Key West 1720
Is 55 lb 12 volt enough?
Minn Kota or MotorGuide?
Opinions please!
All Day I Dream About Fishing
Malibu eXtreme
Key West 1720
My brother-in-law has the same boat. 55lb is probably not enough. 70lb 24v should be plenty. Minn kota all the way and if you can swing it spend the change and get the ipilot. You wont ever regret it.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
i have a 17’ mako flats boat and have a 80# 24v minnkota ipilot. It moves the boat nicely, wouldn’t really want much less. guessing your boat is about the same size and weight
55# 12 volt will move the boat
you wont like it much in a current and the range is going to be limited
I had one on a 17 Carolina skiff, and it worked, but it was limited.
fishing in the stono main river, incoming tide, wide open, it would barely move against the current
minnkota for sure
I have a 55lb variable speed Minn Kota Enduramax. It moves my 14’ aluminum jon boat just fine in current. It won’t move a 17’ fiberglass Key West well in current. With the tides that move as fast as they do around here, you definitely want more. I would guess a minimum 70-80lb thrust. Be sure to get variable speed, though, whatever you get. You’ll hate the 5-speed models. With my variable speed, I can match the speed of the current as it ramps up or down as the day progresses, and hold my boat at a near perfect standstill if I’m targeting a specific area. Can’t really do that with 5-speed models. You get “almost stopped… are we moving?.., barely moving,… slightly moving,… WIDE OPEN.”
For trolling motors, I will never buy a Motorguide (“Motorfried”). Read the reviews, do a google search for Motorguide vs. Minn Kota. You’ll find a common theme, generally, that Minn Kotas tend to not have as many problems.
Saying “I am offended” is telling everyone else that you cannot control your own emotions, and thus you need everyone else to do it for you.
What about “Rhodan”? I recently saw an ad in a magazine. One big advantage that I saw was, it uses a 3 blade prop as opposed to 2 used by both M-K and M-G.
Sea Hunt BX22 Br
WS Tarpon 140
I have a 55 lb 12 volt and I hate it. On weaker tides it’s fine, but on bigger tides it sucks. I keep hoping it will die so I can replace it with something bigger.
Semper Fi
18’ Sterling
115 Yamaha
Big Ugly Homemade Blue Push Pole
I have a 55 rip tide IP on my 1520 and it does a great job but I think with two more feet you would definitely find it lacking in a strong tide or high wind situation. Go with the 24 and if its within your budget get the I pilot
Key West 1520
70 Yami
She’s little, but she’s pretty, skinny and fast.
Just received my new MK 80# riptide with Ipilot, Don’t think they make a better one! Its smarter than a teenager!!!Money well spent I think!
For you guys with trolling motors, do you use those onboard chargers or just hook the batteries up to a stand-alone charger? Don’t mean to hijack the thread but I think it’s a somewhat relevant question. Thanks.
On board charger. Best thing on my boat. Just plug in a drop cord the night before and forget about it.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
If you always leave the batteries in, the on-board charger is nice, so long as you can keep salt spray away from it. I don’t use one, since I never leave the battery in the jon boat.
Saying “I am offended” is telling everyone else that you cannot control your own emotions, and thus you need everyone else to do it for you.
I have a 55# 12V I pilot on my 16 Sea Hunt. Performance would be simlilar for a KW 1720. It does the job 90% of the time nicely, but does struggle in strong current. I was aware that this would be the case when I bought it. The alternative was having 3 batteries onboard instead of 2 as I do run a separate battery for the engine. On a smaller boat it just was not worth it for me to have the added space claim and 50 pounds of weight on top of the 50 for the first battery, 30 for the trolling motor, and the 70 pounds extra hanging off the transom going from a Johnson 70 to an Etec 90.
Since I have a 12V setup with the battery under the console and fairly accessible, I chose to use a portable charger. Again for space claim and weight reasons.
I did compromise a little and installed a group 29 battery instead of the group 27. It added about 15 pounds, but significantly increased runtimes. Especially a high speed setting when working against the current.
Iain Pelto
Sea Hunt Triton 160 w/ 90 ETEC “JB3”
Native Manta Ray 14
quote:
Originally posted by boatpoorIts smarter than a teenager
So is a hammer. Or a stump
Hairball, what is a group 29 vs group 27?
A group 29 vs a 27 is just physically larger in size. the cells are larger which equates to more capacity.
Iain Pelto
Sea Hunt Triton 160 w/ 90 ETEC “JB3”
Native Manta Ray 14
The 55 is perfect size for my 13 whaler but you will def want a 70 or 80 for your boat, as others have said
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.ralphphillipsinshore.com | www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
Personal Trout Slot Limit: 16"-20" Creel: 2
Purchased a Minn Kota 70lb 24v Ipilot for my 17ft Sea Pro this spring. Love it!!
Moves the boat really well and has great battery life with the 24v system. I’ll repeat what I’ve heard on this forum many times, “you never hear someone say they wished they bought the small model”. Go with the 70 or 80 if it’s in your budget.
Dave
2000 SeaPro 170CC
Yamaha 90 2-smoke
I have a SW55 on my 13’ Whaler Dauntless. In raging current it barely allows me to make headway. With wind, it just will not go. The Dauntless is almost 14’ and heavier than the 13’ whaler classic.
Anyway, get a stronger trolling motor for your boat. You will likely need a 24v system.