Electric Motor Size

[willie]

Hi Raiders,

I want to fit a bow mounted electric motor to my 4.85m centre consol Brooker which is powered by a 60hp four stroke Mercury. I initially thought I would purchase a 55lb Minn Kota ipilot however after doing some research I may need to go to an 80lb 24 volt system, which means extra $. Any advice would be great.

[big Neil]

In my opinion the 55lb Minn Kota would be ok provided there wasn't much wind or current...but not great if there were. So probably you need to estimate what impact /frequency these thing are an issue, when you would be using your electric motor. Good luck Neil.

[squidboy]

I got a 55lb on a 4.5 quinnie. I would prefer an 80lb when in a bit of a current and wind. Only issue is that they may only come in 24 volt

[Hooked-Up]

Mates got a 489 centre console with 60hp, 80lb 24v (awesome)

I have 449 side console with 50hp, 55lb 12v (good enough)

Get the 80lb in my opinion!

[mii11x]

Hi willie, I have a 4.5 brooker side console with a 50hp on the back, also have a 55sw motorguide (12V) and use it almost every time I'm out, this pushes my boat around extremely well in most conditions when I am fishing solo which is more often than not. If I take a mate with me, yeah it does slow down a litlle, but nothing to worry about really. Your outboard would be heavier and so too your hull, so it may be a good idea to get the 24v 80lb if you can afford to.

As Big Neil suggested, think of the frequency you will use it, and whether or not you predominantly throw lures around, hence the need for one. I fish a lot in the Georges, while it can be windy at times, i can usually find somewhere to fish without wind so it has little effect on the performance of my electric motor.

Having said that, I plan on getting a new electric early next year, though id love an 80lb 24v, I would prefer to stick with a 55lb 12v and get a Motorguide wireless xi5 gps and all the goodies to connect to my Lowrance.

Id be more inclined to agree with Hooked Up on getting the 80lb if I had the next size up Brooker though.

Hope my somewhat varied opinion helps you out lol

Edited November 18, 2015 by mii11x

[mii11x]

pm me if you like, we could go for a bit of a show off at milperra one weekend, you'll get an idea of how a 55 works on a smaller boat

[brad_tate]

I have a 55lb Minn-Kota on my 5m Quintrex and it handles it well in the conditions I use it - river systems, estuaries and Botany Bay. The 80lb is obviously more powerful but heavier (batteries mostly) and more expensive. As already said it depends on your usage.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[onearmedfisho]

Hi Mate, I just fitted a bow mount to my Horizon 485 Notherner Elite side console which is actually 5m in length. I was in the same boat and not sure to go the 55 or 80lb. I opted for the Motor Guide Xi5 80-60" with GPS which is a 24v system but I would have severly regretted buying the 55lb if I went that way. I am certain I have made the right decision. I sell both Minn Kota and Motor Guide and the MG's are knocking off the Minn Kotas on a very regular basis. They are cheaper and have a few more features over the Minn Kotas I-pilot system. Matter of faxct, I cant remember the last time we sold a bow mount Minn Kota and sold 3 x Xi5 Motor Guides this week alone!!!

PM me if you want a few prices. Are you in Sydney? If not we can ship them Australia wide.

Edited November 19, 2015 by one armed fisho

[Cargo05]

I have a 55lb Minn Kota ipilot on a Qunitrex 450 Top Ender S.C. If you are fishing in big currents I would go a 80lb 24 volt system. The extra cost is worth the outlay IMHO.

[willie]

Thanks for your replies, sounds like the best outcome would be an 80lb even though when I asked the rep at the Sydney boat show he said the 55lb would do the job. So if I do fit an 80lb where is the best place to locate the batteries? I would assume somewhere closer to midship rather than under the front casting platform.

Where have you located yours one armed fisho? Also interested in your comments on Motor Guides as I am not galvanised to any particular brand just like the features an ipilot system brings.

[mii11x]

I fish solo quite a lot, so my deep cycle is up the front, helps keep a little weight up front.

As for MotorGuides, as a guess id say my MG has atleast 400 hours on it, 5 years old. I had one problem(power cutting in and out randomly one day) which turned out to be a cracked bush, cost me $30 to repair, other than that its been running well - the bush was replaced at 4yo. I guess with all brands there are some that say this is better, or that is better, this is rubbish, or that is rubbish. There will always be good and not so good reports about any brand. My mate has a watersnake and hasn't had a single problem with it since he bought it 4 years ago.

I-pilot is the minn kota branded product. PinPoint-gps(i think thats whats its called) is the Motorguide brand. Would be good if you could control the gps via the wireless pedal, and Im pretty sure the i-pilot remote has a lcd screen, the MG version doesnt have an lcd display. For me it will be the fact I can hook the xi5 and pinpoint up to my sounder, not sure if I could do that with the MK i-pilot.

I am extremely happy with mine and how it has performed over the years I have had it. I'll be upgrading soonish and will get another MG......if I bought a MK and something goes wrong with it, I would think could of should of, so its MG all the way for me now