I have never installed a trolling motor before and I purchased a lightly used Minn Kota 55lb. 60″ shaft with the Autopilot and Copilot features. My question is in regards to wiring. I don’t want a fire or a burned up trolling motor while fishing with my children and wife! 
Background: The old setup was 24v. It has the switch at the bow with the troll and charge toggle settings. The plug has three wires. I believe these were quite common back in the day. I am looking at running 12v, but I want to utilize the old plug, minus the charge feature. I am not even sure how that system worked. Was there an adapter that allowed you to plug into the trolling motor receptacle and charge the batteries? Was this pre-bank charging?
Question #1: In regards to the existing plug can I utilize the hot and ground and just ignore the third charging wire?
Question #2: My boat it 17′, any idea what gauge of wire I should have for the new trolling motor? I don’t want to risk the existing wire if it is not the correct gauge. I assume I will have about 12-15′ or so of wire at most. Trying to remember off the top of my head.
Question #3: What size and type of fuse or breaker should I use? Are we talking amps and how many are required for the 12v 55lb. Minnkota?
Anything else I am missing? I’ll post pics this weekend if you need that for helping me. Thanks in advance. The owner recently moved and misplaced the manual and I can’t find anything in PDF format online.
Thanks,
Jason
