Question Trolling motor?
- Thread starter ChoralGuy
- Start date
My boat came with a motor mount and trolling motor from the previous owner. It's super simple to put on the motor when needed, and put it away in the cuddy after leaving the dock. But I didn't like having the battery bouncing around the cockpit, so I mounted it inside the cuddy, and ran wires under the bench, to an outlet near the transom. I still have to figure out how to secure the battery, but it's already a much better setup. I'll post more pictures when the project is finished.
- I splurged on a lithium battery to keep the weight down. At 24lb for 100AH, it's about 1/2 the weight of an AGM. On a small boat every lb matters, especially given how far forward it's mounted.
- Since the motor is on the port side, the battery is kept on the starboard side to counterbalance it.
- I got unnecessarily thick wires. Should have gotten 10AWG.
- Coated the back of the outlet in marine-grade silicone rubber to prevent water from getting behind it.
- The battery will eventually sit in a battery box with a circuit breaker.
- I splurged on a lithium battery to keep the weight down. At 24lb for 100AH, it's about 1/2 the weight of an AGM. On a small boat every lb matters, especially given how far forward it's mounted.
- Since the motor is on the port side, the battery is kept on the starboard side to counterbalance it.
- I got unnecessarily thick wires. Should have gotten 10AWG.
- Coated the back of the outlet in marine-grade silicone rubber to prevent water from getting behind it.
- The battery will eventually sit in a battery box with a circuit breaker.
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Cool! So the wires coming out of the cuddy are for charging the battery and the line running to the motor is going through the hull? What motor did you choose? Thanks for the advice!
There's only one pair of wires, going from the battery terminals to the outlet. When the motor is not plugged into it, the the outlet can be used to charge the battery. I just need to buy a second connector and spice it to the charger wires. The motor is an old 40lb Newport model that came with the boat. It fits in the cuddy when not used!
For the size of this boat and the most practical setup for a motor I truly believe this is the best way to go.....
**Two small AGM batteries give the choice of only needing one for low demand conditions, with the option to run the second one in series when a heavy demand is anticipated. See how the jumpers are set up. I can hook these up in about 5 minutes. So you don't need to lug around one large and heavy battery every time. And if the boat's stored with the battery in it out in the hot sun with the cuddy sealed the heat buildup inside is unreal! I opt to take my batteries home and leave them stored in a relatively cool garage. Hooked up to my charger, this greatly helps extend their lives. With the velcro handles I have on them, they're easy to handle.
**Custom built battery box and platform securely stows them. Even if there was a capsize they won't go anywhere. I don't know what kind of setup could be constructed to safely hold a 30 lb battery in place.
**I've heard some scary things about lithium's when they get wet, they can catch fire and explode if immersed? If somebody knows something different please let me know!
**See the battery gauge and circuit breaker, those are both good things to have in your power feed line.
**As far as wire gauge goes there's no reason to skimp. If you would need to run max power for a while it's superior to have a wide river for the power to travel through, rather than a little stream.
**See my plug setup. When putting Capri away for the night I unplug motor, wrap the cable around it, and store it in my garage.
**My motor is a Minkota 30. Probably only weighs about 10 lbs, it's perfect for this boat. My buddy has the next size up and it's much heavier and clumsier to handle, and you don't really need the extra thrust. All that does is drain your battery faster. One thing I would hate to have on my boat is a heavy motor! With my setup I can leave the motor full down for max performance, then raise 100% up and turn perpendicular for sailing (see Action 2 pic). It doesn't catch any of the lines this way.
Now all of this stuff has already been stated on my earlier posts. I've been on this forum for almost 6 years so (as I've said before), there's a wealth of information about this and many other matters you can find there.
Cheers!
**Two small AGM batteries give the choice of only needing one for low demand conditions, with the option to run the second one in series when a heavy demand is anticipated. See how the jumpers are set up. I can hook these up in about 5 minutes. So you don't need to lug around one large and heavy battery every time. And if the boat's stored with the battery in it out in the hot sun with the cuddy sealed the heat buildup inside is unreal! I opt to take my batteries home and leave them stored in a relatively cool garage. Hooked up to my charger, this greatly helps extend their lives. With the velcro handles I have on them, they're easy to handle.
**Custom built battery box and platform securely stows them. Even if there was a capsize they won't go anywhere. I don't know what kind of setup could be constructed to safely hold a 30 lb battery in place.
**I've heard some scary things about lithium's when they get wet, they can catch fire and explode if immersed? If somebody knows something different please let me know!
**See the battery gauge and circuit breaker, those are both good things to have in your power feed line.
**As far as wire gauge goes there's no reason to skimp. If you would need to run max power for a while it's superior to have a wide river for the power to travel through, rather than a little stream.
**See my plug setup. When putting Capri away for the night I unplug motor, wrap the cable around it, and store it in my garage.
**My motor is a Minkota 30. Probably only weighs about 10 lbs, it's perfect for this boat. My buddy has the next size up and it's much heavier and clumsier to handle, and you don't really need the extra thrust. All that does is drain your battery faster. One thing I would hate to have on my boat is a heavy motor! With my setup I can leave the motor full down for max performance, then raise 100% up and turn perpendicular for sailing (see Action 2 pic). It doesn't catch any of the lines this way.
Now all of this stuff has already been stated on my earlier posts. I've been on this forum for almost 6 years so (as I've said before), there's a wealth of information about this and many other matters you can find there.
Cheers!
Attachments
Two batteries are an interesting choice, I hadn't thought of that. But... at 24 lbs (for the lithium), the potential savings are negligible. Plus, it's more wiring, and you need an extra short-circuit breaker, and the whole thing takes more space.
Lithium does not like water, but this one is apparently waterproof! Some brave YouTubers have actually submerged their batteries, but I wouldn't test that. It sits in a (waterproof) battery box, with a circuit breaker, inside a watertight cuddy.
I don't know how bad the heat buildup would be, it's worth testing after a prolonged run. Probably a good idea to store the battery outside the boat when not in use.
The platform looks sturdy, but how is it attached attached to the hull?