30 lb thrust electric motor enough?

[Cevin c Taylor]

Got offered a free 30 lb thrust trolling motor.  It runs fine, but is this sufficient for my '83 CP 16?  I only plan to use it to maneuver away from the ramp and back.  I know this won't push me up a river or anything.  Last time out I was surprised at how easily my son and I could paddle the boat for a short distance, so I'm thinking this might be enough.

[JTMeissner]

Seems like it should be adequate for that task.  I use a 40-lb thrust electric motor on my C-16, and it works quite well maneuvering at the ramp.  The MinnKota has five speeds forward, three reverse, and mid range is all I need to get out of the dock area and out where I can raise the sails.

Full thrust gets me 5+ mph according to the GPS, in choppy water into the wind...  I have a good sized battery, and place it up front to drop the bow and balance the folks in the cockpit.  My current navigation lights are portable, and most other electronics are works in progress, so only the motor is on the big battery which means I get all the motoring I need in a full weekend of sailing without a recharge.

I like the fact that it is almost silent, and the maneuverability with both the rudder down and full range of the motor means you can really control it in tight spaces.

[Cevin c Taylor]

Thanks.  I guess I can't go wrong  if I'm getting it for free.

[KPL]

I have a 34lb motor guide I've used for about 5 years.  I get about 3 knots tops, but plenty to maneuver, even in a good blow.  I have 2 group 24 batteries in paralell to power it.  Good for about 3 hours at full power without draining the batteries to the point that they might get damaged.

Kevin

[kickingbug1]

    free is always good but i tend to shy away from electric trolling motors. batteries weigh a lot and really dont last all that long even with good care. i would sell it and trade for a good gas outboard.

[Cevin c Taylor]

I have an old Ted Williams 4.5 hp 2 cycle gas outboard.  It's decently light, but I'm not sure how reliable it is.  Also, it doesn't idle down very far.  I'll probably hang onto both until next summer, and then sort out which one I want to use. 

[KPL]

I keep the two batteries right under the companion way, and they don't affect the trim of the boat.  You don't really notice it at all.  I keep the batteries charged, and they've lasted 5 years and are still in really good shape (they key is not to run them below 50% capacity - my $199 gps/fishfinder has a built in volt meter to keep tabs).

My setup was fairly inexpensive:

Trolling motor - $99 (now eight years old)
Batteries - 2 @ 65 from AdvanceAuto (group 24, 75ah
Guest on board 8A two battery charger - $55
Battery cables $20

Total cost - $305

Always starts, no gas, no fumes, pennies to charge.....Can't go wrong.

It would be tough to find a good outboard for under $400, and it's not as quiet or convenient.

I like my setup.

Kevin

[skip1930]

Sounds like a good fool proof way to power the boat S-L-O-W-L-Y for short distances. "Gotta work. Says so in the book."
I'm wondering, with 3412 btu per kW and ? kW per hp what would be the equivalent hp for 30 lb thrust?

I had Thrust Mufflers on a car once...does that help? Sorry, pun intended.

I'm not hip on electric power unless it's plugged into the wall. This going green with no market crude is a good way to go broke. Solyndra ? There is not demand enough to suport this non-existant business.

skip.

[KPL]

If I wanted to go fast, i wouldn't have a sailboat...

There's not a direct lbs to hp conversion, but I know the motor draws about 30a and 12v = 360 w and 1 hp = about 745 watts, so it's about 1/2 hp.  That's of course input power....

The speed is more a function of the propeller pitch then it is power.  Trolling motors are designed to move a heavy boat slowly.. they top out at about 3 knots. 

I like the electric because it's QUIET. which is great for gliding along in the evening when the lake is like glass.  If there's wind, I'm sailing..

Kevin

[Cevin c Taylor]

I'm attracted to the quiet of the electric - I mean that's one of the reason I like sailing.  I guess since the outboard doesn't require much more than clamping it on the bracket, if I'm going on a longer trip, I can always swap out the trolling motor for the outboard.  For everything I've done so far, the trolling motor would have been more than sufficient.  Can't wait to try it out next season.

[MKBLK]

As the sun started to drop (along with the temperature!) we headed back to the ramp only to have the wind evaporate about half a mile out. "Fired" up the trusty Minn Kota and motor-boated back to the ramp. By this time, the sun was below the horizon.

Wolverine - the above is from my post "Sailing a CP16 on Nockamixon". The Minn Kota performed very well and although I limited it to "3" on the throttle, Pegasus moved along quite smartly. I don't know how much juice it used since I don't have a meter installed yet, but in the time it took to travel the approximately half mile, it didn't seem to lose any punch. I'm using a "cheap" ($35.00) car battery that I bought this summer. I'm sure that on a body of water like a lake, you'll have no problem getting back, within reason. On a river or anywhere with currents and/or tides... that would be a different story.

Marty K.

[Pacman]

I'm attracted to the quiet of the electric - I mean that's one of the reason I like sailing. 

Well put.

That's why I like oars.

If there is wind, I sail.

If it is calm, I row.

If I had an electric trolling motor, I could use it when I have had too much beer to row.

[MKBLK]

Having given this some additional thought, since I have access to a 45 lb. thrust Minn Kota, I think I'll upgrade to it. I do sail on the Delaware River which has some serious currents/tides and I'd rather have more power than too little. I would think that as long as I don't squander the power (running at length at notch 5) it shouldn't draw much more juice that the 38 lb. unit.

Oars? Oh yes... definitely have them on board. Batteries do go dead!

Marty K.

Edit: The Minn Kota I am using is 28 lb. thrust.

[Bob23]

   I like electric power but sorry, I like the range afforded me by my 1988 Nissan 8 hp 2-stroke. I've in the past, had to motor into an  oncoming tide with the wind on the nose in a narrow channel for 1 1/2 hours straight. Not much fun, but I got home.
  That being said, if I had a 16 (much lighter than my 23) and sailed a lake, I'd have oars as my auxilary. I do like the Torqueedo electric outboards. There is a Flying Scott moored near my Compac and he has one. They are definitely the next generation of electric outboards.
bob23

[CaptRon28]

I've got a 55 pound thrust MinnKota that I hang on a swim ladder bracket when I use the 3300 pound diesel powered Horizon (with prop removed) on a nearby reservoir. I really like the trolling motor, but with some reservations. I think it would be nearly useless where there is a significant current or higher winds. 3 knots forward is maybe the highest speed that I can maintain. Reverse is about 1 knot less. Any cross wind above around 10 knots would be a major problem. I'd never even attempt to use it on a river with flowing water or any bay or area with tidal flow. The 10 hp Yanmar can easily overcome any of these problems.

There is absolutely no correlation between HP and pounds of thrust. But I'd guess that the 55 pounds of thrust would be equal to a little less than 1 HP if there was.