Anyone use a trolling motor for the dinghy? I have a Zodiac R260. I'd like to use a minn kota motor with an electric battery. It seems a standard marine battery is too heavy. Any suggestions??
Inflatable electric power
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RE: Trolling motors
The few that tried to use one on their dinks in my club gave up and went over to one of the new small air-cooled Honda four strokes.
Battery weight, charge duration, thrust strength, ability to recharge after long hard run when anchored out are all reasons I heard for giving up.
The few that tried to use one on their dinks in my club gave up and went over to one of the new small air-cooled Honda four strokes.
Battery weight, charge duration, thrust strength, ability to recharge after long hard run when anchored out are all reasons I heard for giving up.
I have a small infaltable 9 ft that I use. I also use a mini Kota with a 12 volt lawn mower battery. It works very well with a lot less weight.
I have a hard dink but use a mini kota. I have never been in wind that convinced me to use something more stout. I always have the oars with me. About ten years ago I was staying at John Pennicamp State Park and went out into the mangrove areas to do some fishing from my flat backed canoe with the minikota. Coming back I got into a heavy outgoing tide, the only way to make headway was to paddle with the mini kota going full speed. Since I put this on the dink it moves it along really well. I had the mini kota before the dink so I just put it on to try it and was pleased. I throw the dink in the back of the truck and do some flats fishing without the sailboat. I have a week of that coming up! :dance:
I've been using Minn Kota trolling motors for my dinghies for nearly 10 years now and I'd NEVER go to a gas engine. The motor is light, stores anywhere at any angle, doesn't smell bad, always "starts", needs no maintenance, no spark plugs, no carburetor... And I use a Group 24 deep cycle battery that doubles as a spare house battery. It's not that heavy and is much easier to get into the dinghy than a gas outboard. I charge it either by hooking it to the house battery with jumper cables and running the engine/alternator or using the AC charger when at the dock. Or now that I have an 80W solar panel, a 1 hr run at hull speed needs 5 hrs of sunshine to recharge.
I can easily run 1 hr at hull speed, or several hrs just putting around. And of course I have oars. It's almost silent, no smell, no need to carry gas...
AND it eliminates one of my Pet Peeves of anchorages - the annoying whine of outboards on dinghies destroying the quiet tranquility of the bay.
druid
I can easily run 1 hr at hull speed, or several hrs just putting around. And of course I have oars. It's almost silent, no smell, no need to carry gas...
AND it eliminates one of my Pet Peeves of anchorages - the annoying whine of outboards on dinghies destroying the quiet tranquility of the bay.
druid
Thanks for the reply. How long does the battery last? Probably at low speed. Do you find it needs to be charged every use? thanks,
Larry
Larry
I have the same RU-260 dinghy (the west marine branded version) I picked up a old single cylinder air cooled 2hp Johnson direct drive (no neutral or reverse, if you want to go backwards, you spin the engine around) outboard off craigs list for $150. it weighs about 35-40lbs so it's real easy to move or carry, it has an internal .22 gallon fuel tank that will give you about 30-45 min of run time. I also have a 1.25 gal fuel can that I keep onboard for it.
It doesn't go any faster than a trolling motor would, and it isn't all that quiet, but it's nearly maintenance free, and sure beats rowing!
It doesn't go any faster than a trolling motor would, and it isn't all that quiet, but it's nearly maintenance free, and sure beats rowing!
Yeah... but would you store it in the cabin? Where do you store the gas?
As for how long do I run on a battery: If I don't do a "long" run (over a mile each way), I just top it up either when I'm running the diesel or at the dock: I can putt around an anchorage all day, or make several trips to shore and still have lots of reserve. If I'm anchored for several days, it does get to the point where I have to run the engine or put it on the solar panel to charge it up, but for a weekend trip, it pretty much doesn't need a recharge till I get home.
Be sure you get the "maximizer" cct which is much more efficient than the regular controller. I found the "40-lb thrust" one is quite adequate - I had a 55, but it weighted quite a bit more and didn't run the dinghy noticeably faster.
druid
I store in on a small engine mount on the stern railing I picked up from WM for $18, and I keep the fuel in the head next to the spare Jerry can for the kicker (sealed containers)
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