12V vs. 24V Trolling Motor?

[Dave Hardy]

Hey All,
I have searched around the internet a bit, but still cannot find the answer to this one. What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of a 24V vs. 12V trolling motor? I am trying to figure out if I need a 24V or 12V trolling motor and cannot really determine the factors that should play into the decision. Would love any perspective/help.

Thank you.

Dave Hardy

[Ty Sennett]

The 24 volt has more power usually and lasts longer in the wind than the 12 volt. The disadvantage to 24 volt is the price and the extra weight.

[Dave Hardy]

Thank you Ty. By the way, great work on the big fish the other day. Can't wait to see the 49+.

By extra weight, is that because you have two 12V batteries? Currently we have a 12V setup, but run two 12V batteries. So, if the extra weight is the second 12V battery, then we probably don't have a big change from the current situation.

Thanks again,

Dave

[Ifishskis]

You will find 24v t-motors in ~60 lb thrust up to just under 100 lb. I believe. Above 100 lb you get into 3 battery, 36v systems.

What you get in a 24v system is the ability to have a t-motor that delivers more "thrust"/power or more ability to push a (bigger) boat around easier and faster.

You can have a lower thrust 12v t-motor wired with two 12v batteries and that will give you more hours of operating time.

I had a 21.5' fish n ski and never ran the batteries completely down with my 74 lb 24v t-motor even after 14 hours of fishing in windy conditions. My batteries were always fully charged at the beginning of the day...I used a onboard 3 bank charger.

[Dave Hardy]

Wow, thanks for the perspective. We own a Tuffy Esox Magnum (tiller) with a 50HP Merc. So, it is not a heavy boat, relative to some others.

Most of the time we fish on The Chip, LCO or some other area lakes. The one common element to all the waters is that some of our favorite spots are very exposed to almost any wind. I believer our current TM has around 50 lbs. thrust.

There have been numerous times when, with the wind blowing hard, we did not have the TM thrust to work a spot. That is pretty aggravating when you have great confidence in a spot, the wind/weather conditions seem ideal and your TM cannot take any ground into the wind. Not only are some spots unfishable, but having the TM speed cranked up to 11 drains both batteries pretty darn quick.

So, I think what we need is a 24V TM system. 60% of the time it might be overkill to have all that power, but it will more than makeup for the other 40%.

Thanks again to all.

[Ifishskis]

Dave,

I guess I shouldn't have added the word "bigger" in my post. A higher thrust t-motor will push a boat faster assuming the thrust rating is appropriate for the size of the boat.

You already have 2 batteries and assuming they're good, you're set to go there. Depending on what brand & model t-motor you have, you may be able to use the same mounting holes for a 24v motor to replace your current 12v model.

There are a couple of popular bass fishing sites on the web where guys post stuff for sale. Lots of these guys/gals have to have the latest and greatest stuff, and you can sometimes pick up electronics, t-motors, props etc for bargain prices.

Jim

[Ty Sennett]

If you already have two trolling motor batteries, you might as well get a 24volt trolling motor like was just said. More power and less worries while wind fishing.

[muskymeyer]

Dave,

I have an esox magnum and run a minn kota terrova, 24 volt, 80 pound thrust 54 inch shaft trolling motor. I like the 24 volt system for more thrust on windy days and the batteries will last all day even if running on 8-10 all day, and the 54 inch shaft keeps the prop in the water in big waves. My old motor had a 48 inch shaft and at times it would come out of the water. There are few days where the 80 pound thrust has a tough time but that usually means the wind is at 20+ mph. Those days I would like to have a 36 volt system with 100+ pounds of thrust and will probably get one on my next boat, but at that point my magnum is starting to take some water over the bow and I should probably not be out in that heavy of seas anyways. And if the weather is nice you can go for a week without having to re-charge your batteries.

Hope this helps.


Corey Meyer

[Dave Hardy]

Yeah, big help from all and thanks for your perspective. I have been looking at the MinnKota PowerDrive v2--with universal sonar, iPilot and AutoPilot. The iPilot and AutoPilot are for some other guys (my dad and brother) that use the boat. I could do without all the bells and whistles, but in the spirit of splitting the bill, I will go with them.

Anyone else use the PowerDrive v2? Check that, I will put up another post to see what you all think about it.

[Ty Sennett]

I would listen to what Corey says the most. He has the same rig and knows muskies and rough water. I've seen him out when he and I were the only two people stubborn enough to not go in. He fishes as hard as you guys do to Dave.