Electric Trolling motor battery location?

[iwaterdave]

I just installed a 55 lb Minh Kota bow mount trolling motor on my 19ft bayliner. Not sure where to put battery so I put it all the way in back next to starter battery and ran cable up to connection plug in front of boat. I noticed after using it for the first time that it's not that powerful.

Not sure if it's the motor or if the distance of the battery affects the output power.

Anyone have input?

 

[colbyt]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

What size wire did you run to the front? The voltage drop may be making it run sloooow.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

No reason whatsoever to install the battery in the back of the boat unless there was no room up front. Wire needs to be able to carry the current demanded by the motor. Are you sure the battery was fully charged? And a 55# motor on a 19 foot boat is a lot to ask.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

And a 55# motor on a 19 foot boat is a lot to ask.

^^^ Agree. I have a 70# bow mount on my 18'er and it's barely enough if there is wind or current. Use the Circuit Wizard - Blue Sea Systems to see what size of wire needs to be run (length of conductor = positive + negative wire, so 40-50'?.

 

[iwaterdave]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

Hmmm, never thought about wire gauge. its just what I normally buy in the spool. Black doubled and glues at side so I have to split it to cut back the wire. I'll have to look more closely when I pick the boat back up.
So is a 55# thrust motor too small for my 19ft bayliner? I have a appointment with someone next Sunday to try out his 70# thrust motor autopilot. but it is a 24 volt and mine is a 12v. He claims I can troll all day at 1.75 mph for salmon no problem.
Is that smoke up my butt?

 

[colbyt]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

If you had enough batteries you could use an electric to troll around the world. Did that answer your question?

 

[rpsloan]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

I would run nothing smaller than 6 ga after doing some research. Yes a 55# IMHO is too small in the wind for your boat. I'm assuming that your boat pushes more water than a bass boat. Combine that with wind and you are pretty much screwed. My 17' bass boat originally had a 46# 12v that worked fine until the wind picked up. I swapped it for a 72# 24v and it made a great improvement unless the wind was howling. So that being said a 72# plus is going to be your best option. If I do it again with a bass boat I'm going for a 101# 36v. If you have a ample storage area to put a battery in the bow then do so, but I would personally keep it in the back and even the weight out for better handling. Just my two cents.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

Is that smoke up my butt?

Yes.

 

[gm280]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

If you used what some call zip wire, I would certainly stop using your trolling motor until you verify the wires are not getting hot. That small gauge wire would seriously start a fire from trying to supply the needed current to your trolling motor. If you are going to keep the battery in the back, install both a fuse/circuit breaker AND some 4 gauge wires... I’m surprised you haven’t smelt insulation burning already... :facepalm:

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

Yes.

^^^ X2

I have a 70# MK digital TM on my 18'er that I troll with and can only get 5-6 hours (at no where close to 1.75MPH) out of 2 group 29 batteries.

I guess if he had 4-8 batteries in a series parallel configuration, to give him enough battery capacity, he could probably troll all day, but that's a LOT of friggin batteries. I know of a guy down here that runs 4- Group 31 deep cycles for slooooow trolling with a bow mount, so it's possible, but I doubt it's possible at 1.75 MPH,,,, unless there's one 'ell of a tail wind.

 

[JSGOLD]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

I have a 16' aluminum deep v and 55 is the bare minimum recommended for it. Right now I have to run a smaller unit as I simply can't afford a 52" long trolling motor at this time. However I have a nice 8hp kicker motor to use when things get rough or I fish in small lakes. My battery sits under the front fishing platform and room for 1-2 more if I need them. The bright side is you can easily get rid of your 55lb unit as many boats will use that. And yes, a larger gauge would be safer even if close to the front. Wire can literally "wear out" from heat if ran too close to max rating all the time.

 

[iwaterdave]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

I was just at Home Depot and had a sample wire so they said it was a 14 gauge. Is that too low or should I go bigger?

 

[iwaterdave]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

I was just at Home Depot and had a sample wire so they said it was a 14 gauge. Is that too low or should I go bigger?
View attachment 190066

What size wire did you run to the front? The voltage drop may be making it run sloooow.

 

[saumon]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

I was just at Home Depot and had a sample wire so they said it was a 14 gauge. Is that too low or should I go bigger?
View attachment 190066

Yes, way too small. The Minnkota 55 came with 6ft of 8 gauge and, if you need to extend it, they tell you to use 6 gauge. Oh, and for the trolling all day long @ 1.75mph, it can be done, with a kicker!

As for the 55lbs, I doubt it will be of any help on a 19ft Bayliner, let alone for trolling if there's any kind of current or wind. I have one on my 17ft boat and I only use it, while drifting, to correct my course.

 

[colbyt]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

I was just at Home Depot and had a sample wire so they said it was a 14 gauge. Is that too low or should I go bigger?
View attachment 190066

Way too small by at least 5 sizes. Keep in mind that the smaller the number the bigger the wire until you get up to /0 sizes. A 6 gauge wire is marginal for a 55 if you plan to run at the highest speed for extended periods of time. The third table in this chart gives real numbers but only goes to 40 amps and a 55 pulls more amps than that on high. Voltage Loss Tables for AWG Wire

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Electric Trolling motor battery location?

I was just at Home Depot
View attachment 190066

:facepalm:

Buy your wiring from these guys, true "marine wire" at Home Depot prices. Still not exactly "cheap" as 25' of #6 wire is $30. There is a BIG difference in the wire these guys sell and the stuff Home Depot has. They also have the lugs and heatshrink tubing to complete your project, and can even crimp your lugs on if you know the exact length of wires you need.