Thread: Need input..

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Are there any fishermen on board?

If so what do you know about electric trolling motors?

I had never thought about them before as far as being a viable prop motor, but I saw one today at a thrift store for $30 and Sundays they have electronics and small electric appliances at 30% off..

I would think that for their physical size they would have pretty decent torque.. they are not much larger than a wiper motor...

What do you think??

trolling motors are rated with a number ---- like 30 lbs of thrust . ( which is a lot )
But , pending on what rating your trolling motor is , pends on how strong it is . Now , even the lowest/weakest trolling motors are WAY more powerful than a wiper motor is . But , as is with any electric motor .. the MORE amps they suck up , the thicker the wire needs to be , to be able to allow the flow of amps .
So , if your planning on using a trolling motor for anything , make sure to remember about the thick gauge wire required for the motor to make use of its torque/hp , otherwise , you might end up with a small fire ( or maybe a large one , I guess that all depends on what the wire is near/on . )
Can I ask , what are your intentions for a trolling motor ?
If your looking for STRONG little motor for 12 volts , you could also check out the little electric scooters.. those motors , are VERY strong ! ( the ones I have , are from scooters that use two 12 volt gel cells totalling 24 volts for the ESC and motor .
Oh yeah ... not all trolling motors utilize ESC's , instead , some simply use a position switch that , well , has speeds , and is not variable .
These little scooters I am talking about , are variable speed and use an ESC for speed control . These are also a much smaller motor than a trolling motor and use a LOT less amps ( due to the higher volts ).
Think back about the 40's and early 50's cars .. they ran 6 volts and had a tree trunk thick cable from the battery ( along with numerous other places ) . Why ? The less the volts , the higher the amps are needed . The higher the voltage , the lower the amps . Thats why cars switched to 12 volts --- less amps needed than the older 6 volters.
Make any sense ?
Again , what are your plans for the trolling motor ?

First.. thanks for all the info...
.To tell you the truth I didn't really have any particular prop in mind, it was just that I saw this trolling motor and had never thought of that type motor for animating a prop..

I have props using oscillating fan motors, rotisserie motors, wiper motors and even one with a ceiling fan motor (of course that one has no resistance so no torque needed other than to get the prop to spin..
I have one rotisserie motor moving the two limbs (arms) up and down on a "spooky" tree and had to put a 16lb counter balance weight so the motor could lift the limbs...
I also just finished a ghost prop that lifts one arm with a lantern and am using a wiper motor. The power supply is an old computer power supply and I'm using the 3.3 volt tap to slow the wiper motor down... I had to add a 3-3/4 lb counter balance weight to that one too..

But back to the trolling motor.... Just the possibility of it maybe being something that could be used.