trolling motor size

hello, I just got my 24' pontoon, I want to get a trolling motor over the winter, but I am not sure what size to get. some people told me 55Lb 12 volt with 52 inch shaft will work fine, others told me not to get anything less than 70 lb thrust 24 volt. I'm new to pontoons,

Re: trolling motor size

I have a 20' pontoon, with a 40 hp yamaha. On it, I put my 80 lb thrust 24v from my boat. Wide open speeds, it will move it about 4-5 mph for 2 hrs (slowing to 2 or 3 mph for the last hour until she poops out.) on a flat calm with 6 adults and one kiddo on board. It's big enough, but if I were to buy based on my experience, I would probably get the 101 lb. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not disappointed with my 80 lb, just would like to have a little more if possible. We use our trolling motor more than we use the outboard. We LOVE the quietness of it, and at 50% throttle, it moves us along quite well for almost 4 hours or so.

Re: trolling motor size

What do you intend to use the troller for is the information we need in order to provide a reasonable response. If you slow troll (lower speeds) for hours at a time, then one of the digital motor in a 55# (Minnkota PowerDrive for example) will be fine if you typically operate on calm water and don't have a lot of wind to deal with. If you use this for emergency propulsion then you want something bigger and that puts you in 24 or 36 volt territory. If you troll at faster speeds in windy conditions or rivers with high current you need a 24 or 36 volt motor. My 20 footer with a 55# Minnkota was very acceptable on large but calm water, and in a 2 mph river current for position fishing and slow trolling.

Re: trolling motor size

I have a 55# MotorGuide 12 volt on my 20' Starcraft. It works fine to reposition the boat or to troll the shoreline or weed beds when the weather is calm. It moves the boat along pretty good. It might even get me home in an emergency. I'm on a 500 acre lake. But in rough open water, into a headwind, more would be better. I'm happy with mine but I'm not asking to much from it. I have the wireless and I can sit pretty much anywhere I want and move the boat around. Pretty slick.

Re: trolling motor size

I plan on useing it for fishing, trolling the shore line and such, I dont plan on useing it for a speed or anything like that. I have a 20 hp Tohatsu on my 24 ft toon. what shaft is best
thanks Jack

Re: trolling motor size

you don't need a real long shaft on a pontoon since the deck is relatively close to the water. A 46 inch would be fine but so would a 54. The longer troller will take up more space on the deck when stowed but you can always just loosen the height adjuster and keep the motor vertical when under way. The down side to that though is if the clamp lets loose the motor drops and at speed you make break/bend the the shaft.

Re: trolling motor size

Also to add 24v you would get more use on a battery charge than a 12v. Minn Kota make a powerdrive v2 for pontoons.

Re: trolling motor size

thank everyone for your replies

Re: trolling motor size

I've got a 25ft pontoon with a 36lb 12v trolling motor (Academy $99). works real good when you're fishing in calm water. doesn't work well in windy conditions tho.

Re: trolling motor size

We also have just gotten our first pontoon, a 24ft Fisher. I also need a trolling motor but have read mixed things about the subject. I will be on one of the larger lakes in Iowa, Lake Rathbun, about 11,000 acres and can have some wind problems. The front deck is 24 to 25 inches from the water. I have looked at and read about Minn Kota PDv2 with the co-pilot system for pontoon boats and they have a 55lb 12 volt motor and a 68lb 24 volt motor both with 48 inch shafts or you can get a 70lb 24 volt motor that isn't specific to pontoon boats with a 54 inch shaft. I have a compartment in the front corner that would hold 2 batteries, but I am a little concerned about the weight and naturally the extra cost of both the motor and the extra battery. I also only want to do this whole thing once so I am leaning toward the 24 volt system rather than wishing after getting the 12 volt stuff that I had just spent the extra money in the first place. I will be maybe working some shore lines casting, but more often either trolling or using the trolling motor to help control wind drifting for walleyes, catfish, and crappies. I hope this isn't hijacking this post but every thing just seemed to fit.

Re: trolling motor size

If I could afford it I'd have a bigger trolling motor and if I had the room for two batteries I'd have a 24 volt system. As far as the shaft length goes, I have a 54 and it's NOT to long. If you're going to be trolling for walleye on a big lake with some wind you're going to want that prop down far enough that it doesn't lift out of the water when the bow lifts. Also if you have a small deck on the front of your boat you're good to go, but I don't have any deck. My front gate is right at the front edge of the boat and I need to have my trolling motor head at least 8 or 10 inchs above the gate. See pic back on post 4. Just a few things to think about.
Mike

Re: trolling motor size

I have an old Sundancer 240D (24 footer) that I just picked up. I'm in the process of over haulin' it. I've heard about needing a lot of thrust. I too am just looking for using it for fishing. One I'm looking at is a MinnKota with 50 pound thrust and 42 inch shaft. I'm sure the 50 pound would be sufficient, but I don't know about the 42 inch shaft. I've only had the boat twice on the water, and that was just for sea trial before I brought it home.

Re: trolling motor size

We have a 24ft SunTracker and use the Minn-Kota Powerdrive 68lb with 48in shaft, and 24volts. Our average trolling speed is around 1 to 2 miles an hour pulling live bait. At these speeds the batterys last better than 4 hours. I installed an onboard charger to add some juice back to the batterys while running to another fishing spot or going back to the dock. We are very happy with this set-up. Hope this helps with your choices.

Re: trolling motor size

I bought my trolling motor yesterday, I got The Minn Kota powerdrive V2 54# thrust with a 48" shaft. I can't wait for the weather to change so I can get the toon on the water for the first time, I have a question for you guys, I have a hummingbird depth/fish finder stationed at the captians seat, I plan on doing all my fishing from the front of the Pontoon boat. should I get another depth finder for the front, or what would you do to solve this situation,looking forward to all the replies

thanks Jack

Re: trolling motor size

Yesterday must have been the day, because I stopped at Bass Pro and picked up a PD V2 68# 24 volt motor for our pontoon also. Every thing here is still mostly iced over so I should have time to get it installed before it is time to go fishing. Along with the Minn Kota I also got some planner boards and some other trolling gear, so look out walleyes and catfish come spring time. Thanks to all who offered good advice on the is subject.