Bigger trolling motor or small gas motor?

[Brad in MS]

my brother in law gave me this little basshound 10.2 boat. the boat was in perfect shape except that the wiring was all corroded so i am in the process of re-wiring it. already added a little humminbird and i really like it for small lakes and ponds.

he also gave me the trolling motor. it is a 40 lbs thrust model.

the only problem is getting anywhere on the water takes a while, the boat is heavy so the trolling motor doesn't move us along very well.

i want to upgrade the trolling motor to a larger (maybe 75 lbs thrust) one or get a small 5-10 HP gas motor.

any recommendations on this appreciated.

[Locator79]

But a little 5hp Briggs on there, work perfect for that boat, and all the reviews are great.

[funbun]

Gas motor. Yeah, 5 hp would be great. Keep in mind that these modern four stroke motors are much heavier than the old two strokes.

[Wannabe...]

How big of a body of water are we talking about? Cant think of any on MS where you might really need a gas motor....maybe a delta oxbow that is long but not wide maybe?

I'd be more inclined to try to stick to electric if you can get away with it since it doesn't appear that you're trailering the boat. One less thing to load and unload from the back of the boat.

Wannabe...

[jaxsprat]

Question what is boat rated for? would think a 2.5hp would be max on that boat, personally I would stick with electric for small ponds etc. many ponds they let u have electric but any gas is no no! A good bigger electric easier to haul around even batt then a stinky gas and weights lots less.

[jaxsprat]

We had a dude here in central Il put a Honda 7.5 on a 10-12 footer like that, sure for one summer he could almost fly, But then he discovered lengthwise cracks in bottom of boat, he never could figure just why!RoflRoflRofl

[Bronson]

It depends on how you are going to use it. If you're going to have to go very far, go gas. If not, I would vote electric and one of the main reasons is even if you did get the gas, I think there are going to be times when you will need more thrust from your trolling motor. 40 lb. thrust is fine for little or no wind and if you're not traveling very far.

I used to have a Bass Bantam (think that's what it was called) great little boat and very stable. Had a 6 horse that I used a few times when I had to go a mile or so to get to my spot. Usually I kept it stored in the barn. Electric was used every time. Buy a new trolling motor and an extra battery.

[funbun]

See, I'm almost in the same boat, no pun. I'm building a 14 ft skiff. i don;t want to plane, hull speed is plenty for me, I just need to go far, like 3 to 5 miles or so away from the dock. I bought a nice little 3.6 hp Scott Atwater motor, that is in good condition, and it only weight about 35 lbs. That's lighter than any battery electric motor combo.

Just use the gas motor to go long, use the electric to troll or hold position over structure.

[Brad in MS]

i will be having a trailer for the boat. that sucker is heavy! i can load it into my truck bed by myself, but i have to take the battery and trolling motor off first.

i guess the real question is what would the difference in max speed of the boat be if using a 75 lbs thrust trolling motor or a 5 hp gas motor?

i don't need to go fast in this boat as it is not designed for that. but there are some spots at pickwick and bay springs that i would fish if it did not take me so long to get from the ramp to the fishing area using the existing trolling motor.

this boat was free so i was just using it until i can pickup a "real" boat this fall when people start selling them off for the winter... but after the direction of the stock market over the last couple of days, i may have to hold off until i can see further.

[funbun]

Well if you looking for a real boat, why not just stick with what you have until then?