I have a Minn Kota Endura 40 turning a 314 Kipawa prop on a small 16' launch. I have had that configuration for probably five years now. The motor is connected to a 24V Kelly controller (and two AGM batteries in series) and the controller is programed to limit 40A to the motor so the motor wouldn't burn out. The prop spins faster and moves the boat significantly faster than the normal Minn Kota at 12V, and the controller lets the motor on my boat run at 18 or 19V usually before hitting 40A. On a lighter boat, it would probably let is spin faster. (As I understand the Minn Kota names, the 40 is usually designed as pounds of thrust, but it also seems to represent the maximum amps to the motor before it burns up.)
When I described this on this listserv a few years ago, I remember that a few people seemed to think it was a really bad idea and that the motor wasn't designed for higher volts and higher speeds. But it seems to run faster fine as long as I limit the amps. And if I have to replace a cheap $130 motor every few years, it's not the end of the world. (As an aside, I have the Kipawa on the boat under protest, since I really hate that the company will not disclose any information at all about the prop specs except that it "increases speed." I certainly asked, even nicely at first, for information about the prop, but to no avail.)
Posted by: gwest@bmolaw.com
| Reply via web post | • | Reply to sender | • | Reply to group | • | Start a New Topic | • | Messages in this topic (23) |
No comments:
Post a Comment