishing? 12' boat is kinda tricky for 3 to fish from. 14' is kinda iffy.

welcome to iboats!
 
Silvertip

Silvertip

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

You can buy any virtually any 12 to 15 foot aluminum boat you wish and put virtually any style of "trolling Motor" on it you wish. They come in bow mount (motor mounts on the bow) or stern mount (mounts at the stern) which are steered with a tiller handle. Bow mounts can be remotely controlled from anywhere in the boat. Again, 12, 24, and 36 volt (one, two, or three batteries required) so in this application size does matter. I caution you that while your Ridgeline may be "rated" to tow 5000#, I speak from experience that you should be prepared to keep your wallet open to pay for the gas that little engine will suck. At half that weight, a Ridgeline at freeway speeds is not an economy champ. But in your application, it will be just fine. Your product searches should be for "MinnKota Trolling Motors" or "MotorGuide Trolling Motors". Your boat searches should include Alumacraft, Crestliner, Lund, Pro Craft, Sylvan, SmokerCraft, MirroCraft, and a host of others. Name brands will vary depending on your area.
 
C

Curious1

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

jtexas said:
12' jonboat with trailer brand new ought to be less than $800, look around at cabelas, basspro, academy sports to get an idea of what's available. small flatbottom jonboats are built with bench seats and are too unstable for standing and walking around in, for that you'd want a wider boat, 4 1/2' wide or more. If you'll encounter any rough water you'd probably want a v-bottom.

electric trolling motors, $200 and up, come in 12-volt, 24V and 36V varieties and are powered by one, two or three 12V deepcycle batteries (looks like a car battery), recharged with a battery charger much like you would an automotive battery. check 'em out on the minn-kota and motorguide websites, you'd want transom-mount.

A 12V motor with one fully charged battery should give you several hours of run time, you can combine batteries to double your time, but that adds weight and takes up space. Take care of your batteries they'll last several years.

Registration fees for boats vary by state, see your state's fish & game or natural resources authority. trailers are usually licensed by the dept of transportation vehicle licensing division.

will you be fishing? 12' boat is kinda tricky for 3 to fish from. 14' is kinda iffy.

welcome to iboats!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information. As for will I be fishing, not at first. We mainly want to go out boating because its so peaceful. But they have fish in the lakes and we might get into it later on. I have no problem buying a bigger boat but my concern with that is how it will effect price and I have no experience driving while towing something.

For the electric motors what would be my best bet 12V, 24V, 36V?
 
C

Curious1

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May 22, 2007
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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

Silvertip said:
You can buy any virtually any 12 to 15 foot aluminum boat you wish and put virtually any style of "trolling Motor" on it you wish. They come in bow mount (motor mounts on the bow) or stern mount (mounts at the stern) which are steered with a tiller handle. Bow mounts can be remotely controlled from anywhere in the boat. Again, 12, 24, and 36 volt (one, two, or three batteries required) so in this application size does matter. I caution you that while your Ridgeline may be "rated" to tow 5000#, I speak from experience that you should be prepared to keep your wallet open to pay for the gas that little engine will suck. At half that weight, a Ridgeline at freeway speeds is not an economy champ. But in your application, it will be just fine. Your product searches should be for "MinnKota Trolling Motors" or "MotorGuide Trolling Motors". Your boat searches should include Alumacraft, Crestliner, Lund, Pro Craft, Sylvan, SmokerCraft, MirroCraft, and a host of others. Name brands will vary depending on your area.
Click to expand...

So the more batteries the more power right? As for the Ridgeline I expect the fuel economy to drop since I am towing. But I seen the guy on the lake towing a 12-15 ft boat with a Subaru Wagon. A much smaller engine. Thanks for the information I will now continue my research.
 
jtexas

jtexas

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

Trolling motor output is measure in "pounds of thrust" - I don't think you can convert "thrust" to "horsepower".

12V motors go up to around 55lbs I think, and 24V go from around 50 up to 80 or so. I'd think an 80lb motor would move a light boat pretty darn fast...but I'm not accustomed to seeing electric motors as the primary source of propulsion.
 
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Curious1

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

jtexas said:
Trolling motor output is measure in "pounds of thrust" - I don't think you can convert "thrust" to "horsepower".

12V motors go up to around 55lbs I think, and 24V go from around 50 up to 80 or so. I'd think an 80lb motor would move a light boat pretty darn fast...but I'm not accustomed to seeing electric motors as the primary source of propulsion.
Click to expand...


I understand. So I got to base it on pounds of thrust. The more thrust the more power, got it. Here they don't care for combustion engine boats so its either electric motors to using ores.
 
bassboy1

bassboy1

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

I am on the NW side of atlanta, but on the east side, we have many elec only lakes and a few elec only tourneys. One of which I am tempted to fish next spring. A lot of guys have 14 foot flatbottoms and 2 70 - 80# trolling motors on the transom, and one 70 on the bow. The transom ones stay straight, and have on off switches on the bow (big foot trolling motor foot switch) then they steer with the bow one. The joy of this is, you don't have to be able to afford it all from the start. You can start with just one transom mount, and as you get more funding, you keep growing. If you want, I am a member of a bass forum that has LOTS of guys with elec only rigs. If you want, I can direct you there. Even with the ridgeline, you shouldn't have much trouble towing. When completely finished, your jon boat trailer shouldn't weigh much more than 125 lbs. Then the boat, even with decking or whatever creature comforts, shouldn't weigh much more than 200 to 500 lbs depending on what you start with, and how much modification you add. If you go with all 3 motors, you shouldn't be in over 150 lbs. 6 batteries at 65 lbs a piece. That equals out to less than 1200 lbs. (I didn't do the math, really rough estimate) And that is if your boat weighs 500. Most, even tourney ready boats, with full livewells, don't weigh that. A jon boat is a good boat to learn to tow with. It is light, yet you can still feel it. (You could with the setup I mentioned and your truck. We cannot feel ours cause it has a gas motor a trolling motor, and only 1 battery.) Also, it is rather long for its weight, so it would be a bit easier to back for a novice too.
 
Silvertip

Silvertip

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

Trolling motors have two key performance factors: 1) thrust (pushing or pulling ability) and 2) operating voltage. The more thrust you need the higher the operating voltage needs to be. 12V motors top out at about 55# of thrust. 24V goes to about 70# and anything higher than that you would need 36V. Obviously the size of the boat and the load it must carry determines how much power you need. If its just two of you in a 12 row boat, you don't need 80 pounds of thrust. The distances you will be traveling under electric power determines the size the battery needs to be. Range can be extended by using two or three batteries wired in parallel (still 12 volts but triple the run time).. Again, space may be a consideration. If you are getting the impression that electric power in a boat is a space, speed and run time issue, you would be right.
 
C

Curious1

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

bassboy1 said:
I am on the NW side of atlanta, but on the east side, we have many elec only lakes and a few elec only tourneys. One of which I am tempted to fish next spring. A lot of guys have 14 foot flatbottoms and 2 70 - 80# trolling motors on the transom, and one 70 on the bow. The transom ones stay straight, and have on off switches on the bow (big foot trolling motor foot switch) then they steer with the bow one. The joy of this is, you don't have to be able to afford it all from the start. You can start with just one transom mount, and as you get more funding, you keep growing. If you want, I am a member of a bass forum that has LOTS of guys with elec only rigs. If you want, I can direct you there. Even with the ridgeline, you shouldn't have much trouble towing. When completely finished, your jon boat trailer shouldn't weigh much more than 125 lbs. Then the boat, even with decking or whatever creature comforts, shouldn't weigh much more than 200 to 500 lbs depending on what you start with, and how much modification you add. If you go with all 3 motors, you shouldn't be in over 150 lbs. 6 batteries at 65 lbs a piece. That equals out to less than 1200 lbs. (I didn't do the math, really rough estimate) And that is if your boat weighs 500. Most, even tourney ready boats, with full livewells, don't weigh that. A jon boat is a good boat to learn to tow with. It is light, yet you can still feel it. (You could with the setup I mentioned and your truck. We cannot feel ours cause it has a gas motor a trolling motor, and only 1 battery.) Also, it is rather long for its weight, so it would be a bit easier to back for a novice too.
Click to expand...


Sorry I took so long to respond, it has been a busy week. Anyway it seems here they are worried that you will ruin the tranquility and environment of the area. I respect that and want to keep it that way since I live within a few miles of the lake.

I wasn't even aware that you can have multiple electric motors. I was only really looking for one that would go on the stern of the boat. Something that will move the boat at a fairly quick pace and give me some long battery life. If I really get into it I might get a gas outboard motor and find some local lakes that you can take it out on.

But a Jon boat seems the best way to go since I am only a beginner. I would love if you can share that website with me. Thanks.
 
C

Curious1

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

Silvertip said:
Trolling motors have two key performance factors: 1) thrust (pushing or pulling ability) and 2) operating voltage. The more thrust you need the higher the operating voltage needs to be. 12V motors top out at about 55# of thrust. 24V goes to about 70# and anything higher than that you would need 36V. Obviously the size of the boat and the load it must carry determines how much power you need. If its just two of you in a 12 row boat, you don't need 80 pounds of thrust. The distances you will be traveling under electric power determines the size the battery needs to be. Range can be extended by using two or three batteries wired in parallel (still 12 volts but triple the run time).. Again, space may be a consideration. If you are getting the impression that electric power in a boat is a space, speed and run time issue, you would be right.
Click to expand...


Well I am mainly looking for something a starter can easily master, nothing to expensive, good range, room to fit three people comfortably, and decent speed and range. You guys have really helped me and when the time comes closer I will check out a local boat retailer and see whats best for me. At least now I can say I have some knowledge.
 
bassboy1

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

Curious1 said:
Sorry I took so long to respond, it has been a busy week. Anyway it seems here they are worried that you will ruin the tranquility and environment of the area. I respect that and want to keep it that way since I live within a few miles of the lake.

I wasn't even aware that you can have multiple electric motors. I was only really looking for one that would go on the stern of the boat. Something that will move the boat at a fairly quick pace and give me some long battery life. If I really get into it I might get a gas outboard motor and find some local lakes that you can take it out on.

But a Jon boat seems the best way to go since I am only a beginner. I would love if you can share that website with me. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind, they were tournament jon boats. They travel up to 20 miles in a day, and need to "blast off" and get a good spot fairly quick.
In your case, I would start with a 70 pounder, and in a year or so, when you want more, get another 70 pounder. But, if you want to start bass fishing, you might want a bow mount smaller one, instead of a second 70. That way, you will have extra power with the bow one, and it is easier to fish with a bow one.
 
Bass-A-Holic

Bass-A-Holic

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

If you want to spend a little money on a really nice one, this is what you need-


http://www.minnkotamotors.com/products/motors/detail.asp?pg=edrive
Both models are rated at 2hp and run on 48 volts (4 batteries). The nice thing about these is you only need one motor, they have electric trim and tilt, and you have the option of having a cable or tiller steered boat.
 
C

Curious1

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

bassboy1 said:
Keep in mind, they were tournament jon boats. They travel up to 20 miles in a day, and need to "blast off" and get a good spot fairly quick.
In your case, I would start with a 70 pounder, and in a year or so, when you want more, get another 70 pounder. But, if you want to start bass fishing, you might want a bow mount smaller one, instead of a second 70. That way, you will have extra power with the bow one, and it is easier to fish with a bow one.
Click to expand...


By 70 pounder you mean 70 pounds of thrust?
 
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Curious1

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bassboy1

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tashasdaddy

tashasdaddy

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Re: Hello, have questions about "Electric Boating"

can you find a picture of something similar on line and post a link. if we have a real idea of the boat you want, you will get the best advice. there is a brand called it thing electra craft boat.

here's a list of manufacturer of electric boats. and there links.

http://www.mindspring.com/~jimkerr1/sebebman.htm
 
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