Electric Trolling Motor on a Pontoon

[zugger]

I am looking to buy an electric trolling motor for my pontoon and aluminum boat and have 2 questions

Its a Outcast Discovery IR-10. I assume the weight on board including the boat would be roughly 300-350lbs(this would also include the battery).

I also have a light weight aluminum boat aprox 12ft long and would weigh roughly 650-700lbs when fully loaded with 2 ppl and gear.

I am looking the get a motor that would serve both boats and am wondering how much thrust i need and how long the shaft should be 30 or 36 inches.

I am worried that if i choose a 40+ lbs thrust that it will be too fast for my pontoon to troll with.

Anyone with any experience on this subject would be great.

Thanks

[eagledays]

Don't worry about the 40 plus lb. thrust.

They have "variable speed " control on the handle.

You can slow them down to a stage that the prop barely moves.

[EricNotTheRed]

I can't speak for all available electric motors, but I've got a Minn Kota Endura 30lb thrust with a 30" shaft that I use on my 9' pontoon.

I find that even on the lowest speed setting, my pontoon moves too quickly for a slow troll with a fly.

My 'toon is about 400lbs loaded, but the drag is probably more relevant.

[eagledays]

I prolly spoke to soon.

Smallest I've run mine on would be an 8ft. fibreglass with no issues. 3hp. Minn Kota.

Best to hear from someone who has one on there toon.

[fishortho]

I have an Outcast Discovery 9 and have a 30 lb thrust,variable speed and find it perfect for trolling, and gettig me accross the lake. It would work fine on an aluminum boat, but I would want a 9.9 HP outboard to get me to the spots, especially on a bigger lake....Be sure and get a good quality deep cycle battery and a trickle charger (crappy tire has surprisigly good product)....I have spent an entire day on the water without a re-charge
Oh, and btw.......Eric not the Red has a very fast pontoon and he is a big guy!!..............see ya at the tommy Eric.........Ortho

[EricNotTheRed]

My toon does have a fairly low drag (dual pontoons on each side). Ortho's rig is closer to yours, so it may be a better comparison.

I would recommend looking at Costco as well for your deep cycle battery. They had the best Amp-hours per dollar last time I looked.

Looking forward to the Tommy, Ortho.

[Zane]

I have a 40lb. Minkota that I use on my Toon (Discovery 9IR) and my 10ft. flat bottom tinnie. I find that the electric motor works great on both but I hardly ever use it for trolling even though it can be run real slow. I prefer to use my fins (allows me to have my rod in my hand) and is a much better trolling speed, or I row the tinnie. As far as battery life goes, the more you use it and the faster you go, the faster the battery runs down. I usually use the motor if I'm in a hurry( I'm not in a big hurry these days) or at the end of the day when I'm tired. The deep cycle battery I have now I got at crappy tire last year and it holds a charge real well, but we'll see how it performs in a few more years.The best things you can do to ensure your battery continues to perform is make sure it has the proper amount liquid, keep it charged when not in use, don't run the battery flat and keep it clean. I like to recharge when there is about 25% power left. The last time out I still had about 1/2 charge after 3 days. I also carry an extra battery. I bought a "smart" charger and feel that it is a good investment as it takes all the guess work out of the charging process and does a bunch of other things too.

[eagledays]

I have an Outcast Discovery 9 and have a 30 lb thrust,variable speed and find it perfect for trolling, and gettig me accross the lake. It would work fine on an aluminum boat, but I would want a 9.9 HP outboard to get me to the spots, especially on a bigger lake....Be sure and get a good quality deep cycle battery and a trickle charger (crappy tire has surprisigly good product)....I have spent an entire day on the water without a re-charge
Oh, and btw.......Eric not the Red has a very fast pontoon and he is a big guy!!..............see ya at the tommy Eric.........Ortho

Chucklin to myself...

Belly boat syndrome?

Always heading out with a tailwind.

Just funnin.

[count]

When I troll with my trolling motor I don't have constantly on one speed. I always seem to do better by switching the slowest speed on my trolling motor of and on. Sort of bumping along. Coasting for a bit. I think certain flies are better trolled this way, adds more action to the fly than a constant speed. Kinda like when stripping in a fly.

[hotrod]

When I was looking for an electric trolling motor for Pontoon boat Costco.ca was selling 38 pound thrust MinnKotas. Works great, as someone else has mentioned you can adjust the speed as your trolling and that actually seems to be when the fish bite. And the Costco deep cycle batteries seem to be decent.
If you are patient the Costco batteries do come on sale occasionally.