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I own a 16 foot Aluminum Starcraft that needs a lot of work. I will be replacing the wood up front and the wood seats. Any ideas on wood choice would be helpful. But..... I have a Johnson 18HP motor that gets me around really good, but it is a bit much for a lot of trolling. Due to this I want to mount a electric trolling motor on the bow. My questions are regarding lbs of thrust needed. What would be recommended as far as power as well as what is needed as far as length? My boat is what is called a Deep hull 16 footer. If you have any recommendations on brands and models I would love to hear that too. Thanks for the help in advance. I hope to be of service to you someday too. Thanks again! FH
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The general "rule of thumb" is two to three pounds of thrust for every 100 pounds of loaded boat weight. I am running a 65 lb bow mount on my 18 footer and I am totally happy with it.
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What does your boat weigh? What is the fastest it will push you on a calm day? Thanks!
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I don't know what it weighs because I haven't weighed it yet. I would guess around 2200 lbs but that is a wild guess. I think the dry hull is 900-1000 lbs. Motor is 390 lbs. Three batteries about 180 lbs. 35 gallons of gas 225 lbs. Two old fat fishermen 400 lbs. Maybe another 100 lbs of gear.
The trolling motor will pull the boat up to 3 mph depending on how many people and how much gas is on board.
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Thanks, I think mine is about 2300 pounds. I think Nadaguides.com will give you the weight and specs of your boat. Is 65 lbs of thrust the largest you can go on a 12 volt battery. How long can you run on 1 battery? Thanks
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My motor takes two batteries. Its a 24 volt system. I can troll 6-8 hours depending on the speed.
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The thrust you get depends on lots of things. If you've got a fixer upper I suspect budget is a concern.
I had a 16' alum deep V that had a 36 lb 12 volt, It was great for putting about and casting but when I trolled I used the gas (15hp) motor.
I would say that about 50lb is the top for 12 volt motors. Too much power draw above that.
Power draw is related to lbs in 12 volt. More lbs means more draw means less battery time.
I am surprised that your 18 won't troll down slow enough for trolling. Try dragging a bucket to slow down, thats what I have to do with my I/O until I get a happy troller.
As for wood, I assume you mean for the floor and seat.? or do you mean for the front deck.
For the seat use 3/4" marine ply. Hardwood ply is ok if you can't get marine but you'll have to epoxy it. Use Fir for the support cleats and glue and screw it all together. Remember to bre drill every hole to prevent splitting.
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l replaced all the wood decks in my boat with Sheet Metal. They have held up alot better, and they can handle any amount of water you throw at them. As for the motor, my 16 footer runs flawlessly on a bow mount Minn Kota-55 lb. Thrust. I can troll with it up to speeds of 3.0 mph. They sell on-board chargers for your battery for a few hundred dollars. Sportsmans has them, I would think it would be worth the $$$ rather than charging the batteries after every trip.
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]). I would guess a few hundred pounds of boat and whatever the motor weighs. Budget is a concern. I have used a ~30 lb motor that a friend uses on his pontoon boat. It worked okay, but I think I would like more power. I caught 4 trout at strawberry last Saturday while trolling with the motor. I just get tired of the noise it makes and I really struggle going slow enough. I think that a little later in the year, that speed won't be too bad, but when the fish are a bit "lethargic" I imagine I want to go slower. Where can I buy marine grade plywood? Is it available at Home Depot or the like? Thanks again! Firehawk