Trolling Motor on Argo ~ Best amount of thurst etc/ brands suggestions plz

[spikedbat]

Hi guys,

Finally got my argo out this past weekend for the first time. And what a blast it was. Such a beast. I'm used to 4x4 atvs and it's so nice having the ability to just float through the deep stuff.

However out in the ponds etc I wasn't as impressed as it was painfully slow and most of the ponds have lots of logs etc that require to be pushed out of the way.

Wondering what you guys could suggest for a good setup to allow small lake/pond traversal much easier.

Do most use a gas outboard engine mounted on the rear or is a trolling motor sufficient.

I'm leaning more towards the trolling motor as I already have a few heavy duty larger batteries. I'm just wondering what the minimum thrust would be for a decent set.

Any suggestions would be appreciated also if you have a particular brand to reocmmend that would be great too as I'm not familiar with what's good and bad in the world of trolling motors.

Thanks!

[trevorakm1]

Well I have a bigfoot and I have a 30lb thrust trolling motor. I use my argo in a river up in Maine and it goes like this. When out of the current the 30 will push about the same speed as the tires maybe a little faster. It is silent though. Last fall I tried it in the river again and the current was moving pretty good, the 30 pushed it against the current but barely and I went back to the tires for propulsion and got 2 mph on the gps. I am looking to get a 45 to 55 lb trolling motor but not sure what that would do for speed or power. I have been in the same river with my brother in the argo with me about 500lb of passenger cargo and when the river sped up I had to move towards the bank and out of the worst of the cuurent just to make it back up stream and that was with tires. I like the trolling motors for weight, noise and manueverability. I like to fish in the same river and the trolling motor allows me to get where i want to fish easily and quietly. If you go trolling go bigger, and post or pm with the details of how it works for you. If the larger motor is not to effective I won't buy one.

[Tomo]

HI,
I pm Whipper about his electric trolling motor [posted about it a while ago ]
Comments were all positive 45lbs thrust moves well even in lower speeds easily faster than tires in calm water . River current he could not comment on .Battery life around 4hrs using an automotive type.
On this performance I will buy one but not until my summer .

cheers tomo

[eightwheeler]

I had a 55lb Minn Kota on my 8 wheel Conquest worked great

[martz694]

I have a 28lbs on my magnum, i put a general motors alternator in there and ran 2 heavy duty jumper cable wires to the back and hook the motor up to those, i ran a second throttle cable to the back as well and i go across a fairly high current river with no problems, probably twice as fast as my uncles new hdi with tires only. Best 60$ i ever spent

[whitepuff]

I run a 56lbs watersnake motor on my avenger8x8 and it goes much faster and way more manoeuvrable than using the wheels. Use it for fishing. I run a separate 96ah battery and it lasts a full day of fishing without draining the battery.

[spikedbat]

thanks guys for the input.

Just wondering what size outboards people are running. I finally have my mount all build, just need to make the final decision. Still yet to get out on the argo this season.

[jtb51b]

I have a 4hp yamaha 4 stroke on mine and it does just fine. Really I have never opened it up as I dont need speed just the ability to move easily. I also have a 55ft lb trolling motor and I have yet to try it on the argo, it did VERY well on my max iv and it was not nearly as well mounted.

Jason

[Canadian_Zuk]

I have a 56lb thrust Minkota on my 1996 6x6 Vanguard, I wish I had more.

[gotrippedoff]

I have a 45lb thrust trolling motor on mine. Works well for my needs. I have not tested mine on a river though, just open water. Did not GPS to see how fast I was going, but must have been at least 3-4mph. I have it running off of its own marine battery I store in the back.

[montague]

5 hp Nissan 4 stroke gas outboard- moves it along a good clip, more than enough to deal with any current or wind.

PS- you need long shaft version

[spikedbat]

5 hp Nissan 4 stroke gas outboard- moves it along a good clip, more than enough to deal with any current or wind.

PS- you need long shaft version

I was worried about whether a short shaft would work or not. Where is your outboard mounted? I have built a custom engine mount that comes up from the hitch and is adjustable to different heights but have not had a chance to measure how much I'd need in the shaft as it's up at the cottage and I forgot about it until now.. I'm still in the market for an engine or motor. Have not had the time on the ARGO as I had wanted this year...good thing fall is coming soon.

[treetop62]

I have a 50 lb Minn Kota on a 750 HDI with tracks and it does well in the lake, very stable and moves around easy. I have not tried it in the river but I will on Saturday. I will update.

[Pike]

IMG_1129[1].jpgIMG_1130[1].jpgIMG_1131[1].jpgIMG_1132[1].jpgI have been running a 55 lb Minn Kota on my 750 HDI as well and moves it around pretty good on a small lake. My only problem is that I ran out of battery power one day and had to crawl through a private cottage to get out of the lake and back on the road.
So Battery power is something to watch for if you intend on doing a lot of trolling. I have attached some pictures of the mounting. I have the rear mounting plate for the winch and a bought a second top plate. Then a fashioned a piece of 6x6 block to support the motor. With a bungee cord and the trailer hitch supporting all the weight the motor is very secure and can handle the roughest terrain. To get the motor to line up with the bracket I needed to extend the transom mount horizontally by using 2 pieces of 3/4 in plywood fused to together then screwing them top the transom.

On the factory transom mount you definitely need a long shaft, I have only tried a short shaft and the propeller is not fully submersed in the water.

If you guys do a lot of fishing, which I do, I happy to share my configuration for rear seats and a depth finder if you are interested.

[cmorban58]

how did this work in river did not see update