Arguably the most important consideration when you are looking for the right trolling motor is how much thrust your boat will need. Thrust, measured in pounds (lbs) is the standard measure of how powerful a motor is. The larger and heavier your boat, the more thrust you'll need to achieve satisfactory results on the water. If there's one thing you want to avoid, it's purchasing a trolling motor with too little thrust.
A common misconception about thrust is that it will provide higher speeds (or horsepower), which is not necessarily true. In many ways, thrust is similar to "torque" in a car; it's about "pull and twist," not speed. Adequate thrust level is of particular importance if you purchase a trolling motor with GPS functionality like Minn Kota's i-Pilot. i-Pilot is designed to keep your boat in a fixed position or steady course.
Mariner Trolling Motor Manual
Nothing kills a day on the water quite like a trolling motor that does not have enough thrust. Your boat will be sluggish, unable to keep a fixed position (aka Spot Lock) for casting or hover over that great structure!
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. When calculating boat weight, make sure you calculate the heaviest potential weight which includes a boat fully loaded with gear, fuel and the maximum number of passengers.
The other factor that plays a role in thrust determination is the size and shape of the hull. When turning, a Deep V hull will have more drag than a flats boat or a Jon Boat. As a result, a trolling motor will have to work a bit harder on some hull types than others.
Multi-use pontoon and runabout boat owners tend to select 40 to 70 lbs of thrust, depending on the boat's weight. For details on specific motors, you can browse our top pontoon and runabout trolling motor recommendations. While propulsion on pontoon boats is relatively easy, keeping them in Anchor Mode (aka Spot Lock) or a steady course (Auto-Pilot) can be challenging. Especially on windy days when your pontoon acts like a sail on the water!
Motors in the 45 to 70 lbs thrust range are popular with flats boats owners. As flats boats tend to be lighter, they don't require a tremendous amount of power. Additionally, flats are usually relatively calm and don't require a beefy motor to fight strong waves and currents. For details on specific motors, you can browse our top flat boats trolling motor recommendations.
V-Hull boats come in all different sizes and configurations, but the 40 lbs to 80 lbs trolling motors tend to be the most popular. Given the prominent transom, smaller v-hull boats will commonly use transom mount hand controlled motors. For details on specific motors, you can browse our top v-hull trolling motor recommendations.
Offshore operators who use their trolling motors in open waters usually pick strong 70 to 100 lbs motors. These motors have the power to maneuver larger boats in wind and currents, allowing fishermen to stay positioned over reefs, rocks or weed-lines. These motors also have longer shafts to prevent the prop from coming out of the water in choppy conditions. For details on specific motors, you can browse our top offshore center console trolling motor recommendations.
Because they're so light, Jon boats don't need excessive amounts of power. You'll find 30 lbs to 50 lbs motor most common on these lightweight vessels. If using a bow mount motor for the additional control and feature set, a smaller 45 lbs or 50 lbs motor should be plenty of thrust. For details on specific motors, you can browse our top jon boat trolling motor recommendations.
ProMar Digital Technology: Microprocessor and software controlled pulse charging technology delivering a 40 percent lighter design than the previous generation of epoxy filled chargers, cooler charger operation and faster charging
System OK and Battery Bank Trouble Status Indicators: Advanced technology eliminates time consuming troubleshooting by clearly indicating system and battery connections are OK or if a fault is present on a specific battery bank
Digital Multi-Stage Performance Charging: Fully charge and extend the life of your batteries - automatically charges, conditions and safely maintains all batteries on board for maximum time on the water
Energy Saver Mode: After fully charging and conditioning batteries, ProSport's Energy Saver Mode will monitor and Auto Maintain batteries only when needed, maintaining a full state of charge. This significantly reduces AC power consumption, lowers operating costs and maximizes reserve power performance.
Storage Recondition Mode: During short or long-term storage, ProSport automatically reconditions all batteries on board once a month for maximum battery life and performance
Distributed-On-Demand Technology: Automatically charges and maintains your engine crank battery while distributing all remaining charging amps to trolling motor or house battery(s)
Digital LED Display and Battery Type Selector: LED indicators for Charging, Conditioning and Auto Maintain modes in addition to AC power and selected battery type (2 charge profiles to choose from with a 3rd high performance AGM HP profile on the ProSport20 Dual only)
2 digitally selectable charge profiles including a once-a-month storage reconditioning mode for extending battery life
Built-in Quality and Safety: Compact and rugged extruded aluminum design, dual in-line DC safety fuses for trolling motor and house battery banks. Built-in over-voltage, overload, over-temperature, reverse polarity and ignition protection
Pre-wired for Easy Installation
The Intex Seahawk is entry level, it comes in a 2 person or 4 person option, both of which are compatible with a trolling motor. To mount a motor on any of following Intex boat models (Seahawk, Mariner, Excursion) you will need to purchase the Intex Motor Mount for Inflatable Boats separately. This is not included with a Intex boat.
Intex recommends a 36" shaft for use with their boats such as this one, however the 30" shaft of our popular NV Series can work as well. If it is not available on Amazon, check availability for our 36" shaft trolling motor here and our 30" shaft trolling motors here. If you are using a 30" shaft with your Intex, just use the directional lock on the transom mount to keep the propeller pointed away from the hull of the boat, or it can damage the inflatable.
The Mariner from Intex's "Professional Series" is an upgrade from the Seahawk and Excursion with heavier duty fabric, and a more durable construction. The Mariner is a nice boat that really bumps up the confidence of the passengers, just add an Intex Motor Mount and a Newport Vessels X Series trolling motor and it's a great way to go fishing for less than $500. Both the 3 and 4 person Mariner are compatible with a trolling motor with the addition of the Intex Motor Mount.
Batteries are not included with a trolling motor, so you will need to purchase a 12V Deep Cycle battery as well. We recommend at least 50AH of power to provide a satisfyingly long run time with our motors, however you can choose a lower amperage option (as low as 35AH), it will just shorten the run time of the motor. Check out our resource guide on What is the Right Trolling Motor Battery for recommended batteries. To recharge the battery you will need a 12v battery charger, you may already have one in your garage, or we have one available here.
Unlike the trolling motors (measured in static thrust) that can only go at slow trolling speed, true electric outboard motors can provide much higher power: They are designed to be used as the primary power source.
I have a 10 foot Bass buster or a 2 person Pelican . Do have a trolling motor . Question is what size of electric outboard motor do I need ? Have read your information on this site but still need help . New on boat . Would like a 3.5 electric but still need your advice . Will appreciate all the help you can give me Thank you ,
I got wilderness atak 140. I make custom e motor and battery for it from cheap 360Wt trolling motor.Now i got about 5knots speed at 13V.Wanna chage it to get at least 8knots at full speed and need very low speed for fishing about 0.2knots. have u any modofications for intalling motor on kayaks?
Hello Derek, of course the eletric motor can be dual used for primary propulsion and as a trolling motor, but it also depends on the size of the boat, the heavier the boat is, the less speed it will improve, vice versa, thanks!
This article will list the best electric trolling motors for Intex inflatable boats (Mariner, Excursion, Seahawk, Challenger), and answer a few questions you may have before committing to a motor.
We have an intex Mariner 3 with motor mount, battery and Newport Vessels 55 lb thrust electric trolling motor for sale. Used twice. Our son is "not into fishing" any more. Please contact Jamie with questions. Thanks! ...
Inflating or deflating is a breeze with two Boston valves on the main hull chamber. Fishing and relaxing have never been easier with two built- in fishing rod holders and gear pouch. Motor mount fittings and a battery pouch are included for the flexibility of adding the Intex motor bracket and trolling motor. Two grab handles on each bow and an all-around grab line are provided for your convenience, as well as oar holders and rotational oar locks, a U.S. Coast Guard I.D., and a repair patch kit. Also included are two 54-in aluminum oars and an Intex high-output pump for easy inflation and deflation. 2ff7e9595c