12V - 55# - Group 31DC - Approx. Run Time on 16' Alumacraft

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Tin Man

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Considering a bow mount trolling motor. Motorguide 12V with 55# thrust. Largest 12V battery is a group 31DC. Want to keep it simple and keep weight down, so I'd like to keep it 12V.

My boat is an Alumacraft V16. Usually fish 2-3 adults.

I know there are many variables (weight, wind, current, etc), but what is the approximate expected run time?

Thanks
 
12v motors draw roughly 1 amp per pound of thrust running wide open. Given a 50 amp draw, that battery is likely around 100ah, which gives you less than two hours at 100%.

If that's a digital motor, they're pretty efficient so it's fairly accurate to just double that number for a calculation at 50% speed.

The only situation where you might find an upgrade worthwhile is if you like to troll at moderate speeds (1.5-3mph) for long periods of time. That takes a lot of battery capacity. Most guys with smaller boats like that just use a single large battery and get along fine.
 
I troll at 2mph regularly (once I find the fish!).
I'll look into the digital versions.
If I could get 4 hours that would be great!
 
I have that setup, (55# digital Terrova on a V16') and I easily run all day while fishing with a group 29 battery, but it's not a lot of 100%. Pretty constant 30-40% pushing me along the shoreline or holding in the wind, with bursts of 100 to get me to the next area.
My Motorguide wasn't as efficient as the Minn Kota, but I think it lasted all day too, before it burned up.
 
I have a 16' Sylvan SC boat with a MinnKota 55 lb thrust and run it on two group 31 deep cycle batteries wired for 12 volts. Under ideal conditions I can get about 8 hrs trolling time. Havent had the chance to run it in wind and heavy seas yet, so you can make your own caculations from that. My boat is fairly heavy as their is another group 31 house battery and a group 24 starting battery, aling with a builtin 15 gallon fuel tank.
 
Thanks for the real world data. I'm looking at the Minn Kota Terrova #1358805 and the Motorguide Xi3 #940700020. They are as close as comparable as I could find.

55# Thrust
54" Shaft length
12V
Handheld remote
No sounder (I don't want one)

Leaning towards MG as it can connect through a Gateway and NMEA network to my Lowrance Elite Ti2. When connected, TM controls can also be performed via FF screen.

Just not sure how much I would use this feature, as my boat is tillered steered and my FF console (see attached pic) is on the port side of where I sit. I have used a remote feature before and it was plenty good.

Any pros/cons between these two TMs? Parts, reliability, durability, etc,?

Thanks

IMG_4406.jpg
 
Always been a fan of MinnKota, owned them for decades, never an issue. My current motor is the V2, 55# thrust and 55" shaft. The remote is awesome!! Also anchor lock, will never use an anchor again, so much easier! Keeps your boat headed into the wind within a three foot circle. When using the anchor feature, the motor runs constant in two foot waves, speed varies to keep position, after 4 hrs My batteties show a 20-25% loss in charge.
 
I can only say that we have been very happy with the MG Xi3. I'm sure the MK is good, as well. I see you are getting the GPS capabilities. Highly recommended. On a recent solo trip (first one), it made life very easy. Point it in the direction I want to go, and hit the button. Can change speed up/down while under way. Anchor lock on hook up, to fight/land fish, or hold position in wind/current. I've said it before, "I will not buy another bow trolling motor without GPS". With the remote and lanyard, doubt that you would use NMEA network to control it. My guess is that there is probably some delay introduced too.
 
I agree...probably would not use the NMEA features with a remote.
I'll probably be going with the MK, as that was the only reason for considering the MG.
 
What ever motor you choose, if you do a lot of trolling or use the anchor lock feature consider two batteries for the trolling motor. Your batteries will last longer if you dont drain them below 50%..... Been perch fishing this fall and useing the anchor lock feature. It has been windy, avg waves of 2 feet or more with winds around 20 mph. The trollibg motor has been working hard to hold position, sometimes running 60-80% full to maintain position. The remote shows me how much throttle the motor is using to hold position. On some ocassions it was running at 10 which is wide open...still used under 35% of total battery charge after 4 hrs of running...
 
What ever motor you choose, if you do a lot of trolling or use the anchor lock feature consider two batteries for the trolling motor. Your batteries will last longer if you dont drain them below 50%..... Been perch fishing this fall and useing the anchor lock feature. It has been windy, avg waves of 2 feet or more with winds around 20 mph. The trollibg motor has been working hard to hold position, sometimes running 60-80% full to maintain position. The remote shows me how much throttle the motor is using to hold position. On some ocassions it was running at 10 which is wide open...still used under 35% of total battery charge after 4 hrs of running...

That's quite the testimony of how well they work. 20mph winds with our light tinny hulls, + 2' waves, WOW!
 
That's quite the testimony of how well they work. 20mph winds with our light tinny hulls, + 2' waves, WOW!
Yes, I am very impressed, never had all these bells and whistles in the past, so after buying this boat, this summer has been an eye opening experience. Not only the trolling motor with anchor lock, but also have a newer sonar unit with far more features than ever before !! Have had a lot to learn to bring myself into a more high tech era, and still learning, but these fancy new to me toys are making it fun once again. The biggest improvement for me is how much less work the new electronics have been. Being 72 yrs old and having bad shoulders and other old man issues, not having to deploy and drag in an anchor has been hugh !! In the past, I have often not moved from my position just due to the hassle of retrieving the anchor. Now..simply shut off the troller, push a lever and lift it onto the cradle, move to a new position, flip a lever and drop the troller and hit the anchor lock button...now fish !! If only moving a short distance, just push a button to energize the troller and move where I want to go, without getting out of my seat !! The previous owner told me how much run time he was getting from the dual group 31 batteries, and thought it might be a bit of a stretch, but he was pretty accurate, happy to say. The fancy sonar unit allows mevto return to the exact spot I used in previous outings..and has cool settings like down scan which creates an almost a picture accuracy of what is down there. If I had to go out and actually purchase all these new toys, it probably would have never happened as it actually has not put more fish in my cooler....but has certainly made finding them more fun with less time fishing empty places. Unfortunately winter has arrived, now just day dreaming about what next season might bring !!!
 
18 year old 43lb Motor guide 12V, 27 month old East Penn group 31 AGM on a 1652 Weld-Craft/60HP Zuke. I have a volt meter on the battery. I lose 2-2.5 tenths of a volt for every continuous hour use on low speed.
 
I can't add a whole lot of relevant input into a 12v setup, but I would be curious to hear your feedback whichever direction you go, in terms of exact battery and runtime for various conditions! Mentioning because I've thought about changing to a 12v motor.

I have the Motorguide xi3 24v on my 14' Starcraft. It is insane overkill for my boat (I got a killer deal on it). LOVE the features that others have mentioned above with spot lock and GPS. For 2 years straight I've charged both my group 31s in the early summer and they last until I winterize in late fall. I've never dipped below a 30% charge. I don't fish a ton, but a fair amount of 3-4 hour outings, and this past summer a 2.5 day fishing retreat logging a lot of trolling motor hours. Out of the 20 power settings, I am usually running on the lowest #2-4, which moves my boat just fine for bank trolling.

Only negative I have to say about the MG is that I have the factory 3-blade prop and it was pretty unbalanced from the get-go, resulting in what I consider to be excess vibration. Mainly just annoying, but I've wondered if I spook more fish because of it. I've heard good things about the Katana prop and have thought about switching and keeping the 3 blade as a backup.
 
I have a 24v Terrova with Ipilot on my 17' Tracker Deep V. It's pretty heavy overall, I think max speed is 3.5mph or thereabouts.

I have pulled crankbaits a ton at 2mph with it over years. I've never ran the batteries dead but they will start to get tired after 6-8 hours of running constantly. I have two Everstart 29's.

Trimming up the outboard makes a difference, a lot more than you would think. Although it can get kinda hard to control if the wind is really blowing hard, the lower unit works as a rudder and helps keep things inline.

As for the Ipilot, it's okay. Granted mine is the 1st generation of it, but from what I've heard they didn't really improve until just recently. If you have a steady wind that's consistent from one direction, it'll keep you in a 10ft circle. If the wind speed is very inconsistent or coming from multiple directions it has a hard time, and will overshoot or wrap up the cables, if it does that it will detect the extra drag, unwrap them, and then cancel spot lock. If you're preoccupied with fishing during all this, by the time you notice what's happened you've already blown way off the spot and you get to start over. Aggravating!

Best advice I can give is to approach from straight downwind, hit spot lock a little bit past where you actually want to fish, and don't hit it until the boat has stopped drifting forward. The motor has a predictable "cycle" that you can time your casts with to get where you want to be, and if you timed it right, that will hopefully be where the boat spends most of it's time as it's drifting back and forth over the spot.

It's pretty rare that I use Spotlock alone, usually I will switch back and forth between it and just driving it manually with the remote.

I have never tried to record a route, but I do use Autopilot occasionally, which is pretty handy for trolling. Wherever you point the motor is where it will go, it'll automatically correct for cross winds or current and keep you on a straight course.
 
I have a 55lb minn kota PD on a 16ft legend. I run all day on a group 24 battery with speeds at 3 to 6. If I'm trolling long distance ( down rigging) I'll use the gas motor and drag a bucket to slow me down
 
Mr Giggles....yes they have improved greatly over the years..my MK 55 power drive is a few years old and I imagine the newer ones are even better !! Mine will hold an approx 3 ft diameter location in anchor lock headed unto the wind and even in 2 ft waves and 20 mph wind !!
I do get lots of air when the prop pops out but have veen very impressed so far. Would I run out and spend well over 1200 bucks for a new one...hmmm... not sure..havent actually put more fish in the boat but has made fishing more interesting !! At my age, having less physical work to do is important and wrestling an anchor was becomming a chore!! Being easier and retired, I find myself going out more often because it is easier, even find myself keeping only better quality fish than before. I find why fill the cooler this trip, gives me an excuse to go back out again sooner !!
 
I recently upgraded to the saltwater version of the xi3-55 on my 14’ xpress. I run Lowrance Elite TI2 graphs at the bow/helm and have the unit connected in via NMEA2000.
The xi3 runs on a dedicated group 27 deep cycle.

Battery life is pretty good for how I use my setup. I use spot lock quite a bit and it seems to hold just fine in wind/waves up to about 25ish mph. After that it will drift some. The last time I went out, I used it for spot lock and maneuvering for a good 5-6 hours. When I got back in and charged the battery, it was back to full charge after an hour or so after being plugged in. My onboard charger does a 5A output. I’m not sure how much battery I used as I didn’t check voltage.

I find that I use the interface with the graph quite often. It’s pretty handy to touch a spot on the map and have the trolling motor take you there. I’ve also used it to follow a route laid in the graph to troll for bass with crank baits. It works really well. I’m sure a minnkota would work just as well as a stand-alone unit. My dad has a terrova and has had zero trouble. I went motorguide because I use Lowrance graphs and I wanted them to talk. I have not been disappointed in the slightest with my decision. The motorguide has been a game changer for me in the way I bass and saltwater fish.
 
Update to this thread....

Since I have a boat on order (Tracker Pro Guide V16SC) and it will be here soon, I will now be testing the iMK Powerdrive that is included with my new boat. It is a 12V 42# 55" shaft without spot lock (GPS).

I'm not sure how well the 42# is going to do, as it is fairly heavy boat at 1170# dry weight (manufacture specs).

I purchased a Lowrance HDS Live so a MG would now be my choice as the two communicate well.

That being said....

After I test out the MK TM, I'll decide if it's worth adding spot lock for ($500).....OR getting a more powerful MG TM.

Since I troll at 2mph for 90% of my use (with 1-3 anglers aboard).....

I'll need to decide if a 12V or 24V is the way to go. I hate the added weight of two batteries, but everything is a trade off. Even if I had a 12V, I would probably run 2 12V batts in parallel for the added troll time. if I did that, then a 24V TM may the preferred option. I'll post a new thread on 12V vs 24V once I test the new TM.

Thanks for all of your input, as it will be very helpful even with the new heavier boat!
 

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