# How to slow boat to trolling speed



## oncorhynchusmykiss (Jun 9, 2017)

I am new to trolling and need some help getting to the right speed. I have a 24v 70# powerdrive v2 and a 90 hp Mercury. At idle the 90 hp does about 2.7 on a calm day. I would like to troll cranks between 2 and 2.5.

I tried 40” drift socks off the bow eye and off the back and both made the boat very difficult to control.

I have not tried trolling in reverse as that does not sound fun, especially on choppy days. I do not have splash guards on the stern.

I found that I can slow by a tenth or two by dropping the trolling motor in and can drop an additional tenth or two by turning it sideways.

I am wondering if I could further slow the boat by running the trolling motor against the main motor? Would that damage anything at slow speeds?

Any other tips or suggestions are welcome but I am very interested in the possibility of setting the electric at a very slow speed against the main motor to slow things down by less than 1 mph.

Thanks to anyone who can help!


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## InlandKid (Aug 29, 2006)

Put a Easy troll plate on the motor or put a set of Nauticus smart tabs pro trollers on the boat. The easy troller folds down blocking the prop from pushing the boat as fast, it folds back up when you are operating at normal speed. The smart tabs go on the boats stern and create drag to slow the boat down, they also provide stern lift and prevent listing at cruising speed. With a easy troll plate you lose some control steering because the props blocked. I have the smart tabs and like them, installed them myself the instructions are clear enough for anyone to install.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

ditto on the smart tabs. On my old boat I took a 5 gallon bucket and cut 2" hole in the bottom and drug it behind the boat, you just need to work with making a harness to center it. A rope off each back cleat to a side done it for me. It may take a different size hole for yours though. I had a 19' Princecraft with a 140 HP I/O. I now have a tracker deep v with a 60 and I can idle at 2.2


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

just my .02cts worth, a 90hp was not made to troll. I,d think it would carb things up over time. best way to troll is a gas kicker.


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## InlandKid (Aug 29, 2006)

bountyhunter said:


> just my .02cts worth, a 90hp was not made to troll. I,d think it would carb things up over time. best way to troll is a gas kicker.


I agree, it will use more fuel for sure too, but if you don't have the money for a kicker the two options I gave are the way to make it work so you can troll with that 90hp.


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## s.a.m (Feb 22, 2016)

Run a trolling bag off each side of the boat about mid way between bow and stern, that will also help you with control, and you won't need the electric unless using it to steer


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## Brian87 (Apr 30, 2014)

I run 2 5 gallon buckets. Took a while saw and sut like 2in hole in the middle of it. Cheap and works great.


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## oncorhynchusmykiss (Jun 9, 2017)

Great suggestions by all. I agree with bountyhunter that a kicker is the way to go but it will be another year or two before it is in the budget.

I think I will try the bucket idea as my drift socks are too much drag and make it impossible to steer.

I am still curious though if anyone has thoughts on running the trolling motor against the main motor at a very low speed to drop speed just a bit. I know lots of guys use their trolling motor with a kicker to provide steering and more precise speed control by using the troller in forward. I wonder about using it in reverse.

I think the only concern would be the stress on the trolling motor and it’s mounting. If I am going 2.7 forward and use the troller to slow me down by 1 mph, I think it would the the equivalent of 3.7 mph of stress on the unit. That seems reasonable to me. Anyone else?

Thanks to all for your help!


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## InlandKid (Aug 29, 2006)

oncorhynchusmykiss said:


> Great suggestions by all. I agree with bountyhunter that a kicker is the way to go but it will be another year or two before it is in the budget.
> 
> I think I will try the bucket idea as my drift socks are too much drag and make it impossible to steer.
> 
> ...


Just using a lot of battery juice if you are using it against the mains propulsion, at that point just use the trolling motor to troll forward without the main.


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## Brian87 (Apr 30, 2014)

The 2 buckets on my 17 ft slowed me down about 1.3 mph at idle and about 2 off idle


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## s.a.m (Feb 22, 2016)

oncorhynchusmykiss said:


> I think I will try the bucket idea as my drift socks are too much drag and make it impossible to steer


The farther off idle you get the main engine the better off your going to be, if you tye the bags on the side of the boat and not drag them behind you, you will gain boat control.
If you use the same size bags


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## STRONGPERSUADER (Nov 5, 2006)

I would look into Amish outfitters trolling bags. One on port and SB like someone had mentioned. This will allow you to the get the speeds you need while at the same time, the ability to bump up the throttle and not running it at idle all day. Good luck!


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

I used buckets with holes in the bottom for years with my merc 150 -2 stroke, worked great but I did have to de-carb about 2x's a year, about every 10 trips she'd start running rough. you didn't say if it was a 2 or 4 stroke?


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## bustedrod (May 13, 2015)

s






here ya go, i made these years ago to control my boat, make ya a set 5 gal bucket rim, a pair of 35 trousers, some rope ta da ....mine work great....and the store flat i call them my trolling trousers.......
p s i put mine mid ship


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

I have 2 - 30" bags and each have a 4" rope braided onto the bag and a loop at the other end. I attach them to the mid cleats. It absolutely slows my 90 to .5 at idol and needs adjusted to pull baits at 2.0 or better. The motor runs cooler and charges batteries better at a higher idol. In wind or rougher water they keep the boat planted and straight with one on each side. I use the trolling motor for auto pilot.


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## joekacz (Sep 11, 2013)

My Merc is a 2005 90hp,with 2 bags from Erie Outfitters I can troll as slow as 1.50 to whatever speed I need for the day.The bags make you keep up your rpm to avoid carbon and loading up.Trolls GREAT without the added weight of a kicker on your transom.Run's smooth as silk.For a 2 stroke it's very good on fuel,2 day's of trolling(4-5 hrs) and 2 day's of run time (2 hrs)=7 gal. of fuel.Not as good as a 4 stroke but not bad enough to change motors.I use the Terrova for auto pilot and with hydraulic steering it's a pleasure without a kicker.No problems. IMHO


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

I use bags and they work great. get 2 28" trolling bags use cleats off the sides of the bow, not on the front. make sure you get trolling bags and not drift bags. tie the front of the bags to the side cleats with enough rope to let the bags back where the back of the bags can be tied off on your rear cleats. with the front and back tied off, only your speed will effect boat control.

I have a 21' glass boat with a 350 315hp Mercruiser motor. with 36" bags, I can run below 1.5 with the wind if I wanted to troll that slow. your not wanting to slow as much as I do as I have to so I think 28" bags would slow you down about 1.5 over not using them.

I have tried buckets without holes and with holes, the most I ever got was maybe .5 mph slower.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

i have used most trolling plates at one time or another. the easy troller has been the best by far. i still have one bolted to my outdrive that I was using when I tried the trolling bags. the bags gave me better boat control than the plate did. so now I just use the bags. the bags should be back past midship and tied to the boat front and aft for them to work properly.


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## jamesbalog (Jul 6, 2011)

why dont you just troll with the waves and use the bow mount for a little thrust and to steer?


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## Harry1959 (Mar 17, 2011)

I’ve always used a trolling plate and never had any issues. Buckets and bags shave worked ok, but I prefer my plate. Have used it on a 170 I/o and now use on an old 55 hp


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

Harry1959 said:


> I’ve always used a trolling plate and never had any issues. Buckets and bags shave worked ok, but I prefer my plate. Have used it on a 170 I/o and now use on an old 55 hp


I used a plate for 30 yrs before switching to trolling bags. the plate does the job. its easy to deploy and raise and it does slow you down. the easy troller plate is hinged about halfway so if you forget to raise it and take off it'll swing up instead of ruining the plate. a plate is my 2nd choice behind a pair of bags.


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

The Happy Troller plate sticks out at least a foot beyond the cavitation plate that it bolts onto. It puts un-needed upward pressure on the cavitation plate while running at speed. I wouldn't use one nor would I ever purchase a motor that has one or ever had one bolted on for that reason. Get bags.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

Popspastime said:


> The Happy Troller plate sticks out at least a foot beyond the cavitation plate that it bolts onto. It puts un-needed upward pressure on the cavitation plate while running at speed. I wouldn't use one nor would I ever purchase a motor that has one or ever had one bolted on for that reason. Get bags.


I've had the easy troller bolted to my Mercruiser outdrive for about 15 yrs, it hasn't hurt anything. I switched to using trolling bags about 4 or 5 yrs ago. but the plate is still bolted to my outdrive. but I do think the bags work better.

you can get fins to add to the easy troller to get more lift. just helps the boat plane off better.


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

Sherman.. let me explain to you.. your plate is running up on the water when your up and running putting undo stress on your cav plate and lower unit area. It's skimming across the water trying to lift the rear of the motor. Your motor, treat it how you want.


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## Harry1959 (Mar 17, 2011)

Popspastime said:


> Sherman.. let me explain to you.. your plate is running up on the water when your up and running putting undo stress on your cav plate and lower unit area. It's skimming across the water trying to lift the rear of the motor. Your motor, treat it how you want.


Am curious if you have seen frequent lower unit issues with people who use trolling plates or even whale tails?(they would put a similar or maybe the same type of extra stress on lower unit as a plate). I totally understand your theory. It does seem that if the friction put that much pressure on things that I would have seen a drop in performance when installed. My plate didn’t slow me down. Ive read that a whales tail does slow you down a bit, 
If I saw data that indicated my trolling plate would lead to premature problems with my old motor; I would certainly take it off. Your post did get me thinking about it.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

Popspastime said:


> Sherman.. let me explain to you.. your plate is running up on the water when your up and running putting undo stress on your cav plate and lower unit area. It's skimming across the water trying to lift the rear of the motor. Your motor, treat it how you want.


I fully understand your thinking. but the extra lift just helps the boat to plane better. like I said easy troller actually makes a set of fins that bolts on to give it more lift than the plate alone. why would they do this if it might hurt something? it doesn't hurt to have a little extra lift. the only way I can see that it would hurt anything is if it created enough lift to break the cavitation plate. and I used plates for 30 yrs and never broke anything. I've had the one on the boat I have now for at least 15 yrs without a single issue.

but like you said, to each there own. someday I may get around to removing the plate from my outdrive.


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## 68bucks (Aug 17, 2013)

I have a pair of Amish trolling bags, do a good job and are great quality. They are a bit of a hassle to deal with but a lot cheaper than a kicker so until I can get a kicker it'll be trolling bags.


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## Bill C (Mar 30, 2016)

oncorhynchusmykiss said:


> I am new to trolling and need some help getting to the right speed. I have a 24v 70# powerdrive v2 and a 90 hp Mercury. At idle the 90 hp does about 2.7 on a calm day. I would like to troll cranks between 2 and 2.5.
> 
> I tried 40” drift socks off the bow eye and off the back and both made the boat very difficult to control.
> 
> ...


Why not just run the electric motor?


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## 68bucks (Aug 17, 2013)

In my case it's battery life. I can troll 4+ hours at 1.5 - 1.8 but when I have to run 2 - 2.5 I only get 2 - 3 hours.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

call Amash outfitters and give them your boat info and speed and they'll recommend the size bag you need, I use 36" bags but don't believe you need that big of a bag. get bags and be done with it.

i let my bags back far enough to pull them in over the sides. you can tie the front to the cleats on land then toss them over the sides before launching. then when you start to troll just pitch them over the sides then tie off the backs of the bags. drift bags aren't made to tie off the backs. be sure and get trolling bags. you need a bag to slow you down slower than you want to troll so you can bump the gas up just a little to get to trolling speed. 

please let us know what you do to slow your boat down to trolling speed.


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