How do I compare electric pound thrust size to gas horsepower size?
I’ve been asking around and Googling the answer, but the answers seem to be indecisive and inconclusive.
My story is; I have a 14ft wide body Lund. Originally, I had a 50lb thrust Minn Kota on it and it worked alright. It got most of the job done that I wanted it for which was trolling at lower speeds for kokanee. It was not great for battery life and eventually it stopped working after being barely over the 2 year warranty that Minn Kota has. They would not help me in any way. I ended up buying a brush kit and replaced the brushes, bearing and seals. The motor worked again (but not as good as new) and finally stopped working after a year of fixing it. Frustrated, I started looking at gas motors, but then decided to try and save a couple dollars and buy another electric motor since my battery is fairly new. I tried to “cheap” out (and boycott Minn Kota in a way) and bought a 30lb Minn Kota, but found out very quickly that this was not enough power for my 14ft boat.
And now I find myself in a position of “what is better?”
It seems as though I have a unique situation and question if I can upgrade into a 2.5hp gas motor. Will this be enough power to push my boat and get us safely back to the launch should my main motor fail? Or, should I buy a 4 or 5hp motor, which weighs more?
My concern is that if I buy an electric motor, it might cost me the same as a gas motor, because I will have to buy more batteries and eventually a motor or two in the same amount of lifespan as buying one gas motor. Maybe I look at other electric motor options, like MotorGuide?
So the question remains, how do I compare electric thrust size to horsepower size?
On a side note, I’ll have an electric motor for sale hopefully sooner than later. I’ve only used it a handful of times too.