30lb Minn Kota C2 Endura follow up to 55lb Endura Max propeller testing

[zfami]

While the 55lb thrust Minn Kota is the way to go for a decent primary motor, the lightweight 30lb thrust Minn Kota is indeed a viable backup...depending on conditions, and a couple of significant upgrades. Clearly the larger MKP-6 prop is mandatory, but for a much better experience I also replaced the 5 speed head with the digital/maximizer head and it's variable throttle. I run a >20lb 100AH lifePo4 battery with an 85 watt solar panel and Victron 75/15 mppt controller to keep it charged up.

The Minn Kota Endura C2 30 is a very light motor that can easily be stored in the lazarette. With the MKP-6 propeller the 5 speed head managed 2.25mph in position 4, pulling 14A. Position 5 pulled 24A and did over 3mph. The real problem is the limitations of the fixed gap between the 2 speeds. The Maximizer/digital head drew 15A and did 2.6mph at 75% throttle and felt much better - and you could go up a bit more as needed to overcome wind and current without going to full power, which if run continuously will probably melt the motor brush plate. The motor seemed to be working very comfortably and sustainably at 75%; while more throttle pulling 16-20A was also fine, the minimal speed improvement(s) did not seem worth it. As expected, at maximum throttle both speed and amp draw was identical for the 5 speed and the digital/maximizer control heads.

So...while not particularly a fan of the standard 5 speed C2's (whether the 55lb or 30lb thrust models),  add the digital/maximizer versions (or modified as in the case of the 30lb thrust C2) and IMO you have a reasonable motor to drive our Sun Cats. Add that lightweight 100AH lifePo4 and you've got a solid 10+ mile range.