Upgrading trolling motor for 14ft Cresliner tiller. How many volts/thrust?

At a crossroads and looking for some advice. I have a 1450 Crestliner Fish Hawk that I am looking to upgrade the trolling motor on. Looking to stay with Minn Kota and I run Humminbird. Partial for the Terrova but open to suggestions and testimonials. Im in South Dakota so wind plays a big factor all the time. I can’t decide if the 12v system I currently run will continue to be sufficient if I bump up to the 55 lbs or if I should go to the 24v. I am wanting to go I-pilot for sure. I need the spot lock and retrack features. Any help is good help. Thanks!

I have a 14 ft crestliner nordic and I run a 55lbs minnkota on the bow 12volt and a 55 motor guide tiller in back. Both are 12 volt and I sure wouldn’t mind numbing up to 24. But 12 does just fine. And 55 pushes me a great speed and will last a long day on the lake trolling.

I have an alumacraft 145 escape. 80lb terrova up front. 24 volt. I have room for the batteries in battery/storage compartment. I do a lot of trolling, and can get all day using just the bow mount, till late season when I have to run over 2.5 mph. If you have the space, go 24 volt.

+1 vote for 12v. That small a boat your main should be able to handle most other trolling situations if needed. Less batteries mean more beer that can be packed. Most those waters out there the fish aren’t all that gun-shy of big motors either so a constant stealth ninja electric mode isn’t always needed.

I ran a 24v PowerDrive V2 (80lb I think) on my 16 foot Crestliner tiller and it worked great. Did I need that much power or battery life? Not often. But boy, it was sure nice to have it when I needed it. I fish the river and in strong current that extra power sure helped out. Also, can go for days without needing to recharge if necessary. As others have noted, your 12v is likely fine for most applications. But….more power. Nice….

If you’re worried about weight, just pack light beer.

If you have the space go with 24 volt. YOu will never wish you had less power or battery time available.

Mwal

Id consider where all those batteries are gonna go in a 14′ tiller if you go 24v. With you, the gas, and 3 batteries in back running solo gonna be fun getting on plane.

It’s not always what you want to do, it’s what can you do.

You’d also need a 24v charger or on-board charger too. Sure, you’d always have enough power and run time if you have a 24v motor, but for cost, weight, space, and simplicity sake I’d go with a 55lb, 12v motor for that size of boat.

Another vote for 12 volt.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

Another vote for 12 volt.

I’d stick with 55lbs 12 volt system.

I’d also ignore shockers and never go with a diet beer.

I have a 14′ Crestliner Canadian (similar hull to the fishhawk IIRC) and have a 55# 12V bow motorguide xi5 and it pulls my boat 2.5+ mph no problem. never needed more to maintain spot lock even in big wind. and it runs forever with a group 24 AGM battery.

12volt by me too. Keeping the overall weight and total amount of crap inside the boat down. You’re on the right track to make sure you get iPilot.

Assuming you have an electric start for your main. When I had my 14’er I ran one batter for the main & accessories, the second was for the trolling motor. Then a 2 bank charger to make sure everything was in good shape. If need be you can always swap batteries mid-day.

I have a 12v 55# pd w pilot on a 1650 fishhawk…works nice…i obviously have more weigh so I have to bump it up a few settings to get going but then can turn it down…it pulls my boat with 2 people idk how many pounds of gear and at least a half tank of fuel(not sure on gallons, have a built in tank, never paid much attention) at upper 2’s…if I need to go any faster I just use the big motor…i would think a 12v would be plenty on a 14ft boat…as far as how long you can go…if your going wide open I would guess you wouldn’t get much over a few hours…normal trolling with bouncers and other low speed applications ive gone as much as 5 or 6 hours and still had juice

Thanks everybody for the great input! The votes pretty much backed up my initial gut feeling to stick with the 12V system. I have the storage for a 24V system but for the extra weight and price I don’t think it can be justified. Especially since I spend 80% of my time casting structure and shoreline. I don’t pull plugs and only pull spinners a few times a year. Going to go with the 12V 55# Terrova w/I-Pilot from Scheels (their return policy is second to none). Appreciate all the good advice.