How deep should a trolling motor be?

Asked by: Timothy Schultz

about 12-18 inchesabout 6 inches of water above the blades. In other words, the centerline of the motor and the prop shaft should be about 12-18 inches below the waterline, depending on the make, model and dimensions of the trolling motor.

How deep do you want your trolling motor?

12″

Choosing the correct trolling motor shaft length is important so that the angler’s electric motor does not cavitate, creating fish-spooking noise. The rule of thumb is that the top of the motor section should be submerged 12″.

Can a trolling motor be too deep?

The short answer is, yes. The motor will run just as well out of water as if it were submerged. However, there’s no reason to run a trolling motor out of the water. Doing so will waste the battery and may cause damage to the motor.

Where’s the best place to put a trolling motor on a boat?

The trolling motor should be placed as close to the center of the stern as possible without interfering with the operation of the main motor, if there is one. The top of the mounting bracket should be flush with the top of the stern.

Is it better to have the trolling motor on the front or back?

Bottom line: a bow mount is better for using a foot controlled or spot lock trolling motor, or for fishing from the front of the boat, while a transom mount is better for small boats, for trolling, and for fishing from the back of the boat.

How far should trolling motor be underwater?

12″

Submersion Rule: You’ll want the top of the motor submerged at LEAST 12″ under the water to ensure adequate power and to prevent noisy cavitation which will scare fish.

How far below the hull should the prop be?

If you have a short shaft motor, the top most part of the transom and the lower most part of the boat should be about 15 to 16 inches. For a long shaft, I think 20 to 21 inches is correct.

Can I run my trolling motor out of the water?

Your motor is cooled by the water around it, while running it out of the water for a very short time would be OK, it would take a long time to drain the battery much running the motor out of the water with no load. Why risk damaging a very expensive TM to just drain the battery down.

How many pounds of thrust do I need for a trolling motor?

Boat weight is the most important consideration to take into account when choosing a trolling motor. A beginning rule of thumb is that you want a minimum of 2 lbs of thrust for every 100lbs. For example, if you have a 3000lb boat, fully loaded, then the calculation is (3000/100) * 2 = 60lbs of thrust.

How long will a trolling motor run?

Fully charged, and under perfect conditions, this battery could supply your trolling motor 100 amps of power for one hour, 50 amps for 2 hours, 25 amps for 4 hours, 10 amps for 10 hours, etc.

Why are trolling motor on the bow?

Boats do not tend to go in a straight line. Because of this, it is much easier to pull a boat than to push a boat. It is also easier to move the bow of the boat sideways compared to moving the transom. Therefore, a bow-mounted electric trolling motor allows for much greater boat control and positioning.

How long does a marine battery last on a trolling motor?

around 2-3 years

Lead-acid wet cell batteries are one of the most common types of batteries to use with trolling motors. They are an affordable option that can handle the everyday uses of a trolling motor. They typically last around 2-3 years and may require some sort of maintenance.

Can I put my trolling motor on the side of my boat?

In general, it doesn’t matter what side of the boat you use to mount your trolling motor, as long as you keep it toward the front or back. When mounting a trolling motor on the side of the boat, you may need to compensate by adding extra weight on the other side.

Does a bow mount trolling motor need to be centered?

If at all possible, you’ll want to mount your bow mount trolling motor so the shaft is positioned a close to the centerline of the boat as possible. This will ensure your steering isn’t offset and that your boat doesn’t drift to one side or the other.

How do you put a trolling motor in water?

Deploying A Trolling Motor



All bow mount trolling motors come with some form of handle to help anglers launch the motor into the water. Simply pull the cable or cord backwards/towards yourself to release the locking pin. This pin allows the trolling motor to stay put while in transit.

How do you set up a trolling motor?

So whenever you want to connect your motor to your battery it's really simple just plug. Them just like that and these caps kind of stay on there so you don't have to worry about losing the caps.

Can you hook a trolling motor straight to a battery?

Connect the 12-volt trolling motors to a single 12-volt battery by simply fastening the black negative lead from the motor to the negative battery terminal, and the red positive lead from the trolling motor to the positive battery terminal. Include a 50-amp circuit breaker on the positive connection.

What size battery do I need for a 55 lb thrust trolling motor?

Using a Newport Vessels 55lb thrust motor continuously for two hours at full speed would require a battery with a 100-120 AH rating.

Why does my trolling motor have 4 wires?

Trolling Motors With 4 Wires



Essentially, it allowed for multiple battery setups because people couldn’t charge their batteries en route. Most of these four wire systems have two sets of red and black wires. The red wires are the positive wires, while the black wires are the negative ones.

What is the 3rd wire on a trolling motor for?

The three wires are for a trolling motor that will operate on either 12 volts or 24 volts. 12/24 volt motors have a switch to choose which you want. Thus the third wire to send power to the 24 volt side of the switch.

How do you hook up a 12 24 volt trolling motor?

So first things first you're gonna line the batteries up side-by-side. But when they're side-by-side. You want to make sure that the negative and the positive are.

How do I know if my trolling motor is 12 or 24 volt?

The nameplates are most often found in the foot petals of the motor. Otherwise, you can look at the configuration of the trolling motor batteries to find the volts. Open the hood and look at the battery. If you see 6 cells, it’s a 12-volt battery, but if you see 12 cells, it means it’s a 24-volt battery.

What is the most thrust you can get on a 12 volt trolling motor?

The most powerful 12 volt trolling motors come with 55 pounds of thrust.

What happens if you run a 24V motor on 12V?

24V motors running on 12V? they will run– it will be like running a 12V motor with a battery that is drained down to 6V (think about how a FIRST bot runs when its battey is almost dead and you’ll get the idea).

Do trolling motors lose power over time?

Over time, your trolling motor will experience wear and tear. It might not use power as efficiently, so it may draw more power and drain the battery faster. It might also stop working as well, if it can’t get the power it needs from the battery.

How can I make my trolling motor faster?

The best way that I have always found to increase the speed of a motor is to increase the power of the motor by removing the current motor and installing one that has more power with a larger size and larger pitch prop. Bottom line – a motor only has so much power and spin a propellor only so fast.

Why does my trolling motor feel weak?

A battery or batteries should be checked regularly, as they they are the most common cause of the trolling motor losing power. If your lead-acid battery is over 3 years old, you probably need to replace it. In any case, there are a few things you can do to check if your battery is in good shape.