Hi all,
Well having taken the plunge and bought a boat, I now need to set it up. I’m having trouble deciding what kind of trolling motor I should get. Electric or gas powered. They both have there pluses and minuses.
Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Also how large orr small should I go on a gas motor. And would a 40/50 pound thrust on an electric be enough for a 19 foot cuddy?
On a 19’ cuddy, you would need at at least a minimum 5Hp gas kicker/trolling motor and if you opted for an electric, it would need to be 70lb thrust or more for yoru size of boat. If you do much trolling with long lead lines or downrigging, I would highly recommend the use of a gas kicker motor. If you’re primarily going to vertical jigg or bass fish (get in up close to the shore line) then I would go electric. Both is also a good way to go.
Like Fish2DMax said, go gas if you are more of a trout man, and electric if you are a bass man. On a boat that size, I’d got with at least and 8HP, long shaft. Let us know what you end up getting.
Like the others said, gas if you going to out right troll for trout or walleye. elec. bow mount foot control if your going to bass fish or vertical jig. but really, both would be best, then you can do it all. later chuck
Which to buy first depends on the type of fishing you do most. If you troll, get a kicker. I have 19’ with a 9.9 4-stroke hi-thrust on it. I would not recommend anything smaller.
If you fish for bass or walleye, get an electric for the bow. I would recommend a 24-volt with 60# thrust or more.
Tons of things to consider here.
first, as has been said by a few, what is the intended use? This one is most important because each motor has specific advantages depending on where you spend most of your time.
Second, what is the space availability? Do you have room for two or three deep cycle batteries in addition to the batteries you already have?
A 12 volt isnt going to do very well on a boat that size. In order to get any time on the water out of it, you will need a 24 or 36 volt system. 65 lbs or 75 lbs of thrust ought to do fine and move you around without problems. But if its an in board ski type boat you probably dont have a lot of extra space to put batteries and chargeing systems and all that.
Third, cost. An electric (new) is much cheaper than a kicker (new). But you can play with that too. you might find a kicker for $500 in good shape and it will be cheaper than a new electric would be, especially when you figure in the cost of batteries.
fourth, where do you fish? This goes hand in hand with what do you fish for, only the next step. Are the places you fish for trout or bass far from home where you are camping? Or, do you do most of your fishing as one day trips near home? This can play a part since its a lot easier to get gas to refill your kicker away on trips, or even bring it along with you. Electiricity to recharge your batteries can be a little harder to come by though unless you are camped at a place that has electricity run to your camp site. But if you rough it out in the woods, an electric may not last the entire trip.
theres a bunch of other things to consider such as your transom, can it handle the extra weight of a kicker, is there a place to mount a kicker, will you have to have special brackets built, how will you operate the kicker remote troll or one of the other methods,
or on the electric, how long a shaft will you need, and will that shaft stick too far out past your bow based on moutning angles, is there a place to operate a foot control from in the bow, or is the top of the cuddy not a safe place to fish,
If i were you, and I am not, I would get bolth. but since I wouldnt be able to afford to get bolth right now, I would buy the one that would suit me best over the short run, and then get the other as soon as I could save up the money.
for all who have replied I thank you. A couple of years ago I was a Utah trout fisherman. My son introduced me to Utahs smallies, the board showed me Muskies and wipers, and I stumbled on to walleyes all by my losomes while fishing for smallies at deer creek. The boat is a compromise thing with the family. Not my 1st choice in boats but it has been a lot of fun already.
I have considered most of what has been posted and see it’s not going to get any easier to make a decision. Both would be ideal but I am working on a budget. But it is getting clearer … seems like the kicker is winning this contest for now.
Pred, as for room for batteries, it is set up (has)for 2 now and has room for a third in the same compartment I have been looking at chargers and weighing the total cost of a decient setup. Since I am now going for multiple speices, and the boat already has a trolling motor mount w/remote steering. (I don’t know if the remote works or not as I haven’t tried it yet) It looks like a kicker is line 1st. I think I can get a good one for less than a good setup w/electric. So I am now in the market for a reliable 4 stroke, but will not rule out a 2 stroke if the deal is right. Oh yeah I wouldn’t fish off the bow of this boat, but I bet FB2 will. Its a soild vessel and in pretty good shape, mostly minor cosmetic is all it need. I will be at Echo this weekend seeing what I can put on the stringer for dinner ar camp.
if i remember right i have a motor guide 24 volt elec. on an 18 foot searay i think this has 85 lbs. thrust and is good for up to a 21 foot boat it has a remote pedal that i can run from anywhere in the boat and and is variable speed can troll all day on about half power lil less in the wind also and i dont have to listen to that anoying put put put of a gas motor…