12 / 24 Volt Setup Question for Trolling Motor

[luckyinkentucky]

Please bear with me on this since I will be asking a couple of questions. I do not understand the 12 / 24 v setup concept on my boat. I had an old Evinrude BF4T on there before I decided to remove it.


With the setting of my boat having 12/24 do I have to use a 24v trolling motor?

If I use a 24v trolling motor what is the point of having the 12v setting?

If I switched the selector on my boat to 12v using a 24v trolling motor what would happen?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 12 / 24 Volt Setup Question for Trolling Motor

No! With a 12/24 setup you can run a 12V ONLY motor, a 24V ONLY motor, or one that operates from EITHER 12 or 24V. You need two batteries wired in series to provide 24 volts. Some motors were set up to run from EITHER 12V (one battery) or 24v (two batteries). If you selected 12V and the motor was designed to run on ONLY 24V you would get very poor performance since the motor is getting only half it's required voltage. I noticed you are looking at iBoats for new troller. If you buy a 24V motor you can eliminate the 12/24V switch and the often confusing wiring and have just two wires to the motor like you would for a 12V motor. Are you buying a 12V or 24V motor? Let us know which and I'll provide a wiring diagram for you.

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: 12 / 24 Volt Setup Question for Trolling Motor

The only problem I see is that I have an onboard charging system that requires I leave my selector on 12v when not in use so it will charge . I think this came this way from the factory, and it may run off of an alternator. So, this leads me to the next few questions.

Will a 50 - 55 lb. thrust / 12v trolling motor be enough for my 20' Skeeter Fish n' Ski? I think the boat weighs in around 1900 lbs w/ engine if memory serves me right.


Would I still be able to use my charging system with only one trolling battery?

Would I just eliminate the 2nd battery?

Thanks for the patience.

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: 12 / 24 Volt Setup Question for Trolling Motor

OK .... I think I've decided to go ahead and buy the Minn Kota Powerdrive V2 w/ 70 lb. thrust / 24 volt.

The reason being is because I saw a formula on Cabelas that enabled me to figure out the size of motor I would need. It went by a 5 pounds of thrust for every 200 pound dry weight formula. It was ....

Actual Weight of boat (1900) + Actual Capacity weight (900) = Total Weight (2800)

Divided by 200 (14)

Multiplied by 5 (70)

I came up with a 70 lb. thrust trolling motor!



I have a round 3 prong adapter on there now. Do I need anything else if my boat previously had a 12/24 v setup?

I realize I will not be able to use the 12v setting for trolling, but I will have to switch to the 12v setting if I want to charge my batteries.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 12 / 24 Volt Setup Question for Trolling Motor

You don't need anything new for your new motor. The 12V setting will not be needed for the troller.

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: 12 / 24 Volt Setup Question for Trolling Motor

Thanks for shedding a little light on the issue Silvertip!