Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmythegreek
I would make sure those batteries are holding a charge for long term power as thats your only form of propulsion? SR is kinda big and u gotta search usually to find fish so make sure the motor and boat are sound before you go too far. Id get a 12v cheap trolling motor for backup in case or a cheap gas motor, and 5 or 6 hp will push you over 7mph in that thing and if you look you can find one under 500. just wear your pdf and take your time getting used to it, the smaller the boat the more it lists and the less stable it is
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So I headed out to SR last night to check on the boat (I dropped it off there almost 3 weeks ago and wanted to make sure it was still in one piece and nothing stolen). The boat has an onboard charger (which is a pain since there is no place to charge it at the Spruce Run Storage lot) and it was fully charged when I brought it to the lake but I still wanted to check and make sure the charge had held. The boat had faired all the storms we have had ok, just a little bit of water easily drained through the plug. I dropped the motor and turned it on and it seemed fine, but it is hard to tell with an electric motor not in the water. To make a long story short, I couldn't help myself and despite it being 11 pm I decided to take her out for a midnight spin. The water was smooth as glass and air temp was about 55. This was my first time launching a boat so I was happy no one was around but I managed ok. As soon as I got the boat out though I noticed the motor seemed very very weak. I had it cranked up to five and was barely moving. It took me a while to get used to the foot pedal control but once I did it was great, sitting up in the captain's seat controlling everything with my foot. My fishfinder is a piece of junk but it managed to provide depth, water temp, and marked lots of fish in the 25' range. Topwater blowups were everywhere. I stayed pretty close to the launch because I really didn't trust the motor and sure enough, it conked out completely around 2 am (as did my headlamp). Thankfully I brought my kayak paddle with me and had a lantern as backup so I paddled back to the launch (not to difficult since the boat is so light).
I am praying that the batteries had just lost their charge during the 3 weeks or so the boat was sitting idle. It could also be the connections which I am going to clean this weekend since they are all pretty corroded. I don't think it is the motor itself (at least I hope) but my fear is that both batteries may need to be replaced as they are god knows how old. Any suggestions on decent priced marine batteries? Minn Kota suggests 2 12V deep cycle marine batteries with at least a 105 AH rating, which based on my research seem to be pretty pricey.
I also had about 2 inches of water in the boat by the time I got it back to the storage spot. It drained easily out the plug but I was wondering if this is something I should be worried about? I was out for a solid 3 hours so I would think a cheap bilge pump could solve the problem since it doesn't seem to be a serious leak. Otherwise I guess I would need to try and seal any leaks? As you can tell, I am clueless when it comes to boats so any guidance greatly appreciated.
I think it goes without saying I got skunked. I was fiddling with boat so much though that I don't feel like I even really had a chance to fish.
Thanks for all the great suggestions/pointers everyone, much appreciated!
