Powering a 14 foot Jon

[Bassman018]

I plan on shortly buying a 14 foot Jon, I want to keep it all electric so I can fish some of the lakes around my way that are only electric. My plan was to use 2 45 pound Minn Kota Enduras on the back with a 30 pound up front with the tiller reversed so it would work as I have seen online. would this be enough to go at a okay speed? just curious of you opinions/concerns. also how many batteries should I have I was thinking one for each motor and one for fishfinder, livewell, ETC.

 

[brmurray]

Same conversation I am having wioth my father_in_law. In a nutshell, speed is going to wipe out you batteries. The more speed equals higher current draw from you 12 volt system. Increasing to a 24 volt motor will provide a higher effiency rating and utilize less current for same speed output. By the way this is his electrical engineer mathamatics disertation to me. So it all depends on size of water how long you fish and charge of your batteries. If you do go down this road I would use a minimum of 4 bstteries at a minimum of 125 AmpHR rating. Speed though is hard to gauge. Good luck and hope some of this made sense.

 

[Zum]

Trolling motors aren't meant for speed...period.It's all about the prop/s.
Just guessing with that setup,approx.5-7mph.
I think you'll get around 5mph,just with one good sized trolling motor.

 

[Bassman018]

So more isn't always the best? would I be better of with say a 55 pound minn kota endura on the back with a minn kota endura 30 on the front with the head modified?

 

[Zum]

It's going to depend on how big your boat is.
Weight,type of hull,fish in alot of wind or current...
I'm deffinitly not saying a small trolling motor is as good as a big trolling motor.
I just think somtimes people go alittle overboard for the size boat they are using.
I don't know your situation but why the need for 2/3 trolling motors.
Suppose it would be good if one breaks down.
How about just one good sized one,say the biggest 12V at 55lbs or even a 24V?
The more TM's the more batteries your going to need.They weigh a bit if you have to move them to charge,around $80 a piece,last approx.2-5 years.
Just saying....
I'm sure others will chime in with ideas of their own,just give it a bit.

 

[Bassman018]

Well my concern was when I was fishing I would want a smaller motor for actually fishing. and that a 55 would push it too fast

 

[Zum]

I use a PD 50,varible speed...it will go plenty slow for me.
Maybe a 55 with 5 speeds will be to fast...not sure,wouldn't think so though.

 

[malaki]

i have a 36 and a 55 on mine. the 55 trolls slower in 1st speed and a big difference in top speed in 5th. both together makes it the fastest boat on the electric lake i fish, but still slow.lol

 

[Waterwings]

I run a 54# MG foot control, and a 40# MK Endura hand-tiller on my 16' rig, with two batteries, and it's plenty. I run 1 battery per tm, with the one for the rear tm also powering my depth finder (no interference ever experienced), and bilge pump if I ever need it. I rarely use the rear tm, but it's there if I need it if the front one craps-out on me.

 

[Bassman018]

So I'm thinking If I just get a 55 I would be fine right?

 

[piedmontNC]

I have a similar question as the OP.

I'm planning on getting a 1436 Tracker. I want to run the front TM with a 36# and am debating on a 55# 12v on the back vs. a 70#24v. IS it worth the extra expense in speed difference?

IN either case, the TM's will be on their own respective batteries.

 

[Zum]

I have a similar question as the OP.

I'm planning on getting a 1436 Tracker. I want to run the front TM with a 36# and am debating on a 55# 12v on the back vs. a 70#24v. IS it worth the extra expense in speed difference?

IN either case, the TM's will be on their own respective batteries.

Might want to start your own thread,just to get more responses.

I would be good if you buy one,say the 40lber,try it see how you like it,you can always get another later.
If you have a friend that you can borrow one off of,try it see if it's any better.
I think a 36-50lber would be fine(for that boat size) but again depends on what type water/weight and conditions your fishing in.
I will say to the both of you on this page(post).If you don't put a trolling motor on the rear your going to want a rudder of some sort(homemade),makes it alot easier to control.

 

[piedmontNC]

I didn't want to bother everyone with a question that was almost the same as the OP so thought I might just put it here as it may help him answer his question as well.

But yeah, it'll definitely be a 2 TM setup with the stronger one on the transom for puttering and the bow mount for fishing, so I don't ave to worry about the rudder issue.

 

[malaki]

When i got my 55 i did some reserch. to step up to a 24v its almost twice the $$$ and twice the batteries. the 55 also has a much larger prop than the smaller motors. paid $235 for mine at gander mountain to go up to a 65 was around $400.

 

[Brine]

My rig will have (2) 55# on the rear, and (1)45# bow mount. I expect to get about 4-4.5mph out of it. My 13ftr had a 55# on the front, and a 55# on the back, and would run about 3.8mph. If I turned off the back motor, it would run about 3.2mph. Point being, it's alot of money and weight for an extra one on the rear.

Breaking 5mph on trolling motors is no easy feat. Most (if not all) will need at least (2) 24V motors to do so. Boats have a max hull speed unelss on plane, which TM won't do. One 80# motor will push the boat better than 2 40# motors, because there is less drag. You'll also get longer runtime out of the one 80# motor than the 2 40#. You can look up the hull speed calculator and see what your max hull speed is. It makes the decision a little clearer if you realize you're .5mph from max hull speed and debating on a second or third motor. If you're on a tight budget, I'd carry two 55# motors (one up front, and one in the back, with 3 batteries) The third battery will run electronics and can be used in an emergency. I've fished alot of 8hr tournaments with that setup. I just don't expect to get to any spots first. IMO, there is no such thing as too much TM. The stronger motor does better up front. It seems they pull better than push. I know someone who had (3) 24V motors on his boat. He sold one of the three, and lost .5 mph. Price 2 batteries, and the motor, and the .5mph doesn't look so good. Not uncommon here for guys to run 3-4 motors, but it's because they are fishing tournaments, and they feel the .5mph is worth it.

 

[justnortherns]

I also have an all-electric setup in a 14 ft jon, I'd say keep it simple.

Three batteries will take up space you'll want for other things. When that boat is loaded up with gear and friends you'll wish there was somewhere else to keep all those batteries.

I use a single minnkota 30 trolling motor with two batteries (and I only bring one battery if I'm only going a short distance with rowing as backup) for my 14 ft jon. The second battery is a spare or used to extend range after the first battery is expended. Sure I don't go very fast but for me, range is more important than speed. It's critical to remember that higher speed (because of higher current draw on the batteries) will result in shorter range, so make sure to plan your battery capacity accordingly!

If speed is important, I'd say get the most expensive single trolling motor you can afford (speed will usually be proportional to price) and get the needed batteries to support that, and add one more battery as a spare. In my opinion, using more than one trolling motor will not increase your speed significantly. But higher speed = high current draw = decreased range, watch out for this when an electric motor is your only source of propulsion.