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[–]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?