Electric trolling motor help

Need some advice, I'm wanting to add bow mount trolling motor to my 19 ft aluminum boat mainly for boat control I have a 9.9 kicker. I'm guessing boat 2400 LBS. I'm sure I want and need I pilot .

Yes the I-pilots are the way to go. I have a 19’ trophy WA with a 4.3 I/O and mounter a 112 pound thrust 71” shaft on it and can get around 6 hours on a full charge. I have 2 banks of batteries on boat so I can troll up to 12 hours before needing to charge. They are costly but they really free up the person controlling the boat and lets everyone enjoy the fishing. Mine seems to not hold a heading 100 % but I can live with that

I'm sure I don't need a foot control ,what model brand are you using?

I have a Minn Kota. Riptide without the foot pedal and no transducer on it. 72” shaft. I have heard of better battery run times and probably would do better on a lighter boat. I also have an Ulterra 80 lb with a 60” on my Ranger 188 aluminum bass boat and I get about 6 hours out of it running on #5 setting (out of 10) Check Amazon I picked up my riptide from them as used for 2100 only thing I seen wrong was damaged box. I took a chance and was very pleased with the savings they won’t always have any but doesn’t hurt to check

I have a 21' Crestliner and am considering an Electric Motor. Do you always run the gas kicker for power or will the electric carry the load?
thanks,

Depends on speed you are trying to run and how long you’re planning on trolling. When trolling under 1.5 I can use only the trolling motor and still get my 6 hours run time if not going into the wind I can go up to 2.4-2.6 with trolling motor but I’m running on a high set which will drain batteries quick. I would think if I was only going to be out for a few hours (3-4). And was only needing up to 1.6-1.8 I could do that on 1 bank of batteries on my setup with the 112 lb thrust lighter boats could do a little better. Also I’m running Walmart batteries. Maybe the better high end batteries would do better but I set up with 2 banks of batteries cheaper

If you can, get an Ulterra with self deploy/stow - your back and rotator cuffs will forever thank you. We can get 6-8 hours running under 1.5 with the wind - 2 27's. For more we use the kicker for power and the Ulterra to steer - good setup. You have to have autopilot to troll with it. The I-pilot is awesome. We have a foot pedal for backup and non-trolling style fishing. I think the foot pedal comes with the package. We have a 60 inch shaft and 70 LBS. Works fine with our 19 ft Ranger on Lake Erie. Longer and stronger is always good but not necessary in our case.

If you are still looking at trolling motors, do your self a favor and check out Rhodan. They are not very popular up in the midwest but they are down in Florida and SE coast. I took a leap of faith based on reviews from the offshore bulletin boards and couldn't be happier. I have a 120 lb. Thrust, 72" model. They have an industry leading gps and the most power. You want to stay locked on a route or spot locked without moving this is the motor for you.

I previously owned a 105lb Xi5 and while i had good luck with that unit, this motor is heads and shoulders the top dog. I highly recommend Rhodan, you should take a hard look at them before you purchase your motor

I have a 16' mr pike with a terrova 12v 60" us2 I pilot and an 18' Lund fisherman with a terrova 24v 60" us2 I pilot.

1st for I pilot- you need this for walleye fishing. I have foot pedals for mine and have used them 2x in 5 years, I only use the remote and I carry a spare remote battery on board. Going slow <1.5 only electric unless fighting wind/current. Remote has heading lock and cruise control, that's what I use. If going faster or for a longer time >5hrs then I use the kicker for extra power and let the heading lock steer, set the cruise for 0.1 mph faster than the kicker.

Us2 (built in sonar)- you dont need this for open water trolling, it's nice for jigging structures. I use mine in canada when jig and minnow fishing.

Shaft length- this is also important. Get the longest shaft you can. My 18' lund has the 60" shaft and its honestly too short for anything remotely rough, it pops out of the water. Might be only able to get the longest shaft with the highest power motor.

Power- again bigger is better IF you have room for all the batteries and get the biggest batteries you can. Hard to find group 31 but 27 are all over.

Ulterra vs terrova- meh. I have read reviews of some ulterra stow/deploy motor bracket issues leaving the motor unable to stow. If the lake kicks up I wouldn't want to be dealing with that. If all I did was troll erie then I would honestly look into an Auto Pilot with speed control for my kicker.

It's always better to have the extra thrust and battery when you need it. I went with the 24v 80lbs and when the current is ripping I am glad I have the extra thrust. Mine is 18' Frontier bay boat. I am never worried about running out of battery. In order to decide which trolling motor works out for your needs, read this article