Slow Trolling

[glennmreid]

My 60HP 4 stroke Mercury has a permatrim attached. As I use my boat for fresh water trolling, I find the trolling speed at low rpm a bit too quick. It is possible to fit a troll easy system, like the item from Solas, to my outboard and still have my permatrim attached? Below is a picture of what the troll easy flap attachment looks like. In this photo, this outboard doesn't have a permatrim, but my outboard does. Will this pose a problem?

[pelican]

Trim your motor well up ( make sure it is still pumping water OK) or all the way down and it will change your troll speed significantly and you may not need to buy anything. If you know you are going to be doing a lot of trolling it may be worth changing props for those days to a less effecient one at low speed with a different pitch.

You can also have your idle speed checked as it is amazing what a diff 50 revs makes.

We have towed a small bucket with a few pounds of lead in it ( so it sinks and can't foul prop or lines) tied off to the transom corner on a mates boat. Just have to remember to pull it in when finished trolling.

I have never used the troll- o matic thingys so can't comment.

Pel

Edited April 10, 2008 by pelican

[a boat]

Hi Glenn, I do not think the troll mate will work with a permatrim fitted to your gearcase. It would put the baffle to far away from the prop exhaust to make a difference to your speed.

I would try what Pel recomended and try a bucket or a sea anchor to slow you down.

Cheers,

Huey.