# Trolling Motor Current Draw



## Go Fish (Apr 6, 2012)

Does anyone know how many amps a typical 30-40 lb. thrust trolling motor will draw running wide open?

I can't find any numbers for the 36 lb Minn Kota that I intend to wire into the electrical system on my tinny.


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## TNtroller (Apr 6, 2012)

try contacting MK.


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## Go Fish (Apr 6, 2012)

I'm waiting for a call back from one of Minn Kota's technical folks but at this point I don't think I'm going to have the info before this weekend...and I have some time to spend working on the boat...


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## dyeguy1212 (Apr 6, 2012)

What do you need to know for?

It's gotta be under 50A, considering most people use a 50A breaker.


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## Bigkat650 (Apr 6, 2012)

It depends on the company and efficiency of the motor,bit I believe the general guideline is they pull about 1.1 to 1.3 amps per ft.lb of torque. So a 36ft lb thrust trolling motor would pull somewhere in the realm of 44 amps at WOT. A 50 amp breaker would be right for the job.

*You can also calculate a rough idea of how many hours you would get out of your battery if running at WOT using this same information. A battery with a 100Ah reserve would last about 136 minutes at WOT with your 36ft lb thrust motor. (100 / 44 = 2.27... 2.27 * 60 = 136.36) Of course this is an estimate. If you used a multi-meter to determine exact amperage, you can get a better idea--if you we're ever curious. If you normally run your motor on speed setting 3 of 6, test the amperage draw on speed 3, then do the math--and that would give you a more applicable usage time. 

The formula is "Batt Reserve / Amps Consumed per Hour = Amp Hours" then "Amp Hours x 60(minutes)" Remember, everything running off the battery will draw amperage, so if you have more then a trolling motor, you have to factor that in


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## krawler (Apr 6, 2012)

6 gauge wire on a long run or more than 10 feet, 8 gauge on a shorter run.


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