What Size Trolling Motor For My Boat

Trolling Motor Thrust Guide

Thrust - What Is It?

Arguably the most important consideration when you are looking for the right trolling motor is how much thrust your boat will need. Thrust, measured in pounds (lbs) is the standard measure of how powerful a motor is. The larger and heavier your boat, the more thrust you'll need to reach satisfactory results on the h2o. If there'due south one matter you want to avoid, it'due south purchasing a trolling motor with besides little thrust.

A common misconception about thrust is that it will provide higher speeds (or horsepower), which is non necessarily truthful. In many ways, thrust is similar to "torque" in a auto; it's about "pull and twist," not speed. Adequate thrust level is of particular importance if you purchase a trolling motor with GPS functionality similar Minn Kota'due south i-Pilot. i-Pilot is designed to keep your gunkhole in a stock-still position or steady course.

Trolling motors come up in three voltage ratings: 12v, 24v and 36v. Motors with college voltages take more thrust.

In practical terms, a trolling motor with acceptable thrust for your boat and common atmospheric condition will reach the following:

Allow your boat to get on aeroplane easily
Cruise at roughly 3-4mph
If equipped with GPS, your boat should be able to hold on a spot in ballast manner even if you typically fish in bully or strong current
Keep a relatively straight heading without being blown way off course
Provide responsive steering

Nothing kills a day on the water quite like a trolling motor that does not have enough thrust. Your gunkhole will exist sluggish, unable to keep a fixed position (aka Spot Lock) for casting or hover over that great structure!

Thrust - Boat Weight and Hull Blueprint

Boat weight is the most important consideration to accept into business relationship when choosing a trolling motor. A beginning rule of thumb is that you want a minimum of 2 lbs of thrust for every 100lbs. For example, if you have a 3000lb boat, fully loaded, so the adding is (3000/100) * two = 60lbs of thrust. When calculating gunkhole weight, make sure you lot calculate the heaviest potential weight which includes a boat fully loaded with gear, fuel and the maximum number of passengers.

The other cistron that plays a role in thrust decision is the size and shape of the hull. When turning, a Deep V hull will have more elevate than a flats boat or a Jon Boat. As a result, a trolling motor will have to work a bit harder on some hull types than others.

Another skilful example would be a Pontoon Boat. Due to the shallow draft and depression elevate, a x twelvemonth sometime can push your pontoon boat abroad from the dock...gulp. However, when on the h2o in a cakewalk, a pontoon tin be very tough to keep in a fixed position which is why you need the adequate thrust.

When in doubt, assume your boat will be fully laden and add a few pounds only to be conservative. Within reason, you cannot take likewise much thrust but you can definitely have also piffling!

Not sure how much your boat weighs? The easiest style to find out is to wait upward your boat in the Zilch boat directory, which lists boat weights for thousands of boats and is organized by manufacturer, model and length. Keep in mind that the listed weights on Zilch are the dry weight of the boat and non the max weight.

The Correct Thrust For Your Conditions

Fishing weather should also play into your decision. If yous usually fish or cruise on smoothen lakes with no current, you should be able to stick to the listed minimum thrust without problems. Withal, if you spend near of your time in very fast moving water, significant current or waves, yous'll definitely desire to move up a level in thrust to ensure ample power in all weather condition.

The Relationship Betwixt Voltage and Thrust

As nosotros mentioned, Trolling motors come up in 12v, 24v and 36v variants. The higher the voltage, the greater the thrust. A 12v motor requires ane defended battery, a 24v requires 2 defended batteries and a 36v requires...you guessed it, 3 dedicated batteries.

In general terms voltage/thrust ratios are as follows:

12v motors = 55lbs. of thrust or less

24v motors = Over 55lbs. up to 80lbs. of thrust

36v motors = Over 80lbs. upwards to approximately 115lbs. of thrust

If you want the ability to fish for multiple days without recharging, you'll also want to consider stepping up to a motor with higher thrust/voltage.

Moving from a 40lbs 12-volt motor (requiring one battery) to a 80lbs 24-volt motor (requiring 2 batteries) volition provide you with significantly more run time. You may not need the high-end power available with the 80lbs motor, but the boosted ability and extra voltage will provide dramatically more run time. For more details on understanding and computing run fourth dimension, please see our guide on Computing Motor Run Time.

Boat Specific Thrust Charts

To help yous select the best motor possible, we've assembled thrust recommendation charts for individual boat types beneath. The thrust portions highlighted in yellow represent the most effective thrust range for each specific boat given its common employ, weight and application. Delight notation that while boat weights and lengths have been adjusted to better correspond to private gunkhole types, these are estimates only. For more information to help you make a purchase, please one thousandrab our Gratuitous Trolling Motor Buyer's Guide or call us at 800-472-3509.

General Thrust Recommendations

The following table is a proficient all-around thrust selection tabular array and a great place to start from. Please recall that the length / weight associations listed below are merely crude estimates. Your boat's actual weight will likely differ, maybe significantly, so information technology's important to calculate your boat's actual weight. All weight classifications are based on the approximate dry out weight of your boat. For thrust recommendations on specific boat types, delight see our charts further down the page.

Boat Weight (lbs)	1,500	two,000	2,500	3,000	3,500	four,000	4,500	5,000
Boat Length	Sub xiv'	fifteen-xvi'	17'	18'	nineteen'	20'	21'	21'+
Minimum Thrust	30	xl	50	60	lxx	80	90	100
Performance Thrust*	40	l	60	70	80	ninety	100	100+
Motor Voltage	12v	12v	12v	24v	24v	24v	36v	36v

*Thrust recommended for best functioning in strong weather (strong wind, waves, etc) and to ensure longer run-times.

Bass Boat Recommendations

Bass Boat Thrust recommendations

Fisherman with specially outfitted bass boats tend to choose big seventy to 100 lbs thrust motors. These larger motors can hands move heavier bass boats, and their 24 and 36 volt bombardment systems offer extended runtimes for all-day and tournament fishing.

Gunkhole Weight (lbs)	1,000	1,250	1,500	2,000	2,500	three,000	3,500	4,000
Boat Length	Sub 14'	15'	sixteen'	17'	18'	19'	20'	20'+
Minimum Thrust	30	40	50	lx	seventy	eighty	xc	100
Performance Thrust*	forty	50	60	70	fourscore	90	100	100+
Motor Voltage	12v	12v	12v	24v	24v	24v	36v	36v

*Thrust recommended for best performance in potent weather condition (strong wind, waves, etc) and to ensure longer run-times.

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Bay Gunkhole Recommendations

Fisherman with specially outfitted bay boats tend to choose medium lxx to 80 lbs thrust motors and ofttimes with i-Pilot/GPS control. These motors are neat in moderate breezes and moving currents.

Boat Weight (lbs)	one,000	1,500	2,000	ii,500	3,000	3,500	four,000
Boat Length	14-sixteen'	17'	eighteen'	19'	20'	21'	22'+
Minimum Thrust	55	55	70	80	80	90	112
Performance Thrust*	l	80	fourscore	lxxx	80	112	112
Motor Voltage	12v	12/24v	24v	24v	24v	24/36v	36v

*Thrust recommended for best performance in strong atmospheric condition (strong wind, waves, etc) and to ensure longer run-times.

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Pontoon Recommendations

Multi-use pontoon and runabout boat owners tend to select 40 to 70 lbs of thrust, depending on the boat's weight. For details on specific motors, y'all tin scan our peak pontoon and runabout trolling motor recommendations. While propulsion on pontoon boats is relatively like shooting fish in a barrel, keeping them in Anchor Style (aka Spot Lock) or a steady course (Auto-Pilot) can exist challenging. Especially on windy days when your pontoon acts like a sail on the water!

Boat Weight (lbs)	one,000	one,500	2,000	2500	3,000	iii,500	4,000	five,000
Boat Length	Sub 14'	15-16'	17'	18'	19'	twenty'	21'	21'+
Minimum Thrust	30	forty	l	sixty	70	80	90	100
Performance Thrust*	twoscore	50	sixty	seventy	lxxx	ninety	100	100+
Motor Voltage	12v	12v	12v	24v	24v	24v	36v	36v

*Thrust recommended for all-time performance in potent weather condition (strong wind, waves, etc) and to ensure longer run-times.

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Flats Boat Recommendations

Motors in the 45 to 70 lbs thrust range are pop with flats boats owners. As flats boats tend to exist lighter, they don't require a tremendous corporeality of power. Additionally, flats are ordinarily relatively calm and don't require a beefy motor to fight strong waves and currents. For details on specific motors, you tin can browse our top flat boats trolling motor recommendations.

Boat Weight (lbs)	750	one,000	i,500	ane,750	ii,000	2,250	2,500	3,000
Boat Length	Sub 13'	13'	14'	15'	sixteen'	17'	18-19'	20'+
Minimum Thrust	30	40	45	55	65	70	75	fourscore
Motor Voltage	12v	12v	12v	12v	24v	24v	36v	36v

*Thrust recommended for best operation in strong weather (stiff wind, waves, etc) and to ensure longer run-times.

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Deck Boat Recommendations

Fisherman with especially outfitted deck boats tend to cull medium 55 to 80 lbs thrust motors and oftentimes with i-Airplane pilot/GPS command. These motors are great in moderate breezes and moving currents. Quick release brackets are popular to articulate the deck for other recreational activities.

Boat Weight (lbs)	1,500	2,000	2,500	three,000	iii,500	4,000	four,500
Gunkhole Length	14-16'	17'	18'	19'	xx'	21'	22'+
Minimum Thrust	55	55	70	80	80	80	112
Functioning Thrust*	55	fourscore	80	fourscore	80	112	112
Motor Voltage	12v	24v	24v	24v	24v	24v	36v

*Thrust recommended for all-time operation in strong atmospheric condition (strong wind, waves, etc) and to ensure longer run-times.

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Deep-5 Recommendations

V-Hull boats come up in all different sizes and configurations, but the xl lbs to lxxx lbs trolling motors tend to be the most pop. Given the prominent transom, smaller five-hull boats will unremarkably apply transom mount manus controlled motors. For details on specific motors, you can browse our height v-hull trolling motor recommendations.

Boat Weight (lbs)	i,500	2,000	two,500	three,000	iii,500	4,000	iv,500	five,000
Gunkhole Length	Sub 14'	15-16'	17'	18'	19'	20'	21'	21'+
Minimum Thrust	xxx	40	50	lx	seventy	80	90	100
Functioning Thrust*	40	50	60	70	80	90	100	100+
Motor Voltage	12v	12v	12v	24v	24v	24v	36v	36v

*Thrust recommended for best performance in strong conditions (strong wind, waves, etc) and to ensure longer run-times.

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Fish north Ski Recommendations

Fisherman with peculiarly outfitted fish 'north ski boats tend to cull medium 55 to lxxx lbs thrust motors and frequently with i-Pilot/GPS control. These motors are bully in moderate breezes and moving currents.

Boat Weight (lbs)	1,500	2,000	two,500	3,000	3,500	four,000	4,500
Boat Length	xiv-16'	17'	18'	xix'	20'	21'	22'+
Minimum Thrust	55	55	70	80	fourscore	lxxx	112
Functioning Thrust*	55	80	80	fourscore	80	112	112
Motor Voltage	12v	24v	24v	24v	24v	24v	36v

*Thrust recommended for best operation in strong conditions (strong air current, waves, etc) and to ensure longer run-times.

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Center Console Recommendations

Offshore operators who use their trolling motors in open waters usually pick potent 70 to 100 lbs motors. These motors accept the power to maneuver larger boats in current of air and currents, assuasive fishermen to stay positioned over reefs, rocks or weed-lines. These motors also have longer shafts to forbid the prop from coming out of the water in choppy conditions. For details on specific motors, yous can browse our top offshore center panel trolling motor recommendations.

Boat Weight (lbs)	1,500	2,000	2,500	3,000	iii,500	4,000	4,500	5,000
Gunkhole Length	Sub 14'	15-16'	17'	18'	19'	20'	21'	21'+
Minimum Thrust	30	40	50	60	70	lxxx	90	100
Performance Thrust*	xl	50	lx	70	80	xc	100	100+
Motor Voltage	12v	12v	12v	24v	24v	24v	36v	36v

*Thrust recommended for all-time performance in strong conditions (strong wind, waves, etc) and to ensure longer run-times.

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Skiff Recommendations

Fisherman with specially outfitted skiffs tend to choose smaller 55 lbs thrust motors. These motors provide the maximum thrust possible for 12 volt systems.

Boat Weight (lbs)	1,000	1,500	ii,000	two,500	3,000
Boat Length	14-xvi'	17'	18'	xix'	twenty'+
Minimum Thrust	55	55	55	lxxx	eighty
Performance Thrust*	55	55	80	fourscore	80
Motor Voltage	12v	12/24v	24v	24v	24v

*Thrust recommended for best performance in strong weather (strong wind, waves, etc) and to ensure longer run-times.

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Jon Gunkhole Recommendations

Because they're so light, Jon boats don't demand excessive amounts of ability. Y'all'll discover 30 lbs to 50 lbs motor most mutual on these lightweight vessels. If using a bow mount motor for the boosted control and feature set, a smaller 45 lbs or 50 lbs motor should be plenty of thrust. For details on specific motors, you can browse our top jon boat trolling motor recommendations.

Boat Weight (lbs)	500	750	1,000	i,250	ane,500	one,750	2,000	2,500
Boat Length	To 12'	xiii-14'	14'	15'	16'	17'	18'	20'
People Onboard	1	2-iii	4	four+	4+	4+	4+	4+
Common Jon Thrust	30	40	fifty	50	l	50	60	60
Motor Voltage	12v	12v	12v	12v	12v	12v	24v	24v

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