I purchased a Minn Kota Endura Max with 40 lb thrust and a 36″ shaft. The Endura Max is an excellent trolling motor and the “Digital Maximizer” is a great feature that really does “provide up to five times longer run time on a single charge by drawing only as much power as you need, so they don’t waste any energy.” The Digital Maximizer is a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) system. I first thought about buying a non-Digital Maximizer Minn Kota model and building my own PWM controller but it was much more cost effective to purchase a model with the Digital Maximizer built in to motor.

Battery selection was somewhat problematic. I needed a battery that would power my trolling motor and other electronic systems for several hours and fit in the limited space on my NFO Outlaw Escape. The Minn Kota Endura Max 40 lb thrust system will draw about 35 amps @ 12 VDC at full speed. What I did not realize initially was just how much power a 40 lb thrust motor will deliver to a small craft like the NFO Outlaw Escape! 😉 What I learned was that my setup would propel me at a optimum trolling speed while only drawing about 2 amps from the battery.

I settled on Power-Sonic – PS-12350 NB 12 Volts 35 AH battery that I purchased from BatteryPlex. I bought two of these batteries so I would always have a backup for those long days on the lake. I currently have my Power-Sonic battery sitting behind me in an expensive battery box for this size battery. I picked up the battery box locally from Batteries+Bulbs for about $20. The Power-Sonic battery would also fit into one of my NFO Outlaw Escape side bags or since I have two of these batteries I could put one in each side bag. Keeping the battery(s) to the rear help with weight distribution. If you click on the PS-12350 NB 12 Volts 35 AH battery link you will be taken to the data sheet for the battery. You will see the following under Performance Specifications:

• 20-hr. (1.75A to 10.50 volts) …………………………………………………….. 35.0 AH
• 10-hr. (3.3A to 10.50 volts) ………………………………………………………. 33.0 AH
• 5-hr. (6.2A to 10.20 volts) ………………………………………………………… 31.0 AH
• 1-hr. (25A to 9.00 volts) …………………………………………………………… 25.0 AH
• 15-min. (70A to 9.00 volts) …………………………………………………………17.5 AH

My LOWRANCE Elite 4x CHIRP fish finder draws about 1.1 amps according to specifications BUT in reality it draws a lot less according to my clip-on DC amp meter. Likewise with my GPS system.

I have not attempted to run my trolling motor above 10 amps because the thrust may be too great for my setup. I have found that I can scoot right along comfortably at 7 to 8 amps to get from one location to another. I will add more information on actual speed vs current draw in the near future.