Trolling Motor Plug Install Dos and Donts

[@bigk3381]

I know this vid was 2 Years ago but it's Sept 2024 and the "Minn Kota MKR-28" is the shit.! I've had one on my Shallow Sport 18 and it's been mounted flat on the deck since April 2024 and if you use common sense you'll be a winner.! The gaskets work well, again it's a great Trolling Motor Plug. "Tight Lines and Full Limits To Ya"

[@justinb9939]

Have you tried the newer MKR 26 Plug from Minn Kota? I am really debating between that plug and the battery tender.

[@GoldenChannels]

Both are good plugs. We will do a review on the MKR 26 at some point in the future. For now, it is my belief that the choice between those two would be dependent on the types of tools you have access to. We provide properly crimped cable sets for making certain there are no losses on the Battery Tender, including no splices in the power leads. Please let me know which trolling motor you have.

[@justinb9939]

@@GoldenChannels 24V MK terrova 80lb without iPilot. I had one of the older Marinco three prong twist lock plugs, but it got melted and started smoking a lot when I was running the trolling motor hard.

[@GoldenChannels]

@@justinb9939 The newer Marinco is night and day better than the old Marinco plug. The big problem with those was when water followed the cable back into the plug and corrosion built up. Depending on how long your wire run is from your battery to the receptacle, Minnkota recos 6 or 8 AWG. We can do custom cable lengths with a 130 ton crimp to give you one seamless wire from any connector you want to use. goldenchannels.com/product/custom-trolling-motor-cables-6-awg/

[@meadrenalinejunkie]

@@justinb9939 I had the exact same thing happen. Except I was trolling for salmon and then smelled smoke, looked up and seen the old marinco twist was melting. I recently bought the new one that is pressure seated. If this one fails I will be going with the Mk-26 or the Battery tender one. I jumped the gun on getting the new marinco. I wish I waited then I would have found the new MK one and the tender and it would have been between them two.

[@justinb9939]

@@meadrenalinejunkie I ended up going with the battery tender, just since I was able to get it locally. I don’t regret it at all. Seems to be a great sturdy plug.

[@JVRottweil]

You say don't do horizontal but your example in the video is horizontal. Vertical seems like it could fill with water easier

[@GoldenChannels]

Sorry for the confusion. My exact words are "mount the receptacle vertically". The plug should enter the receptacle at a horizontal plane, or if possible, at a slightly downward tilt towards the power cable going into the plug. The important point is you should never mount any receptacle so that it faces upwards towards the sky, as it will become a moisture collector (which is pretty obvious, but yet I have seen people do this, including videos here). Some connectors will allow water to go through them, others are simply a cup, and will continue to hold water that accumulates from spray or rain. The power lead should drop downwards from where it enters the plug.

[@CHIPPOFISHING]

if the trolling motor plug goes under the water we got big trouble

[@GoldenChannels]

True. But the probably the single most significant failure cause I see is condensation and rain following a cable from the motor in a downwards fashion into the plug and gravity makes certain to provide an endless supply of moisture to the internal contacts of the plug. Electrical cables that are installed in an outdoor environment by professional installers always have a "drip loop" where the cable enters the outdoor electronics, or below a splice, so that in all cases, moisture is taken down from any connection point. Thanks for subscribing!

[@CHIPPOFISHING]

@@GoldenChannels very true good coverage on the subject I look forward to see ore videos on your channel

[@muzicwoody]

I recently bought a plug and socket that is made for 6ga wire, gold plated brass contacts, for 12v to 48v power at 50 amps continuous, and with an IP68 rating for $26 from an online giant that offers 2 day shipping.

[@GoldenChannels]

@@muzicwoody Sounds Interesting. Let me know how it holds up. What is the current draw of your trolling motor?

[@muzicwoody]

@@GoldenChannels I believe the max amp draw is 54 amps.

[@mattleffler2888]

Duhh