How Many Solar Panels Do You Need For A Trolling Motor?

[@RICHIE26636]

I just had to add my 2 cents. First of all, I have being running the following setup for over a year and have only had to charge my system a couple of times with an electric battery charger. This was only because it was winter (less sunlight hours) and we had a full week of cloudy rainy weather. The whole system cost me roughly $200 since I already had a trolling motor and a battery. Your numbers are probably correct if you run the trolling motor constantly and as the main propulsion for the boat. Most fishing trip I do would be pushing it to use the trolling motor more than 50% of the time. Every time you stop to fish or do something, the solar charger will catch up. I fish every weekend, all day Saturday and half a day on Sunday's. Most of the time when I get home my battery is 90% charged or better. I even charge going down the highway and while it's sitting in my yard. I have a 12 Volt trolling motor(XI5), 100ah lead acid (about to go lithium for weight loss), a $40 charge controller and a 100 watt solar panel in the boat. I also have an addition 100 watt solar panel on the side of my house. I plug this one in when I get home for 200 watts maximum charging. Add another $100 for this one, but I don't think I really need it. I probably should have just bought a 200 watt solar panel for the boat and be done with it. This set up work for me in my 18 foot aluminum bass boat.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

So it can work in this situation - and that is how many people do use it (trolling motor as not the main propulsion and only used some of the time) Thanks!

[@commoguru]

If you use a PWM speed controller you can stretch that out even more. The trolling motor uses the same power regardless of speed setting, any excess is just burned off as heat.

[@KennyFishbone]

I'm trying to get to the point you're at. Just calculating the solar panel size that doesn't take up too much room on the boat. But your system is ideal! Thanks

[@jasonmccarthy9764]

disclaimer: I don’t own any electric motors for boats or EV’s I think Wayne was extremely narrow minded in this video. Right now, if you have an electric trolling motor, you may be disconnecting the battery everyday to bring it back to charge. Solar probably solves this daily charge chore… it can also charge the battery when stopped. There’s also draw differences in how you use a trolling motor. Getting from point A to point B would have different draw characteristics than slowly trolling while fishing (depending on current, wind etc)

[@noyopacific]

@@commoguru I had wondered about the PWM speed controller question too. I switched from a Minn Kota Endura trolling motor that uses a heat sink speed controller to a Minn Kota PowerDrive that has what they call their "digital maximizer technology." I believe this is a PWM controller. The way I use the motor is for low speed trolling, 2 or 3 hours at a time. I only have an 78 AH battery and the bigger M-K PowerDrive takes less time to recharge than the smaller Endura did. (Either way my power demands are low enough that I'm not over-taxing even this small battery.) I'm thinking about using a solar panel to recharge the battery next summer just so I don't have to run a long extension cord out to the dock for recharging.

[@rogue3]

I ran the simplest possible version of a "solar boat" on my local lake for a couple summers. 1x 50lbs-thurst motor, 2x 100AH deep cycle batteries, 1x 100watt panel. I would troll for maybe an hour or two to reach a destination, anchor/beach the boat in the sun while my kids swam for a couple hours and then troll back. Having two big batteries and assuming I would always end up with a net-loss of stored energy made me comfortable enough to omit the charge controller to keep the system super simple. Other than being slow it worked quite well.

[@noyopacific]

This worked for me on my RV. You might want to check the electrolyte levels in your batteries once in a while to make sure you aren't boiling off too much water. If you have to add more than about 12 ounces of water a month to each battery you may need to consider a charge controller . . . or you could disconnect the solar panel periodically to reduce overcharging.

[@catchcookcreate-zm5xg]

makes no sense when renogy wanderer controllers are $30 to be honest

[@rogue3]

Based on the fact that my batteries never once reached 100% SoC with the solar panel connected, I'd say that in my use case the extra $30 would have been the thing that made no sense. To be fair though my use case is fringe enough that I don't suggest anyone else do it this way. Basically I was willing to take on the extra hassle of manually protecting my batteries rather than paying for the convenience of a charge controller.

[@hesseldijkstra5327]

I have just powered my kayak with a 36 lbs trolling motor. It assist us while paddling. I chose two small lithium batteries which fit through a small porthole and keeps it out of the weather. Our range is three hours on setting 3 at a speed of almost 2 miles an hour. Since we have balance issues we needed the widest kayak we could find thus heavy to paddle.

[@glennmaxey8226]

You could take along the “ Jackery generator “, as your power source for your return trip.

[@impuls60]

I have 22ft sailboat with a 120w permanent solar glued onto the front deck. Its batterybank is always charged up when I come to use it with the 1000w brushed motors on it. It just works!

[@youpattube1]

Thank you for an honest, sensible evaluation of the solar panel / trolling motor hypotheses.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

That was the point of this video!

[@michael_mc_gowan]

I have been running two (2 watt) Colman solor batter maintainers for a 24v 80lb thrust minkota Terranova, these keep my two blue tops. I have run two 6 hour days including using the anchor lock in a river and never droppped below 25%. I run this setup on a 18.5' tracker aluminum bass boat.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

buy new 17 fiit 7 inçh 50 ekrrc oyt biar 20 to 40 m8kes sivge vater 2 bares 40 too 80 mie teksa bew cell 92 miles 46 mile ranfe

[@NiteWolfeFishing]

I wish you have included the numbers. Here are some facts. a 100watt panel puts out about 5.7 amps per hour under perfect conditions and that only happens for a couple of hours in a day, the rest of the day the output is much lower. Now ill use my motors as a example. Its the haswing brushless 12v 65# thrust. Being brushless it has a built in esc so its very efficient. I run a shunt based meter while running my vessel. The vessel is a kayak so its small and light. At half speed iam pulling 24 amps and at full speed iam drawing 46 amps. the 5 amps from a 100 watt panel isnt even going to make a dent in my run time. And that 5 amps is only for a couple of hours. The rest of the day its more like 2.5 amps. Anyone who says otherwise are fibbing!! Math doesnt lie!!!

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Thanks for sharing your real experience numbers! Our math matches up - I figured that 6 100w panels might be able to do the job in ideal conditions. Six of those panels would totally cover my boat and cost quite a bit of money. I was considering putting up some data and numbers, but decided to keep this video focused on the aspect that nobody else seems to mention which is the cost of the gear and how much space it would take.

[@drister007]

Just run your motor at one tenth of the full power (at 10 %). When going 3,5 mph, the trolling motor only consume 100 W and 100W solar pannel produce just as much electricity as motor uses.If you have 2000 W solar pannel instead of 100 W, then you can run it the whole day long (twice the solar power to account for non ideal conditions).

[@gsp49]

Funny, I was pulling 3 100 watt panels that ran my Minn-Kota just fine.

[@alanwinge8775]

I used solar to charge a battery so we wouldn't have to carry it back and forth from a pond to charge. We didn't go on long trips and the boat wasn't used everyday so it worked great.

[@fishgod20]

How big of a solar charger?

[@freda1078]

I use a solar panel (10 watt) to charge the battery on my trailer for the winch. It functions without a problem.

[@bobsmoot2392]

I made a 7' outrigger for my canoe. Sails great, but wanted to come back when no wind, on Florida saltwater, from miles out. $29, 12" panel, marine battery, and 55# Newport trolling motor does the job well. I've never run out of charge. Not even close. Panel came with controller, so no worries about over change. It's quite, smooth and retty quick. I never have to do anything with it.

[@duckhunter8387]

2 hrs is plenty on my pond boat. What do I need to charge my battery while it is docked? I have no electricity at my dock and I tired of hauling it to my barn to charge it.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Solar panels and a charge controller would probably work fine to recharge a battery when docked.

[@duckhunter8387]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy thx

[@thebogdan007]

Well, this math is valid for USA maybe, but for South Eutope it is rather the oposite: Here 100 Ah deep cycle battery cost arround 200 eur (~usd) and 100W panel 60 eur (~usd). We have arround 250 sunny days a year. Panels have ideal conditions for maximum power from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM. Before and after this time the produced power is less, but still something. With 2 panels or total 200W you get more than 11 hours of 10A supply current which is more than 110 Ah. Consider that 100 Ah battery may be discharged to 20% maximum, it means that you actualy have 80 Ah from a battery. Conclusion: 200W solar panel in sunny area offers more than 50% power per day than aditional 100 Ah battery.

[@5millman]

Why not take the battery out of the circuit then?

[@Minecraft_mast]

We have an extra battery too. Pretty simple plus the smart 12v charger does a great job of keeping the batteries powered up before hitting the water.

[@lorandoane118]

Thank you so very much for your video. I like hearing all sides of the conversion (including those that fellow viewers made in the comments) so that I can make the best informed decision for myself. Knowledge is power.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Glad it was helpful! There are so many factors including intended use and advances in technology!

[@thomasmaughan4798]

I have envisioned doing that sort of thing with a tiny trolling motor on a canoe or similar. The idea is that the solar panels are on a little styrofoam raft (or chain of such things) trailing along behind. Close to the water they won't catch much wind and you can have 600 watts trailing along behind you. You could eliminate the battery entirely although I'd keep a small battery for voltage regulation and the occasional cloud passes between you and the sun, or go under a bridge or some other shadow situation. This won't be effective for fishing of course since you are also trailing your hook, but for simple cruising and exploration of bayou and things like that, trailing solar panels behind your small boat would work well.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

There's a guy in NZ who has a sort of catamaran setup with panels beside the main hull which is an interesting and possibly more durable and similar idea.

[@analogalbacore7166]

Nope would not work. Wind waves momentum of the raft

[@Alberthoward3right9up]

@@analogalbacore7166 and the extra drag would defeat the purpose of it. Just use a battery

[@jasoncthomas]

This is The Ticket! Drag will not be even detectable if the raft is light weight.

[@gsp49]

I do this regularly, runs my radio and cooling fans too.

[@Scott-vr2vv]

Off of a 100 watts I usually see 65. I have 200 watts with a 1500 wh battery lithium ion. Solar generator. This generator runs a refridge/freezer at 55 watts , it cycles on and off on DC power and will last about 24 hrs. 1000 watts will give you about 650 watts of solar charging. Off of 200 watts I have seen it get up to 182 from solar panels but usually 200 watts will be 135 watts. 65 % of 100 on a good day and usually about 100 watts in Kansas. It will charge my solar generator and run the freezer. 24 hours as long as I have sun. So I always have a gas generator for back up. I would run both like you said go out with gas let your solar charge and drive back on electric or just to save gas or emergency back up which is always a good thing.

[@FernandoMessiasXavier]

Excellent top speed and the difference between 1 and 5 are equally distributed. Great motor!

[@bensteele4936]

I absolutely LOVE your videos, Wayne! Keep making Greta content. I build solar powered electric boats as a hobby and my most recent project uses a 120W panel and a 54lb trolling motor. It's called the "solar express MK IV" and without people like you on KZbin it would've been a lot harder to build! I agree that solar power certainly isn't enough to fully power my boat but it is enough to charge the battery very well while I'm not using it, for every one hour of full speed motoring it only needs about 4 hours in good sun.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Thanks! How many and what kind of batteries are you using on that setup?

[@bensteele4936]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy I've got one 100Ah 12V lithium battery, it's good because it can be run down to almost empty without any long term damage.

[@edgarl.mardal8256]

can you help me buying the right parts and finding the right gear?

[@Alberthoward3right9up]

@@bensteele4936 that's something most people don't factor in with an AGM battery. All that weight of a 100 ah battery and only 50 ah on tap sucks.

[@steveprudell9976]

Yes very good explanations

[@Redn87]

Right On!!! Thanks for the reminder that was not an actual solar panel. I almost bought the wrong thing.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

lol

[@billfaubion6295]

Great video! I have a 13' Smokercraft with a 15hp 2-stroke Mercury & a 35 pound of thrust Minncota.I've extended my range by using 3 group 32 deep cycle batteries [one in the back & 2 up front] I connected them with jumper cable wire & proper battery fittings. Between the gas motor & fully charged batteries I can fish 5 days on the big lakes in Washington state. At 76 getting home is big to me --- Plan A is the gas motor, Plan B is the electric motor, Plan C is to row. Had to use Plan B twice --- took some time but those 3 big batteries never seem to die!! Solar just not practical ---don't bet your life on it!

[@sharonbraselton4302]

scout 145 hybride 8 hiur 8 moh 6r mioke eange teksa cell new ines 74 mióe ekrrc rànge

[@jamesallen4205]

Great video sizing up the options. One side point worth mentioning: If a two battery setup is something one would do every time going out, two 6 volts in series is worth considering. It avoids the parasitic drain issues that come with parallel setups. However, two 12 volts in parallel affords the option to bring only one on short range days. It does come down to preference.

[@runltdan]

I’ve been studying this subject for 6 months. The way you dumb down the process is helpful to me😃👍. It has been quite the challenge trying to do the math regarding, size of electric motor, number of batteries, the multi panel large footprint problem. Your presentation was superior. Series vs parallel is clear now. Thank you for your efforts 👍👍. Please comment on whatever you know about the higher watt, higher 💰panels- flex vs rigid. It seems like if ya can afford these high end panels, we would cover fewer sq ft with the higher power panels. Please give me your thoughts on that option. Thanks. Dan

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

You and I have probably been looking at many of the same videos/websites/forums etc. It seems that in some areas, used panels with higher output are easy to find and not expensive. I never see these things near me, and when I ask follow up questions on other comments that say how easy it is to find cheap and higher output panels they never respond back. It seems that in the next few years we might have panels that provide more watts per square foot and maybe electric motor options that are not expensive and use less electricity. When those things come along, it might be a game changer for many applications. From what I have read, the flexible panels seem to have two disadvantages - they can get damaged more easily and they don't usually produce as close to their rated output as rigid panels.

[@stellavisionmade-in-usa.9443]

Oh wow thank you for this important information.. I bought a turbo 35 27lbs thrust for my canoe. I bought two 60 w photovoltaic module solar for camping and was considering using it for the trolling motor... I'm glad I caught your video... Also, I don't support lithium harvesting after learning children in Congo Africa are mining it.. Ok thank you friend, marine battery it is... (*!*)

[@philipfreeman72]

So how do so many sailboats get enough juice to run fridge etc ?

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Several reasons - Typically a sailboat has multiple batteries, and usually a couple of 100 watt panels which are mounted in place. They also usually have a generator for when solar conditions aren't ideal. I would imagine the draw of a small refrigerator and other electronics might not be as much as a my example of a constant draw trolling motor. Once again this video wasn't about solar not working - but it not being a very cost-effective solution for a 12 foot boat when a second battery would provide the desired results for less money.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

solar wiñd regen orops

[@darrylmcleman6456]

Hello Wayne and viewers! Gas is at $2.20 per Litre or more in my corner of Western Canada. Probably the same all through-out the country.There are about 4 litres in an "American gallon" .(128 oz) That is $8.80 Canadian dollars for a U.S. gallon of go-juice! Getting up there! We drive or boat less than we used to CHEERS from here!

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

That certainly stings! Always good to hear from you!

[@quagmire94]

well i did a small cart with a 300w scooter motor, and a few hundred watt solar panels. id' always get the voltage low, but it takes time for it to recharge even though its pushing out power. its just not the same as stored power. i dont know why

[@BarnabyWild13]

I’m up in Alaska. My 100 watt panel kept my 80 amp battery topped up for around four hours in optimal summer solstice conditions, in a 13 foot pontoon raft with 55 thrust motor set at middle speed. I also oared the raft at the same time to cover more water. Got to explore connected lakes off of Lake Louise near Glennallen. Getting an extra battery though is the next step. Thanks for the math!

[@johnmirth5333]

Great job I enjoy your videos. Thank you for making them.

[@freedomiseverything2767]

If you were to use the roof thing and only drive this thing once a weekend, would it be feasible to charge up the battery bank completely over 5-6 hours of charging?

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Yes, there are people who are able to recharge their batteries via solar.

[@oldfarmer9004]

Everything you said makes sense. My boat (actually it’s two coleman canoes mated together) is the same way. I have a 4 horse yamaha to go upstream as far as I want to, then trolling motor on the way back. Two deep cycle marine batteries parallel connected will give us plenty of direction control and if it gets late, there’s always a little left for a small light if you need it

[@vihreelinja4743]

dude. i been thinking to make the hull between the kanoes wide enough for solar panels. easily fit 300-400 wats and a big trolling motor ... could also add a sail cause a catamaran is really stable.

[@michaelmccotter4293]

My experience with solar panels is they exceed their rates power under ideal situ. Also im always amazed how well they perform even on hazy days. Really depends on how dense the cloud cover is.

[@ChrisKirtley]

Down here in Queensland, Australia it's very sunny. I have 2.1m plastic boat with a 350W canopy panel. It can move the boat on its own, but of course a cloud will stop it. Moreover, the speed is very low. My trolling motor needs at least 10A to go at a reasonable speed.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

So are you running a panel with no batteries?

[@ChrisKirtley]

@@WayneTheBoatGuyNo - it's not reliable enough. Just increase the time I can be out.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

add wind generotr 400 wwats troñ mirt maxoum369 wats 40 watt chagng full liad

[@Jacob82222]

I already got a bunch of solar panels and equipment I got a 14 foot Jon boat i like to sit in the floor of the boat while I fish for a back support im thinking about mounting a 100w solar panel on the side of boat and putting it on rails so when I get to me fishing spot I can pull it up off the side and it bend over my head it would at like a shade umbrella while it’s putting some charge back into my battery idk what do y’all think

[@JohnMcNeely]

Hi Wayne. I have a 16-ft inflatable fishing skiff by Sea Eagle. I run a WaterSnake 70-pound-thrust trolling motor on a single 12v, 122Ah, Deep-Cycle, Marine Battery from Walmart (size 29; $89.99; it's a beast). WaterSnale recommends a 105Ah battery minimum at nominal 12v and a 60amp breaker. I completely charge it and maintain it charged with a PowerFilm 45W flexible solar panel with built-in 12v Solar Controller. I can't take a lot of Sun, so I have a canopy. I also don't have outings much longer than about 4 hours and that is not constant use, let alone full throttle. But I run the motor until it noticeably slows down because the battery is running out of juice. We know that SLA Batteries should not be discharged much beyond 50%. So if the Walmart battery delivers 1464Wh you only have access to about half of it, or 732Wh. Since I don't go boating every day, I have multiple days that the solar panel can charge and maintain the Walmart Battery. In 3 years, I have never connected an AC-powered battery charger to that battery. The trolling motor has a digital display that tells me when the Battery is at full charge. I live in Southern California and get a full 7 hours most days of sunlight. I've never tracked how many hours/days it took to bring the battery back up to 100% SOC. LifeP04 batteries are down to $325 each (12.8v 100Ah) 1280Wh and only weigh about 21 pounds. Three of them are the equivalent weight of the Walmart SLA. They can be had with BMS's that have BlueTooth with an app, so no need for a shunt and a monitor. Most can support connecting 4 in series or parallel (4S4P). LiFeP04 batteries don't slow down when they are running low on juice. Their BMSs just shut them off. They can run almost to 0% SOC. If I bought 3 of them for say $1,000 they might deliver 3840Wh. They want to be charged at 14.4 volts and to charge 3 of them in parallel it would be necessary to get a solar controller meant for it (pair of charging leads for each battery) that can do the 3 stages of lithium charging: Bulk, Absorption, and Maintenance. Suspect I could run almost more than 24 hours at full throttle and recharge all three with a 180W panel in a few days.

[@kurtiscloutier5686]

What if I am using it just just for a amp and stereo think it we’ll help the battery last longer I got a eco-worthy 10w panel coming

[@Bbbbbbbbbbxxxx]

A mast and sail with a little wind! 😂 I did buy a deep cycle lithium battery for a small boat for 100 dollars. It ran a 30 lb minn kota trolling motor for about six hours of on off fishing. It lasted about 4 to 5 hours on a windy day at a more consistent use. I did like the fact that it was really small and light to handle.

[@stevencartlidge6574]

What size battery did you buy for $100? Was it maybe a 50amh battery? That would be almost equal to a 100amh lead acid battery.

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Hi Wayne, Do you own any solar panels? While you brought up some good points, some other things I'd disagree with. To extend the life of your batteries, you should add a PWM speed controller to the stock trolling motor. There are numerous videos online that show the stock controller using the same amp draw no matter what speed you are going, essentially wasting power. Drawing 5 amps at low and 5 amps at high. A single panel solar setup is not perfect but does a fairly decent job. My 12v motor drew a MAX of 5 amps (stock) My 80 watt (renogy) solar panel easily collects 3-5 amps of power on sunny days. I don't worry about running out of power because I watch the battery voltage meter. Worse case scenario I can run the battery off the NOCO jump pack to at least get me to shore. @0:50 "The technology isn't there yet" It might help if you show the proper panels. The first panel you showed is a tiny 10 watt solar panel made to illuminate streets signs that retail for $60. There are plenty of 100 watt panels to choose from that retail for $100 Credentials: Vocational Certificate in Renewable Energy & 3 years of VanLife Solar.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

I do not disagree with any of your points! The tiny panel was shown because people actually ask if a small panel like that would be effective in this situation. This wasn't a video looking into how I could make it work (adding a PWM etc.) - it was to address whether a small solar panel could significantly increase the range of a stock trolling motor and cost less than adding a second battery.

[@CoreyFeagins]

This was extremely helpful. Thank you!

[@BurchellAtTheWharf]

If you had just a supplementary solar charger and the two batteries it should effectively give you unlimited range for the day with downtime recharge and the batteries will add great stability to the boat and you only need to put the solar panel up forward out of your way maybe like a little Bimini top or a windbreaker windscreen

[@donmoroz5502]

Also putting a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) speed controller on the trolling motor would have a net reduction on the energy requirements. Typically a small trolling motor draws full amps at all speeds, with all speeds beneath top speed bleeding off energy into resistors which is lost as heat and lowers motor speed in the process. The PWM in contrast "chops" the DC current up by switching power on and off very quickly in relation to the speed desired; obviously full on at top speed and decreasing as lower speeds are selected. There is much less wasted energy as heat, and less load on the battery. This would make battery draw less, and less solar assist would be needed to top up the battery. I'll leave it to you to work out the details. Good explanation of solar chargers, controllers in your video!

[@Andy-df5fj]

Although a resistive speed control does waste power as heat, it still reduces current draw considerably at lower speeds. Let's say your motor draws 36 amps at full speed. That represents 1/3 of an ohm of impedance. If you throw another 1/3 of an ohm of resistance in the circuit, you'll only draw 18 amps. Half the current, but 1/4 of the power since the voltage to the motor is also cut in half.

[@andthesunsets]

Low speed full amp draw is a myth that i see everywhere. A simple current test would prove that low speed draws considerably less current than high speed. 6.6A at F1 with Minn Kota endura c2 40.

[@jasoncthomas]

This comment is technically inaccurate.

[@RICHIE26636]

I'm glad you said "typically" because I've tested that with the Xi5 trolling motor. The Xi5 draws close to 50ah(625watts) at full speed and as I mention earlier is only draw 80 watts(6.4ah) at power level 3 out of 10.

[@mntnbiker818]

I just bought a sailboat with an electric trolling motor. The previous owner would charge them at home, then schlepp them down the dock to the boat. As there’s no shore power where the boat is stored, I’m considering a solar powered trickle charger and spare my back some grief. My concern is knowing how much power I have remaining in the batteries. It’s easy to see how much gas is in the tank of an outboard and my cell phone let’s me know how much juice I have left. Is their an accurate gauge available for a trolling motor running on a couple of deep cycle marine batteries?

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

I "think" you could buy a cheap volt meter and check them on the boat right before you head out. I plan to play with volt meters some more in the future because when a 12 volt deep cycle battery like mine is "fully charged" it is something like 12.8 volts and apparently when they're 'flat' they're like 11 volts - so it seems to come down to knowing how to read the numbers.

[@alpage5095]

what do you say about larger as in more powerful electrical motors? i would like to know your opinion on this matter? hope to hear from you. thanks.....

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

I have another video looking at some of the recent offerings - but only really looking at the upfront cost aspect, because that’s what’s important to many small boat owners. Is 2023 The Year For Electric Outboard Motors for Boats? kzbin.info/www/bejne/gobLlKaZopKnaZo

[@NewTestamentDoc]

put in battery bank under the seats with 2-4 batteries. When you bring the boat in, plug it up to a solar array at home in the back yard?

[@williamfraser]

There is a big drop in price per Watt from 300W panel size and up. Anything smaller is a rip-off aimed at ignorant consumers. I can only comment on local prices in South Africa - a Canadian Solar 300W panel will cost the equivalent of $100. A 20A EP Solar mppt is $75. The Panel measures 5ft 6in by 3ft 3in and weighs 41lb. You can easily mount it overhanging the bow to leave you enough usable space. The weight up front will nicely balance the weight of the battery in the stern and allow the hull to run at much lower drag. A 40lb Riptide draws roughly 200W at speed 4 and it gives me 4mph on a 13ft dingy. A solar panel will give you much longer service life than a second lead-acid battery. Even a small panel can benefit the battery. Every amp that you get from solar is one less amp required from the battery. Reduced battery current means you actually get more usable amp-hours from your battery. Depending on the battery's Peukert factor, this would be around 10% additional capacity by reducing current from C/4 to C/8.)

[@Marvin-fn7ks]

To your point about optimum conditions. I have a shop with 28 modern solar high voltage panels professionally installed with a controller and monitoring system. It is a 10,000 watt system. I can monitor it anytime with an app . The most I have ever seen is 65 KWh on a sunny June day and the most KW output is 7500. . The app shows real-time production and when clouds go by the output is dramatically reduced . I also have a 195 watt solar panel and a large deep cycle battery powering on a craft that weighs 350 lb and using a 40 lb thrust motor. In that scenario on a sunny day we can run all day .

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Nice! What is the electric motor - is it a Minn Kota or some brushless type?

[@Marvin-fn7ks]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy yes it is an Endura brand. The craft is 2 old sit on kayaks with a 2x2 aluminum frame tying it together and a cedar deck. A lot of repurposed materials. We also have a Windrider trimaran sailboat with a 55lb Minnkota and a 40 watt solar panel to get us by when the wind falls off.

[@anthonyganz8223]

I am partial to small gas powered engines particularly as auxiliary power for small sailboats. The Suzuki 2.5 hp LS at 31 pounds is perfect on my Lightning sloop (19 ft). With a small extra can of gas, the motor runs forever, and at 4 stroke is so quiet, it is barley more than an electric motor. Powering upriver at low/med throttle is almost like sailing . I hope Wayne can do a more complete review of this motor in a future episode for usage on sailboats!

[@SeduAltar-zo1nj]

Greta video, thanks for metric measurements, solar panel great idea but problem is there's no sun in Finland 😂,

[@figurado1]

Most of the time when I am fishing it is for several days and I am bushwhack camping for three days or more. I already have a solar setup that is fairly easy to scale-up. Now having an extra battery to trade with the one on the boat starts to make more sense than trying to have the boat be the place to solar charge the boat battery.

[@MAF545]

Great analysis on the pros and challenges

[@eddowney9548]

Like others in the comments here have said, it depends on your application. Of course, you are correct to say adding another battery is cheaper than adding solar, but maybe you need to keep the boat as light as possible. Then the lightweight flexible panels might be a good idea regardless of cost. But then, they say those don't last very long due to heat damage. Maybe add a mist sprayer or some other way to keep them wet? But I digress. My boat is so tiny that more lead batteries really makes an impact. Solar or lithium could help. Or, I am getting old (59). Maybe I need the whole system to be as light as possible to be able to keep doing this in my old age. There are always "what if" conditions, and I'm not saying you are wrong in the least. For the conditions you laid out, you are 100% correct. Here's another thought I have been toying with. What about a solar barge that is towed behind the boat? It would be light weight and close to the water, so no wind drag. I wonder how much drag the barge itself would create?

[@yougeo]

I motored my 27 ft catalina sailboat with a trolling motor all day without draining the battery at all with 550 watts of solar. I could run about 1/2 speed on the trolling motor and that gave me. 1.5 knots. No reduction in battery voltage. In fact i could remove the main batteries and only insert a very small battery to keep the electronics operating during clouds and it worked great.

[@trucolored]

I’m a true believer and user of a 100w solar panel on my 18.5 Nitro bass boat. Sir you are correct that the panel won’t charge as fast as the draw while running the TM but if you’re anchored or just drifting that panel will add some charge back to the battery(s). A 2amp solar charge for a hour is significant when you’re running low on battery power. Even if it gives you 30 minutes more of running time that may be enough to get you back safely to the dock. I made a T bracket and I use one rod holder to keep the panel angled upwards towards the sun, the panel came with a 30a controller and I added longer 12awg wires to reach the batteries. I fish on Reservoir electric motor only but they do allow you to fire up your gas motor (no wake speed) for emergency purposes to get you back to the dock.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Nice!

[@charlie6751]

You have to take into consideration wind and rain too as a small boat can soon become flooded with water how are you going to protect the electrics if your boat gets swamped?

[@dr.froghopper6711]

I’m just wanting to drive my 12’-8” kayak around with a 30# thrust trolling motor. Point A to point B driving with sporadic fishing bouts in between. I need shade anyway.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

that sounds fun! You might do fine with one 100 watt or maybe smaller panel!

[@sharonbraselton4302]

get scit 145 hybide

[@XchakGearz]

thank you that helped a lot 🙂

[@markdavis2868]

I think the extra battery would be the solution I would choose. Additionally I always keep a set of oars in the boat for those unexpected emergencies or mechanical trouble.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Yeah I always bring my 'spare motor' (which is a paddle) because I stink at using the oars!

[@ProlificInvention]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy I do the same, paddle is the way to go!

[@yanickborg3118]

No, it's not the solution. It's the opposite. You want a smaller battery with a lesser recharge rate. Sure you do more cycles, but that's how to design it properly. Also, this type of hull is too light and too small.

[@freshandsaltyjohnny]

What about like a power station like one of those anker or jackery?

[@cimota72]

About a year ago I was on a sailing boat in Spain. And they has three panels which were pulling in the same power as was going out. This was for a 30' sailing yacht. I guess if you're living in the murky backwoods....you've got a problem. In the Med, this isn't the same

[@student6045]

Depends on the boat and the size. I myself have a Breifcase of 2-100 watt panels with a controller. That is enough to charge while parked fishing which I am most of the time. The panels can then go with me to charge the batteries on land when camping. Not listening to a generator, People love me. Caring about others is worth the money. I do have the gen too, not being creepy.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

The "parked while fishing" approach seems to work well for many people - thanks for sharing!!

[@kantill]

The other option to help your range would be to use a pulse width modular instead of the speed controller in the trolling motor. (Lots of videos on this) One of the biggest issues with your motor is the draw is the same no matter how fast you are going. The speed controller in the trolling motor again uses heat to lower the output to the motor. Where a "PWM" will control the speed far more efficiently and less drain on your battery.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

I have heard about these.

[@markjackson6829]

If you get a "brushless" trolling motor they are mostly if not all pulse width modulated and much more efficient than brushed motors, but check manufacturer. They also last much longer.

[@tango-bravo]

What electric motors offer this PW modulation as a stock component to the motor?

[@kantill]

@@tango-bravo Pretty much all of the bow-mounted from minn kota.

[@jckdnls9292]

The draw is the same no .matter how fast I'm going? So why do I get double the time on low sleep than on high speed?

[@AdventureOne]

On my bass boat, the starting battery is maintained by the engine, but I use solar for the other battery. It only works because I go out on the weekend and park the boat trailer in the sun during the week.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Yeah a small panel can work really well in those situations!

[@TheNutzandBoltz]

Put a T-top on my 17' key west. Fishing with radio, fish finder and lights just needed to offset the draw while the motor was not running. Just put a 100w BougeRV flexible panel on top of the T-top. $140 total with controller. If I get 2A on the water I'm good. I do have alternator charging from the motor was well and a pull cord if my math is wrong. lol

[@Ham_Strokers_Ejacula]

I run a solar kit on my canopy but that's to offset the draw for the radio, lights (at night) and fans (Florida can get hot). Any net gain after that is just a bonus imo.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

That's cool. Do you have a seperate 'house battery' circuit on your boat?

[@Ham_Strokers_Ejacula]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy no, in the off chance there's any issues I tried to make things as simple as possible for my boys. The trolling motor is on its own fuse but the batteries are in parallel (2x 100 amp/hr) and the wiring is similar to a house, a few circuits off a breaker and switches for everything.

[@MarioBruneau]

I use a LifePo4 Lithium 12.8V 100Ah battery for my Minn Kota 30lb electric motor and wondering how you know how much power the battery has left? Since it is an intelligent battery, I was expecting a visual feedback directly on the battery but I find out I was dreaming. Anyway, how do you monitor your battery power on the go?

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

That is a challenge. There are some volt gauges that people install, but the trick is knowing what voltage is 'too low'.

[@MarioBruneau]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy Thanks Wayne.

[@trevorhanlin4247]

I have looked into this for my 15ft sail boat and a larger one I am design now. The goal it to be independent but it would technically be a secondary source of propulsion. (the larger boat I am designing would also have a generator back up.) You would actually get more than 40% as the battery would also continue charging for the additional two hours you get. Most of my math initially did not include that you still get power in that extra time. Easy thing to forget about. Also, you can buy used panels. I have been looking into used walkable solar. This way you can add a deck to your boat or at least keep the area to use and be able to go forward. Used solar goes for less but has also lost some of its capacity so there is a tradeoff. There are marine panels specifically designed for 12, 24, and other voltages. when you go for these you end up with a boost in efficiency. many home solar systems like those shown in this video do not get as much into a battery due to the losses in stepping up or down the voltage. For my smaller boat I have looked at getting a small quiet generator and having that as a backup with a single or double solar panel. The panels would be mounted above me giving some wind and rain cover. I also think that it is always a good idea to have a few batteries. with your math you could have two panels forward with three batteries. By your video math that should be 16+ hours of cruising.

[@tcriti]

Would jury rigging a sail to a small aluminum electric boat be a practical substitute for the gas motor? Just a thought.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Smaller sailboats often run an electric trolling motor to get in and out of creeks or to get themselves into open waters where the wind is blowing. A small aluminum boat would basically have to be totally converted into a sailboat for it to work (rudder, keel, mast mounting points, etc)

[@sharonbraselton4302]

just buy j88 sóàr ektrc sail boat

[@troydunn04]

what if you incorporated the solar panels into the flooring? no need for a roof then and you can get much more panels.

[@nobusinessofyours5596]

There’s guys in Indonesia, making fiberglass speed boats that do 30 mph don’t have a battery and yes they cover the top of the boat but what happens when fuel runs out

[@N1ghtR1der666]

not disagreeing but how often are you running your engine at max draw or even at all as a percentage? so a fiarly small solar setup might double your range if you stop here and there to do some fishing. EDIT: Ok you speak to this later in the video

[@johnnyjrotten59]

my kayak has 24lb thrust on low speed it is 7 amps. the solar panel averages on a good day 2 amps so it looses 5 amps per hour. but my battery stays charged so is ready an for trolling it adds an hour or so during the day

[@davidnave4349]

What about a three , four five day camping/fishing trip?

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

It all comes down to how much electric you're using, wattage of panels, capacity of batteries, and ability to charge when the conditions are ideal.

[@TheSardineNews]

I been running a commercial passenger boat for 3 years on solar now. I have 3 100amp hour batteries with one always on charge from the single 100w panel. It works. Have saved thousands in gas. And we are silent. Total reliability.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

That's awesome! What motor are you running?

[@TheSardineNews]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy 54lb Watersnake. I have two in case the wind comes up...very practical solution to noisey outboards. We surprise turtles and all sorts being so quiet. Catch more fish too. It's totally do-able...naysayers carry on pouring gas then...BTW the boat takes 17

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

VERY COOL - I have read about the Watersnake a couple times now and it seems like they might be brushless, and slightly "faster" than a Minn Kota or other common electric trolling motor.

[@BillHartCooks.]

how much do you spend on fuel. At 4.50 a gallon it would not take too long to start buying all sorts of solar and equipment.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Last I checked it was 5.99 at the marina!

[@terribleatfishing]

good video, I use a Lossigy lithium for my 55lb trolling motor, 100ah, currently at under $300 on amqazon and it lasts all day for me and I use my motor a lot. I have a SeaEagle Foldcat 375, a 12.5' inflatable pontoon. Lithium doesnt have to be expensive.

[@donaldengelmann6906]

I like the idea of solar, but honestly, if you want renewable power for your boat I think a sail is the best way to start, and since you have a mast anyhow a wind turbine is a better bet. Use a trolling motor or electric outboard for moving around the marina, and then once you are out away from shore use the sails! A 400 watt 12 volt wind turbine with a startup speed of under 6mph of wind can be had for $130 or so from Amazon right now, and with this solution you don't need it to meet or exceed the engine's power draw constantly in order to move. You can maneuver for an hour or two, put your sails up, recharge your batteries while the boat is moving under sail power, and then you have a full battery again if you need to use the motor some more.

[@Matthew9306]

LIFEPO4 is the only way to go regardless of the initial cost, they can last 10+ years and 10,000 charging cycles. Plus you would save a significant amount of weight and space. A brushless motor would also dramatically improve the efficiency of the system.

[@sailor-rick]

I was just talking about that. My 116 lbs of flooded lead-acid batteries still have another couple of years left, so as they go bad, I will be replacing them with LifePo4 batteries. I just didn't have the money when I put my fishing canoe together. Now, I am regretting the decision. Who knows? Maybe in a couple of years Tesla's "4680" batteries will be on the market and I can skip the whole lithium-iron-phosphate generation, altogether.

[@joewoodchuck3824]

Brushless motors aren't really that much more efficient. Just 10% according to one article I read.

[@theowink]

I had a puffy life-po once . Reality is that not all cells/pouches can last 10.000 cycles. They should make it easy to swap the bad one.

[@Matthew9306]

@@joewoodchuck3824 The speed controllers are also more efficient with a brushless set up, so in real world conditions you can expect to see a 20-30% better efficiency from brushless motor / speed controller.

[@Matthew9306]

@@theowink a 12 volt LiFePO4 battery typically has 4 cells. Fairly easy to diagnose a bad cell and replace it. Harder with Lithium Ion, you might have 100+ smaller cells in a 12 volt battery. Two totally different animals. I have never had a problem with LiFePO4, but have had so many Li-ion and Li-po batteries go bad, I lost track. I also keep Li-ion and Li-po batteries in a steel box, have also had a few explode.

[@MrJustus88]

I bought a lifepo battery for a little over 500. The price hurt but I believe it extended my range by more than double and at a quarter of the weight.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

I would like to try a LiFePo battery someday!

[@RICHIE26636]

It will double. You have higher voltage (Constant > 13.00 volts) and you can discharge much lower than a lead acid. Lead acid recommends not to discharge below 50% state of charge. You can discharge a LiFePo4 till the BMS (Battery Management System) shuts you down, which is generally the amp hours stated on the battery. They do say not to do this on a regular basis, but an occasional complete discharge should not hurt it to bad. The BMS takes care of that for you. Be safe!

[@JánosKovicz]

ive done his for years annd used a 40wat pannel first and later used a 150 watt panel paired with a decent mppt

[@RoofAndAMeal4UsAll]

You can use the solar panels not only to recharge the main battery but also to run lighting, fans for cooling if you have a small cockpit like I do, electronics like sonar, iPad, cameras, charge phones, stereo, wifi hot spot, charge laptop. 2X100W fit on almost any boat with a bimini.

[@mattwaters6987]

Great video Wayne. For now, doubling up on the batteries is the best way to extend your range. More cost effective too.😊

[@jamessellards7157]

Great info, and price comparison 👍.

[@drewthompson7457]

1 hp is 746 watts, which is 62 amps at 12 volts. 1 hp is approx 20 lb thrust. So a 3 hp outboard equivalent would need 2 Kilowatts of solar, so a pretty big panel. But it also depends on how many hr you use the boat. a big panel to charge at he dock, while using the boat weekly could work. On a friends' sailboat, we use the VHF radio continuously during racing. A 10 w panel burns up a lawn tractor battery every 2 yr from overcharging. (don't ask me he never got a charge controller)

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Yeah a charge controller seems to be an essential piece of the puzzle!

[@monzsterman]

I have been thinking of using solar as a back just to charge while "at the holes". I am running 2- group 27 deep cycles run parrellel on 2 - 30lb thrust motors and barely make it back to the dock sometimes. After seeing this kinda wonder it is worth it and just get another back up battery.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

It really depends on how long you're out there (not running the motors), the weather, and how much space you have for a panel.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

just get scort 145 hybre8 hour 8 moh 64 míke tejsa cen cell 74 mioe teltic range

[@kennethwalsh5056]

Great video answered everything I really wanted to know 👍

[@jdlft.w836]

What does make sense id to use solar for aux power on a sail boat. The aux. motor is only needed in & out of the marina and to get home if the wind dies. So you use the solar to charge a battery. So TODAY we are switching to a Hangkai 48V 7hp and a small 4 battery bank used wheel chair batteries. If this works I get the solar panel. Thanks for the info.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Yeah - sailboats also usually have some decent surfaces for mounting solar panels!

[@OldJong]

How fast could a small generator recharge a battery? Something like those small Honda.

[@shoeshinernomore6542]

I really enjoy how right you try to be to the facts "about 60 pounds" shows real weight

[@patrickshaw9376]

I was looking at this. I would consider using a small camping generator.

[@blakebaker301]

Great tips and advice!

[@amosmoses5630]

I turned my normal 3ish hour trip to 5ish with a 30 watt solar panel , I just use the motor sparingly though. But the battery dies alot harder with the solar panel like there is no indication it is low. It works fine then all of a sudden it's barely able to fight the wind if I wait to long.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Interesting that you motor dies harder. I wonder if it has to do with charge rate - because I've heard slow charging is "better" and maybe your panel is charging fast. But it's nice to hear that a small panel does help when you aren't running all the time!

[@mpeugeot]

my trolling motor is my emergency backup for my 2 stroke. The 35w solar panel keeps the 12v battery topped off.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Nice and simple

[@yougeo]

My setup on a 27-foot 6,000 lb sailboat is one 35 lb thrust trolling motor and one 52 lb thrust trolling motor each operating at half-speed with one 240 W $35 used solar panel and one 300 $250 watt solar panel with a pulse width modulation controller $60 running to a 5 amp hour lithium iron phosphate battery $35. Yes you heard that right a 5 amp hour lithium iron phosphate battery. You don't need a lot of storage because you're running off the panels. I crank the motor is up to the highest speed that that day's sun will allow me to use without the voltage on the battery dropping which you can tell via the pulse with charge controller. It'll move a 6,000 lb sailboat at approximately two-and-a-half knotts all day in the sun.

[@Orbacron]

What about your gas powered generator to charge the battery

[@scottandcherylfreeone9539]

I built my own charge panel but I I only use mine just to charge while we hang out in the water with the Radio ph ect on. So far so good its easy to forget how long you been drifting or anchored. After all its about the fun and keep it that way.

[@kirmistube]

Hello! Nice video! Could you please suggest me a light weight battery for my trolling motor HASWING OSAPIAN 40LBS? Thanks !

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

If weight is most important - a lithium battery is going to be much lighter than a lead acid or AGM type. However, they are usually twice as expensive as the other types of batteries. The other factor is range/run time. A 100 Amp-hour battery has much more run time than a 50 Ah battery, but of course it is bigger, heavier, and more expensive.

[@georgefranklin2738]

I have a 50 watt solar panel on my pedal kayak. It charges 2X 12V 7ah batteries that run by fish finder and intermittently my fresh water bait tank. I generally go home at the end of the day with full batteries.

[@TKrakowski1]

I’ve considered adding a solar panel to my Jon boat while fishing. But it would take up too much space and limit movement.

[@Enlightened-WOLF]

what about getting a small generator to charge and run the electric motor you could use the battery for trolling around the use the generator for getting to where you need to be while charging the battery as well $300

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Interesting idea.

[@Siskiyous6]

In addition to many other issues, the people making ad hoc additions of panels is they severely comprise the boats stability, particularly in winds.

[@misterbulger]

I want to build a sun deck/casting platform for my 12ft jon. Would be rad to make one with a used solar panel and wire it to a trickle charger so my boat is always ready to rock. I also could become an island nomad on the lakes with free charging. From fully dead, my tiny trickle charger takes like 3 days to fully charge it up. My 55lb motor runs for about 5hrs on my big deep cycle. I mainly use my boat on mountain lake camping trips, so itll be charging all day even if im not in the boat. The only other way i could charge would be to jumper cable it to my truck while it runs for a few hours. Thing is, those panels are pretty heavy for my little rooftop boat.