trolling motor installation?

[Tjames09]

Looking for somewhere in the kawarthas/peterborough. Changing from 12v to 24v so I don't think its simple unbolt one bolt on the other.

Any recommendations would be helpful. 

[AKRISONER]

I see that you pulled the trigger!

I did as well, i found one out of the states that I am picking up when i head down in 3 weeks to south carolina.

As crazy as it is, the mounting is nearly universal for all minkottas. Are you intending to install a quick release bracket. Also you may need to upgrade your wiring to account for the additional voltage?

I could pretty much lay out absolutely everything that you would need to upgrade from one to the other if you outline what kind of boat you have and then what two motors you are swapping between.

The actual mounting of the motor to the front of your boat is typically as simple as undoing a couple of bolts. 

 

[porkpie]

Its pretty straightforward.  You should be able to do it yourself as long as there is room in your battery compartment.  You just need a jumper lead and your golden.  I don't know that I'd worry about changing out the boat wiring.  If maybe just call the manufacturer and see if the pre installed wiring will be good to go.  It likely will be fine.

 

[Garnet]

just where are located. I'm routinely in Lindsay ,port perry peterbourgh

walleye open soon . not really looking for job but will help.

[Tjames09]

Thanks guys, I did end up with the terrova 80lbs. 

I was under the impression the connection where the trolling motor plugs into the boat would need changing from 12v to 24v? unless its the same wiring and same plug? My bow has a plug for the trolling motor, which then goes underneath the bow where the batteries are stored. 

 

Should add I bought the MKA 21 mount. It seems like there’s three different mounts you could use. 16, 21, or 32. From cheapest to expensive. BPS only had the 21. 

Edited April 24, 2018 by Tjames09

[wallyboss]

I just did that conversion. I had to change the wires to the batteries. Had 10 Gauge and Minnkota suggest 8 gauge. Also you will need to replace or install 60 amp fuse/breaker. But the rest was all straight forward because even if my mounting plate was an older model it all lined up. 

[AKRISONER]

12 hours ago, Tjames09 said:

Thanks guys, I did end up with the terrova 80lbs. 

I was under the impression the connection where the trolling motor plugs into the boat would need changing from 12v to 24v? unless its the same wiring and same plug? My bow has a plug for the trolling motor, which then goes underneath the bow where the batteries are stored. 

 

Should add I bought the MKA 21 mount. It seems like there’s three different mounts you could use. 16, 21, or 32. From cheapest to expensive. BPS only had the 21. 

 

The MKA 21 bracket is the best one IMO...Simple installation, literally bolt the square down to the front of your boat with the provided hardware.

Note out of the 4 that I have dealt with 2 of them were not bored out correctly and there was a catch where the post wouldnt go through the mount without using a hammer...simple solution, run a drill bit through it and file it out a little to widen the gap ever so slightly. It worked perfectly for me after removing the tiny "catch"

Then mounting the reciptacle on the minkotta is literally just 6 bolts, three on each side of the kota when you take the cover off of it. a 5 minute job.

For your wiring, you will want to check what guage the wire is that is installed in your boat. I would definitely suggest 8 guage minimum for a 24v system and a 60amp breaker.

Your best bet is actually just to head to a car audio shop, they sell 8 guage wire by the foot and will be able to get you the appropriate fuse and waterproof holder for it. If you have never done wiring, I highly suggest learning the basics...for you it will be made even more simple by the fact that your boat is already wired correctly. You simply need to repeat what was already done, but this time with your batteries in series. Its all very very basic stuff though that would make for a great learning project for you with very very little risk of ruining anything.

Edited April 24, 2018 by AKRISONER

[Lape0019]

Where are the TM batteries located in the Legend?

If they are up front, you probably won't have to change anything other than add a cable to attach the two batteries together.

When I went from a Motorguide 46 to the 80lb terrova on my Bass Tracker, I ripped out the 8 gauge and went with 6 gauge for the simple reason of I had a 22 foot run (22 red, 22 black) of wire from where the TM was mounted to where my batteries were located. Shorter distances can get away with smaller guage of wire.

Here is what MinnKota recommends https://www.minnkotamotors.com/support/compatibility/battery-selection-and-rigging

For me, on top of the Terrova, I bought an MKA-47 quick release bracket (to cover existing MG holes and provide a solid base to the new TM), MKR-18 plug and receptacle, MKR-18A 6AWG adapter for the plug and MKR-19 circuit breaker. There are cheaper otpions but I wanted everything to work together so figured why not just get all of the stuff needed from one company.

If your length of wire is  less than 15 feet and is 8AWG (I think it will be but double check), you should be fine with the wiring you have.

If wiring ends up being suitable, you would still need to check the fuse/breaker, possibly the plug and if you want, a quick release bracket (recommended as if you need any work done, the whole motor has to go in).

 

[BillM]

I doubt you'll need to make any wiring changes sans joining the two batteries together.   If it's not a long run up to the motor, you might be able to get away with what's there already.

[John Bacon]

Is there any need to upgrade wire when going from 12 to 24 volts?  A 24 volt motor actually draws fewer amps than a 12 volt motor.

Having said that.  My boat came with 12 gauge wiring with storage for a single battery.   I don't think that running 55 amps (typical for 12v motors) through 12 gauge wire is a good idea.  So don't assume that any wiring that was put there by the manufacturer is adequate.

[Lape0019]

4 minutes ago, John Bacon said:

Is there any need to upgrade wire when going from 12 to 24 volts?  A 24 volt motor actually draws fewer amps than a 12 volt motor.
 

It has more to do with the length of the wire than the gauge of the wire.

1, you have the concern of voltage drop. The longer the wire, the larger gauge you want to combat this.

2. As you pointed out, the amp draw of the item. You want to ensure that the wire can accommodate the amps the device requires without melting the shield and starting a fire.

Both of these reasons are why Minnkota recommends larger gauge wire with anything over 15 feet (for the 80lb model).

If you study the chart in the link I posted above, you will see you are right in that the amps play a huge role in what gauge they recommend. 25 feet for a 30lb thrust requires even heavier wiring but if you got to a 36v system (112), 8 gauge is fine.

[AKRISONER]

If your batteries are right at the motor you dont have to worry much about your wire guage. 

 

I personally went total overkill as my boat was strung with 10 guage wire from the back to the front on a 24 v system. I am sure the previous owner didnt have any issues, but I didnt even want to ever have the possibility of that happening. Went to a card audio shop and bought some powersupply wire by the foot. The stuff is a copper aluminum mix so that it is much more maleable as well. long leads of light wire with the motor going full throttle through chop on a bad day could result in some heat building up in the line. You would hope you would simply blow your fuse...but why bother risking heat building up anywhere in a boat in order to save yourself $50 on some heavier guage wire.

Plus at the end of the day, i didnt like how my boat was wired at all, so i redid it all properly. Made sure everything was water tight.

Edited April 24, 2018 by AKRISONER

[Lape0019]

Yup, tinned copper is the way to go. I bought mine at a marine supply shop in Ottawa (the chandlery) and got everything to make it water tight there as well.

 

Akrisoner, The nice thing about redoing your whole boat is you'll know exactly where to look if you ever have problems. Not an easy task but well worth it if you have the time.

[AKRISONER]

1 hour ago, Lape0019 said:

Not an easy task but well worth it if you have the time.

This friggin spring has provided me with plenty 

 

im tired of working on the boat...as awesome as ive made it...ive gotten so desperate that ive just started organizing tackle...this ice can leave any day now...ugh

[Tjames09]

the batteries are at the front of the boat, under the first hatch. I don't know what gauge wire is there or how to tell?

This is the first I've heard of needing a breaker though.

 

im not sure I really want to install it myself. Would prefer a place did it. Any recommendations for marinas or shops in the Kawartha Peterborough area.

Edited April 24, 2018 by Tjames09

[Lape0019]

If you have room for both up front, whatever is in the boat will more than likely be fine (I’d assume 8AWG). 

Breaker/fuse will already be there since it’s pretty much mandatory for a Tm. You just have to double check the size. 

 

As for for not being comfortable, I hear you. It isn’t a terribly hard job though at all considering your wiring is all up front. Because of this, I don’t think any marina with a mechanic would have an issue installing this in under an hour. Two tops if they are really slow at working. 

[BillM]

2 hours ago, Tjames09 said:

the batteries are at the front of the boat, under the first hatch. I don't know what gauge wire is there or how to tell?

This is the first I've heard of needing a breaker though.

 

im not sure I really want to install it myself. Would prefer a place did it. Any recommendations for marinas or shops in the Kawartha Peterborough area.

You don't need a breaker, a simple inline fuse will work just fine...    This really isn't complicated at all.  Don't pay a shop to do this.

[Lape0019]

Yup, put batteries in, bolt TM on, check fuse is the right size (if it has a breaker, even better) and hook it up. 

 

Your pretty much much good to go except you may have to drill some new holes. At least I did as the Terrova base is not as long as the MG or MK cable driven ones. Which is why I recommended the quick release bracket I did. 

 

But your call, literally any marina should be able to do this if you don’t want to tackle it yourself. It’s nit hard at all. 

Edited April 25, 2018 by Lape0019

[porkpie]

Do it yourself, but when you do splurge for the Minnkota breaker.  With your batteries up front this is dead easy.  And I doubt very much that you will need to change the wiring at all, but if you feel more comfortable just call the manufacturer.

[boombap]

If you plan on fishing any type of heavy vegetation do yourself the favor and get a breaker, not a fuse. I wouldn't spend the money on the minn kota one. Plenty of cheaper, identical options on amazon.

Also.. if anyone needs marine wire check out http://www.genuinedealz.com .. they make custom cables at a great price.

[Tjames09]

Thanks guys. Any recommendations when bolting all these things inside the hull so I don’t cause leaks? Lots of things need to be bolted in: battery boxes, breaker, charger. 

[AKRISONER]

Such a difficult thing to answer when I have no idea what the battery compartment looks like in your boat. If you are installing a bank charger, consider mounting it to a piece of wood that you bracket to something vertical in the boat. 

[Lape0019]

I wouldn't even add the charger to the front of the boat, you are already adding more weight up there with the second battery. I had bought a used charger and the previos owner had installed alligator clips on it so I mounted it to the wall and attached the leads when I needed to charge.

Without seeing the compartment, I am afraid I can't provide any options for you.

I would start by pulling out one of the screws that holds the current battery tray in and buying a few that are the same length as what is there. If the box is centered in the hull, you should be able to fasten another battery tray beside the one you have without any issues but again, without seeing the compartment, it is hard to provide advice.

[boombap]

A little off topic but is anyone running a 80# terrova on  group 24 batteries? What kind of usage are you getting before they need recharging?

[Lape0019]

20 hours ago, boombap said:

A little off topic but is anyone running a 80# terrova on  group 24 batteries? What kind of usage are you getting before they need recharging?

I ran Group 27 interstates with a 160 RC for 2 seasons. They weren't as big as I wanted (29's have an RC of 210 which I would have been happier with)  but did work most of the time.

On a good tourney day, they would be showing a charge of about 50% when I was done. If conditions were worse and required a heavier use, I probably would have discharged the battery to much.

My recommendation is do not run a terrova on group 24's unless you find one with a huge RC of over 200 ( I do not think they make them).

The new boat will be running an ultrex with group 31's