Trolling Motor Reviews

Staff – Customer Service answers:

It depends on aluminum or glass boat, you dont use a trolling motor to troll with, you use it to move your boat to the next place to fish when you wear out the area you just fished. When you near the area with the 40 hp, you sneak in with the trolling motor to the hot spot. Or use the trolling motor to cruz the shore line when bass fishing the shollows, but you dont use it for trolling. If you want to troll for fish, get a trolling plate for the 40 hp motor. The trolling motor is for moving your boat along the shollows and not spookin the fish, or sneaking into an area where the 40hp will spook the fish. You can find (trolling plates) at just about any sporting good places like bass pro and so on. But im guessing your looking to troll with, and not bass fish. The best place to put the trolling motor is on the front, you have more control on the front…if its on the back you have to deal with the wind turning the boat, and you will aways be trying to control the boat from the back. “its aways easier to pull a chain, then to push it. And with the trolling motor on the front, you will see more fish as you sneak in the shollows, cause your in the front of the boat leading the way. And a trolling motor is always good to have, just incase your motor dies. A 40 to 45 lb trolling motor is good for both glass and alum..and dont put it on the back of the boat, unless you plan on trolling backwards.

Staff – Customer Service answers:

Gel type batteries will have the best power to weight ratio, and can be brutally cycled. They are best used for continuous low/mid level discharge rates, the lower the rate the higher the capacity of the battery – industry standard traction batteries are all gel type. (wheelchairs, scissor lifts etc.)

AGM type are the next best, but are generally more expensive. They handle extreme abuse and can be discharged/charged at very high rates.

Deep cycle wet batteries are heavy built, with very thick plates to allow safe discharge as low as 50% – although few manufacturers would encourage this due to the much reduced life span.

Starter type wet batteries – as used in a car are built to deliver very high current for a very short time when starting the engine. Once the engine is running the alternator takes over all electrical supply functions, the batteries in this use have many thin plates to allow high discharge rates – but are not designed to be discharged at all past 50% – permanent damage will occur very quickly if discharged regularly past this point. Manufacturers rarely suggest discharge past 60% as safe – keeping the battery at 90-100% will give an almost amazing life span – 5 to 7 years from personal commercial experience, my oldest battery is now over 10 years old in daily service.

These battery types cannot be combined in any order or mix. Only batteries of identical structure can be connected and charged together.

A multi-stage quality charger is an absolute must. The more sophisticated units allow settings specifically for the different battery types.

You will get what you pay for with batteries and chargers. The price of the base metals used, lead for batteries, copper for transformers in the chargers, steel etc. Is an absolute – a half price battery has less lead, therefore less capacity – you can’t expect the maker to give it to you for free, they will go broke in a week!

Good luck.

Staff – Customer Service answers:

Depends on where you will sit during fishing, normaly there in the back, at least a 45 pound thrust or larger