running multiple minn kota 112 trolling motors?

submitted by mother from self.whatever

i want to run two minn kota trolling motors(112 lbs thrust) and i want to know if the out of the box controllers can control two motors from one controller?

also, is there any information available how i can write custom software to control these minn kota motors so that i can create a custom controller that can control two or more of these motors?

thank you.

i will be using something like this:

https://minnkotamotors.johnsonoutdoors.com/saltwater-trolling-motors/riptide-terrova

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[–]iDontShift 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

i have no idea. but i asked the internet

aaaaand i now know all about 55 pound and 109 pound motors, 12v 24v and 36v .. seems a 24v system with a 109 pound motor is a great all day setup. it can run for 14 hours because it is a low draw on a 24v system, and 2 55 pound motors are at the high end of a 12v system, kills battery faster in only 6 hours!

A Minn Kota Maxxum Amperage specs.

55lb- Max speed Amp draw -50A

70lb- Max speed Amp draw -42A

Less amps = Longer battery life.

Just for clarification let's just say one 12v battery gives you 300 Amp hours. ( 10 Amp hours will provide 1 Amp for 10 hours.)

55lb motor draws 50A of 300 Amp hours. (12v system = 1 battery)

70lb motor draws 42A of 600 Amp hours. (24v system = 2 batteries)

How much longer will the 70 last?

55lb = 6hrs

70lb = 14.28hrs

guy says 1 109# is faster than 2 55# motors

whatever you are trying to do, appears apparent to these guys, and easy

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/19377-running-dual-or-more-trolling-motors/

can't tell if they all paid to make it work .. they just seem to assume it does

i'd call a bass pro shop .. or a marina .. that kind of money (money you spend to get motors) gets you lots of good service

you usual get to deal with pros on the issue if you ask the right folks like that

[–]mother[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

guy says 1 109# is faster than 2 55# motors

he is splitting hairs.. the following video shows the difference between one and two 45 pound thrust motors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkAeIFdGZ1Q

my preference is to use the 112 minn kota. it is the best motor in the industry. it is expensive. it is the best. it has built in steering mechanism and gps, which allow spot lock and auto pilot.

the nice thing about the 112 pounds thrust minn kota is that it is the cadillac of electric trolling motors AND it has the steering mechanism built into it and it has the ability to do a "spot lock" and it has the ability to do "auto pilot" stuff because it has built in gps and the steering, etc..

just fyi, "spot lock" is a term that means that you can use an auto pilot feature to hold your boat in a fixed location, it is an alternative to dropping your anchor.

as i described in my above reply to /u/zapped , it is my intent to put a few of these 112 minn kota's behind a thirty foot cabin cruiser boat and i am hoping to have one steering control and one throttle control that controls all of my minn kota's like they are a single motor.

in the end, i may just use a single 112 minn kota, which will be used to get me to the shipyard so that i can install an electric forklift motor which will be mated up to the outdrive. the forklift motor will replace my eight cylinder 454 gas engine.

example of the forklift motor like i want to use to replace my inboard gas engine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIshNVQ9M2s

these forklift motors can be had on ebay for about five hundred dollars. take a look at this massive monster:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274522890975?hash=item3fead6e2df:g:SLgAAOSwW5dffILC

just fyi, to control the voltage to one of these things... you will need a curtis controller and a reversing contactor.

[–]iDontShift 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

the nice thing about the 112 pounds thrust minn kota is that it is the cadillac of electric trolling motors AND it has the steering mechanism built into it and it has the ability to do a "spot lock" and it has the ability to do "auto pilot" stuff because it has built in gps and the steering, etc..

ha, I think I just found what my brother got himself. all this sounds like what he was saying he could do. gps a location and go. or a path. super cool

thanks for sharing all this info.

[–]mother[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

just fyi, probably the best bargain for a hand operated electric trolling motor is from http://newportvessels.com , you can get a 55 pound thrust motor for $200 us dollars.

you are very welcome.

[–]iDontShift 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

right on, hope someone interested reads this.

i play disc golf ; ) no time to sit still on the water

[–]Zapped 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

Would the controller need feedback? If so, maybe you'd have to rig up some kind of relay box and use the motors as a master/slave tandem.

Maybe this will help: https://www.trollingmotors.net/pages/technical-resources

Or are you talking about a different kind of trolling?

[–]mother[S] 3 insightful - 3 fun3 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 3 fun -  (3 children)

the basic trolling motors from newport vessels do not have the steering mechanics built into them, they must be steered by using a hand controlled tiller of sorts.

https://newportvessels.com/products/nv-series-saltwater-trolling-motor

the much more expensive motors from minn kota( linked in my original post) do have all of the steering mechanics built into the motor itself, and they can be controlled by either a foot pedal or a handheld fob type of controller unit.

a) can two(or maybe three or more) of these motors be controlled by a single fob controller or by an android app that is available for the minn kota motors?

https://www.minnkotamotors.com/learn/technology/mobile-apps

i would prefer to use an "off the shelf" controller, such as the fob or the android app, if it is able to simultaneously control two or more motors at the same time.

if an "off the shelf" option is not available to control multiple motors, the i will perhaps be interested to write some custom code to interface with perhaps the minn kota bluetooth interface so that i can use a single joystick or whatever to control multiple motors.

the end result is that i want to use these on the back end of a thirty foot cabin cruiser boat.. just fyi, the boat weighs 9,000 pounds (plus any bullshit that i have added to the boat, my personal crap, groceries, etc)

lets just estimate the weight of the boat at 10,000 pounds and so it is recommended that you should have two pounds of thrust for every 100 pounds of boat...

10,000/50=200 pounds of thrust minimum... if i were to put two of those 112 lbs thrust minn kotas, i would have enough to tool around at about two or three miles per hour as long as the current and wind isnt too strong.

i am going to run this using three standard 12 volt batteries in series(36 volts) and i will connect a five horse gas engine and a 36 volt alternator to give to me a nonstop source of 36 volts..

basically i will be running my boat using a five horsepower gas engine.

cc: /u/iDontShift

[–]Zapped 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

That's a pretty ambitious project, and Id like to know how it turns out. I'm guessing that you will be using this on a lake and not a moving body of water.

Why not build your own drive train and use an electric motor? If you had an inboard powered boat, I would think it could be easily done. An inboard/outboard could also be converted easily, I would think.

[–]mother[S] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

my inboard motor is dead now, so i am wanting to create a situation where i have two forms of propulsion... 1) electric trolling motor. 2) forklift motor mated up to my outdrive.

i will be using this in open ocean, but only during very calm weather.

That's a pretty ambitious project,

when it comes to mechanical things, i am a dope, but with software i am more qualified.

i dont have a clue what i am doing, ffs.

[–]Zapped 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

i dont have a clue what i am doing, ffs.

None of us do. Once I learned that, it made everything I do less stressful. We're all figuring things out as we go along.

Where are you getting your ideas and research?