trolling motor on dinghy

[svmariane]

We have a Walker Bay 8 ft without floatation kit.
We use a Torqueedo Cruise with integrated (removable/rechargable) battery. I made a 4 metre cable so we can plug it in without removing the Torq or battery from the hoisted dinghy.

Normally our wind turbine provides enough power to run the vessel at nightime anchorage - lights, VHF, 12vdc fridge, recharging the torqueedo battery, etc.. (Solar panels kick in come morning.)

Analysis? When the head-winds kick up over 20 or so knots I need to "help" the Torqueedo by using the oars, but otherwise she does fine on her own, getting us back/forth to shore. Push button start. Quiet. No messing with petrol/oil. And all that means my wife doesn't need me to take her ashore on any typical day and has a higher degree of independance. YMMV

Yes, a Torqeedo is more expensive than a trolling motor.
But my wife loves the little guy - and when she's happy, I'm happy.

Good luck in your search for a dinghy mtr.

[searenity38]

I also have a Walkerbay 8. I use a torqeedo 1003. It's good for about 60-90 minutes. I have the flotation tubes th as t helps quite a bit latterly. With my wife and I both on it we 5kts. It breaks down onto 3 very manageable pieces. Three downsides are (1) the limited time between fairly long recharging (2) the need to keep the battery pack shaded because heat from the sun is really bad on them, and (3) vulnerability of someone making off with the battery.
I also have a Suzuki 2.5hp 4 stroke that weighs 23 lbs. It's a few pounds heavier but based on how much fuel you carry you have a lot more range. Strangely, the Torqeedo is about 1 to 1½ kts faster. Downsides to the Suzuki are having to mess with gas and a little harder to muscle than the Torqeedo. Have you tried the sail kit for the Walker Bay? I have the kit but I haven't rigged it yet.

[hirondeller]

How about this combo?


A 48V 160lb brushless DC trolling motor:
https://www.trollingmotors.com.au/products/160lb $577 US



An e-bike Li-ion battery pack to avoid the back-breaking lead acid deep cycle battery: Price varies by amp hour, a big battery will be ~$800-$900 US

https://lunacycle.com/48v-18650-ebike-battery-pack/
https://lunacycle.com/52v-18650-ebike-battery-packs/


I have had great luck with a 36V Li-ion e-bike. It has a 5 year old battery (with 6500 miles) using bi-weekly charging. Admittedly, the battery has lost a lot of 'oomph' in year 5 and now needs replacing, the electric motor has never needed repair. Small Minn-kota and Motor-guides use brushed motors, note that brushless is hardier, simpler, and more efficient.


I am not affiliated with the companies listed and have not bought their products.


I also currently own a Craig-Cat with a Bass-Pro 'clone brand' brushed motor and a 12V deep cycle lead acid 'flooded' battery (which I hate because of its weight, ~80lbs, and acid spills). My cat 'dinghy' 12 feet long and at a setting of 3 out 5(max) can run about 2 hours at 3-4 knots. I have to lower the bimini and help the motor by paddling into a stiff wind of >20 knots.


I am thinking of switching to the products described above which might also suit the OP and Volkeno in Reply#11.


Thoughts?

[svmariane]

Hi there, searenity38!

RE: our Troqueedo 1003. Mostly we anchor within 10 or 15 minutes of shore, or where we want to land/tie-up. Battery power/longevity isn't a problem - for us, anyway. For exploration we use the 3.5 metre RIB and the 9.9 Nisson outboard. Hey... Never SAID we went fully Green!

My wife made a small, sort of pillow case from a leftover chunk of Sunbrella. That helps protect both the battery and the digital display on the throttle shaft.

As for possiblity or ease of theft for the Torq battery? Well, somebody could steal our Nisson 9.9 while we're shopping or in the pub just as easily as that battery. We try to take precautions, but at the end of the day...

Don't have the sail kit. Sort of wish I did, for multiple reasons. But life is a trade-off, no?

[Ungvar]

Originally Posted by searenity38

I also have a Walkerbay 8. I use a torqeedo 1003. It's good for about 60-90 minutes. I have the flotation tubes th as t helps quite a bit latterly. With my wife and I both on it we 5kts. It breaks down onto 3 very manageable pieces. Three downsides are (1) the limited time between fairly long recharging (2) the need to keep the battery pack shaded because heat from the sun is really bad on them, and (3) vulnerability of someone making off with the battery.
I also have a Suzuki 2.5hp 4 stroke that weighs 23 lbs. It's a few pounds heavier but based on how much fuel you carry you have a lot more range. Strangely, the Torqeedo is about 1 to 1½ kts faster. Downsides to the Suzuki are having to mess with gas and a little harder to muscle than the Torqeedo. Have you tried the sail kit for the Walker Bay? I have the kit but I haven't rigged it yet.

I used to sail my WB8 quite a bit. Would load the boat up with camping gear and head out on 3-4 days cruises with it. The boat sailed really nicely imo. The only down side is there was no way to reef so eventually the boat would get over powered and get tough to steer.

[Medic 4 U]

Use a couple of smaller AGM batteries. They are 'spill-proof', and can go for days without needing to be recharged. I have a couple 12 Volt AGMs in my 10' inflatable dingy, I have them in a couple of plastic battery boxes I I screwed to the transom, so I didn't have to worry about keeping them placed perfectly located in a perfect spot on a partial wood floor. I purchased a trolling motor with an 86 pound thrust rating, and it pushes the rig just fine thru the water, with 4 adults I also ran some LED nav lights, since I want to be seen regardless of size boat I'm in.

[GTom]

I am planning to get the same Bison but with a Decathlon 3 person inflatable kayak. 4kts would be nice.

Originally Posted by Martkimwat

I have a Walker Bay 8 RID with which I use a 68 lb pull Bison trolling motor. Works well and gives me around 4 Its a econimal (3/4 throttle) power setting. I use two lithium golf cart batteries which weigh less than a kilo each, each one gives me about 35~40 minutes of run time. They were the most expensive item, costing around £220 each as compared to £160 for the trolling motor, but they seem to have come down in price now.(£119). I cut the (GRP) shaft down so that it wasn't sticking up in the air and also made the top hinge down so it packs away nice and neatly. here's the link to the motor:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BISON-68l...IAAOSw7mNc1Bbg
and the battery packs:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18-27-hol...gAAOSwL1RcXAl4
These are UK prices and items but I'm sure you would have similar in your neck of the woods.

[GTom]

There might be more affordable prices for lithium, still, it is highly overpriced. As in your case, a used bike battery might be a reasonable deal. However, I wonder how many cycles a 5year old lithium battery has left...

160lb is still a compromise, won't get 4 people planing at 6+kts, which is piece of cake with a 200$ old 2 stroke outboard.

Careful that not all minn kota's are salt water rated, only the expensive ones...

Originally Posted by hirondeller

How about this combo?


A 48V 160lb brushless DC trolling motor:
https://www.trollingmotors.com.au/products/160lb $577 US



An e-bike Li-ion battery pack to avoid the back-breaking lead acid deep cycle battery: Price varies by amp hour, a big battery will be ~$800-$900 US

https://lunacycle.com/48v-18650-ebike-battery-pack/
https://lunacycle.com/52v-18650-ebike-battery-packs/


I have had great luck with a 36V Li-ion e-bike. It has a 5 year old battery (with 6500 miles) using bi-weekly charging. Admittedly, the battery has lost a lot of 'oomph' in year 5 and now needs replacing, the electric motor has never needed repair. Small Minn-kota and Motor-guides use brushed motors, note that brushless is hardier, simpler, and more efficient.


I am not affiliated with the companies listed and have not bought their products.


I also currently own a Craig-Cat with a Bass-Pro 'clone brand' brushed motor and a 12V deep cycle lead acid 'flooded' battery (which I hate because of its weight, ~80lbs, and acid spills). My cat 'dinghy' 12 feet long and at a setting of 3 out 5(max) can run about 2 hours at 3-4 knots. I have to lower the bimini and help the motor by paddling into a stiff wind of >20 knots.


I am thinking of switching to the products described above which might also suit the OP and Volkeno in Reply#11.


Thoughts?

[PressGanging]

Originally Posted by LeeV

We also use(d) the white Minn Kota, but instead of a battery we use a 12v digital lithium ion pack a la https://youtu.be/NIQfFNzhDaE

Not fast but light!

Regards,

I would love to see your video as I am trying to find the lightest battery to combine with a 54lb motor for my Walker 8. The youtube video is private access only.

[LeeV]

Originally Posted by PressGanging

I would love to see your video as I am trying to find the lightest battery to combine with a 54lb motor for my Walker 8. The youtube video is private access only.

It wasn’t my video, hence the “a la” reference, and since it’s now private access, I won’t divulge the owner. I’m not at home and our new dinghy is much larger than the one I used the M. Kota on, so a vid from me will be useless. I’ll see if I have one saved and post it.

[PressGanging]

Originally Posted by LeeV

It wasn’t my video, hence the “a la” reference, and since it’s now private access, I won’t divulge the owner. I’m not at home and our new dinghy is much larger than the one I used the M. Kota on, so a vid from me will be useless. I’ll see if I have one saved and post it.

No worries, thanks for getting back to me.


Regards,

Dave.

[Sam8989]

I have recently bought a Minn Kota Endura C2 40 trolling motor that I plan to use on freshwater rental boats. I hope to try it out this sunday and will let you know how it works out. Unfortunately it states that it is for freshwater use only so you might have to go with something else if you want to use it for saltwater - these reviews should help