Saltwater Trolling Motor - WHAT THINGS TO ConsiderPosted by McDaniel Wong on May 29th, 2021 A saltwater trolling motor has to perform under fairly extreme conditions and so it is critical to choose one that will undoubtedly be capable of maintaining your boat on course and not rot away. The initial consideration of any angler who's in the market for a fresh or used saltwater trolling motor is will it withstand the corrosive effect of the water, a reasonably obvious concern but you may still find many folks who will drop a freshwater motor in the ocean and complain bitterly when it starts to rust. When looking for your next motor ensure it is created for the type of water you will be trolling in. The very least requirement ought to be marine grade construction, this includes all elements of the motor from the prop up. The seals, joints and control all gear has to be built for purpose, saltwater will get into anything that is not properly designed to cope with it. Another factor to be aware of is the power output of your motor, tidal water is usually more dynamic than say a freshwater lake, this can put additional loads on the motor just to keep the boat moving forward in a straight line never mind steering contrary to the ebb and flow of the currents. A general bench mark for the energy necessary for a trolling motor is 1lb of thrust for each and every 40lbs of load. The load is the total weight of one's boat including precisely what you have stowed onto it, a safe option would be to add the weight of the boat to the utmost payload and divide by 40, this can give you a minimum figure for the thrust required. Once you have a figure for the thrust required the next step is to work out how long the shaft of the motor must be. This is affected by what your location is going to have the motor, a bow mounted trolling motor will require a longer shaft than a transom mounted one. To find visit this of shaft do a little simple math, measure the distance from the mounting point on the boat to the water line, to the number add 15 inches (depth of the motor plus allowance for choppy water) and about a foot to create it comfortable for steering whilst taking a stand. In case you have a saltwater trolling motor with a foot pedal the allowance for standing up can be ignored. With the exception of engine mounted trolling motors it is usually recommended to stow the machine if you work with another engine, say, an outboard. Simply because your trolling motor will cause a drag effect thus wasting gas and in addition because the shaft of the trolling motor may break under the strain.Like it? Share it! More by this author |