Electric motor performance
 

I have a two man inflatable and would like to know is there a position that maximizes thrust while minimizing draw on the battery? For example the trim on an outboard can increase performance. Can thevtrim position on an electric do the same and do you lower prop shaft to max depth or just below the hull?

Those are some great questions. First of all yes it does matter if your using full throttle all the time. It will quickly deplete the charge.

Size matters. The size of your battery and if it is fully charged matters a lot.

Also if you have a cheap Minn Kota Endura or a Maxxima or a Traxis matters. The reason is the Endura is their bottom end electric and has numbered settings for the throttle. So for instance you can have 1-2-3-4 or 5 speeds. One the Maxxima or the Traxis you have a variable throttle. The variable throttle will help your battery last longer. As you don't have to rely just on the predetermined settings.

Is there a setting that maximizes your over all battery performance? The short answer is yes. Anything under half load seems to help considerably with duration of the battery. As I said size of the battery and the amount of charge are big factors as well.

Should you put the prop just under the hull or lowered all the way down. Just under the hull is sufficient. You can drop it down a bit farther if you want it out of the way. Just be careful if your in shallow water.

I got the information below from another forum that I didn't document. I have an Endura 30 and the relative thrust numbers seem about right. Limiting the amount of time using speed 4 & 5 really seems to extend the battery life. My experience is with an Outcast Scout frameless pontoon.

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Contacted Minn Kota to find out what the Endura 30 draws on a given speed. Was surprised at their response as to how much the Endura 30 can draw.

SPEED AMPS THRUST
1 8 4
2 10 6
3 14 10
4 20 15
5 30 30

Ken

Too bad you didn't ask for a comparison chart.of the 3 kinds.Endura,Maxima & traxxis.Traxxis is the best,3-4 days pushing a 10'alum.boat

Wow have to look for a Traxxis