Adding 24v trolling motor, is it worth it?

[sh00ter]

Well after my recent journey of battery threads trying to decide what to do, I finally decided to just bite the bullet and go to a 24v. The boat came w/ 12v 45lb and I already upgraded to a 12v 55lb and it still wasn't enough for me. I even tried 3 different props trying to get more out of it and the 55 didn't seem any better than the 45lb on this boat. I never GPS'd the 45lb, but the 55lb would get me 2.3mph (motor down) and 2.6mph (motor up) on open water with zero to light wind. I would like to be at at least 3mph on high if I can. So I found a way to add a second TM battery (tight space) and am eager to try out the 24v soon.

I had just "tuned" the 55lb 12v but never had it on the water to see if it made a difference, but it for sure sounded more powerful after tuning, so I guess I will never know. I am hoping the 24v will be a noticeable improvement though over what I was used to. I hear that not only do they have more power, they also last longer on a charge? The whole reason I was going to add a second battery for my 12v was to be able to switch over to a fresh battery on the water. Now I won't have that option, so I hope 2 grp 27's will run a 70lb TM well. I figure 70lb is at the lower end of the 24v motors options so maybe the amp draw will be lower too.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

You might just barely meet your goal of 3 mph. with the 70# TM. I would buy once cry once and get a 24v TM with more thrust.

I like to leave my outboard in the water to act as rudder when using the trolling motor.

 

[sh00ter]

Thanks, if the boat came with a 45lb, the 70lb "should" be a nice upgrade. I wanted to stick to the same brand/line because that way, I can use the existing bow mount and just swap out the shaft/motor. That's how I did when I installed the 55lb and it saved me some work. Also, I will probably save one of the 12v motors as a spare and sell the other to a jon boat guy. Either of the 12v motors would move a jon boat well if someone had converted to a deck and could bow mount the motor. These two 12v motors are barley used, the 45lb was on the water 2 times before I upgraded so I may list one of them soon after I try out the 24v.

 

[sh00ter]

ALSO - If both batteries are 27grp but not same brand/specs, can they still be run in the proper series for 24v? Some people say they must be exact same brand and all but that wasn't feasible for me since I already had one of the batteries that came with the boat.

 

[Cowbaby]

I'm still using one of those old classic white footpedal Motorguides from the 70s that used to be on those old bomber style boats, Bought it at a garage sale for 25 bucks. Ordered a new prop, filed the lumps in the armature back flat and has been humming ever since.

Gets me to where I need to go. Its not a big lake open water job but that isn't my style. I'm more of the guy who rams the front of old stump jumper up on a log blocking a creek, kill the engine and hit the tilt, then runs to the front of the boat to float off. Now I'm fishing where they can't go.

 

[DFX]

What kind of boat and brand of TM do you have?
Is it a foot control or hand control?
What gauge wiring do you have between batteries and the TM?
I'm not being nosey, just curious . I may be able offer some help.

 

[sh00ter]

The upgrade was absolutely worth it, the 24v seems to have as much or more power on the 75% power setting as the 12v did on 100%. On 100%, the 24v moves the boat up to 1.1mph faster which was almost a 50% gain in speed!!! In fairness to the 12v, I had tuned it and could hear it had more power out of the water, but I never got to the lake to try it before I swapped in the 24v. I also tuned the 24v, so it wasn't a full apples to apples comparison, but I bet we are still talking a minimum of 30-40% more power based on speed alone between the two. If you have a 12v on anything larger than a jon boat, a 24v is worth it.

I hit 3.5mph with the extra batt and just me on board...It still hit over 3mph with outboard down and 3 people on board. That is flying compared to the 2.3mph best w/ 2 people using the 12v.

 

[sh00ter]

One other thing to note is this is using the power prop...in my 12v experiences, the OEM & aftermarket weedless props were noticeably slower, so I started out with the power prop on the 24v, and will soon try the weedless. It could be that the weedless still gives enough umpff w/ 24v that I don't need the power prop.

 

[dancer4life]

I am using a Minn Kota Edge 70# trolling motor on my Tritoon.
It’s 24 volt and has plenty of thrust to love my boat.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

I know you have already made the jump. However, one difference that wasn't noted is what part of the state are you primarily boating. Western Oklahoma is more windy than Eastern Oklahoma. I find myself out in 20mph winds gusting to 25mph often. A 60" shaft on a trolling motor can have the prop coming out of the water when the boat is moving up and down in the waves. The 72" can but it is not very often.

I have a 23 foot boat and run a 36V 105# thrust. It will hold the boat in 25 mph gusts and even move the boat into the wind at 2.5-3 mph.