Motorguide Xi5 24v vs 36v

I have a 24v 80lb thrust xi5 and am looking at going with a 36v 105lb thrust, I have a 18′ double haul aluminum boat and if I use the 80lb trolling motor I only get like 3-4 hours on it, depending on the wind, before I notice the batteries are getting down there. Just curious if you think the 36v system would improve this? with the 80lb I have to turn the speed up pretty high to go the speed I want. not sure if going with a larger trolling motor would be better than just doubling up the batteries in series to get more amp hours. any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

What is your boat exactly?

Really seems like you have bad batteries/charging or wrong wiring of some sort. Know guys with 80#24v systems that get way more than that.

1995 Crestliner Phantom 1860. I know the wiring is correct, I bought both batteries new when I purchased the trolling motor new. I believe they are a class 27 or 31 I bought the biggest ones they had.

If they are the 27’s, go with bigger batteries. Also, are you using it for trolling crankbaits or more for the spot lock and slow moving while jigging?

i like to troll with lindy rigs I make. ususally for walleye or pike. im trolling around 2mph give or take a little depending on water clarity/temp etc.

I have a lund 1875 Pro-V and use my bow mount all the time. I have a 36v 112 lbs. Terrova. I wouldn’t go back to a 24v system given I rarely have to run mine on more than 30% and the batteries last for days. I think it’s a trend for some of the dealers to put underpowered trolling motors on boats (though I admit a 36v system on an 18’ boat isn’t always needed)…

Dan Moeller wrote:

i like to troll with lindy rigs I make. ususally for walleye or pike. im trolling around 2mph give or take a little depending on water clarity/temp etc.

Spinner rigs I’m assuming?

Am very interested in the answers as well, was gonna work some weekends in the ice season here to finance just what you have in a ’94 186 phantom for next summer.

Edit: perhaps you’ve had work done to yours, but these boats aren’t double hull. Built more on the fish/ski platform they are narrower and hull a bit thinner than your comparable “fishing” boats. For instance the Pro-Am of that same year has .10 gauge hull. Boat itself comes in at only 1400# leaving me to believe the 80# would be more than sufficient. But if that isn’t the case here I’m much interested as well.

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yeah im running spinner rigs. It came with a 12v 55lb thrust and that was really bad an hour at most and I found a steal on a new 80lb 24v. it is way better but no way could I troll all day with it. im gonna look tonight on the size of the batteries I have hooked up to it.

2mph is moving pretty good. I have the 80lb xi5 with pinpoint and can fish all day long on the river and still have 50%+ battery left. I run series 29s and have no issue at all, my boat weight is 1440lbs plus a big walk through, so weight should be pretty comparable.

I will say, if you want your electric to pull you around at 2mph often, then a stronger 36v system is the way to go.

I know this wasn’t your question, but if you troll at 2 mph regularly you may want to think about a kicker motor. I just steer my boat with the trolling motor and use the kicker for propulsion when pulling cranks or spinners over 1 mph.

mojogunter wrote:

I know this wasn’t your question, but if you troll at 2 mph regularly you may want to think about a kicker motor. I just steer my boat with the trolling motor and use the kicker for propulsion when pulling cranks or spinners over 1 mph.

I agree with this. That’s crankbait speeds. A kicker is a much better option. Then use your bow mount just to turn and make fine adjustments to speed. Should go all day if you’re setup that way.

I am running an Xi5 36V 72″. Old man runs an Xi5 36V on his ZV21. Got a day and a half pushing that big rig around in a screaming spring current on the mississippi during a tournament. How do I know it went a day and a half???? Helps not to forget to plug it in! haha

But I do see alot of 18 foot boats with a 24V system. I still feel an aluminum boat its fine. If its a fiberglass 18’+ then a 36 volt is much nicer.

Just bought an xi5 and first time I tried the anchor the gps light came on but it would not hold it’s position. Since then the gps light doesn’t even come on. Motorguide says the gps module is bad but I can’t get it worked on because the boat store where I bought it isn’t a certified dealer. So now I have to take it somewhere else because Motorguide refuses to even send the parts to my boat store. What a piece of junk. Don’t make the mistake I did, buy something else.

Bill Blackwell wrote:

Just bought an xi5 and first time I tried the anchor the gps light came on but it would not hold it’s position. Since then the gps light doesn’t even come on. Motorguide says the gps module is bad but I can’t get it worked on because the boat store where I bought it isn’t a certified dealer. So now I have to take it somewhere else because Motorguide refuses to even send the parts to my boat store. What a piece of junk. Don’t make the mistake I did, buy something else.

I personally have had a great experience with my Xi5’s but
every manufacturer is going to have some issues. How they handle it is the critical part.

I guess I fail to see the issue with them wanting you to take it to a person that is fully qualified to repair your product?

I bought a Dodge truck from a Ford dealer, its had a couple recall/service things done that I was required to take it a Dodge dealer.

Bill Blackwell wrote:

Just bought an xi5 and first time I tried the anchor the gps light came on but it would not hold it’s position. Since then the gps light doesn’t even come on. Motorguide says the gps module is bad but I can’t get it worked on because the boat store where I bought it isn’t a certified dealer. So now I have to take it somewhere else because Motorguide refuses to even send the parts to my boat store. What a piece of junk. Don’t make the mistake I did, buy something else.

I feel your frustration. Before I took it someplace for repair though, I’d check the wiring and the voltages on your batteries and I’d reboot the power to the motor several times. It could be as simple as a power issue and completely rebooting can work wonders sometimes. It’s at least worth a try and you may get lucky.

Do you want to sell that 24V motorguide

Bill,

I had the same problem after owning and running for 2.5 years (went out this past fall). So of course, happened a few months after my warranty was up. But I ended up taking mine to Motor Clinic in Bloomington, MN (recommended by Rapid Marine and Cabelas). I took it in after I went through my batteries, re-setting/unhooking/rebooting everything, etc…..everything in the manual and what a guy familiar with motorguide told me to do. The down-side, had to take my trolling motor off my Ranger for them to even look at it.

I did call MotorGuide customer service and they were good and said that they will look into my situation once we know for sure what the issue is….assuming GPS module. Told them the truth, I’ve always been a Minnkota guy but tried MotorGuide because of the 5′ Jog feature while on anchor mode and the connectivity with Lowrance units.

One thing I did notice when I dropped off my MotorGuide, is how many trolling motors they had there to work on….both MG and Minnkota.

So yes, a pain in the @ss and still don’t know what the damage to the wallet will be, along with what MotorGuide may do for me. But will all be my deciding factor on what trolling motor I use in the future.

Hi Guys. Thanks for your replies. The darn things just cost so much money it’s dissapointing when they are brand new and don’t work. Guess I’ll take it back.