# How much thrust for 12 foot v-hull?



## plt3145 (Sep 9, 2012)

Hey Tinnies! At the point of buying a new TM. Will be mainly using it on lakes and edges of slow moving rivers in eastern part of North Carolina. Will a 55 lb. thrust be overkill or can I get along with a 45 lb. thrust. Going out mainly by myself. Basic fishing rig. Thinking of running two deep cycles to last all day fishing. My yacht is a 12 foot 1978 Blue Fin v hull. Transome mounting the TM and running wiring to batteries up near the bow. No major overhauling of boat features in the near future. So, what do ya' think? 45 Lb thruster or 55 Lb thruster? Don't really want to use gas motor if I don't have to!


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## Tim Murphy (Sep 9, 2012)

Dear plt,

I'm sure you will hear differing opinions but by yourself in a 12 foot V-hull you do not need a trolling motor larger than 45 pounds thrust. In truth a 30 pound motor would be sufficient.

I fished the Susquehanna River for a over a decade in a 1685 jon boat with a 40 HP jet and 2 guys plus a dog and never owned a trolling motor larger than 43 pounds thrust. 

I never lacked for power and never ran out of juice during a day of fishing.

You can't plane your boat with a trolling motor so extra thrust just means extra money out of your pocket for a minimal increase in performance.

Regards,

Tim Murphy


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## plt3145 (Sep 9, 2012)

Thanks Tim for the info! Now what about having the juice to go all day? No gas motor at all! What are your thoughts on just one battery or two for parallel banks?


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## gillhunter (Sep 10, 2012)

Pit,

I run 2 deep cycle batteries on mine with a switch. One to fish with and one to get home with. :LOL2: if you want see how I installed them check out the thread below my signature.


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## Zum (Sep 10, 2012)

I agree that a 45lbs will be plenty.
I would also look into a newer digital maximizer type TM,especially if you want more battery life.
2-120 amp batteries in paralell,will give you around 5 hours run time at WOT but if your fishing(varing speeds) you should get alot more.
If I were to use it mostly for fishing,I think i would want to change it over to some type of bow mount,alot easier to control pulling then pushing.


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## TNtroller (Sep 13, 2012)

You MAY not need 2 batteries, why not try one in your set up and see how it does. I had a 43# MG on a Tracker PT175 with only 1 trolling battery, and could longline 4-6 hours all the time. I do have a 60hp hanging on the back, but alot of the times the only time I crank it up is to load up and head home. I've got a 55# MK with Ipilot now, and still only 1 TM battery, and it lasts all day w/o issue in the same boat.


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## cyberflexx (Sep 14, 2012)

My old SmokerCraft PB172 that was 17 foot, with a Johnson 50hp on it, factory decked like a ba$$ tracker pro 17, 2 guys about 250 lbs each, 8 gallons of fuel had a MinnKota ( only the best) 30 AT 30lb 12volt. It ran great, all day long on a group 29 Everstart battery. I would even take it to 10hp lakes and run the TM all day long and it would last till the dark. If you do go 2 batteries, take a set of jumper cables with you, so just incase you drain your TM battery, you can jump over to the other battery and make it back to the dock. I included a picture of the boat so you can see what it looked like. She sold in 2009.

My Carolina Skiff J-14, loaded with the same 2 guys, 9.8hp outboard, 3 gallons of fuel will run all day on a 45lb MinnKota ( only the best) 12volt. I run it on high speed #5, and it moves the skiff like a rocket. We mainly use it at #3 setting. See my thread in the Jonboat Mods forum for pics of the Skiff.

My Ranger 519 Comanche with a 200hp Merc, same 2 guys, 30 gallons or more of fuel will run all day on a 76LB 24volt MinnKota ( did I say, only the best! ). I've taken this boat to HP restricted lakes and just use the TM all day. ( there may be a picture of this, in an old thread somewhere )

Hope this gives you an idea...


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## plt3145 (Sep 15, 2012)

=D> Thanks y'all! I believe I am going to go with the 45#er and see how it goes with just one battery. My main concern was not being stranded in the middle of the water and having to paddle back to land. Yeah, it will be a Minn Kota, but only a transome mount. Slowly but surely I am piecing my water-slayer together. Thanks for the time tested truths that y'all gave. I have scaled down my designing plans to pretty basic...no major mods, fish for awhile and the get the wife to agree to let me get a 14 or 16 footer! THEN I CAN PLAY!


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## jasm2 (Sep 16, 2012)

You really need to make the choice of one or two batteries by how you fish. I fish the Susky like Tim and use a bow mount 55lb thrust Minn Kota with one battery in my jet and it lasts all day long. I generally just use it to control my drift at level 3 so I never run it on full power or use it to get anywhere. Alot of folks that fish the Susky would call Tim and I crazy and say get as much power that you can afford and that my be true fishing during a high flow to stay pinned on a current break.
When fishing some of the bigger electric only lakes in the area I use a 12 ft v hull with a 55lb thrust Minn Kota Transom. I find myself going thru alot more batteries because im using the motor in a different way. Im using the motor to get me to where I want to be on the lake and since Im not drifting with current I am constanly readjusting my position with the motor. Wind will also kill a battery pretty quick. Id say get 2 batteries and if you can last a whole day great if not you have another, nothing stinks more then wondering if youll get back to the dock. Another thing you should get is a bigfoot switch. They are great on transom mount motors.

Jas


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## plt3145 (Sep 20, 2012)

Good food for for thought! Thankx jasm2


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## Hanr3 (Sep 24, 2012)

I have a 14' with a 30pound trust MinnKota run off a single battery, also transom mounted. Been a few times where it was my only source of power, other than a paddle.

I dont know the lake your going to fish, so take this with a grain of salt.
I have practically drained my trolling motor battery a couple of times. Once I almost didnt make it back to the dock, and had to hand load the boat onto the trailer. By hand load, I mean using my rope and pulled it up on the trailer. Had it been more than a 10mph wind, I wouldn't have made it back. Moral being, plan your day and where you go fishing carefully, especially on windy days. I do carry a paddle as my third source of power. I highly recommend a paddle and a few phone numbers of others with a boat, just in case. 8)


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