Howdy,

I have a 12.5' Lowe "Sea Nymph" V-bottom boat with a 9.9 Merc 2 stroke. I was thinking about putting a transom mounted trolling motor on my little boat. I have never used a trolling motor so I'm not really sure what the best options are and I am not sure what motor to get.

1) I found a Minn Kota 30 at Bass Pro for $104. I am assuming that the number 30 means 30 pounds of thrust. Would a motor of this size be adequate for moving my boat with myself and possibly another angler with a moderate amount of gear around in a lake cove or possibly holding the boat in a light current or breeze?

2) What is a good battery and charging system for a small trolling motor?

3) Why are the hand controls on a tiller type trolling motor the opposite of a tiller type outboard motor?

Any suggestions are welcome. The boat is too small for a foredeck and forward mounted trolling motor. It only has a 46" beam so it's not the most stable boat for standing and fishing.

Thanks,

Tom

I've used a 30# TM for many years on a 12' Lowe while fishing small lakes/ponds with two 220 pound men and have never had a problem.  On high it has pretty good speed and will go slow enough to creep around.

If you're talking about a bow mount, hand control motor when asking why the handle is turned backwards, on the transome the motor pushes the boat, on the bow the motor pulls the boat.

The battery is going to be determined by the anount of run time you think you're going to need.  The more run time the bigger and heavier the battery.   Also, if you're having to lift the battery in and out of the boat, you might want to consider a smaller, group 24 @ 80 - 95 Ah.  If you think you iwll need a bunch of run time, then look at the Trojan SSC-225, thats about the baddest of the TM batteris but will cost you between $116 (jober price) and $145 list price.  The big Yellow Maxx batteries from wally world will fall somewhere in between and cost about $65

As for a charger, get at least a 10 amp and make sure it's a three step Smart or Intelli charger that drops into a float mode when the charge is complete.  These can be left connected to the battery 24/7 and not damage the battery.   Your standard Auto Shutoff chargers can not be left on the battery when charge is complete and take much longer to charge the battery.  

Thank you very much Way2Slow. I appreciate your help. Thanks for taking the time.

Tom

I went with the gourp 27 Trojan AGM.  It is not a dual purpose battery, meaning it not meant for cranking, just trolling motor and it is more expensive.  I doesn't have quite the capactiy of the 225 but it has plenty for my needs.  The big selling point for me was that the battery is completely sealed.  I can shift it around, and have it fall over, and all the other clutsy things I do from time to time, but no acid will leak.  And you never have to worrry about the acid level running low.

FYI, nothing eats through everything as well as battery acid.

Thanks Avid. Good points. I like the idea of a sealed battery.

Tom

I have a 10ft tracker and i have a 30 pond thrust motor guide and its benn working realy well.

You can actually lay AGM's on their sides and use them without doing any harm to the battery.  It does reduce the capacity by 10% while laying on it's side but it makes them very convienent when wanting to slide them under a seat out of the way.

Thanks Way2Slow and Floridabassboy.