Pontoon Trolling Motor & Modifications Help

[MRG]

Greetings everyone,

I would greatly appreciate any & all advice you fine ladies & gentlemen could provide on buying a trolling motor that I will use on a Wilderness 11 pontoon I recently bought. The 11’s are rated for 400lbs & comes pre-setup to install a small troller on the back. (or on the front depending on how I configure the frame) The box states that up to a 30lb thrust motor can be installed.

My multi-part question to you all are as follows:

- Will a lighter trolling motor work, such as an 18lb thrust motor? (I’m 260lbs)
- What would happen if I installed a larger motor? I have a friend that has a 55lb thrust we are going to test in the near future & I'm curious if it would cause too much acceleration & thus tweak the frame over time or was it just a weight issue?
- Are there any brands that I should stay away from?
- Are used trolling motors OK to use? By this I mean, are trolling motors in general built to last or are they prone to fail after x amount of years of use? I ask because I am on a limited budget & I see a lot of motors for sale on craigslist.
- On the new side, I am looking at buying a Minn Kota Endura C2. I understand the quality of battery plays a big roll, but how long would a typical 55ah or 80ah deep cycle battery last? Depends on the speed I have the motor set to I know. I used 55ah & 80ah as those are the two I see most often listed on craigslist.

On a side note, because I am pushing the listed weight limit for the frame on my 11, apart from a homemade-jury-rigged solution, but does anyone know of a small floating modification that can be installed directly under the seat to help offset my weight as I sit down while out on the water? Also as I plan to install a small seat extension so I sit up higher I don't want to put too much stress on the steel frame.


Thank you in advance,

-Jeff

[The Quadfather]

Dryflysuperguy,

Can you weigh in on this..?

[4n6fisher]

Jeff,
Here are my quick thoughts, a few others here probably have some better set-ups and more experience. I went with a 45Lb Minn Kota max, probably should have stuck with the 30, mostly because of the weight issue. I started with a group 31 battery, but that combined with the motor put too much ballast in the back end and I just ended up dragging the battery trough the water and folding the pontoons almost in half.
I switched to a group 27 battery and that was better, but there is still a lot of weight in the back and no way to balance it out. It would be nice if I could get the battery in front, but any setup I thought of would have seriously limited fishing and mobility. I did move the seat forward as far as it would go and pumped the hell out of the pontoons, they need to be really stiff since they will loose pressure as they cool in the water (like Tom Brady's balls).
The 45 Lb motor moves the boat along pretty good, 30 should work just fine since I never go full throttle. The group 27 battery lasted me two full days at Baker lake, motoring out to the fishing grounds and trolling along for about 7-8 hrs each day.
I am only about 170, so with your added weight you really want to minimize the weight of the battery and motor. I would worry more about the integrity of the pontoons more than the steel frame with any modifications as that seems to be the weak link on mine, they do not really like to be pumped up enough to stay stiff in the water. I imagine a seam will blow out in a couple years.

Omar

[MRG]

Omar,

Good food for thought you have provided. I am somewhat leery of the Pontoons folding up on themself as well & have put myself on a diet to lose a few lbs of this soft muscle (fat! lol) I have. Every pound lost will help. As I love to tinker, I have been planning out modifications that I want to do to the pontoon, all while not adding any overly excess weight. Also have been planning on evening out the weight distribution so that the front of my pontoon isn't pointing at the sky as I toot along. Battery in the back & installing the motor in the front for example. The times I have been out on the 11, I was very impressed at how well & truth be told, high she rode on the water. While I love to swim, I really don't relish having my pontoon break apart under me. This was also why I'd like to place a flotation device under the seat, to help take some of the load off both the frame & the pontoons themselves.

I know what you mean about having the correct inflation. My last time out, everything was firm as I put everything together, but as soon as it got onto the water & cooled off a little, the pontoons were definitely a little softer. I think I need to invest in a pressure gauge for when I'm inflating so I don't overdo it & over inflate.

While I'm aware that my experience will be different than yours, I am happy to hear that the overall average battery life on the water isn't only an hour or two. Would really hate to buy a cheap & weak one. Sure, the battery will get you out to the middle of the lake, but you'll have to row your happy you-know-what back to shore!

Unless I hear solid reasons as to why a used motor would be the better buy, I think I'm going to take the plunge (no pun intended) and go & buy a new trolling motor. The one I listed above got good reviews & with a 2 year warranty, at least I'll have that piece of mind. I'll also do a little more research on the different batteries & see if I can find one that's on the lighter side. I'll look into the Group 27 ones as well.

Thanks for the reply

-Jeff

[hewesfisher]

While I can't help you with your pontoon questions, I can help with the battery. First thing first, size battery to the load. For a 30 - 45lb thrust motor that will most likely be used at half power or less most of the time, you will be served best by purchasing a dual purpose AGM battery or a true deep cycle AGM (more expensive). You will, however, get better service and life span using a true deep cycle for your trolling motor, but only if you never use it as an engine starting battery.

IMO, for your application, a 34M (same as Gp24 but with dual posts) AGM will be tough to beat. I like the Sears Platinum, in your case the PM-2. This, and the PM-1 (31M), are made by Odyssey batteries, have the exact same performance as the Odyssey battery, and have been confirmed by an Odyssey engineer as being identical to the respective Odyssey battery just in a different case. The Sears Platinum batteries carry a 3yr full replacement warranty. The PM-2 has a 135min reserve capacity. I'd get a NOCO Genius G3500 smart charger (currently offering 25% off and free shipping) and leave it attached whenever you aren't using it. With a truly sealed case, you'll never ever have to worry about maintenance or leakage.

IMO, there is little to gain by going to a 27-series. Only difference is a small increase in height, width and length remain the same as a 24-series. You might see a reserve capacity increase of 20mins or so. One thing you don't need to pay any attention to is CCA or MCA (same thing as CA). Focus on reserve capacity (RC), that's all that matters for your specific application.

Find the battery with the highest RC and the longest warranty for the money you are willing to spend and you'll be good to go.

[hewesfisher]

Thought I'd make a quick update, Sears has discontinued the Platinum series batteries, so you may, or may not, be able to get one. If interested, check you local stores soon.

[MRG]

Update:

Thank you Hewesfisher. I looked into the battery you had suggested and saw that they were still available via 3rd party vendors, but found that at $240+ they were way beyond my means at the moment. I did however take your advice and get the NOCO Genius G3500 smart charger as stated below. I had originally looked at that exact charger & thought it looked like a good charger, so I was glad to have someone else say the same thing.

Thanks again for your input!

At the 11th hour before I was to go and buy a new troller at BassPro, I saw an ad on craigslist for a 2004 model year (I checked the serial number) Minn Kota Endura 50 trolling motor going for $60. The pictures for it were low res but I took a shot anyways and called the guy about it who said he would stop by my work with it for me to take a look at, which he did last night. Now I'm no expert, but this motor looked brand new. No scuff marks anywhere on the motor from use in shallow water & the prop was shiny & black. Even the nut holding the prob on looked brand new as well. (Could have been replaced along with the prop I guess) I brought out a bucket of water & tested the motor through all the speeds. It was Whisper quiet (I tested out of the water to listen to the motor) and a real chore to hold up due to the force it was putting out under water. Everything about the motor screamed "Hardly-Ever-Used-Buy-It-Now!" So I did.

The guy also brought along a battery, a 12v 85ah Trojan 24TM Marine / RV Deep Cell battery that he said he didn't need along with a battery box and sold it to me for $5. Said he wasn't sure if the battery was any good. (Even if it's not, I can use it to cover the core cost when I buy a new battery) This battery also looked brand new. Not as in clean, but as in BRAND SPANKING NEW. You all here know what I'm talking about as there is an obvious difference between the two. I have not tested it yet as it was late & I had to work the next day. I will read up on it to see what maintenance I can do to it.

Last but not least, I ordered a NOCO Genius G3500 battery charger yesterday w/3 day shipping so I should get it on Friday. I'll hook up the battery to it after I perform any needed maintenance. With any luck, the battery is either still good or can be brought back from the dead..

Fingers are crossed. Now I just gotta work on installing an extra float under the pontoons seat...

-Jeff

[lost360]

A 50 lb will make that pontoon rip I use a 30 and it seems to be a little fast trolling I drag my feet to slot it down

[dwh4784]

Yeah seems like a lot of power to me. We fished for years with a 24 lb on the bow of a 17 ft fiberglass bass boat. Had to be mindful of the wind but for the most part it did just fine.

For that deal how could you not buy it though. Nice score!

[MRG]

A 50 lb will make that pontoon rip I use a 30 and it seems to be a little fast trolling I drag my feet to slot it down

I am looking forward to just that, being able to get from point A to point B in as short a period of time as possible, as I have very limited free time to be out on the water to begin with. Since I'm not exactly a light guy & plan on modifying my pontoon to some extent, I wanted the piece of mind knowing I would be able to get around quickly due to the extra weight.

Yeah seems like a lot of power to me. We fished for years with a 24 lb on the bow of a 17 ft fiberglass bass boat. Had to be mindful of the wind but for the most part it did just fine.

For that deal how could you not buy it though. Nice score!

I'll be the first to admit my ignorance when it comes to what I needed lbs thrust wise, as the last troller I had was back in '92 attached to a canoe when I went out on Lake Tahoe. I watched countless Youtube videos & tried to compare the performance between the two (30 lbs vs everything else) vs of how long my battery would last vs the added weight on my Pontoon vs my love of tinkering vs a larger pontoon down the road. Once I saw the troller I ended up buying in person & testing it + the battery deal I got, I felt I had to act on it. Might be awhile, but a fellow fly fishing friend of mine has a GoPro & the next time we go out, I'll ask if he can video a min or two of how it performs which I'll link to here.

Thanks again to all that replied & if you have any thoughts, no matter how outlandish, as to how one might reinforce/attach a counter float under the seat, by all means, share. I know what I want to do, I'm just limited by the lack of the almighty $.

-Jeff

[hewesfisher]

Update:

Thank you Hewesfisher. I looked into the battery you had suggested and saw that they were still available via 3rd party vendors, but found that at $240+ they were way beyond my means at the moment. I did however take your advice and get the NOCO Genius G3500 smart charger as stated below. I had originally looked at that exact charger & thought it looked like a good charger, so I was glad to have someone else say the same thing.

Thanks again for your input!

At the 11th hour before I was to go and buy a new troller at BassPro, I saw an ad on craigslist for a 2004 model year (I checked the serial number) Minn Kota Endura 50 trolling motor going for $60. The pictures for it were low res but I took a shot anyways and called the guy about it who said he would stop by my work with it for me to take a look at, which he did last night. Now I'm no expert, but this motor looked brand new. No scuff marks anywhere on the motor from use in shallow water & the prop was shiny & black. Even the nut holding the prob on looked brand new as well. (Could have been replaced along with the prop I guess) I brought out a bucket of water & tested the motor through all the speeds. It was Whisper quiet (I tested out of the water to listen to the motor) and a real chore to hold up due to the force it was putting out under water. Everything about the motor screamed "Hardly-Ever-Used-Buy-It-Now!" So I did.

The guy also brought along a battery, a 12v 85ah Trojan 24TM Marine / RV Deep Cell battery that he said he didn't need along with a battery box and sold it to me for $5. Said he wasn't sure if the battery was any good. (Even if it's not, I can use it to cover the core cost when I buy a new battery) This battery also looked brand new. Not as in clean, but as in BRAND SPANKING NEW. You all here know what I'm talking about as there is an obvious difference between the two. I have not tested it yet as it was late & I had to work the next day. I will read up on it to see what maintenance I can do to it.

Last but not least, I ordered a NOCO Genius G3500 battery charger yesterday w/3 day shipping so I should get it on Friday. I'll hook up the battery to it after I perform any needed maintenance. With any luck, the battery is either still good or can be brought back from the dead..

Fingers are crossed. Now I just gotta work on installing an extra float under the pontoons seat...

-Jeff

Good deal Jeff! Put that battery on the charger when it comes in and let the charger do it's thing. I have a NOCO Gen3 on board and 3 of the G750s as maintainers for the infrequently used equipment. I used one of them to bring a big tractor battery back from a severe discharge, took a week, but it got the job done. Wet cell batteries will last a lot longer if you keep them on that charger when not in use. I have a pair of wet cell batteries for my 24v trolling motor that are 6yrs old and going strong. They, like the monster AGM for my main, are always on the charger when the boat's not on the water.

[MRG]

Battery Update:

After checking & topping off the levels in the battery with distilled water, I put the NOCO Genius G3500 battery charger I had just bought on it. Right away it showed that the battery was under 25% charged. 6hrs later, it was still under 25%. I was bummed, thinking that it was a dead battery after all. Then I “remembered” that this charger had a Recovery mode. So I activated it before I went to bed. I checked it again 8hrs later & saw that it had switched from Recovery to regular charge & that it was now at 100%! Christmas came early for me this year in the form of a $175 battery for $5. It’s going to stay on the charger every second I’m not using it. I’m going to go to Wilderness lake next Friday to test it & the new 50 lb trolling motor I got out on my Pontoon. I’ll post pics & possibly a video (if interesting enough to do so) once I get back.

Thanks again to Hewesfisher for his suggestion on the charger!

-Jeff

[hewesfisher]

One other cool tip NOCO recommends (might work with other chargers too), if the battery is discharged below what the automatic sensing will allow for charge on the 12v setting, switch it to 6v first and leave until the full charge light comes on. Then switch to 12v and repeat. I have saved at least 2 batteries this way and both are still in service and holding charges as normal.

Happy to help out.