5 Points To Consider Before Buying An Electric Trolling Motor

By Frank Rijkers

How on earth do you make a decision on which trolling motor to buy when there is such a huge veriaty to choose from. Whether you need one for your kayack or a 20 ft tournament fishing craft the choices available can be pretty daunting, especially if you have not owned one before.

Todays motors are generally easy to install on almost all types of craft so the only decision you have to make is which one will suit you best for your particular boating needs.

Listed here are five important points to consider before you end up buying one that may end up a dissapointment.

Your Environment

Ask yourself were you will you end up using it the most – in salt water or fresh water.You cannot use a fresh water motor in salt water.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsUJCpMJ8Gw[/youtube]

Because I live near the coast, I own a salt water motor that I can also use in fresh water lakes and rivers when fishing inland.

The salt water motors are more corrosion resistant because of the harsher condition they work in, but do cost a little more.

Which Mount

The size and type of boat you have will help decide if it is a transom or bow mount trolling motor you require. Usually with a small craft under14 foot, a motor fixed to the transom works well. For bigger boats or superior maneuverability a bow mount is installed but it must have space up front where you can fix a housing bracket.

Thrust

The term “pounds of thrust” describes roughly how much power is required to move your boat through the water. Without the right amount of thrust you will find that in rough or weedy conditions your boat will go nowhere. Because so many factors can influense your boats performance the rule of thumb is to buy one that may seem to be somewhat overpowered for your boat.

The downside of a bigger motor is that you will need more batteries so a 12 volt system is the cheapest to buy. However it will not have the endurance and thrust of a 24 volt or 36 volt system. Usually a high thrust 12 volt trolling motor for boats less than 18 feet is adequate.

Shaft length

If your shaft is to short,then in rough conditions the propellor may not get enough bite in the water. Also if the shaft is to long, it could be a problem in shallow areas when continually hitting the bottom. Factors influencing your decision will include hull shape, bow or stern height and how many people on average fish from the boat.

Kinds Of Control

These trolling motors can be hand or foot steered. For a bow mount motor steering with a foot control is by far the most popular method. Today you can steer your boat electronically using cool features like auto pilot, co pilot and GPS pilot.

Trolling motors are designed for all kinds of boating activities. Pollution free they are great for the environment adding great new dimensions to your boating and fishing experiences.

About the Author: Frank Rijkers has fished in oceans,rivers and lakes around the world.His favourite pastime is to sneak into tricky hot spots with his trolling motor powered boat and catching the quick witted fish that lurk there. Visit

trollingmotorsreview.com

and see which motor will suit your water craft.

Source:

isnare.com

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