trolling motor thrust, shaft length, brand recommendations - parker 1800

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nrender

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Curious of what trolling motors people are putting on their 18 Parkers in terms of shaft length and thrust? I've pretty much exclusively used Minnkota in the past, but also curious of opinions on Rhodan, etc? Thanks.
 
Installing a Rodan right now on Brand X......I've probelly installed at a 2 to 1 ratio Minkota to Rodan.......But If I was shelling the money out of my pocket....It would be Rodan.

Rodan has the GPS antenna on the TM.....Minkotta it is separate and you have to find a place for it.

Rodan has a simple.....Easy to understand Remote......Minkotta has more Damn Buttons [That I still don't know what they all do] Than Carter has Liver Pills.

I run 4ga cable on all installs......The get a Master ON/OFF switch and 60amp surface mount breaker. They get a Battery Tender brand TM plug...Battery selection is up to you. Lead acid usually get Interstates and a Noco charger......Lithium's have their own charger...It's portable and should not be left on the boat.
 
I have an older Parker 1800 an I installed a MotorGuide iX5 24 volt, 80 ft/lbs thrust, 60'' shaft length. It's a 2019 model motor. I've had no issues with it.

The GPS antenna is also built in, so the only wires to run are your battery cables. Easy enough DIY job. I agree with Warthog5, I also ran 4 gauge cables (those cables are $$$) and a 60 amp breaker/cutoff switch. Both of my trolling motor batteries are in the console, so I snaked the cables through the tunnel to the transom box, then up to the bow under the gunwale cap and used about 30' of cable.

My iX5 has the "Pinpoint" GPS anchor, which is the feature I use the most. I fish the lower tidal Potomac, and it'll hold the boat in place with up to ~5 mph current and 15 knot winds. Any more current or wind than that and it's hard to fish anyway. It'll cavitate some in 2 foot seas, which again makes fishing a bit tough. A longer shaft wouldn't be a bad idea though, if I was buying another one I'd get the 72'' shaft just to have the extra length.

You can hear a slight whine when it kicks on, but its not loud. I also use it for fishing the skinny water, and it doesn't seem to spook fish. I've hit a few big rocks and logs with it in the skinny water, and it never damaged the shaft. My prop has a few small nicks, but I'm actually surprised at how little damage some of the collisions did to it and I'm still running the original prop with no noticeable loss in performance.

It's very easy to 'manually' drive the boat one handed with the remote while I have my rod in the other hand. When you're in a good spot, just hit the anchor button, and it holds you in place. You can also save up to 6 waypoints and have it run a course between them or take you to them and "Pinpoint" anchor.

The remote is easy to use, and the GPS connects quickly and holds signal well. I like to catch my bait fish under a metal bridge that's near my dock, and it even holds signal pretty well under the bridge.

This is my first GPS bow mount trolling motor, so I can't compare it to other brands. I'm happy with it, and would buy an iX5 again.
 
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I have an older Parker 1800 an I installed a MotorGuide iX5 24 volt, 80 ft/lbs thrust, 60'' shaft length. It's a 2019 model motor. I've had no issues with it.

The GPS antenna is also built in, so the only wires to run are your battery cables. Easy enough DIY job. I agree with Warthog5, I also ran 4 gauge cables (those cables are $$$) and a 60 amp breaker/cutoff switch. Both of my trolling motor batteries are in the console, so I snaked the cables through the tunnel to the transom box, then up to the bow under the gunwale cap and used about 30' of cable.

My iX5 has the "Pinpoint" GPS anchor, which is the feature I use the most. I fish the lower tidal Potomac, and it'll hold the boat in place with up to ~5 mph current and 15 knot winds. Any more current or wind than that and it's hard to fish anyway. It'll cavitate some in 2 foot seas, which again makes fishing a bit tough. A longer shaft wouldn't be a bad idea though, if I was buying another one I'd get the 72'' shaft just to have the extra length.

You can hear a slight whine when it kicks on, but its not loud. I also use it for fishing the skinny water, and it doesn't seem to spook fish. I've hit a few big rocks and logs with it in the skinny water, and it never damaged the shaft. My prop has a few small nicks, but I'm actually surprised at how little damage some of the collisions did to it and I'm still running the original prop with no noticeable loss in performance.

It's very easy to 'manually' drive the boat one handed with the remote while I have my rod in the other hand. When you're in a good spot, just hit the anchor button, and it holds you in place. You can also save up to 6 waypoints and have it run a course between them or take you to them and "Pinpoint" anchor.

The remote is easy to use, and the GPS connects quickly and holds signal well. I like to catch my bait fish under a metal bridge that's near my dock, and it even holds signal pretty well under the bridge.

This is my first GPS bow mount trolling motor, so I can't compare it to other brands. I'm happy with it, and would buy an iX5 again.

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I appreciate it. Just bought an 1800 as well and looking into the options so this is helpful. Funny you mention it, I fish the tidal Rapp myself. I take it you're near Cobb Island, have a good friend who fishes that area a ton. Great spot to fish!
 
60”, 80lb, 24v is your answer. I went with the MK Terrova and love it. The GPS sensor is integrated in the head of the unit; there is a separate bluetooth heading sensor that can be mounted wherever. That sensor is not required, but it allows you to use the “jog” function, which will move the spot lock location forward/back, left/right in 5’ increments. Togging on a tight piece of structure, it’s awesome. Mine will hold in up to about 2kt of current.
Haven’t gotten a chance to update my 1700 thread in awhile, but a post with pictures and description should be coming shortly (as soon as I finish up the 2530- it never ends 🙄). Feel free to DM me and I can send you some pictures and suggestions; I think the bow setup on your 1800 will be similar to my ‘97 1700.
 
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