anyone used a cheap ebay trolling motor to push their tender. I only need to go about 150 meter to the mooring. im to lazy to keep rowing. im sick of carrying the 3.3hp to and from the car to put on the inflatable.
a 15ah lithium should give me 20mins run time?
only issue is current which can run at maybe 3knts and im not sure of the little motors will work against the current?
One of the funniest episodes I've seen was the guy struggling to start his generator to charge his battery to run the trolling motor. It was painful to watch, he nearly had a heart attack getting the generator to start. Then the thing ran for 2 hrs driving everybody nuts, then he had to get the trolling motor to the dinghy then the battery, finally he had it all sorted so he could take his dog to have a $hite, where he duly left the $hite on the sand.
All of this was for only about 50m. Meantime we rowed passed him 6 or so times as the grommets kept us busy while we did dinner.
Sorry I realise you don't want to hear it but Row Row Row Your Boat and save yourself a headache at least. 
If the weight of a 3.3 hp (my 3hp Yamaha weighs around 17 kg) to much have you considered a 2 hp like this Yamaha that only weighs around 10kg www.yamaha-motor.com.au/products/marine-outboard/2-stroke-portable/11-2c
i would prefer to stay with petrol where you can see what is left in the tank and have a couple of spare litres in a container than have to worry about what charge is left in my battery
Regards Don
I use a 55LBS trolling motor < $200 from eBay & a tiny battery & works great.
I give the battery a charge about once a month - you can see how much charge is left in it by the LEDs on the motor.
Carry it in my boot & carry motor & battery to the dinghy with one hand.
It does over 3 kts so the current shouldn't be a problem.
I wouldn't go back to oars or petrol.
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/Lithium-Ion-batteries-for-house-bank/?page=-2#lastpost
light weight battery pack thread
20 amp
Select to expand quotebubble7777 said..
anyone used a cheap ebay trolling motor to push their tender. I only need to go about 150 meter to the mooring. im to lazy to keep rowing. im sick of carrying the 3.3hp to and from the car to put on the inflatable.
a 15ah lithium should give me 20mins run time?
only issue is current which can run at maybe 3knts and im not sure of the little motors will work against the current?
just a couple of things l found
l was given a watersnake 35 lb electric to use as a tender donk xmas 13-14,
the alligator clamps rusted out pretty quick, have changed them 3 times since,
also the cables would get hot and would even start smoking before we got to the boat, 200 mts or so
this would cause some concern amongst the crew lol,
the transom clamps will also rust up unless we constantly apply some sort of lubricant to the thread,
l think this model could have been a fresh water model but it was a gift...
l'd be asking if the ebay ones are suitable for salt water use,
we don't use ours much these days as we've moved to a berth....exxy, but bliss lol
Select to expand quotebayview said...bubble7777 said..
anyone used a cheap ebay trolling motor to push their tender. I only need to go about 150 meter to the mooring. im to lazy to keep rowing. im sick of carrying the 3.3hp to and from the car to put on the inflatable.
a 15ah lithium should give me 20mins run time?
only issue is current which can run at maybe 3knts and im not sure of the little motors will work against the current?
just a couple of things l found
l was given a watersnake 35 lb electric to use as a tender donk xmas 13-14,
the alligator clamps rusted out pretty quick, have changed them 3 times since,
also the cables would get hot and would even start smoking before we got to the boat, 200 mts or so
this would cause some concern amongst the crew lol,
the transom clamps will also rust up unless we constantly apply some sort of lubricant to the thread,
l think this model could have been a fresh water model but it was a gift...
l'd be asking if the ebay ones are suitable for salt water use,
we don't use ours much these days as we've moved to a berth....exxy, but bliss lol
Did you motor in a tidal current at all? I was looking at the water snake as well and thought the transom mounts looked like they where just steal and not gal..
How much power did it use and did you have to use it full throttle all the time?
also its not just about the motoring to and from the boat. its a hassle to store the 3.3hp on the boat after putting the tender on the deck. its hard lifting it from the tender into the boat while floating, and im concerned about the weight and hanging it on the rail at the back of the boat.
Select to expand quotebubble77
Did you motor in a tidal current at all? I was looking at the water snake as well and thought the transom mounts looked like they where just steal and not gal..
How much power did it use and did you have to use it full throttle all the time?
we did have a mooring in a tidal area but just "normal" tides...nothing huge or scary...apart from not being able to get out at low tide just using the electric due to weed.. nearly 'always' took a rough set of oars,
we used either a whitworths inflatable ( 2.3 IIRC ) or a borrowed 10 ft tinny to get out to the boat, can't say how much power it used BUT it was always at full throttle with two up if we wanted to get out there " quickly"...tide and wind would pull it up though
used a spare car battery
I use a 45 lb Trolling motor on my "light weight" 19' trailer sailor, works a treat !
Had to turn back to the boat ramp one day in a bit of a blow....
pushed into a 25 knot wind no worries, just had to keep it straightish !!
ended up buying this
www.dinga.com.au/motor-watersnake-venom-etw34-26.html
I hope 34lbs is enough.. ill trial it on a lead acid and if it works purchase a light lithium battery.
I trialed the motor today and took a video.
Select to expand quotebubble7777 said..
I trialed the motor today and took a video.
worked quite well. now I need to get a small lithium battery to power it.
Might come up during winter and bring my water skis Bubble
Select to expand quotesamsturdy said..
Yes me too bubble. Me and HG can double up- criss crossing each others wake.
We both really just want to drink you distilled fire water Bubble 
