So, Im planning on doing a new boat in the fall. There is a 200 acre electric motor only lake near me know that has been open about 5 years and the reviews are great. I do have a pond boat but want to keep it and build another. The max  boat length for this lake is 14 foot. Ive seen numerous topics on 14/32, 14/36 sized boats but Im not 18 anymore and would like something a little wider to help make it more stable. Take a look at this boat in the picture. This is exactly what I want to do. Casting decks, 2 minn kotas on the rear with 2 big foot switches and a bow mount on the front. From what I gather, Ill need at least 4 batteries,  2 in front and 2 near the rear ran in parallel in order to get the run times to fish all day. This leads to another problem, weight! Im looking at almost 900 total pounds which is exactly the max weight capacity on this 14/48 im wanting to do. I also want to run 2 sep 2 bank chargers. Add in 2 fishermen and shes gonna be heavy. So what do to think about this guys set up and what do you have? Share pics and ideas please! Thanks! 

What two motors on the transom are you considering?

Minn Kota 55's I believe it's the Endura?

I would guess the 48" would be close. 

That looks like a 1448. I would keep it simple with one trolling motor in the back. 1448 will be plenty stable for you and another guy; 3/4" ply wrapped with home depot indoor/outdoor carpet & mount it right on top of the existing seats.

I fish out of a wide 14' vhull. My 12v 45lb front mount lasts all day (8-10hrs) during tournaments. I have a 2 bank MinnKota on board charger that works pretty well, though you will find mixed reviews everywhere on just about every on board charger. 

That is a 1448 and it looks like Lowe. I'very got one so I'm familiar with it. Super stable boat. I also agree with the others that say go with 1 TM. 2 batteries instead of 4 and you can go up to about 70 lbs of thrust on 24V IIRC. Look on CL  for a good used one if you can't afford new. I put a 45 lber on mine and it pulls it plenty fast enough and I haven't had any problems with the battery draining early. 

That's a,nice setup in that picture...

 

Mike

I've got a similar setup for an electric lake, though my boat is a 1548 g3.  I would go with a single trolling motor on the rear, the 2nd made little difference in soeed, just drained batteries faster.  

 

I'm currently rebuilding the decks now and using aluminum sheet and tubing to keep weight down instead of the plywood that was there originally

The other advice is to think about under deck rod storage especially with 2 guys.  I'm putting in tubes to slide my rods under the front deck so I have a place for 6 rods under the deck in addition to what's stored on the front deck. 

On May 11, 2016 at 10:54 PM, FishHard247 said:

Minn Kota 55's I believe it's the Endura?

Just get one 24v motor on the transom instead of two 12v

Look at tinboats.net for other ideas.  I think the pics from my build are still over there somewhere

Thanks for the awesome ideas. I did have to go with a 14/42 rather than a 14/48 because the 14/48 were hard to find and when i did they were a ton higher. Got an 05 alumna craft 14/42 and it's nice. I'll post a build when I start but I currently have a pond boat until I get going. Thanks again guys! You are all awesome with the help.