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Battery Selection & Rigging

Boat Rigging & Product Installation

Boat Rigging Guides

Battery Selection

For safety and compliance reasons, we recommend that you follow American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) standards when rigging your boat. Altering boat wiring should be completed by a qualified marine technician. The following specifications are for general guidelines only.

CAUTION: These guidelines apply to general rigging to support your Minn Kota motor. Powering multiple motors or additional electrical devices from the same power circuit may impact the recommended conductor gauge and circuit breaker size. If you are using wire longer than that provided with your unit, follow the conductor gauge and circuit breaker sizing table below. If your wire extension length is more than 25 feet, we recommend that you contact a qualified marine technician.

An over-current protection device (circuit breaker or fuse) must be used. Coast Guard requirements dictate that each ungrounded current-carrying conductor must be protected by a manually reset, trip-free circuit breaker or fuse. The type (voltage and current rating) of the fuse or circuit breaker must be sized accordingly to the trolling motor used. The table below gives recommended guidelines for circuit breaker sizing.

Reference: United States Code of Federal Regulations: 33 CFR 183 – Boats and Associated Equipment ABYC E-11: AC and DC Electrical Systems on Boats

Conductor Gauge and Circuit Breaker Sizing Table

Motor Thrust / Model Max Amp Draw Circuit Breaker Wire Extension Length*
5 feet 10 feet 15 feet 20 feet 25 feet
30 lb. 30 50 Amp @ 12 VDC 10 AWG 10 AWG 8 AWG 6 AWG 4 AWG
40 lb., 45 lb. 42 10 AWG 8 AWG 6 AWG 4 AWG 4 AWG
50 lb., 55 lb. 50 60 Amp @ 12 VDC 8 AWG 6 AWG 4 AWG 4 AWG 2 AWG
70 lb. 42 50 Amp @ 24 VDC 10 AWG 10 AWG 8 AWG 8 AWG 6 AWG
80 lb. 56 60 Amp @ 24 VDC 8 AWG 8 AWG 8 AWG 6 AWG 6 AWG
101 lb. 46 50 Amp @ 36 VDC 8 AWG 8 AWG 8 AWG 8 AWG 8 AWG
Engine Mount 101 50 60 Amp @ 36 VDC 8 AWG 6 AWG 4 AWG 4 AWG 2 AWG
112 lb. 52 60 Amp @ 36 VDC 8 AWG 8 AWG 8 AWG 8 AWG 8 AWG
Engine Mount 160 116 (2) x 60 Amp @ 24 VDC 2 AWG 2 AWG 2 AWG 2 AWG 2 AWG
E-Drive 40 50 Amp @ 48 VDC 10 AWG 10 AWG 10 AWG 10 AWG 10 AWG

This conductor and circuit breaker sizing table is only valid for the following assumptions:

  • No more than 3 conductors are bundled together inside of a sheath or conduit outside of engine spaces.
  • Each conductor has 105° C temp rated insulation.
  • No more than 5% voltage drop allowed at full motor power based on published product power requirements.

*Wire Extension Length refers to the distance from the batteries to the trolling motor leads.

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