I've got a 17 foot alum boat with a 50 merc. I'm wanting to put a 55# thrust terrova on it, do you all think it will be big enough? Trying to save a little cash and not get the 80# terrova. Anyone have a simular set up. I have an older 65# motor on it now and it does good. Thanks

I just went through the same exercise. I have a heavy 16 MV jon with a Yamaha 50. I just bought a recondition Terrova from Cabelas. In hind sight I should have bought new because the warranty on a reconditioned unit is only one year instead of two but... I did it. I haven't mounted it yet and won't be able to try it out for several weeks.

Here is a link to Cabelas that explains how to size your trolling motor. I determined that a 55 is enough for my boat.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/co...tor_guide.html

This is a good write up.

good write up

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The fishing was good,it was the catching that was bad

I have a 17' aluminum boat with a 55 lb terrova on it. Wouldn't trade it for anything. Does a good job at maintaining slow trolling speeds and will get up to 2.3 on highest setting.

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Get in, sit down, shut up, and watch your lines!!

I recommend that people buy as much trolling motor as they can afford, not for top end speed but for battery lifetime.

A typical 24V system will give you at least one full day on the water, and oftentimes more than one, under normal conditions of wind, waves and current. If fighting a stiff breeze or even a moderate current, you'd be surprised how quickly you can drain the power of a single 12V battery with a 55 lb thrust motor.

When I ran a 17' tin boat, I had an 80 lb (24V) Terrova and loved it. I could get a full weekend of use out of the system before it needed to be recharged. I now run an 18.5' glass boat and have a Terrova 101 up front.

look at it this way if you need 55lb trust and you have 80 no problem

if you need 65 and you have 55 well you have a problem and like jason halfen said it is easier on your batteries, I did just what I said and have been happy ever since.

All the current model Terrovas have the digital maximizer, but not all Minn Kotas have this feature. In fact, very few of the 12v TMs available from MK have this feature and in my opinion, this is very important when trying to get long battery life.

The digital maximizer turns the motor off and on very quickly, several times a second. A speed coil (the type without the DM feature) uses the same amount of power on low as on high. The extra energy is converted to heat and transferred to the water surrounding the lower unit. This means that on a setting of 1, you're still using the same amount of power from your battery as if you were on 5.

I wanted to get the Terrova but couldn't afford it. I ended up getting the Minn Kota Power Drive with auto pilot. It has the digital maximizer and cost a lot less than the Terrova. I got the 12V 55# thrust on a 16.5 ft alum. boat. I troll crankbaits and jigs with speeds anywhere from .8 - 1.9 mph. I carry a second battery and normally have to swap out depending on wind and wave action after 4-5 hours off constant use. This set up may not work for everyone but until I can afford a bigger and better boat I don't have much choice.

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you could hook them two batteries togather and have twice the current,and still 12vdc and not have to change them out, check out the thread at the top of the page

ditto what beagle man said
I have a Lund 1660 Sports Classic with 60 hp 4 stroke. 55lb terrova. 2 12 volt batteries in paralell.
Trolling speed .07mph all day with plenty of juice remaining on wind free days.
Looking forward to the i-pilot