DaySailer.org Forum

Out of curiosity, where do you folks who use electric motors place the battery in the boat? The obvious choice is under the aft deck of the boat because of proximity to the motor and ease of access, but intuitively that seems like a bad place for ballast. Would positioning near the mast step make enough of a difference in boat trim to make it worthwhile?

I realize you'd have to create a stable platform to mount a battery box up there and have the correct gauge cable to deliver enough current to the motor.

Bill Herrick (wherrick-at-stny.rr.com)

I have placed the battery to the rear of the boat but stow it in the front when under sail. I have found a small cooler with a handle minus the lid works great as a battery holder.

jerry (hobie16-at-yahoo.com)

I have a Minn Kota with 17lbs of thrust. Is this enough thrust for a fair weather sailor who uses his sailboat on a lake without much powerboat traffic or pressure? I would essentially use the trolling motor to get me into deeper water with better winds and returning back to the shore. Fianlly do you use a 12v or 24v battery?

John (jwserm-at-gwi.net)

I have used a 12v in the past, but as said before the juice only lasted about 5 hours max, if I used it at less than full throttle and intermittently. 24v may have more endurance.