trolling motor question?

[deerhunter]

I just bought a crestliner kodiak 16' SC I'm farely new to open water fishing I usually just ice fish but my son loves to fish so I thought this was a good boat to start out with but anyways I'm wondering what size of trolling motor to put on it and where is the best place to buy it

[prov1900]

Bow mount or stern mount? Either way, always buy the biggest one you can afford. If you are taking it out to big water, go with 65 lbs of thrust. Small lakes you can get by with smaller. Does this boat have a gas motor with it? Congrats on your purchase. Life with a boat opens a lot of good doors!!!

As far as where to purchase? I would always suggest locally, just for purposes of fixing if need be. That being said, I would look to a boat dealership if it were me. Prices shouldn't change a whole lot between the big box stores and small businesses.

[bassmann77]

I have a 17.5' Alumacraft and I have a 65# front mount PowerDrive V2. I have been on Mille Lacs in some crazy wind and it did great. I was able to purchase mine at Cabelas when they had the save a certain amount when you purchase a certain dollar amount flyer that came in the mail and it saved my about $100. I would think big retailers like that will have good sales that you can take advantage of. Good Luck with the purchase and it is a great time getting the kids out in the boat on really nice days, it doesn't get much better!

[PrairieLakeLogJam]

Take a look on C/L Mpls.. Seen some deals on there that are New and still in the box. Go Big #

[deerhunter]

Thanks for the info guys it has a 50 horse 4 stroke

[bucketmouth64]

Go 24 volt MK if you can afford it. I put a bowmount 65# thrust and couldn't be happier on my 16' boot. Check out GM, I saw they were clearancing/sale on them in the store. Not sure if it's still going on. Also, check out bargain cave. Also, to save some more money you can buy a refurbished one. A few places can get them. If you scroll around FM you can find people selling.

[pulleye16]

24v 65lbs if you can afford it. Remember you need two batteries and if you want to do it right you'll need a 2 bank onboard charger as well.

I support the 65lbser's but the 12v 55lbs should be good enough also. Thats what I run on my 16.5 fish and ski and though really really tough harsh wind it can be tough but doable...and how often are you out in those conditions?

Just get some good batteries that will last all wknd!

[PerchJerker]

The first thing you need to decide is if you're going with a 12 volt (ie. 1 battery) motor, or a 24 volt (2 battery) motor.

If you're going with 12 volts then 55 lbs is the max thrust you can get.

If you're going with 24 volts then you're looking at a 70 lb PowerDrive V2 or an 80 lb Terrova. Both models work great, but there are a few differences between them --- the most significant differences are the price, and the i-Pilot functionality.

We'd be happy to help if you're looking for more info. And we can work some deals that should meet or beat the $100 off deals that other guys are talking about. Hope that helps!

Trolling Motors At Pro Fishing Supply

[deerhunter]

PerchJerker I will be getting ahold of you I would with the 55# 12V I think. I'm come to Waconia a lot so I will send you an E mail