Quote:
Originally Posted by The Fisherman Guy
I was in the market for a new Minn Kota recently, mainly for trolling. After a bunch of research and advice from those who are much more knowledable on the subject than me, I decided to use my main motor to troll with a large drift sock. Keeps the boat straight in the wind, and is a helluva lot cheaper!
Why did I pull the plug on the electric?
Battery weight.
Short run time, even on a 24V system.
Not enough oomph to take it onto big water for a day of fishing.
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Boat control, even trolling, with the big motor and drift socks is not in the same ballpark as a bowmount electric. On top of that you're putting a lot of hours on your big motor, which can be hard on it, and definitely affects resale.
Battery weight is possibly an issue depending on how big your boat is.
For trolling at 2.2 mph or more, the bowmount will only last a few hours, but at 1-2.2mph or so, a 24V system will last most of the day even pushing around an 18-19' boat unless it's really choppy. You have to be a pretty dedicated troller to really see the benefit of the kicker over an electric.
Unless it's pretty hairy on the water and you're really fighting the conditions, a bowmount or transom mount electric is very effective. If you're trying to fish into the wind or hover on a spot in 40-60 km/h winds, the kicker or big motor is nice no doubt about it.