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Conference wahoo::fishing

Title:Fishing Notes- Archived
Notice:See note 555.1 for a keyword directory of this conference
Moderator:DONMAC::MACINTYRE
Created:Fri Feb 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Sep 20 1991
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1660
Total number of notes:20970

1081.0. "Merc Thruster...Opinions" by MPGS::SALVIF () Wed Apr 05 1989 11:18

         I'm in the market for a electric motor, I found one now I
    could use some opinions. It's a Merc Thruster 12 volt 28lbs. 
    thrust, 2 years old. I dont have any idea what it could be valued at
    or what it might be worth, most of all how dependable are they,
    so before I make any kind of an offer (he's not sure about price)
    if anyone can answer some of the above questions, please do, I
    could use your opinions.
    
    
        P.S.   has anyone ever mounted a foot control electric to 
    operate from the back of a boat???????
    
    
    Frank
                                                                     
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1081.1VAX4::TOMASJoeWed Apr 05 1989 12:1612
Frank,

My friend, Chris, has a 28# Merc Thruster and it is noisy as hell!  As I recall,
DonMac also had one on his original Stump Jumpa and you could hear it a mile
away.  It sounded like a meat grinder!  I think Don has since replaced it with
a Minn Kota.

I'd suggest a Minn Kota.  They're quite, popular, easy to get serviced (if ever
required) and are reasonably priced.  I know a lot of us out here have
Minn Kotas and I can't remember anyone ever having much bad to say about them.

-HSJ-
1081.2Minkota 7xxMXBAGELS::DILSWORTHI'm the NRAWed Apr 05 1989 12:579
   Frank,

   Minkota makes what they call a "Power Drive" electric motor for both bow
   and transom. They have a 20' control cable/wire that can be used anywhere
   in the boat.  I have the bow mount and would highly recomend it.  Unless
   you have a special need, the bow mount offers much more control than a 
   transom mount.

   keith
1081.3quiet power catches fish - for realMOSAIC::MACINTYRETerminal AnglerWed Apr 05 1989 13:156
    Yeap, Stump Jumpa had a Merc Thruster.  I still have it, I use it
    for the canoe.  As Joe said, it's real noisy.  Merc uses a gear
    reduction drive that's different from most elec motors.  They say
    it's real dependable, they're also more expensive.
    
    donmac - who definitely prefers his MinnKota 
1081.4advice neededWMOIS::N_PAREThu Apr 06 1989 11:4516
    
    
    I know this has nothing to do with a Merc Thruster, but I have a
    couple questions about a electric motor that I saw in my new BassPro
    catalog,and it could be another choice for someone who needs an
    electric motor.(incl. me)
    
    They had the Shakespear models advertised at $167.00 for their 38lbs
    thrust, 33lbs for I think $145.00, and 28lb for $130.00 approx.
    Now why are the Shakespear models so much cheaper than the other
    brands? Are they junk or just a good buy? I just need a transom
    motor to move the boat in the shallows instead of the outboard,
    they're cheaper than my prop.
    
    Any advice (pros,cons) will be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks Frenchy
1081.5I wish I could get a charge out of this...CECV03::SURRETTEThu Apr 06 1989 12:5538
    
    I bought a Shakespeare Trolling motor about 4 years ago and think
    I got a really good deal.  I bought it a MVP sports (It was Colemans
    when I bought it).  The motor is a 28lb thrust transom mount that
    I bought as a factory reconditioned (It was FULLY guarateed by
    Shakespeare 1 year as I recall) and I only paid $89.00 for it.
    
    4 years later, I've had no problems with it at all.  It seems to
    run pretty quietly (I have not owned another brand, so comparisons
    are tough) and smoothly.  The only problem (and it might not even
    be a problem) is battery usage.  I bought the largest deep cycle
    battery Sears sells (105 Amp I think) and it seems to get drained
    fairly quickly (8 hrs of on and off use tends to wipe out the
    battery pretty much).   However, since there is no maximizer circuitry
    maybe this isn't out of the question I guess. 
    
    Overall, I've had very good luck with the motor.
    About battery usage though....
    
    	1.  Provided the Battery is fully charged, am I unreasonable
      	    to expect 8+ hrs of non-constant trolling motor use ??
    
        2.  I have an automatic battery charger (Sears) that appears
    	    to be operating properly (i.e. The ammeter starts at 10
     	    amps or so and is reduced to aproximately 0 amps as the
    	    charging time increases), but when I put a Voltmeter across
    	    the terminals while the charger is on the voltage is less
    	    than 12 v, (around 11 usually).
    
    		a) Is the battery charger junk ??
    		b) Is it possible that a cell in the battery is trashed??
    		c) Should I give on batteries and row instead ;^)
    

    	Any help would be greatly appreciated.