Stationary Dual Trolling Motors

[PanCrazy]

Hey Folks,

I have an design question and need some feedback. I am building a pontoon type boat from a 20' miracle. I plan to use a Thai style mud motor for propulsion with kick-up rudders attached to drum and cable rig for steering. Without going into too much detail regarding the mud motor set-up, I will not have a reverse feature. What I am looking at doing is to shorten the shafts on a couple of 30# thrust trolling motors. Place them near the transom area close to the "pontoons". I would then rewire the trolling motors and place the control heads at the helm. I hope this set-up would work similar to the Lenco trolling tabs with the ability to rotate 360 degrees. I will use the trolling motor for docking mostly a maybe some fishing.

My question is centered around what type of electrical hurdles can I expect to encounter with extending the wiring about 10' and what are some remedies?

Thanks

Fishing is the everlasting feeling of hope.

 

[pootnic]

Re: Stationary Dual Trolling Motors

Instead of acouple 30lbers,why not just buy a powerdrive or another type trolling motor with wireless controls?
Theres around 16' of wire to the foot pedal on the powerdrive and those wireless TM's will work anywhere on your boat.

 

[PanCrazy]

Re: Stationary Dual Trolling Motors

Instead of acouple 30lbers,why not just buy a powerdrive or another type trolling motor with wireless controls?
Theres around 16' of wire to the foot pedal on the powerdrive and those wireless TM's will work anywhere on your boat.

Good Point. I will look for a powerdrive before I go buying and rewiring the trolling motors, but the overall cost of the wireless units + batteries is considerably more than what I want to spend. I actually took on this project to build a lightweight and cost effective family cruiser. From my research, it seems I need to keep the wiring the same gauge or heavier, and add a circuit breaker near the battery.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Stationary Dual Trolling Motors

With two motors you also need to double up on the battery power or at least have one "very large" deep cycle. A 30# troller will draw about 30 amps max so two of them puts the draw at 60. You need a minimum of 8 gauge wire to each motor. That also means there can be no junction (or a "Y" in the main power feed. You need totally separate feeds from the battery to the troller. You also need two sets of controls. If you use those motors for anything other than docking, you are in two-battery territory. Whether you have one or two batteries requires that you have a single or dual output on-board charger to immediately charge the battery(ies) at the dock. Steering a pontoon (or any other boat for that matter) from the front is a lot more efficient. No need for two motors, dual controls, and wiring. A 55# PD is plenty of power for the size boat you intend to build. And why the mud motor? If you have enough water to run trollers, you have enough water to run an outboard and a much less complicated and much more reliable rig. I realize all of this is not what you asked about, but sometimes an exercise in impracticality can be avoided by some insight from others.

 

[PanCrazy]

Re: Stationary Dual Trolling Motors

With two motors you also need to double up on the battery power or at least have one "very large" deep cycle. A 30# troller will draw about 30 amps max so two of them puts the draw at 60. You need a minimum of 8 gauge wire to each motor. That also means there can be no junction (or a "Y" in the main power feed. You need totally separate feeds from the battery to the troller. You also need two sets of controls. If you use those motors for anything other than docking, you are in two-battery territory. Whether you have one or two batteries requires that you have a single or dual output on-board charger to immediately charge the battery(ies) at the dock. Steering a pontoon (or any other boat for that matter) from the front is a lot more efficient. No need for two motors, dual controls, and wiring. A 55# PD is plenty of power for the size boat you intend to build. And why the mud motor? If you have enough water to run trollers, you have enough water to run an outboard and a much less complicated and much more reliable rig. I realize all of this is not what you asked about, but sometimes an exercise in impracticality can be avoided by some insight from others.

Thanks for the feedback. I have been told I am a mad scientist by my neighbor who is a new product engineer for JD. Addressing the mud motor first, I want the most power for the least cost/weight. The Thai style motor runs the prop into the water straight from the shaft of the motor without additional gears and weight that the Western style mud motor utilizes. Second, the weight of a 10-15 hp Merc or otherwise adds to the weight of my build. I can place an new air cooled 13 hp clone w/ mods for under a grand and weighs under/around 130#'s fully fueled no battery needed. If you take a look at Tongdee Boats.com you can see photos and a vid of a build similar to my idea. Also, since the catamaran already has the rudders there is no need to add a transom.

As for the dual trolling motors I need/want max maneuverability when putting in and out, and I thought dual props would work great. I would wire each motor independently of the other with their own batteries and two control modules at the helm. So if you can envision a configuration where there are two controls each worked with separate hands operating the motors. I do think a battery charger would be handy, especially in a emergency situation.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Stationary Dual Trolling Motors

I do think a battery charger would be handy, especially in a emergency situation.

Ahhh -- the battery charger is plugged in at the dock -- it does you no good when you are out of battery power on the water. As for the mud motor for a grand, add a couple of bucks and get a real motor that is quiet and economical. But -- your rig and your ideas so go for whatever lights your fire.

 

[webrx]

Re: Stationary Dual Trolling Motors

nothing beats a good reliable outboard when the wind kicks up or the battery dies. If you watch craigslist you an get a 15 or 18 hp evinrude two stroke for a few hundred (or less if you can fix em) and they weigh in around 80 lbs even with a 5 gal gas can (40 lbs) you are only at 120#s.

Question, weren't the thai style motors originally developed from old lawn mower or power tiller engines? what has changed to make them worth a grand and weigh 130 lbs?

As silvertip said, it's your boat, and your call.

d

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Stationary Dual Trolling Motors

I think w hen you start adding up costs you find its cheaper to get a nice used motor, and it will sure be a lot less labor.