I picked up a 2007 16ft Smokercraft side console with a 50hp last fall off the lake-link classifieds. I need to put a trolling motor on it. It currently has an electric Anchor and I dont have any use for that.
I have literally no time right now to research it, order on line and wrench on this myself due to work. Where is a good place to put a trolling motor on this boat? My initial though would be Bass Pro or Cabelas.
Im near the Fond Du Lac or Chicago area OK
Thanks for advice.
The length of that boat and the type (aluminum) tells me that you can probably do a 12 volt, 55 pound thrust trolling motor. The height, though, tells me that wind is going to eat your battery pretty good.
If it were me, I'd put a 24 volt on there and then never worry about it. Along with an on-board charger.
I'd look at that Terrova. Measure the top of your boat to the water, then add a foot or so, and see which shaft length you need. That front looks like it will be tall. Maybe look at the 60 inch shaft length. Make sure that trolling motor stays down in the water when the wind is blowing. I think a shorter shaft may work, but the 54 inch model doesn't show as a 24 volt motor. And the 45 would be short. I had the 45 inch shaft on my old Ranger Bass boat and it would come out of the water and that thing was close to the water to begin with.
Lunker-abduction,
I honestly think you’d be just fine with a 12 volt motor with around 55 lbs of thrust. If you have a high quality battery you will be able to run that trolling motor for at least 8 hours in a decent chop. I had a 17’6” bass boat with a motor guide 54 lb 12 volt that I fished many musky tournaments with and at the end of the day i always had power to spare, even in heavier winds. Also fished Monday night musky league. 5 hours running trolling motor, sometimes nonstop. On-board charger is definitely a must as well as a cable steer motor for fishing docks, very tight to cover, etc.
For the fishing style you describe, a Minnkota 55# 12V system with a cable steering will work the best. That is what I put on my boat last year and it works great for my 6-8 hour days of fishing the same way as you. I added a good battery with a Minnkota on board charger.
I got mine set up at Anchors Away in Waukesha. Happy with the price and installation.
Great advice all - Thank You
Here is some pics of the boat..
What im looking for is a decent solution where Im not having to mess around with it. That has enough power that will make the experience fun. Maybe get fished 2-4 hrs at a time on average. I plan on casting alot of docks on Big Green so I want something powerful enough to handle the chop.
The previous owner had an electric anchor set up in the front with a wire running back to the main starting battery. I got room to add another battery.
Im not as concerned on cost as I am on performance. I plan on keeping this boat for awhile so I want to get it set up right.
I got the boat stored in Oshkosh so its not at my house
If you truly only have 12 volt capabilities and plan on fishing hard, upgrade yourself to a 24 volt system, as Ulbian talks about below. Better to have too much power than not enough.
And if you stay with the 12 volt, get a good battery, not just any old trolling motor battery. It will cost money, the battery, but it will last longer. And yes, get an on-board charging system.
Minn Kota power drive is fine. I feel like the Terrova is just plain better, although I think the Power drive now has spot lock. Not sure about that, but once you've used Spot Lock, you won't want a trolling motor without it. The iPilot is nice, too, so it is nice to have that option if you run Humminbird graphs.
Terrova's are pretty durable and I think outside of spot lock, the best feature they have is that they are very easy to stow and deploy.
I’ve installed dozens of trolling motors and have rebuilt dozens upon dozens more. If I wasn’t heading out of the country next week I’d offer to set this thing up for you for a case of beer.
It’s not as simple as just throwing a trolling motor on a boat if you want it done right.
A 2007 model that is 16ft long might be set up for 24v....but the problem is that boat manufacturers (besides Ranger and maybe one or two others) were not running wire that meets the suggested requirements that MinnKota has for their 24v Terrova and newer lines. I’d be willing to bet this boat has 8ga wire (MK recommends a run of 6ga wire)....and it’s already 12 years old. For the occasional use that will get you by but you won’t realize the motor’s full potential if you are running it off of smaller wire. If you are going to be hammering on it day after day for long periods of time you’ll want to consider upgrading your wire runs.
You'll need circuit protection so factor in the cost of a circuit breaker. You’ll want a matched set of batteries so factor in that cost. For a 24v You’ll want at minimum a three bank on board charger so there’s another cost.
Motorguide makes a good product so don’t simply rule them out. Factor in what brand of electronics you prefer. If you ever want to link your stuff together remember that Humminbird goes with MinnKota, Motorguide goes with Lowrance.
L-A,
I would go with a Minn Kota Terrova or Power Drive. A friend has a cable drive on his bass boat and loves it, but I hate it. He likes to fish fast and it is a 24 volt. I have a 12 volt Power Drive with spot lock and I love it.
Depending how you fish, a foot control PD might be the cheapest way to go. I'm guessing that electric anchor is run off the main battery, so you will need a deep cycle battery also plus a place to put it. Consider an on board charger as well.
If I was getting a new one for myself I would get a 24 volt Terrova with a new boat to put it on. ;)
If you are handy and have time, you could install it yourself. I replaced mine a few years back and that was easy.
Fritz
Thanks for comments
good question what it’s wired for. I bought the boat in Nov and never got around to water testing it and ended up dropping it in storage Thanksgiving Weekend. I believe just 12V.
I may stop at Bass Pro Wednesday and see if they can handle it.
I took off the week of Easter and I want to fish most of that week so I want to get this taken care of soon
