Trolling motor for dingy?

[Andyman]

I have a 7 foot Livingston dingy that I currently row...I hate to row! I'm thinking of getting an electric trolling motor but haven't a clue about what's what. I anchor on a mooring in a lake and use the dingy to go back and forth from my boat to the dock which isn't far at all. Occasionally I stay at anchor by an island and will go over to the island to run the dog. I anchor about 100 feet from the island. Can any shed some light on using a ytrolling motor, what size battery I need, etc? Also, I'd like to charge it on a 5w solar panel. I am on my boat on the weekend and maybe one night a week.

Thanks!!

Andy

[chucklesR]

A far cheaper, and lighter alternative is a 2 hp motor. It will open the world of gunk holing/dinghy exploring like a trolling motor with limited re-charge can never do.
Used it'll run 2-400 bucks, run forever on a cup of gas and weigh less than the battery you'll need.

[sailingdog]

I'd second going with a small gasoline outboard... it's far easier to deal with and the running times are much more reasonable. I have a 3.5 HP Tohatsu that I use for my dinghy and it runs for over an hour on 1/3 gallon of gasoline. I have a 2.5 gallon tank in the dinghy to fill it from, and that gives me about ten hours of run time.

[ArgleBargle]

i dont like gas and for good or bad tend to be an early adopter. i really like the Torqeedo electric outboard and lithium manganese battery technology, although i do not yet own one, I am planning on acquiring a Torqeedo 801 or Cruise within the next month for my small RIB. they are generally more expensive than a 2 hp gas outboard, but may be worth looking at if you like the convenience, quiet, low weight, and lack of gas. the 801 has an integral battery (no external battery needed). westmarine, among others, carry them.

801 reviewed in this months "Sailing Today" (UK publication) in the setting of comparison vs 2.5 hp gas motors and actually did pretty ok.

cheers

[sailingdog]

While the Torqueedo might make sense for someone who is daysailing primarily—IMHO, it doesn't make much sense for a cruiser. Parts are going to be much more difficult to find, and repairing it will also be an issue. Finally, having such a limited run time can be a hazard. If you're trying to get back to the boat from the dock, in many foreign ports, the distances can be significantly greater than what you'd have to do in the USA, and if the engine dies and the current takes hold of your dinghy... buh-bye... we'll see you later.

[ArgleBargle]

agreed. but he said he wanted to travel 100 feet on a lake in oregon, so likely it would be fine.

[PBzeer]

I'll note that I saw quite a few dinghies using trolling motors down in Florida.

[kwaltersmi]

I"m weighing the same options for my Sand Piper 8 dinghy. I have a Minn Kota 35lbs thrust trolling motor that works fine to push the boat using a regular deep cycle marine battery (a car battery would work too). The pluses are that the electric motors are reliable and don't give the headaches that starting a gas engine can. However, the battery does require charging (I use a shoreside DC battery charger). The batteries also weigh a decent amount and take up room in the dinghy, whereas a little gas engine with an internal tank is light and space efficient.