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I have a mid 80's 18foot seaswirl with a 350 chevy. I am currently trying to decide between an 80lb and 101 lb thrust minn kota with gps ipilot. Can anyone give me some insite on which I should get. Minn Kota advised 80 but said it could be right on the edge. Primarily lake fish but would probably use this to park in a river or two. Any one running one of these on a similar unit? Thanks in advance for the help
I don't run one but I would think with that heavy a boat you would want to go with the max you could. Don't forget, the wind comes up on those lakes..........
Sorry, don't know which thrust you want, but did want to comment that if you haven't had an I-pilot before, you'll love it!!!
Most people I've talked to about bow mounted trolling motors wished they had gotten the next size larger, including myself. Wind & current have a huge effect on the performance of your motor.
I have a 80 lb Terrova on my 18ft it has more then I will ever need. The way I look at it if the wind is blowing off the spot its time to go in.
is your 18 outfitted like mine. Mines fiberglass open bow with a 350 v8. around 3200 lbs I think. Is your boat similar?
HIs has a 140 outboard and open bow. Sounds same same. No fish uses his hard all day long, flaming gorge wind.
I run the terrova 101 on my 24' and it moves right along. You can always dial down your speed, but you cant dial it up.
I have a Custom Weld 19' Viper jet boat with a Riptide 80 w/ ipilot bow mounted. It works very well for kokanee fishing and I also use it for fishing on the Skagit river. It is the 24 volt model. It can easily move the boat at 2.5 knots. I really do like the autopilot as it can hold a course or track. With the wireless remote I can manage it from anywhere on the boat. I can easily get eight hours of fishing out of the unit.
Hope this helps. Phil
My friend had a 101 on his 19' Duckworth and he thought it was a battery hog. The 101's are 36v so that means an extra battery to boot. My 21' deep V has a lot of drag and I am happy with my old 74 lbs thrust rip tide. I think an 80 lbs thrust would suit you well.