CONTINUOUSWAVE

Planning to install a trolling motor on my 2018 170 Montauk for inshore fishing in south Louisiana. My boat is prewired from the factory for a 12-Volt setup, but I’m a little concerned [a 12-Volt motor] might not provide enough thrust for the boat.

I have a 12-Volt Minn-Kota Riptide Terrova motor with 55-lbs thrust on order from my local dealer.

Please give me input from using a 12-Volt trolling motor.

Regards--Matt

See this thread by a fellow Montauk 170 owner who installed a trolling motor using the factory wiring.

http://continuouswave.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4411

Note - Owners have recently started to modify their factory full width bow rail by adding a small hinged section to allow the motor to deploy. This was not available at the time the thread author installed his motor. Information on this modification is available via the Search feature.

I have 2004 170 [MONTAUK]. I installed a Terrova [with] I-Pilot two years ago.

BOW RAIL INTERFERENCE

You can have the bow rail altered.

I chose to remove the bow rail altogether for several reasons. Modifying it was an attractive idea at a cost of $300, but I figured the modified bow rail would rattle. And it would look “trailer park.” I grew up in a trailer park so I can say that.

To remove the bow rail cost $10—I unscrewed it. I coated the screws [with] 3M5200. I put back the screws in their holes.

With the rail totally removed I can stand on the elevated part of the bow and fish with a commanding view of the area around me. The bow rail is stored in my attic.

THRUST FROM 12-VOLT MOTOR
Just two weeks ago I was fishing the south end of Roanoke Island on the OBX. Wind was blowing around 15-knots and it became obvious that I could NOT make much headway into the wind. Our tides here are not a big deal but I could see a 12-Volt system struggling mightily in an area like Kiawah, South Carolina where the tide is almost always moving and in six-foot swings.

ASIDE ON BATTERIES
[The trolling motor is powered by] a 12-Volt [Group] 31 $300 Optima BLUETOP battery.

I typically fish for five hours and use the trolling motor 90-percent of the time [four-hours 30-minutes].
After that amount of use I have around 50-percent of the battery stored energy capacity left.

Cheap batteries cost more in the long run and yield disappointing performance,

[To discharge a lead-acid storage battery below 50-percent stored charge] can have negative effects on service life of the battery.

Be sure to recharge your battery when you return home (same day) when it is warm outside. This is very important to do this if you fish in cold weather as the battery can lose storage capacity and again shorten the useful life of the battery after waiting as little as 6 hours.

I hope this helps.I will watch the thread and answer questions should you have any.

The SMALL BOAT ELECTRICAL forum is a good place for discussion of battery service life and effects of battery charge management.

Byrdeaux wrote:My boat is prewired from the factory for a 12-Volt setup...

Re the "12-Volt setup": the wiring in your 170 MONTAUK is not limited to being used with 12-Volt trolling motors. What you have is just wiring and perhaps a connector. The wiring is certainly suited for use in 24-Volt circuits.

To use a 24-Volt trolling motor, the connector--if there is one--may need to be changed. Two 12-Volt batteries would be connected in series. A circuit breaker--if there is one--might need to be changed to a different Ampere rating.

There really is no fundamental reason why only a 12-Volt trolling motor can be used. A 24-Volt trolling motor could use the existing wiring with minimal changes, if you really want a 24-Volt trolling motor. Generally a 24-Volt motor will be drawing less current or at least not any more current than a 12-Volt motor, so the wire size should be suitable. Also, by raising the system voltage to 24-Volts, any voltage drop in the wiring becomes only half as critical.