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Trolling Motor Decisions


mminassian

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Hey Guys,

I've been watching Universal Mania for the Ulterra trolling motors to come back in stock and I'm wondering what to get now.

I have a 21MA with a 200 on it.  I was originally thinking of upgrading from my current 24V setup with onboard charger to the 36v 112 trolling motor in a 60" shaft length.  Is this overkill on this size of boat?  Should I stay with my current 24V setup.  I fish west coast florida so we don't really have super crazy tides.  Wondering if the bunch of extra money that I would spend on the trolling motor itself and upgrading another battery plus the new onboard charger is worth it for where I fish.

Also am I guessing right on the 60" shaft?

Thanks for the help!

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If you have never been in a situation where you needed more power, why spend a bunch more and add a bunch of weight?   I have a 60" 2nd gen 24V Ulterra on my Path 2200V, and love it!  The 24V motor and 2 batteries are all the power and weight I want or need, and we average 6 to 7 foot tides here in Ga! My 1 1/2 cents worth!:D

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Might help with the length decision... Pic is a 54" terrova on a 18 Master Angler. Motor height as pictured is set so that the prop is just under the surface of the water. As shallow as you could run it without cavitation. IMO the 54 is a good match for the 18MA. I'd lean toward the 60" on a 21 MA. I assume the bow of the 21 is a little higher off the water.

IMG_20170219_073743.jpg

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On 2/22/2017 at 7:35 AM, mulligan said:

It all depends how and where you fish.  I have a 36v on my current boat.  I maybe the oddball but when I get a new one soon it will be a 24v.  I am in central west Florida.

Mulligan,

When you buy the new one, will it be the 54" or 60" shaft?

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I think 24 is fine, I had a 24 80 on 22 Pathfinder in Tampa Bay. If you want to pair the TM and GPS, I think Garmin is out. Lowrance pairs with Motorguide and Power Pole. Humminbird pairs with Minn Kota and Talon. I have an 18MA with a 60" 24v Xi5, a Lowrance Elite 7Ti and a Power Pole. I think 54" would've been fine for me, but the Xi5 didn't come in 54" with GPS (dumb). You could buy the TM and GPS unit separate, but it cost more. 

For those of considering a tiller I would say look hard at a remote unit. It really changes how you can fish the boat, I can be anywhere on the boat still fish and control the boat.

But really the best feature is the heading lock. When I had a tiller I was constantly making small correction to keep the boat heading in the right direction, and to compensate for the wind. With heading lock, I can set it and run a couple hundred yards of shoreline or flat and never touch the TM. 

I also like to use it when I pull up on the flat, set it  on a heading to the point where I want to fish. Then get the rods ready, grab a drink or a bite and be ready without having to pay full attention to where the boat is going. 

Also check this thread. 

 

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On 2/21/2017 at 10:13 PM, mminassian said:

Hey Guys,

I've been watching Universal Mania for the Ulterra trolling motors to come back in stock and I'm wondering what to get now.

I have a 21MA with a 200 on it.  I was originally thinking of upgrading from my current 24V setup with onboard charger to the 36v 112 trolling motor in a 60" shaft length.  Is this overkill on this size of boat?  Should I stay with my current 24V setup.  I fish west coast florida so we don't really have super crazy tides.  Wondering if the bunch of extra money that I would spend on the trolling motor itself and upgrading another battery plus the new onboard charger is worth it for where I fish.

Also am I guessing right on the 60" shaft?

Thanks for the help!

 

I went from a 24V to 36V on my 22 Pathy (similar hull outline) and found a huge difference....

the upgrade wasn't too painful....i added one more battery and a quick re-wire.

The 112  lbs will really crank you along ....

 

dc

 

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Hurricane do you want your trolling motor and gps linked? If so do you find it's a valuable tool or just over rated marketing?

im kinda stuck on the linking as I feel like it's valuable but never being on a boat with a linked setup I am only imagining it in my mind and it's really making my final decision quite difficult.

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I don't have it linked right now, just haven't got around to getting the needed cabling. I do plan to connect them, its just not a top item on my to do list. For the fishing I do, mostly shallow water I don't think it will be a feature I use much. I can see the use if you use the TM to anchor in deep water for bottom fishing, which I do sometimes. Really for me and my fishing style, its mostly a cool to have feature. But will be a good back up should the remote die or get lost while out on the water.

I do use the Bluetooth link to the Power Pole on occasion, when I don't have the remote clipped on me. However, when you use the Lowrance to operate the Pole it doesn't run at the settings set via the C-monster app, it runs at full speed. So using it in a fishing spot where you're trying to be quite is not an option. I have asked the Power Pole guys about this, just haven't heard back.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On February 24, 2017 at 4:06 PM, mikep said:

I have a 36 v 112 minn Kota with one lithium pro battery and a onboard charger. Very expensive but the best setup ever. Battery is only about 22lbs. 

I've been curious about these.  Have you ever ran out of juice during a day of fishing?  Do you re-charge on the go?  Im concerned I'd have to go with 2 of them and that would not make the weight savings worth it to me.

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  • 4 weeks later...

 I have had this battery and trolling motor set up for two years.  I had it on a 21 foot shoalwater I have never had the battery read less than full.  I've never plugged  in an extension cord.  Charges on the fly full all the time one battery 

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