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Trolling Motor

Shawn

Shawn

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Hi All,

Thinking about adding an electric trolling motor to my 2011 24SLi. This boat is not the fishing model so it is not pre-wired. Right now I am looking at the Minn Kota Power Drive V2 24volt, 70lbs thrust with 60 inch shaft.

I keep the boat docked so I would want to remove the motor when not in use. There seems to be a quick release mount that will allow this.

I would also want the wiring to be run appropriately with the proper connections. I'm thinking the install is probably a good job for the dealer.

I think I would also need to add the 1/2 door to the front. I'm assuming this is available from Bennington through the dealer, not sure about the cost here but I think it would be necessary.

Again, just trying to find out what problems this may create as I don't have the Fish package.

We did a lot of fishing last year and a electric motor would be helpful. Anybody have any experience adding an electric motor to a Bennington? Thanks.

Shawn
 
Shawn,

I had the dealer install a Minn Kota 80 with iPilot. I wouldn't be without it. I can use the remote anywhere on the pontoon, have no foot pedal to dance around, and really enjoy all the features of the iPilot, especially the anchor function that keeps the boat very near to the place where the anchor function is activated. It uses gps for speed and direction control and has the ability to store 6 tracks should you have a favorite shoreline to follow and just let the trolling motor do the driving. I have the 2011 2275 FSI with a single battery in the stbd front corner box and the second battery and charger in the port front corner box and the boat was pre-wired with the trolling motor gate. MInn Kota has a quick release bracket that can be mounted to allow the trolling motor to be removed when you're not needing or for me when I put the cover on the pontoon. Installing the wire harness and connections shouldn't be too difficult, but I would be sure to have the rubber boots installed for the wiring to go through the floor. Plastic clamps and short wood screws will secure the wire to the bottom of the floor for the desired routing, but I would put a wire guard around the wire for added protection.

Good luck with adding a trolling motor, I love my setup.

Dan
 
Dan,

What shaft length do you have? The Minn Kota website (Pontoon model) shows the maximum length of 48" with a foot control and 52" with a hand control. I know I want the foot control so perhaps 48" is long enough. Also, the Minn Kota website shows a Bennington with the Minn Kota Pontoon motor attached.

Shawn
 
Shawn,

Be sure to check out Dan's Benny member section and view his photos. His setup is similar to mine however he has some upgrades that I am very envious of. He has 2 fish finders that are tied together and he is able to run the front FF off of the sensor in the back or off of the sensor on the trolling motor. You will need the trolling motor gate but another concern you need to have is battery location. On the 24 SLi you could mount the battery under the front bench seat and install the power connector through the base you just need to make sure it is vented. If you are not going to use it much then you will probably get by with a 12v system however if you want a higher thrust system and longer battery life you will need to go with a 24v system. I have a 12v system on my boat so I only have a 50lb thrust which I wish was 80lb since I have a 24' tritoon but it does work just struggles in windy conditions. You can also mount a small charger under the seat with a through the base plug to connect the extension cord. This eliminates running wires to the back of the boat and with all the marine plugs available you can make a very clean installation and those who dont know will think it was factory installed. To answer your question my trolling motor shaft is 50" long. Minn Kota and MotorGuide both have web sites that let you enter boat data and then will make a request as to which unit fits your needs. Be sure you get a motor with a wireless remote it is very handy on a pontoon.

Alan
 
Alan,

Thanks for the information - I forgot about ventilation under the seat where the battery would be installed. I think 24volt is what I would install. I am still on the fence since lack of shore power means disconnecting and carrying the batteries back for charging.

Shawn
 
Shawn said:
Alan,

Thanks for the information - I forgot about ventilation under the seat where the battery would be installed. I think 24volt is what I would install. I am still on the fence since lack of shore power means disconnecting and carrying the batteries back for charging.

Shawn
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You could always get one of those little Honda generators.
 
Yes, a generator would work. Installing an on-board generator and buying a Honda generator sure makes this an expensive endeavor! Nonetheless, it could work...
 
Nothing's cheap anymore Shawn. But it beats carrying a hundred or so pounds of batteries every time you go out. B)
 
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I agree with you Carl - nothing cheap and it beats carrying the batteries. Plus, I'm sure I could find other uses for the Honda generator. You think I'd need to do anything special for ventilation under the front seat with the batteries stored there? Now I just need to decide which generator - Honda eu1000i or eu2000i...

Minn Kota has a two bank charger (15amp each / 30 total) which claims to charge in 3-5 hours. I guess we could charge in the afternoons while swimming and beached.

Shawn
 
Just open the seat while charging and there won't be a problem. When I worked for Mercedes Benz, they used large AGM batteries in the trunks and were not vented.
 
You might also think about OPTIMA blue top and a portable (or permanent mount) solar charging panel. You could mount the panel on tracks under boat and slide out to charge when not in use, and slide back under deck when boats in use, or mount to side panels (even though I cant bring myself to do this on my RLi)

http://www.jegs.com/i/Optima+Batteries/753/9052-161/10002/-1
 
Alan,

You have a 12volt system - are you happy enough with it? Minn Kota makes a pontoon model with 54 lbs of thrust, foot control, and 48" shaft - it's a 12volt system. I have a 2 log 24SLi - similar to yours but one less log.

If I can make do with a 12 volt system that would be great. I can deal with disconnecting and carrying one battery back and forth.

How much do you use yours and what kind of battery life are you getting?

Shawn
 
Stopped at the dealer today and they deal in MotorGuide - though they can get a Minn Kota if that is what I want. Right now I like the MotorGuide 55lb thrust, Wireless model, 54 inch shaft. So, unless I find a reason to go a different direction I think I may go with this set-up. The price seems right, I like only having to carry one battery.

I know I can still find a use for a Honda generator though... :rolleyes:

Shawn
 
For a couple hundred dollars, you should be able to have a dual battery switch and wiring run for the second battery, then forget about taking it in and out.

If you troll a ot and pull that battery weekly, I guarantee it will get real old real quick.

Smitty
 
SEMPERFI8387 said:
For a couple hundred dollars, you should be able to have a dual battery switch and wiring run for the second battery, then forget about taking it in and out.

If you troll a ot and pull that battery weekly, I guarantee it will get real old real quick.

Smitty
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Smitty,

That is what I was thinking about and wondering if it was an option. I'm going to call the dealer next week and see what they can do to install a second battery and a switch so perhaps I can charge both the starting and trolling motor battery using the alternator on the 115hp Optimax. That may lessen the number of times that I have to haul the battery for charging. The only problem with this is that I don't really know if I run the outboard enough to provide an acceptable charge. The boat has been used for two seasons and only has about 34 hours on the engine...

I would expect that may necessitate installing the trolling battery in the stern of the boat near the starting battery and main motor. I believe the specs on the motor indicate it is a 60amp alternator. The wiring may add a bit of cost as the wiring would have to be run up to the trolling motor on the bow. I'm sure the techs can figure something out...

Shawn
 
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Ended up ordering the Minn Kota Power Drive V2.. Dealer will do the install - also needed to get the 1/2 gate.

...Next year the Minn Kota Deck Hand electric anchor...

Shawn
 
You'll love that anchor. Little slow on retrieval but still a sweet option. Beats pulling up wet rope standing on the edge of the deck and wrapping it up all the time.

Have them run the power wire to the front for the anchor while they are running the trolling wire, will save you that much labor time when you install the anchor.
 
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SEMPERFI8387 said:
You'll love that anchor. Little slow on retrieval but still a sweet option. Beats pulling up wet rope standing on the edge of the deck and wrapping it up all the time.

Have them run the power wire to the front for the anchor while they are running the trolling wire, will save you that much labor time when you install the anchor.
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Do you have any problem covering the boat with the Deckhand installed? Also, is there any ability to lock it? I keep my boat in a seasonal slip so I wouldn't want to leave it unsecured.

Shawn
 
Shawn said:
Do you have any problem covering the boat with the Deckhand installed? Also, is there any ability to lock it? I keep my boat in a seasonal slip so I wouldn't want to leave it unsecured.

Shawn
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Shawn,

The dealer had my cover stitched to go over the deck hand. Mine is bolted down, not on the removable plate, so I don't have to worry about it too much.

I may switch to the quick release in the spring but you can use a small padlock on the plate/anchor housing to prevent theft (or try to). So far, we have not had too much theft issues on our docks. It's a State Park and they have cameras and night lights installed. We have alot of toons with jackets, grills, rods, fishfinders out and I have not heard of any major issues. I think we are pretty lucky though too........Game Wardens/Park Rangers patrol fairly often.

Smitty
 
I am also installing a trolling motor on my "new" used Benny. I opted for a "stealth" charging system to keep my trolling batteries charging while my main engine is running. I have the same system on my skeeter boat and it does work. Since I also have a trailer I will pull the benny every month to give the batteries a full charge. Our docks do not have any electric on them. The stealth system will not take any charging away from the starting battery. It kicks in after the starting battery is charged and excess amps go to the trolling batteries. We'll see how it works with the benny shortly.
 
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