Minn Kota opinions needed

[CptJ-GS50]

I'm in need of a dingy (8' inflatable) motor replacement. Wondering about the Minn Kota but have never used an electric boat motor before. It seems to be a very popular tolling motor but I hesitate doing anything with out either a testimonial from other cruisers or a test run.

[tomfl]

I have one I have used for several years and been happy with; but not for cruising. In season I have a Yahama on my inflatable. I need to carry lots of stuff when I go diving often on sites a mile or more away from where my boat is. Also tend to go exploring from the boat at times maybe two or three miles from the boat so I need to get the boat on a plane.

The Minn Kota is on a small boat I use on spring fed fresh water rivers in NW Florida when I am doing nature photography. It is important to keep quiet so as to not scare away the wildlife. Often times I will drift down the river and then motor upstream. No way any electric motor in the Minn Kota class would get a boat to plane.

In season I have seen Minn Kota type electrics being used in BKH by boats that need to get from their ball to the docks in a no wake zone. These are short trips maybe five minutes up to thirty minutes. The one guy who I talked to about this pointed out that he took the battery inside the work room and charged it up on a 120 outlet a couple of times a week.

If you are only using your tender for short trips and don't care about the speed and have a reliable charging method there is no reason a Minn Kota would not work. I would also point out that Minn Kota has both fresh water and salt water models and you should definitely go with a salt water one.

[sailorcherry]

They are great! I don't know what I love more: sneaking up on friends all stealth and quiet or the fact I am so environmentally friendly?! Oh and I am certain I have had more up close and personal encounters with marine life - such as sea lions or otters, thanks to being quiet and quickly haulting momentum with little disturbance (which also makes me feel decent about respecting their habitat).

I have a 30lb thrust MK to push a 10' hard dinghy. Me alone (i'm no skinnie minnie) can push at 4kts at full speed. I highly suggest you buy the biggest one you can afford. I would much rather have more thrust even if it only gives one more knot (oh jeez this is sounding like a pharmaceutical commercial - lol). I would also look into powering it with a panel if I had no budget cap.

[CptJ-GS50]

This is great info... I know it is difficult to equate thrust to HP and without a "Road Test" it is hard to calculate. My old 9hp Johnson it just too big and heavy to put on this little dingy for the short trips.
I think I will go out and buy one after reading your reviews of your experiences. I am looking more for a tender, ship to shore and being in the photo imaging business I like the aspect of sneaking up on wildlife. Going to rule out water skiing behind it... ...

The currents of the Columbia river can be of concern. So on your advice (SailorCherry) I will get the max thrust Down the line, depending on how it goes I may add at little 2 or 3 HP to the inventory but for now I think the Minn Kota will work just fine.

[hugosalt]

Use a 40 lb. thrust Minn Kota Rip Tide (salt water model...they are white, weight 18 lbs.) on my 9 ft. 6 inch air floor inflatable. Very inexpensive, about $200.
Feel same as sailorcherry, its great. But it is slow, but faster than rowing. Example, my friends 2.3 hp Honda pushes her similar dinghy somewhat faster.
When I cruise on my smallish 30 fter. space, weight is at a premium and very happy not to carry gas on board.
I use 2 batteries for motor, a group 24 deep cycle (which becomes part of my house bank when not using for motor) and 1 smaller 35amp hr. (maybe 22 or 25 lbs)for lighter duty.
Batteries stay charge between motor and solar panels.
I would surely recommend the highest thrust motor you can get that comes with a short shaft for the dinghy to be able to deal with the currents on the Columbia.
They (mine) came with 5 speeds and you can always run at half speed if need to slow down. And a battery gauge as well.
Some use 2 smaller batteries, like my 35 amp hr. so when one is done...they don't have
to row home.
Hope this helps,
Hugo

[Cotemar]

Have been using a Minn Kota Riptide 45/T (45 Lbs. Thrust, 36" Shaft). It has variable speeds witch gives you perfect control.
We use it for go to and from a mooring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIQfFNzhDaE

[CptJ-GS50]

Originally Posted by hugosalt

Use a 40 lb. thrust Minn Kota Rip Tide (salt water model...they are white, weight 18 lbs.) on my 9 ft. 6 inch air floor inflatable. Very inexpensive, about $200.
Feel same as sailorcherry, its great. But it is slow, but faster than rowing. Example, my friends 2.3 hp Honda pushes her similar dinghy somewhat faster.
When I cruise on my smallish 30 fter. space, weight is at a premium and very happy not to carry gas on board.
I use 2 batteries for motor, a group 24 deep cycle (which becomes part of my house bank when not using for motor) and 1 smaller 35amp hr. (maybe 22 or 25 lbs)for lighter duty.
Batteries stay charge between motor and solar panels.
I would surely recommend the highest thrust motor you can get that comes with a short shaft for the dinghy to be able to deal with the currents on the Columbia.
They (mine) came with 5 speeds and you can always run at half speed if need to slow down. And a battery gauge as well.
Some use 2 smaller batteries, like my 35 amp hr. so when one is done...they don't have
to row home.
Hope this helps,
Hugo

I am thinking of the weight as being a very positive aspect. I have plenty of room on the Gulfstar but as I am getting older I am disliking hoisting things around a whole lot more.

[CptJ-GS50]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Have been using a Minn Kota Riptide 45/T (45 Lbs. Thrust, 36" Shaft). It has variable speeds witch gives you perfect control.
We use it for go to and from a mooring.

This is a great demo video ... Thanks

[janice142]

I have a better solution, at least for me. Newport Trolling motors is the brand and it is a marinized version of the Minn-Kota. Having seen the guts of a MK and my Newport I would without hesitation recommend the Newport. This brand is verified for both fresh and saltwater.

One nice thing is that it is black. It looks like the inexpensive fresh water versions of other brands. If you're like me unobtrusive works great!

Having opened mine up to shorten the shaft further I was impressed with the components. The connectors are stainless. Cables are similar to what I remember on my old MK. Wire quality is good. Here is my friend Edwin looking at the guts of the Newport. He cut the shaft for my Algae.



You will need a fuse block and fuse. The smallest Newport takes a 40 amp fuse while the 55 requires a 50A fuse.

Should you wish to contact the company directly the phone number i have is 866-722-0002. The gent I spoke with last year when I bough mine was Amos. Nice fellow...

Next, you had asked about thrust versus horsepower. It is my understanding 15 pounds thrust equals one HP.

Years ago I wrote a couple articles about my experiences with a trolling motor that might be of use to you. Start here:

janice142 article Trolling Motor Woes

Last but not least. The Newport has a light on top which indicates state of charge. Five blue LEDs show full charge. Running on Speed 5 (the highest) will kill the battery pretty quick. I find three the maximum I am comfortable with. Sneaking up on wildlife is a given.

Skipper and I enjoy puttering along the shoreline. The Newport allows us to enjoy watching birds. I love mine and would not hesitate to recommend it to another boater.

[CptJ-GS50]

Originally Posted by janice142

I have a better solution, at least for me. Newport Trolling motors is the brand and it is a marinized version of the Minn-Kota. Having seen the guts of a MK and my Newport I would without hesitation recommend the Newport. This brand is verified for both fresh and saltwater.

One nice thing is that it is black. It looks like the inexpensive fresh water versions of other brands. If you're like me unobtrusive works great!

Having opened mine up to shorten the shaft further I was impressed with the components. The connectors are stainless. Cables are similar to what I remember on my old MK. Wire quality is good. Here is my friend Edwin looking at the guts of the Newport. He cut the shaft for my Algae.



You will need a fuse block and fuse. The smallest Newport takes a 40 amp fuse while the 55 requires a 50A fuse.

Should you wish to contact the company directly the phone number i have is 866-722-0002. The gent I spoke with last year when I bough mine was Amos. Nice fellow...

Next, you had asked about thrust versus horsepower. It is my understanding 15 pounds thrust equals one HP.

Years ago I wrote a couple articles about my experiences with a trolling motor that might be of use to you. Start here:

janice142 article Trolling Motor Woes

Last but not least. The Newport has a light on top which indicates state of charge. Five blue LEDs show full charge. Running on Speed 5 (the highest) will kill the battery pretty quick. I find three the maximum I am comfortable with. Sneaking up on wildlife is a given.

Skipper and I enjoy puttering along the shoreline. The Newport allows us to enjoy watching birds. I love mine and would not hesitate to recommend it to another boater.

I also found the Newport in my search. Was reading about it also. Noticed that they didn't have models specific to fresh or salt water. I will be using mine in both up and down the Pacific coast and the Rivers of the northwest to start with. Can I ask how much did you shorten the shaft? Any special reason you needed a shorter shaft? I will be using it on a rather small dingy and the short shafts are what I want.

[Miz Pea]

Torqeedo electric outboards are pricier, but their batteries are fantastic, and small enough to carry with you when your dinghy is moored.

Here is a comparison I did using my Torqeedo 1003 on 3 boats several years ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O1o2ms5_24

[CptJ-GS50]

Originally Posted by Miz Pea

Torqeedo electric outboards are pricier, but their batteries are fantastic, and small enough to carry with you when your dinghy is moored.

Here is a comparison I did using my Torqeedo 1003 on 3 boats several years ago:

Great review with a few choices... I think the transition to an electric motor has been sold. I have seen the display Torqeedo at West Marine. Now it is up to me to make the decision of which one I need. My choice will have to handle both Salt and Freshwater and the maximum weight capacity will probably be less than 450 lbs. and short hops.

[Miz Pea]

Torqeedo is great in salt water. I rinse it off occasionally with fresh water. Check out some other youtube videos showing how to take off and put on the batteries. I bought two batteries because I was using the Gheenoe for fishing in and around Tampa Bay, and discovered I almost never needed the second battery. Now the torqeedo is destined to become our dinghy motor on our new Takacat.

[janice142]

Originally Posted by CptJ-GS50

I also found the Newport in my search. Was reading about it also. Noticed that they didn't have models specific to fresh or salt water. I will be using mine in both up and down the Pacific coast and the Rivers of the northwest to start with. Can I ask how much did you shorten the shaft? Any special reason you needed a shorter shaft? I will be using it on a rather small dingy and the short shafts are what I want.

Hi CpnJ. Their models are for both salt or fresh...

Edwin shortened mine by eight inches. I wanted the prop blades in the water and as shallow a draft as possible. I have a little old hard dink circa 1972. Like the Minn-Kota the bottom of the prop is protected. That means you can run aground without damaging a good prop.

Definition of a bad prop: okay, when I am home I lift up the motor so the propeller is our of the water. I also tilt or twist so salt water does not pool on the prop nut. However eliminating the barnacle issue means that the prop is baking in the Florida sun. After three years or so the blade becomes brittle.

I do not consider this a flaw! Any plastic sitting in the sun baking will have problems eventually. To that regard I keep a spare prop in my ship's stores.

The shaft itself is a thick walled fiberglass. It cut with a hacksaw. The walls are 1/4" -- I just measured it.

Oh, and I am not affiliated with Newport though if you buy via my website's Amazon link I will receive something towards the cruising kitty at the end of the month. I would like that incidentally.

Thanks to a previous poster in this thread for mention of the lithium PowerMax in his YouTube video. I received something similar today as an early birthday present. It's pretty amazing though thus far I only used it for testing an anchor light rewire I was doing. Someone threw away a Hella anchor light. I fixed it.

Anyway all the best to you on your search. Personally I would opt for an essentially disposable solution aka Newport or MK long before spending the money on the Torqueedo. The lithium batt called a Mighty Jump Starter in the Walmart automotive section is light (12.5 ounces) and is 33300 mWh. That translates to 40 amp hours presuming I got the math correct.

A pair of those and you or more accurately I am all set. I have a group 24 in Algae (my dinghy) but wish I had known about the lithium's price drop. It is substantially less than the last time I had checked. Anyway it's your decision. Good luck to you.

Happy cruising.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by janice142

Hi CpnJ. SNIP

The lithium batt called a Mighty Jump Starter in the Walmart automotive section is light (12.5 ounces) and is 33300 mWh. That translates to 40 amp hours presuming I got the math correct.

SNIP

At how many volts?

Often times the AH are inflated by deflating the voltage.

Usually in a case like this the voltage is maybe 1.5; not the 12V you would need to run an electric motor.