Motor advice for new 1432 and 42" vs. 30" Shaft?

chrislrob · Mar 21, 2010

Hi, all.

If all goes well, I will be picking up my new-to-me 1432 from wasilvers next week.

It's my first boat and I am very excited. Thanks, Will!

I have looked through the forums and decided to buy a new or used 40 to 55lb thrust transom mount. Price is a big concern for me and I have set up a craigslist search for a Minn Kota Endura. I've seen good things about them and the price is in my range.

Before I realized that I could buy a trolling motor for $200, I was prepared to row my boat! LOL!

But I'm wondering if there are other motors that I should look out for.

Anyone have any advice for a newbie on the subject other than "bigger is better"? After reading dozens of posts, THAT is very clear to me. Still have to get a battery, an inexpensive fishfinder, and maybe a charger, I guess.

Any suggestions on other gear and where to buy cheaply?

Also, any advice on shaft length? I won't be standing up in my 1432, so wouldn't the shorter shaft be better?

Thanks.

ominousone · Mar 22, 2010

The shaft of a trolling motor can be raised so that it becomes higher in the water column. There are some great deals out there for trolling motors on C.L. as well as buying new. $200 may buy a new trolling motor in the size you described. $200 will def get you a 35-40 lb thrust one brand new. Walmart had a great deal, but I can't remember the size. Batteries you will hear many different opinions on. You will hear people say to buy a good one that it out last the cheapy's in terms of time on the water and number of charges, and you will hear people say that they carry a spare on the boat and buy cheap ones and just recycle them when they go bad. If you want cheap, goto walmart. If you want one that will last pick up an agm style battery (the deep cycle style). No matter what buy a deep cycle battery, starting batteries are not meant to be used fully before recharging. As far as chargers go, I have never spent big bucks on one. You can get a pretty good charger that charges fairly quick for not too much. I wouldn't suggest using old technology with a charger as they have become smaller, lighter, and better at charging your battery which will mean more life from your battery in a quicker charge.

chrislrob · Apr 4, 2010

Thanks for the advice, ominousone.

Right now Walmart has the Endura 50lb for $182 with free shipping to the store.

It sounds like a deal to me, but they seem to only sell the 42" shaft. I have a 1432 flatbottom and suspect that the motor is going to sit pretty high at that length. But I don't know any real way of verifying that without actually putting it on there.

I am 6 feet tall and will probably be sitting in a chair that is 6-10 inches off the boat seat.

Part of me wonders if the half-foot difference matters and the other part is afraid that I'm going to end up steering the boat from above my head!

I presume that a 42 inch is designed for a big boat--the 16'-18' powerboat type. Am I wrong?

The other thing that I noticed is that on Amazon the longer-shaft Minn Kota's are consistently cheaper than the shorter- shaft motors. Am I missing something? Thanks.

Loggerhead Mike · Apr 6, 2010

most of the longer shafts are for pontoons and rigs that sit high in the water

as far as batterys you've got to figure out what series you want. i run a 29 wich is the biggest delco makes. I dont think i could use it enough to run it dry but its one less thing i have to worry about. my buddy runs a 24 series on his electric only jon and we've never ran out of juice after the all day'rs

get an automatic trickle charger that will shut off when your battery is top'd off. charging is what makes or breaks the life of the battery

russ010 · Apr 6, 2010

shaft length is measured based on the size of your transom.. my guess is you have a 15" transom, so you would be fine with a 36" shaft.

You don't want the motor to go all the way down as far as it will go - measure about 12-14" below the bottom of your boat and put the center of the prop at that depth... less resistance = more power = more speed

I've got a 36" and a 42" ... I've got them both at the same depths - go with whichever one you can get the most thrust power for the least money.

If you get a battery, you're gonna have to get a battery charger - otherwise you'll be buying a new battery every few trips you go fishing.

Get the biggest battery you can afford - like a 29 or 31 series deep cycle. As for the charger, you can get them at Walmart for like $25-$30. For a deep cycle, I would charge it in automatic mode at 2amps.