Does anyone use an electric trolling motor as a backup for their outboard? I'm interested in recommendations.
Trolling motor for backup?
- Thread starter patbratton
- Start date
I went straight to an electric outboard to get rid of my starting anxiety with the previous Honda 5hp. The Epropulsion Spirit+ - 3hp equivalent - works just fine for my situation. But I do get range anxiety - with a full battery I can go 12+ miles at 4kts. Having a 3 gal external tank for the gas outboard meant no range worries, but I couldn't depend on starting the thing when I need it.
But my boat is smaller and less freeboard, and therefore less affected by wind.
Fred W
Stuart Mariner #4133 Sweet P
But my boat is smaller and less freeboard, and therefore less affected by wind.
Fred W
Stuart Mariner #4133 Sweet P
The use of ethanol free gss and shutting the gas off to the carb goes a long way for gas engines running smoothly. Shutting off gas to the carb means to let the engine running till there is no more fuel in the carb
All those things certainly help. I've been down that path. In the end, nothing beats weekly use of the motor to prevent gumming and clogging of the tiny carburetor passages to meet EPA standards in small 4 stroke motors. Some environments are more benign than others. If you get heavy dew most mornings that's a bad sign that you will likely have condensation issues with untouched gas storage of more than a month or 2. California, Oregon, Colorado, Alaska, upstate NY, Long Island Sound - no probs. Coastal NC - problems.
Fred W
Stuart Mariner 19
You can’t get ethanol free fuel here unless you buy it in very small amounts at the small engine dealers. Alkylate fuels are expensive though. I use Seafoam in my fuel. If I have a jerry can with fuel in it, it has Seafoam. It counters up to 50% Ethanol and keeps everything clean.
We went fishing in our little speed boat. She’s an oldie but a goodie, aka, heavy. Too my surprise, I hooked up our small 30lb Minn Kota electric. We trolled around all day lol. I thought this would work on the sailboat too. As a back up with our 100Ah LifeP04, it would get us home from our favourite sailing area/s.
We went fishing in our little speed boat. She’s an oldie but a goodie, aka, heavy. Too my surprise, I hooked up our small 30lb Minn Kota electric. We trolled around all day lol. I thought this would work on the sailboat too. As a back up with our 100Ah LifeP04, it would get us home from our favourite sailing area/s.
My Mercury Propane 5 hp died in the harbor just as we were leaving. It sputtered when I applied more power and no amount of incense, prayer, or threats had any affect on her. We drifted into one on the docks and a crew member got a kayak, took a line to our dock and pulled us in. Snug Harbor serviced it and it has run fine for a year and a half, but I can't shake the fear that evil is waiting for another opportunity to strike.
Only once did a backup trolling motor come in handy. We were motoring around the marina when I ran out of fuel many years ago with my first outboard. I was able to swap out the motor within two minutes while the boat was gently rubbing up against an underwater rock (no damage). We then motored back to our slip.
You'd be better served with a stern anchor for fast deployment and on water towing insurance
You'd be better served with a stern anchor for fast deployment and on water towing insurance
I was leaving the marina, just got through the entrance to the outer harbour when the Parsun 6hp died on me, it seems I'd forgotten to open the tank vent (rookie error) I was lucky enough to be able to pull out the jib and sail out of the harbour (it wasn't pretty but it worked).
After that I checked my trolling motor would fit on the outboard bracket next to the Parsun - it does ! So now it lives on a bracket on the pushput ready to be deployed if the outboard were to fail again - though in hindsight I would have been better off just chucking the anchor over so I could sort out the engine - but then 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing.
My worry in the marina has always been losing control and drifting into an expensive boat - so far so good though and no serious mishaps !
After that I checked my trolling motor would fit on the outboard bracket next to the Parsun - it does ! So now it lives on a bracket on the pushput ready to be deployed if the outboard were to fail again - though in hindsight I would have been better off just chucking the anchor over so I could sort out the engine - but then 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing.
My worry in the marina has always been losing control and drifting into an expensive boat - so far so good though and no serious mishaps !