01-28-2004, 05:20 PM
Hello BADFISH,
There are trade offs that you will have to accept based on your priorities. The problem is that a motor that will blaze you around on the lake will probably make a lousy trolling motor. A good trolling motor will not have enough power to blaze you around a lake, especially at altitude. I think a mistake a lot of people make is getting a trolling motor that is too big because in order to troll at a slow enough speed they have to have the throttle very low, and at lower RPMs a lot of motors don't run very good under load. I found that having a slightly smaller motor that runs at a slightly higher RPM prevents stalling and stalling a lot is very frustrating when trolling. Also, I highly recommend a motor with two cylinders because they run so much better at low speeds.
My opinion is that for a 14' aluminum boat your trolling motor should not be more than 15 HP. A 9,9 HP motor(or even smaller would be better) is decent for trolling but not as quick when you need to get off the lake in a hurry or go long distances. An electric trolling motor is also an option for trolling but on extended outings and on long days recharging the battery can be a real problem. You can also drag a bucket or use a trolling plate but these are also a pain.
For me the ideal situation was to have a bigger boat with a big motor for speed and a separate motor for trolling. But I know that isn't really your situation. I had 6HP Johnson(a sweeeeet motor!) on a 17' Hydroswift with a 65HP main motor and still had to run the trolling motor in the lower RPM range to keep my speed down for slow trolling.
You are going to have to decide what you do most and what is most important to you, trolling or speed. Good luck anyway...
m
[signature]
There are trade offs that you will have to accept based on your priorities. The problem is that a motor that will blaze you around on the lake will probably make a lousy trolling motor. A good trolling motor will not have enough power to blaze you around a lake, especially at altitude. I think a mistake a lot of people make is getting a trolling motor that is too big because in order to troll at a slow enough speed they have to have the throttle very low, and at lower RPMs a lot of motors don't run very good under load. I found that having a slightly smaller motor that runs at a slightly higher RPM prevents stalling and stalling a lot is very frustrating when trolling. Also, I highly recommend a motor with two cylinders because they run so much better at low speeds.
My opinion is that for a 14' aluminum boat your trolling motor should not be more than 15 HP. A 9,9 HP motor(or even smaller would be better) is decent for trolling but not as quick when you need to get off the lake in a hurry or go long distances. An electric trolling motor is also an option for trolling but on extended outings and on long days recharging the battery can be a real problem. You can also drag a bucket or use a trolling plate but these are also a pain.
For me the ideal situation was to have a bigger boat with a big motor for speed and a separate motor for trolling. But I know that isn't really your situation. I had 6HP Johnson(a sweeeeet motor!) on a 17' Hydroswift with a 65HP main motor and still had to run the trolling motor in the lower RPM range to keep my speed down for slow trolling.
You are going to have to decide what you do most and what is most important to you, trolling or speed. Good luck anyway...
m
[signature]