This is where you’ll get your answer if you’re seeking a specific answer to “how big of a trolling motor do I need”? The size of a trolling motor depends on how big or small your fishing boat is.
Usually, the trolling motor with 36 inches shaft, and 12V 55 lbs thrust goes for most fishing boats. However, there are still different exceptions. And, you require a specific size of trolling motor based on your boat. So, read out the entire article to dive into detail.
What Type Of Trolling Motor Should You Choose
Depending on power and size, you should choose the type of your trolling motor. In general, there are 3 main types, and each of these types has its own specific area to work on. Once you know all the types according to their functioning area, you can easily identify the right type. Here are-
1. Gas/Electric Powered Trolling Motor
Gas Powered
When you need high power and maximum speed, you should decide on a gas-powered motor. This motor has a 4-stroke engine with the highest speed of 5 knots, and it will provide 2-6 HP. As a result, gas-powered motors are stronger compared to electric motors.
Advantage
- Highly suitable for bigger boats.
- Perfect for a wide range of purposes
Disadvantage
- Heavy weight
- Noisy operation
Electric-Powered
The electric-powered trolling motor comes with only around 1.5 HP with a maximum of knots from 2 to 3. Therefore, it will be a suitable gear for small boat requirements.
Advantage
- Quiet operation process
- Lightweight
Disadvantage
- Cannot use large fishing boats
2. Mount Type Trolling Motor
There are two mount types of trolling motor available on the market where one is a Bow mount and another a Transom mount type trolling motor.
Bow Mount Type Trolling Motor
This bow mount motor is the most common and popular trolling motor due to its great capacity and precision to offer wonderful boat control. It has a latter option to free the angler’s hands during fishing time which makes it more popular among anglers. The Bow mount trolling motor appears with all the advanced features.
Advantage
- GPS anchor lock included
- Controllable with either a foot pedal or autopilot.
Disadvantage
- Expensive
Transom Mount Trolling Motor
The most common one that is trouble-free to mount and also more cost-effective than the Bow mount type trolling motor.
Advantage
- Usable from the back side of the boat
- Perfect for Canoe
Disadvantage
- No GPS or Auto Pilot included
3. Hands/Foot Controlled Trolling Motor
Hand-Held Remote Control Trolling Motor
Some of the trolling motors are hand-held remote controlled while some are foot pedal controlled. Both of these trolling motors are high-end. However, anglers from professionals to beginners like to have remote-controlled trolling motors rather than the foot pedal.
Advantage
- Easy to operate from anywhere in the boat.
- Suitable for high-performance
Disadvantage
- You cannot keep your hands free
Foot-Pedal Motor
The foot pedal motor is also a high-end trolling motor like the hand-held motor. It is an easily controllable motor for bigger fishing boats.
Advantage
- Keep Your hands free
- Easy to maintain
Disadvantage
- You have to control it from a specific place on your boat.
How Big Of A Trolling Motor Do I Need
The essential parts of a trolling motor are thrust or horsepower to determine the right size. You can determine the size either based on your boat’s weight and length. Let’s see-
How Do I Choose the Right Size Trolling Motor?
Follow the given table below to understand what size you need according to the weight of your boat-
Size Chart of Trolling Motor
| Boat Weight while Loaded | Boat Length | Minimum Thrust | Thrust for Strong Current & Winds |
| 5500 | 30 ft | 110 lbs | 120 lbs |
| 5000 | 29 ft | 100 lbs | 110 lbs |
| 4500 | 27 ft | 90 lbs | 100 lbs |
| 4000 | 25 ft | 80 lbs | 90 lbs |
| 3500 | 23 ft | 70 lbs | 80 lbs |
| 3000 | 21 ft | 60 lbs | 70 lbs |
| 2500 | 19 ft | 50 lbs | 60 lbs |
| 2000 | 17 ft | 40 lbs | 50 lbs |
| 1500 | 15ft | 30 lbs | 40 lbs |
Trolling Motor Size For Different Types Of Boat
The size of a trolling motor also depends on its types since there are different types of motor available for different purposes. Here we explored the size considering the types of boats-
How Big Of A Trolling Motor Do I Need For A Canoe
Canoes exceed 500lbs not very often but it requires sufficient thrust to make a standard performance. And, if you can make sure the right size of the thrust of the trolling motor is, the Canoe troll for a maximum period of time that can go up to 3 to 4 MPH. Here’s a chart for you to check the Canoe thrust size-
Size of Trolling motor for Canoe
| Canoe Weight | Canoe Length | Performance Thrust |
| 500 lbs | 10 ft | 25 lbs |
| 750 lbs | 12 ft | 35 lbs |
| 1000 lbs | 14 ft | 55 lbs |
| 1250 lbs | 16 ft | 55 lbs |
| 1500 lbs | 18 ft | 80 lbs |
How Strong of A Trolling Motor Do I Need for Canoe
The Canoe with 35 lbs to thrust motor is strong for water surface without a strong current. But, if you want it to withstand a stronger current condition, you should choose a trolling motor with at least 55lbs thrust.
How Big Of A Trolling Motor Do I Need For A Pontoon
Usually, the Pontoon boat can go for all conditions of current from stable to strong since it has a shallow draught. However, you should choose the right size accurately based on the length and weight of your Pontoon. Let’s see in the given table below-
Size of Trolling motor for Pontoon
| Boat Length | Boat Weight while Loaded | Maximum Thrust | Thrust for Strong Current & Winds |
| 21 ft | 4500 lbs | 110 lbs | 100 lbs |
| 20 ft | 4000 lbs | 100 lbs | 90 lbs |
| 19 ft | 3500 lbs | 90 lbs | 80 lbs |
| 18 ft | 3000 lbs | 80 lbs | 70 lbs |
| 17 ft | 2500 lbs | 70 lbs | 60 lbs |
| 16 ft | 2000 lbs | 60 lbs | 50 lbs |
| 15 ft | 1500 lbs | 50 lbs | 40 lbs |
| 14 ft | 1000 lbs | 40 lbs | 30 lbs |
How Strong of A Trolling Motor Do I Need for A Pontoon
Pontoon boat comes with a large height deck. If you want to use a spot lock, it can create problems on the water when there’s strong wind around.
How Big Of A Trolling Motor Do I Need For A Kayak
Kayak is a small boat that makes your small fishing trip enjoyable. Installing the right size of trolling motor on a Kayak won’t require much cost or measurement to get. However, you’ve to focus on the thrust you want while choosing a trolling motor for your kayak. 55 lbs thrust is good enough for a kayak.
How Strong of A Trolling Motor Do I Need for A Kayak
Choosing a 30 lbs motor for a Kayak boat will be strong enough to deal with 300lbs weight. But, this size motor will be better for a small water surface. For kayaking in the ocean, you must choose the trolling motor from 40 to 55 lbs thrust.
How Big Of A Trolling Motor Do I Need For A Bass Boat
The right size trolling motor for a Bass boat enables you to fish on any water surface, for example, spillways, wind-swept flats, river currents, etc.
Size of Trolling motor for Bass Boat
| Length | Weight | Minimum Thrust | Thrust for Strong Current & Winds |
| 21 ft | 4000 lbs | 100 lbs | 110 lbs |
| 20 ft | 3500 lbs | 90 lbs | 100 lbs |
| 19 ft | 3000 lbs | 80 lbs | 90 lbs |
| 18 ft | 2500 lbs | 70 lbs | 80 lbs |
| 17 ft | 2000 lbs | 60 lbs | 70 lbs |
| 16 ft | 1500 lbs | 50 lbs | 60 lbs |
| 15 ft | 1250 lbs | 40 lbs | 50 lbs |
| 14 ft | 1000 lbs | 30 lbs | 40 lbs |
How Strong of A Trolling Motor Do I Need for A Bass Boat
The lightweight design of the bass boat will be perfect for a bigger size trolling motor that ranges between 100 lbs and 110 lbs thrust. This size trolling motor will allow you to fish for a longer time.
How Big Of A Trolling Motor Do I Need For A Jon Boat
Jon boats are significantly utilized as flat-bottomed boats for a wide range of purposes like fishing, lumber collecting, or hunting. These boats are commonly so lightweight and perform best for rough water with up to 4 ft of strong currents. To choose the right size of the Jon boat type, you can take a quick look at the given chart below-
Size of Trolling motor for Jon Boat
| Boat Length | Boat Weight while Loaded | Minimum Thrust | Thrust for Strong Current & Winds |
| 12 ft | 500 lbs | 30 lbs | 40 lbs |
| 13 ft | 750 lbs | 40 lbs | 50 lbs |
| 14 ft | 1000 lbs | 50 lbs | 60 lbs |
| 15 ft | 1250 lbs | 50 lbs | 60 lbs |
| 16 ft | 1500 lbs | 50 lbs | 60 lbs |
| 17 ft | 1750 lbs | 50 lbs | 60 lbs |
| 18 ft | 2000 lbs | 60 lbs | 70 lbs |
| 19-more ft | 2500 lbs | 60 lbs | 70 lbs |
How Strong of A Trolling Motor Do I Need for A Jon Boat
Since the Jon boats have a lightweight design, trolling motor from 45 to 55 lbs thrust will be well enough. However, in the case of a heavy weight load, you should make sure the trolling boat has 70 lbs thrust.
Extra Features To Look For While Buying A Trolling Motor
It’s pretty important to consider some factors before buying a trolling motor. So, in this section, you’ll learn what to look for and what not to purchase a high-quality and right-size trolling motor. Here these are-
- Thrust / HP
Thrust is the term for electric motor power while HP comes from the combustion engine. Determining the thrust or HP accurately is very important. The weight and size of your fishing boat translate the measurement for HP or thrust. So, check out whether you’ve chosen the right thrust for your boat before you buy it.
- Shaft
Choosing an accurate shaft length is essential as the propeller won’t be submerged if the shaft length is too short. We suggest you submerge at least 12 inches of the center in your trolling motor.
- Battery & Voltage
It indicates the battery power you require for your trolling motor. You should have 1 battery for each of your 12 volt trolling systems.
- Digital Maximizer
High-end trolling motors are coming with all the advanced and newly added features, for example, a digital display. To get the additional facilities, you can choose your trolling motor with this feature.
- Mega Imaging Transducer
You can buy the trolling motor with the built-in imaging mega transducer if you want to get a clear image. It will help you locate the fish precisely.
Brands
Finally, you must select a reputed brand that is trustworthy in maintaining its product quality with all the advanced and unique features. Check out the given trolling motors below from different reputed brands-
- Minn Kota C2 Endura Trolling Motor– The Minn Kota C2 is a 240-ounce lightweight transom trolling motor which is compatible with freshwater. It offers all the outstanding features including a telescoping tiller, lever-lock brackets, and an indestructible composite shaft.
- MotorGuide X3 Trolling Motor– It’s a foot-control bow mount trolling motor with an exclusive cable steer, 5-speed settings, and digital variable. You’ll enjoy operating this 12 volts motor.
FAQs
Well, a trolling motor with 55 lbs thrust will be working fine for a 12 ft boat.
You shouldn’t go for less than 70 lbs of thrust. But, the 80 lbs will be better.
Trolling motor with 80 lbs of thrust is perfect for a 17 ft boat.
The 55lbs thrust trolling motor performs the best for a 16 ft boat.
No, the trolling motor is never too big as the angling necessitates more power.
Minimum 2 lbs of thrust you require for a trolling motor.
Final Thoughts
It’s significant to ask yourself “how big of a trolling motor do I need” before deciding on a trolling motor. And, most anglers find it tough to identify the accurate size. However, we’ve made this tough job easier for you to understand with ease.
You can decide the size of your trolling motor considering all the fundamental measures that we’ve mentioned above. So, Don’t Miss them Out!
