I know. Choosing the correct motor for your boat is hard. Ok, ok. It is extremely hard. There are many companies that provide trolling motors with a variety of categories.
Choosing one of them without knowledge is the biggest dilemma. Remember, no motor is perfect. Don’t worry. I’m here to help you out with that.
In this post, you will find factors that affect your boat speed & how fast will your 55 lb or 70 lb trolling motor go. So without any further ado, let’s get into this.
Also read: 3 Highest Thrust Trolling Motor
Big is Not More
First of all, clear this misconception that the amount of thrust determines speed. It doesn’t. You believed in this, didn’t you? If you’re searching for a motor then, you should know the size of your boat.
Fitting a motor of a ship won’t make your boat faster. Think it like, suppose your capacity to run at the fastest pace is when you eat 1kg of food, what will happen if I force you to eat 5kg of food? You will be slower, won’t you? The same is the case with motors.
I did a lot of research to understand the factors on which the speed depends and believe me, the costly motor isn’t one of them. Now you know more thrust does not mean more speed but, how fast will it go?
Also read: 10 Best Trolling Motor Battery (Ultimate Guide)
How fast will a 55 lb trolling motor go?
This question depends on various factors. Most of them, I have mentioned but, there are a few that are not in the control of any living being. Some unpredictable factors are mentioned below:
- The flow of water: A motor on stagnant water will go faster than a motor on a turbulent one. Want an explanation? You really need to study science. Suppose, I ask you to walk on a sunny day with no wind, you will walk easily, won’t you? What if I ask you to walk on a day with stormy winds? Not so easy, is it? The same is the case with the flow of water.
- The direction of the wind: After reading about the effect of the flow of water on the speed, it is quite obvious that a strong wind against the boat will reduce the speed. Hence, keep a check on the wind!
Now, I will assume that the conditions are standard then, how fast will your 55lb thrust trolling motor go? As per my research which includes breaking down some motors -_-
Your 55lb thrust trolling motor will not go faster than 5 miles/hour or 9 km/hour. Considering that the load is ideal and nature is helping you. All the trolling motors are made for short distances. Therefore, they aren’t ideal for cruise 🙂
Check out: 10 Best Trolling Motors
How fast will a 70 lb thrust trolling motor go?
Even though I did a lot of research… But, still, it is very difficult to determine the speed of a 70lb thrust trolling motor. I know. You still want to know. That’s why I am giving you approx. but, remember, this speed varies with different boats of different sizes. A 70lb thrust trolling motor will have a speed of about 8 miles/hour or 15 km/hr.
This speed will reduce down if I fit this motor on a big boat. However, the speed will not increase if I fit this motor in a very small boat.
As I said earlier, a big motor doesn’t mean you will get more speed. Every motor has an ideal boat. If you increase the size of the boat then, the speed will decrease significantly. However, if you fit this motor in a small boat then, my friend you will be riding a horse without rein.
Also read: 3 Cheapest Bow Mount Trolling Motors
The following factors affect the speed of your boat:
- Load: This one is quite obvious. Still, I’ll explain it for the sake of clarity. Suppose, I give you three books and ask you to run. You run easily without any effect on your speed. Good, you are quite the runner. What if I give you twenty or more books and repeat the exercise? You ran slower than before…. what happened to the athlete? The same is the case with motorboats. Keep the load in limit and your boat will talk to the wind. What is the language of wind anyway?
- Type of fuel: Consider it like, there are three types of food. The first one increases your energy by 10%, the second one by 40% and the third one by 80%. Which food will you prefer? The third one, won’t you? The trolling motor also needs energy and fuel supplies. Gasoline, diesel and distilled marine diesel are three types of fuel for motors. Distilled marine diesel is the best fuel for any trolling motor.
- Brand: Which company has manufactured your motor? This means a lot. Come on! Do I even have to explain this? Fine…. Why do you prefer Apple over a local product? Quality, isn’t it? This applies to motors too. An eminent company will always use high-quality material to make a motor. While an unknown company just focuses on reducing the cost which degrades the quality of the material. Some eminent companies are Bolinder, Cimco Marine, Briggs, and ELTO.
- Usage: How much do you use your motor? This question is very important. Suppose, you don’t know farming but, I start teaching you that. Initially, your speed of doing work will be slow but, when you get used to it then, your speed is faster than before. Similarly, a motor that is not used much doesn’t perform at peak but, a motor that is well-maintained and used gives peak results. So, start using it more. If you are not then, why did you buy it in the first place?
- Water: In which type of water are you going to take your boat? Sounds like an irrelevant question, doesn’t it? Believe me, this is the question you should ask first. The type of water you sail your boat affects the motor by a huge margin. Let’s run again! Suppose, I ask you to run a plain ground without any grass, what will be your speed? Now, suppose, I ask you to run on land that is covered with snow. What will be your speed? You got it, aren’t you the Einstein?
- Propeller: What if I tell you that the propeller is the brain of the motorboat? In fact, it is. A propeller that is robust and of the right size as compared to the motor increases the speed by a huge margin. Generally, people fix any propeller into their motor. This isn’t the right approach to make your motor faster. So, choose it wisely with proper precaution.
- Maintenance: Maintenance? Ha! I don’t need it. Well, I’m not talking about your maintenance. I’m talking about the maintenance of your motor. Every motor has a life period. Using the motor continuously and not maintaining it will lead to depletion of speed. Hence, I recommend you to do proper servicing of your motor weekly. This will not only make it faster but also increase the life period.
Also Read:
Conclusion
Use these precautions to make your thrust trolling motor faster. Remember, these are the steps that you can do without any external help. These steps will surely make your motor faster but, still, you may need technical support to install some gadgets. I hope, my efforts and research were of some help to you.
