Trolling motor on John boat

[tex92]

Been thinking about getting a John boat for a few years now. Thinking 12 or 14 foot. It’s only me and the wife or me and a buddy that would be going so two person max in the boat. The biggest thing that has stopped me from getting a boat is haveing to deal with an outboard motor. The process of storing it for winter, the fact that I work away for sometimes a months at a time so there could be times where it might not get used for over a year. Also more then likely I won’t get a trailer, especially if I go with the 12 foot, just put it in the back of my truck and removing the motor each time is key for that. And I just don’t want that hassle of an outboard. So I have been thinking about a trolling motor. No hassle if it is stored for years at a time other then keeping a battery charged. Easy on and off the boat. Now I am not looking to break speed records with the boat, I know trolling motors are not built for speed. but I want to be able to move across bodies of water with out much trouble. Is that something that’s possible with a trolling motor? For guys who have trolling motors how long are your battery lasting when trolling around a lake? What pound motor should I be looking at? Is a 55lb enough? I have no experience with trolling motors so I don’t know what to expect. I am willing to pay 600ish for a trolling motor because it will be the primary motor on the boat. Is that a good price range to be looking in to? Just any and all info you guys can give me would be a great help. Thanks

[jungleboy]

Trolling motors are good for trolling but if you want to move any distance across a lake to fish a specific spot, it is painfully slow going in a 12 or 14ft boat.
Get yourself a 5 or 8 hp four stroke which will move you around and troll like a champ.
Small two strokes are cheap but not great for trolling as the load up with fuel and get sputtery and finicky quickly where a four stroke will go all day on less fuel and are very quiet and smooth running. You will fish all summer on a couple gallons of gas.
I run a 25 Yamaha 4 stroke and it sips gas and will troll super slow all day long without missing a beat
Food for thought.

[tallieho]

I have used a 55lb thrust Minn Kota Traxxis for years.On my big boat 1756 & used it on my Spratley 10'.Never felt under powered.It's the Traxxis you want
Both boats ar john boats imo

https://thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?...XXIS/&se=27654

[tallieho]

Originally Posted by jungleboy

Trolling motors are good for trolling but if you want to move any distance across a lake to fish a specific spot, it is painfully slow going in a 12 or 14ft boat.
Get yourself a 5 or 8 hp four stroke which will move you around and troll like a champ.
Small two strokes are cheap but not great for trolling as the load up with fuel and get sputtery and finicky quickly where a four stroke will go all day on less fuel and are very quiet and smooth running. You will fish all summer on a couple gallons of gas.
I run a 25 Yamaha 4 stroke and it sips gas and will troll super slow all day long without missing a beat
Food for thought.

Cost of an outboard. 5-8 4 stroke $5000.00 -$ 8000.00 or tr motor for $ 800.00

[CanuckShooter]

Originally Posted by tallieho

Cost of an outboard. 5-8 4 stroke $5000.00 -$ 8000.00 or tr motor for $ 800.00

I have a 4hp yamaha 4 stroke, I think it was around $1800 new, on a 14 foot tin boat. It is easy on fuel, not too heavy to move around, has a built in and remote gas tank. It won't get me up on a plane but I can get across a lake a lot faster than with an electric trolling motor. I got it from a hunting buddy for $700 when it was near new, on a 12 foot john boat looking for a 2 to 4hp used might be a good option.

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by tallieho

Cost of an outboard. 5-8 4 stroke $5000.00 -$ 8000.00 or tr motor for $ 800.00

I paid $5000 for my 25 yamaha brand new in 2019. Accounting for inflation I think you’re over pricing big time.
Electric is fine too I’m voicing an opinion.

[Outbound]

Originally Posted by jungleboy

Trolling motors are good for trolling but if you want to move any distance across a lake to fish a specific spot, it is painfully slow going in a 12 or 14ft boat.
Get yourself a 5 or 8 hp four stroke which will move you around and troll like a champ.
Small two strokes are cheap but not great for trolling as the load up with fuel and get sputtery and finicky quickly where a four stroke will go all day on less fuel and are very quiet and smooth running. You will fish all summer on a couple gallons of gas.
I run a 25 Yamaha 4 stroke and it sips gas and will troll super slow all day long without missing a beat
Food for thought.

You're not wrong but lots of lakes don't allow gas motors.

[Nova]

Originally Posted by tallieho

Cost of an outboard. 5-8 4 stroke $5000.00 -$ 8000.00 or tr motor for $ 800.00

What are you pricing here, an extra long shaft, power trim, electric start pro kicker? New motors don't come anywhere close to that price tag, and if one watches the used market there are barely used motors listed all the time for a small fraction of that.

Tex, in my experience some of your justifications for not wanting a gas motor might warrant reconsideration.

The first thing I will address is not wanting a trailer. If you go with a 12', I would say it is do-able, especially if the truck is a long box, but still less than ideal. My buddy has a 12', his truck has the 5'6" box, he got tired of that pretty quick. My current jon is a 14' and my truck is a long box and there's no way I'd have considered just hauling that boat in the box of my truck. Especially because I do a lot of fishing on my own. And IMO 2 people in a 12' jon starts getting sketchy quick if the weather isn't entirely perfect. And if you do go this route, removing a motor for transport isn't a whole lot different than having to remove the trolling motor batteries (speaking of which, you'd probably want more than one battery unless you're on tiny lakes).

As far as storage and maintenance goes, I feel you might be overthinking that. It doesn't take a whole lot of effort to deal with a newer 4 stroke motor. Don't know when or if you'll use it again? Disconnect the fuel line when you get back to the launch and let the motor die out to avoid having fuel in the carb to gum it up. Makes for a bit harder start next time, but lessens the chance of issues. I do this with my jon boat, my quad, my inverter generator. All see very infrequent use and I haven't had the need to tear into a carb since I started doing this.

Personally, I think a 14' with a 9.9hp would make for a decent combo. Can get around at a decent speed and still troll without issue. Enough room to handle a couple people, and should handle a bit rougher water.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by tallieho

Cost of an outboard. 5-8 4 stroke $5000.00 -$ 8000.00 or tr motor for $ 800.00

My new 6hp Mercury was $2100 tax included., you can get a 9.9 for less than $3000

[Smoky buck]

First things first do what you have to do to get out on the water and enjoy yourself. Of course you will experience limitations with an electric motor as primary use but understand you are not getting anywhere in a hurry

For transport you can always get a bed extender for around $200-$300 this makes hauling a 12-14ft no big deal. Pay attention to the weight rattling and remember it includes gear when choosing what size to buy.

Sure you can you can get around faster with an outboard but it doesn’t make it a mandatory to get out and enjoy the day

I have owned/fished out of cheap rubber dinghy’s, canoes, float tube, 12ft trolling motor combo, patched up salvaged fiberglass row boat, fancy decked out kingfisher, and kayaks. Everyone of them got me on the water and I caught fish. I probably took these options in places and distances most would not think of. I actually sold my kingfisher and switched to a fishing kayak because the simplicity

My advice if you go with a trolling motor as a primary motor bring two batteries when on big water. I can tell you from experience it really sucks having you battery die and rowing long distances unexpectedly.

Odds are you will learn that there is all kinds of fish people are missing when they are jetting off across the lake to the ”good spots”

[tex92]

Thanks for the all the good info guys keep it coming

[schleprock]

Another vote for the traxxis but a 24v with 80lbs thrust instead of the 12v 55lb thrust one.

[fordtruckin]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

My new 6hp Mercury was $2100 tax included., you can get a 9.9 for less than $3000

I was quoted a new Yammy 15 20" with electric start and trim last fall for 3200$ish. So yah as others have said, those other quotes must be for an outboard with gold cylinder sleeves....

[flydude]

Here's some good links:

https://www.minnkotamotors.com/blog/...g-motor-thrust

https://bassfishing-gurus.com/trolli...-thrust-guide/

https://www.trollingmotors.net/blogs...r-thrust-guide

https://inflatableboats4less.com/wha...rolling-motor/

That being said I run a 12VDC 55lb Traxxis on a 105lb 10 foot Jon - that's because everytime I go fishing the wind speed is 5 kph in the morning and 900 kph in the afternoon

[King Salmon]

I've had the Minn Kota Traxxis 55 on my Lowe 1440M jon boat for over 10 years and never felt undergunned. Efficient and reliable trolling motor that I would recommend to anyone.

[32-40win]

Been using a 55lb troller on a 14ft V hull for 16-17 yrs now, gets a bit tricky with a sudden big wind, but it'll get you home. Moves plenty fast enough on calm waters for my purposes, I seldom fish anything bigger than say Whitetail or White Swan, Crawling Valley size lakes. It does duty on a 9ft pontoon boat and a 10ft pram as well, which definitely scoot along pretty nicely with it. It is a lot nicer to have the gas motor there when the weather is dicy on the V hull, makes getting around far less of a chore.

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Odds are you will learn that there is all kinds of fish people are missing when they are jetting off across the lake to the ”good spots”

When you have been out trolling for 3 or 4 hours and are half way across the lake when a storm starts blowing in , a little hp is a nice option. It’s not always a matter of jetting off to the hotspot but rather jetting off to the boat launch

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by jungleboy

When you have been out trolling for 3 or 4 hours and are half way across the lake when a storm starts blowing in , a little hp is a nice option. It’s not always a matter of jetting off to the hotspot but rather jetting off to the boat launch

Oh I understand done lots of things on big water many would not dare

Let’s just say I am a little braver than I should be sometimes and it’s made for some interesting outings lol

[EZM]

Originally Posted by jungleboy

When you have been out trolling for 3 or 4 hours and are half way across the lake when a storm starts blowing in , a little hp is a nice option. It’s not always a matter of jetting off to the hotspot but rather jetting off to the boat launch

Agreed - and getting stuck trying to cross a windy lake with an electric can be dangerous as it may not have enough power to fight the wind, or worse yet, run itself down half way back with a storm brewing.

But maybe the OP won't go very far - but there again, is the issue, you are limiting yourself with an electric.

Like elk said, you can buy a brand new 9.9 Tohatsu for around $3000.

And, if you run a nice dose of sea foam and/or stabilizer and you won't have any issues. In the fall just dose it up, let it run for 5 min, then remove the supply line and let it run itself out of gas.

Store is upright if it's in an unheated garage - no other maintenance required. Most new 4 strokes don't require any winterizing of any kind.

[tex92]

Originally Posted by schleprock

Another vote for the traxxis but a 24v with 80lbs thrust instead of the 12v 55lb thrust one.

I was thinking a 55 is the minimum I would go.

[tex92]

I should have been more clear with my intentions with the boat and setup. I have quads and snowmobiles and I try to get my wife out hunting and in the bush with me as much as possible. The only thing that she ever asked me to get is a boat. She has told me she does not want a big speed boat just a small tinner like her family used at there camp in Ontario when she was growing up. They use to row it around. Now I have no internet in rowing a bow anywhere unless I was broke down on the water. And I had no interest in ever owning a boat to be honest. But I like that this getting her doing the things I like to do and get us out in the outside together more. We would just be going to small lakes around the Edmonton area. Maybe, the boat would be used to fish from once or twice a year with a buddy if I can find time and I end up liking owning a boat, But really it’s for just putting around with my wife.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by tallieho

Cost of an outboard. 5-8 4 stroke $5000.00 -$ 8000.00 or tr motor for $ 800.00

Dam I bought a 25 yammy last year for 5K.....should see if I can get 10k for it.

With the electric motors now a days I would more than likely go that route.

[thumper]

If you go with a trolling motor - spend the $$$ and get a Lithium battery for it. The reduced weight, extra run time and longer life will pay off. Canbat.com is a good, Canadian source for lithiums.