Need information on selecting a trolling motor for the river. I was considering a Minn kota Maxxum 50 but was wondering if I should upgrade and get a 24 volt system with a 65 lb. thrust? I want a system that will run all day without running the battery out in a couple hours. Anybody have any experience with the 50 and how many hours I can expect to get out of it? I'll be using it on a 16 ft. Alumaweld Super Vee. Thanks for any info!!!

I rund a Minn Kota 50 on my 16' drift boat and it pushes it right along. I can even get back upriver in slower flows. Definately won't set and speed records but it works well. The 24 volt high thrust electric motors will push you faster but they will suck 2 batteries dry in only a few hours if you run 'em full tilt or close to it. I usually bring two batteries when I plan on running my Minn Kota 50 for more than 3 hours. Hope this helps and good luck. Justin

Fish Breath,
The 50lb thrust min-kota should work fine for your needs.How ever,I would install a dual battery system with the perko switch so that you can run the min-kota and all other electronics off of one battery and have the
fresh battery to fire up that power house when needed and in a hurry if needed.I'd install the perko switch near you and easy to get to.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

fishbreath, if you run the 12 volt system get yourself 2 6volt batteries hook them up to get 12 volts by taking neg to pos between the two batteries this way if you have 2 six volt batteries with say 650 cranking amps you doubble the cranking amps to 1300 and by running neg to pos get 12volts you will run all day long, doug

While we're one the subject of electrics on boats does Washington State require a boat running an electric motor to be registered or is still under the less than 10 h.p does not need registered?

I used to have a 12 volt MinnKota Riptide on my 18 foot Alumaweld Formula Vee and it did okay and the battery would last a long time....Never ever had it run out in one day, but I too had a perko switch hooked to two batteries.
I had the chance to sell my 12 volt and upgrade to a 24 volt and I am glad I did. It has much more thrust and it too does great in the battery dept. I do have the switch hooked up so I can Isolate my outboard's battery.
Get the most thrust you can afford, but remember the added weight of the batteries, which in my boat doesn't seem to make any difference. BTW the thrust on my 12 volt was 55 and the 24 volt is 74 I believe.

desertdog, yes you still have register that 10 hp law no longer exsists, when the 9.9 came out the state was loosing to much money in registration fees,doug

We use a Minn Kota 70EX (extreme series) for a kicker on our 16.5' Alumiweld. 24-volt system, lasts all day, and provides plenty of push. Unfortunately, it's in the shop right now (bad switch board). I would go with the biggest lb. thrust that you can get for your sled. If there is a bigger one, get it. It never hurts to have the extra power.

I've run both 12 and 24-volt electrics on my 18' Alumaweld Stryker in lakes and the salt. Of the two systems, the 24 is superior as you get a longer run time because you don't need to use as high a thrust setting.


The higher a thrust setting, the more amps you draw from the battery. There is another reason to choose a 24-volt system, and that is that they will run quieter than a comparable 12 (and as a rule, they will last longer).


However, you shouldn't tie your cranking battery into the system because a cranking battery is not built the same way as a deep-cycle. It will fail sooner than a deep cycle because a cranking battery was not meant to be drawn down deeply before recharging.


With two honking big 12-volt deep cycle batteries, you should be able to run all day-- unless you're running at top speed.

What is the best mounting setup for an electric motor on a driftboat (transom). Does Minnkota make a mount?

There are just two mounts that will work off the rear end of a driftboat... the standard transom mount and a "bowmount" that would be used in reverse (i.e. you turn the motor completely around and run it that way). The transom mount is the simplest and both Minn Kota and MotorGuide have them with motors of varying shaft lengths. The key to performance is to get a motor with a shaft that will work off your boat.


You would have to custom build a bracket to use with one of the bowmount motors, but the advantage would be that you could control the motor with your feet and not your hands.


I do see one problem with a transom mount motor... it might not fit beside your anchoring bracket. I've never owned a drift boat, at least not yet, so I don't know if I'm blowing smoke on this last part or not. But even if it didn't fit, you could rig a side-mount bracket out of some 2x6 oak or other hard wood. I don't think I would want to travel with the motor hanging on it, however.


I think you're going the right direction with the Minn Kota. However, if you're going to use the motor in the salt, you might want to wait for this year's new RipTide. I've seen how they're built, and it's very impressive.