Trolling Motor

The term " trolling motor " describes an electric positioning motor used to control the boat without the use of paddles or oars. A trolling motor is most often used for controlling the boat while fishing. Boats do not tend to go in a straight line. Because of this, it is much easier to pull a boat than to push a boat. It is also easier to move the bow of the boat sideways compared to moving the transom. Therefore, a bow-mounted electric motor allows for much greater boat control and positioning. If quick response, boat control and positioning is what you are looking for, a bow mount electric motor is a must.

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What is Thrust?
Thrust is the amount of energy used by the motor's propeller to propel the boat through the water.The energy is measured in pounds of thrust, as opposed to horsepower. MotorGuide published thrust ratings are laboratory measurements taken by using a load cell and with voltage equivalent to a fully charged battery (or batteries) applied directly at the motor brushes. Horsepower is a measurement of "work" being performed.

One horsepower is a unit of measurement equal to 550 foot-pounds of "work" per second. There is no direct correlation of thrust to horsepower. Contrary to what you may have been told, fifteen pounds of thrust DOES NOT equal one horsepower. As noted in the previous definition thrust is simply a static measurement of force

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How much thrust do you need?

Measuring the distance from the top of the bow or transom to the water level with full load.  Use the measurement and the table below to find the right shaft length for you.  For Rough Water Condition, add 5" to your measurement, add 12" for hand-controlled motors.

Transom to Water Line	Shaft Length Recommendation	Bow to Water Line	Shaft Length Recommendation
0" to 10"	30"	0" to 16"	36"
10" to 16"	36"	16" to 22"	42"
16" to 22"	42"	22" to 28"	50"
22" to 28"	50"	28" to 34"	54"
28" to 34"	54"	34" and over	60"
34" over	60"

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What steering options does MotorGuide offer?

Mechanical Push-Pull steering systems
The Push-Pull steering is a rack and pinion system actuated by the foot pedal back and forth rocking action.  When the toe of pedal is pushed down it pulls the cable back.When the heel of pedal is pushed down this pushes the cable.This is the most common steering system and is tournament proven reliable.Requires no adjustments or maintenance.

Mechanical Pull-Pull Systems
The Pull-Pull steering is a set of 2 cables actuated by the foot pedal back and forth rocking action.There is one cable pulled for toe down and one cable pulled for heel down.This steering system is very smooth and considered the "Cadillac" of steering.

Power from the battery is fairly constant regardless of the speed setting. Therefore, on speed 1 for example, more power is diverted to the speed coil than is supplied to the trolling motor. This makes the overall motor assembly quite inefficient.

Extra power consumed by the speed coil produces heat, much like an electrical heating element. The heat is then transferred through the trolling motor housing to the water.

That is why speed coils are located in the lower motor unit.

Speed Coil Analogy
You are driving a car at full speed. To slow down, you brake with one foot while continuing to keep your foot down on the gas pedal. By doing this, you continue to burn gas (power) while causing the brakes to heat up.

Same theory applies with a speed coil motor. The power supply is still constant, but is diverted to the speed coils for the lower speeds, which reduces efficiency and run time.

How Dura Amp Works
Since speed coils reduce the power going to the trolling motor , the Dura Amp was designed to, eliminate this inefficient speed control method by using rapid on/off switching. The Dura Amp is simply a switch that turns the connection to the battery on and off 30,000 times per second.

If 'on' time is longer compared to 'off', the motor runs receive more power. If 'off' time is longer, the motor gets less power. Since there is minimal power lost to accomplish this, the overall trolling motor is very efficient.

Dura Amp Analogy
You are driving a car fully accelerated. To slow down, you lift your foot off the pedal to decelerate allowing only the proper amount of gas (power) to be used. This burns less gas than the first analogy and does not heat up the brake system.

Same theory applies to the Dura Amp. Only the necessary power to go the desired speed is delivered to the motor providing extreme efficiency and longer running time.

Dura Amp Benefits:
Extended Trolling Time
The Dura Amp speed control saves valuable power over a conventional speed coil motor .

The Dura Amp allows more fishing time on your battery charge, up to five times longer running time per battery charge, compared to the 5-speed switch.

With infinitely variable speed control, the Dura Amp allows for proper speeds to be set and maintained while trolling lures for proper presentation.

Virtual speed adjustments for changing conditions.

The Dura Amp allows for fine tune speed adjustments.

The Dura Amp allows the user to control boat speed more effectively in changing environments.

Soft Start
A feature of the Dura Amp, it limits how fast the trolling motor can go from "off" to "on".- Soft start helps increase the motor's life.

More Powerful Motors
Dura Amp electronics allow for more control of higher thrust motor 's .

A standard 5-speed switch does not hold up as well under the same conditions

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What type of batteries do you recommend for trolling motors?
The size of the battery that you use in your boat to operate the trolling motor is a factor in the performance of your motor .  For optimum performance, MotorGuide recommends using a 12 volt deep cycle marine battery with at least an 105 amp hour rating or larger.

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How important is battery selection for electric motor usage?
The battery is a critical element of your electric motor system. A high quality deep cycle marine battery should always be used. Unlike automobile batteries, deep cycle marine batteries are designed to be ran down to a discharged state and then recharged. (To extend the life of your battery, always recharge after use. Most trolling motor batteries fail due to lack of charging.)

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What is Amp Draw?
Amp draw is the measurement of electrical current drawn from a storage battery (or battery), while the motor is being operated at maximum speed.

Can I return my trolling motor to the factory for repairs?
For your convenience, all warranty and non-warranty repairs are handled at any authorized MotorGuide / Pinpoint Service Centers throughout the country. To find a local Service Center, please use our dealer locator on this website or call our Consumer Affairs phone number of 920-929-5040 or fax us at 920-929-5893.

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How do I obtain an Owner's Guide or Brochure?
Our manual is available as a PDF download on our Rigging page. Brochure page PDFs are located on each model type page. You may also contact your local dealer or service center for brochures or you may call our Consumer Affairs group at 920-929-5040 if you prefer not to download the files.

From www.motorguide.com , thanks Motorguide for a great Trolling Motor FAQ