greetings all,

i am unfamiliar with electric motors, however i've elected to purchase the Minn Kota Endura C2 30 for my 12' aluminum skiff.

can anyone recommend the proper battery and battery box? i'll be using this beside a honda 9.9 4 stroke outboard which i understand will supply electrical current/charge to the battery.

thanks for any clarity,

tws

Mforrest1:

1. How/where is your boat going to be used???? Reason I asked that, I bought a MinnKota 55, 12 volt...thinking that would be enough for my small jet boat. Did great as far as centering boat in river BUT IF I WANTED to pull plugs....not good, so now have Yamaha 8 HP

2. Please don't count on your motor to keep battery charged....if might but then it might not......nothing worse than the click, click, click of a battery to low on charge to start big motor.

Reason I now have 2 batteries and a Perko swithch.

Buy the biggest battery you can buy......with batteries and electric motors.....big is better.

Good luck!!!!!!!

thanks drifter,

will use boat mostly in lakes... i'm saving for the 9.9 honda it's plenty of power for the skiff i'm ordering - a 12' westcoaster.

i guess where my knowledge is lacking most is in the size and quality of battery i will need for the minn kota. i've already got the minn kota but have not yet purchased the battery.

and there is also the matter of a charger and a good quality plastic box to put the battery in.

i was hoping someone who has acquired this gear before might suggest a brand and model...

thanks again for your valuable input

Remember that if the motor doesn't charge the battery you will have to take the lid off of the battery box most of the time after using.

At least I had to.


fp

Go to three rivers marine, tell em what ya have what you want, you will walk out ready to go.

will do...

thanks heaps!

now about anchor line... i like three braid so i can splice thimbles etc. i am wondering what type line is best. i'll hit my home town bay for salmon in the fall... i guess 30' is standard but 40 or 45 probably wouldn't hurt. i've got a 35lb navy anchor i found years ago up a dried out reservoir. i know it may not be necessary for such a small skiff, but i can add some scope to the anchor set up by shackling two short sizes of chain from the anchor to a quality ploy prop or nylon line?

You don't need that big of an anchor. A 12' skiff isn't the most stable platform and trying to pull a 35# anchor is asking for trouble. Get a light Danforth and some chain the length of your boat. 3/8" 3 strand should be sufficient to hold your boat. There are days when you won't have enough scope on your anchor line. 150' of line will fit in a bucket and let you anchor in up to 75' or so of water with a 2 to 1 scope.

thanks... i'll do it

12v battery, deep cycle marine. I think battery boxes are pretty standard, but I'm not sure....

You might consider the Endura Max series. Cost slightly more but have a battery tester and a feature that is advertised to prolong battery life up to 5x as long. Of course, you and I both know 5x is a gross exaggeration, but mine does seem to be better at preserving the battery life than my previous motor, so I think it's at least sort of legit.

dont over think it... a standard deep cycle group 24 is more than adequate and light enough for a 12' skiff. bump up to a group 27 or larger if you plan on being out for a long day. I've never needed a boat charging system for my battery. I charge it up at the end of the day in the garage and its good to go next time. don't waste your time with a battery box.. you'll find you'll never put the lid on it cause it knocks the alligator clips off the terminals. I also have a small bilge pump set up on alligator clips that I can hook up in a hurry if I need to.

for an anchor on my 14' skiff, when I'm in salt water, I use a 5 lb danforth with 3' of galvanized lightweight chain and 30' of 5/16 rope... I have a small bow on my boat so I put a roller and cleat to make it easy to raise and drop... (in the salt, i'm never anchoring in more than 10-12' of water)

in fresh water, a milk jug full of rocks and 30' of rope is more than adequate

Up front cost might seem spendy. However you would be challlenged to whip all these features together for the same price. External post, 2 Accesories outlets, circuit breakers, charge indicator. = awesome

I purchased one years ago and have no regrets.

http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Products/BATTERY-POWER-CENTER/

Cabela's sells a similar product. Bass Pro probably does, too.