06-16-2016, 01:42 PM
[#0000FF]A 30# thrust motor will be all you need for that pontoon. And you have gotten good advice on the batteries. I use a series 27 AGM battery, with my 40# thrust motor...on my tube. I need more power because there is more drag on my tube than you will have in your toon...riding with your feet out of the water.
I once checked on the power consumption of a 30# motor. It was easy to remember because it was 30 amps per hour at high speed. Theoretically that would give you over 3 hours of full speed with a 100 amp/hour battery. But most batteries will not put out their complete charge at full power so you will start slowing down as you get closer to battery failure.
Also, unless you have a motor with a "maximizer" you will not get proportionately more power just by running at lower speeds. Yes, the battery will run longer. But most batteries use just about the same amount of battery power at lower speeds, but dissipating the rest of the juice as heat.
For a lot of us, having an electric enables us to get further away from the launch site...and return...much more quickly. And it is good for making short moves during the fishing day. But using fins and/or oars for minor moves and for holding position is better for your battery than using the motor for all propulsion.
Not sure if you want to use your toon for trolling. The electric works well for trolling and bottom bouncing. Just be sure you don't troll several hours away from your launch spot and have the battery die...and the wind come up...when you want to return.
Whatever you get, be sure to get the right charger. Also good to have a voltage tester...to check the batteries both after returning and before leaving. Recharge your battery as soon as you return. And if it has been a few days since you recharged, top it off before your next trip. That will prolong battery life and give you longer and better output.
If you monitor your actual usage time each trip, vs the used voltage and the amount of time to recharge, you will get a feel for what your capacity and your limitations are. And your actual usage will vary on most trips. It is also different for each toon and motor combo. A lot depends on the actual "footprint" on the water, the depth it rides, what you have hanging in the water for drag (fins, net, sonar, stringer/basket, etc.)
[/#0000FF]
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I once checked on the power consumption of a 30# motor. It was easy to remember because it was 30 amps per hour at high speed. Theoretically that would give you over 3 hours of full speed with a 100 amp/hour battery. But most batteries will not put out their complete charge at full power so you will start slowing down as you get closer to battery failure.
Also, unless you have a motor with a "maximizer" you will not get proportionately more power just by running at lower speeds. Yes, the battery will run longer. But most batteries use just about the same amount of battery power at lower speeds, but dissipating the rest of the juice as heat.
For a lot of us, having an electric enables us to get further away from the launch site...and return...much more quickly. And it is good for making short moves during the fishing day. But using fins and/or oars for minor moves and for holding position is better for your battery than using the motor for all propulsion.
Not sure if you want to use your toon for trolling. The electric works well for trolling and bottom bouncing. Just be sure you don't troll several hours away from your launch spot and have the battery die...and the wind come up...when you want to return.
Whatever you get, be sure to get the right charger. Also good to have a voltage tester...to check the batteries both after returning and before leaving. Recharge your battery as soon as you return. And if it has been a few days since you recharged, top it off before your next trip. That will prolong battery life and give you longer and better output.
If you monitor your actual usage time each trip, vs the used voltage and the amount of time to recharge, you will get a feel for what your capacity and your limitations are. And your actual usage will vary on most trips. It is also different for each toon and motor combo. A lot depends on the actual "footprint" on the water, the depth it rides, what you have hanging in the water for drag (fins, net, sonar, stringer/basket, etc.)
[/#0000FF]
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