RedfishRippn Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 Is it just me or does everyone underestimate draft? I don't know how many pathfinder guys I have met who only draft 12". Heck most contenders probably only draft 12" too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenjeff Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 I think my PF 1810 is no more than 12" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 does it really matter for a larger skiff??? TM's dont' work in less than 24" in most cases dc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedfishRippn Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nag Juice Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 It's like estimating sea state. 4-6s can be 8-10s in someone else's eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 44 minutes ago, Nag Juice said: It's like estimating sea state. 4-6s can be 8-10s in someone else's eyes. Or an Egret can run WOT in a 3 foot chop c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 17 hours ago, Wanaflatsfish said: does it really matter for a larger skiff??? TM's dont' work in less than 24" in most cases Glad I have an old school MotorGuide to get me in under 24" of water! I agree that unless you pole all the time your TM is the limiting factor. For me I like getting to the ramp early not to beat the crowd but so if there is some dew on the ground I can pole my 21 across the parking lot to the water and not have to get the trailer wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VS-MasterAngler Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 On 3/1/2018 at 2:21 PM, Wanaflatsfish said: does it really matter for a larger skiff??? TM's dont' work in less than 24" in most cases dc I've always felt this way... My 18.5 MA floats shallower than my trolling motor will get me but it doesn't really matter since I don't pole it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabear Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 Dont you guys adjust your trolling motors ? I am always adjusting it up or down to off set weight in the boat and water conditions If I am fishing in calm water with myself and one angler (90%of the time) I will raise my TM until the tip of the blade is only a inch and a half under water if needed to get over shallow areas and Use the TM at lower speeds tp move around . The round anode on my Motor Guide TM shaft is a little less than 11 inches from the bottom of the skeg , I usually run my motor with that anode just under water . Thats set up works on my 18HPX VF115 combo . Joe R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedfishRippn Posted March 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 1 hour ago, dabear said: Dont you guys adjust your trolling motors ? I am always adjusting it up or down to off set weight in the boat and water conditions If I am fishing in calm water with myself and one angler (90%of the time) I will raise my TM until the tip of the blade is only a inch and a half under water if needed to get over shallow areas and Use the TM at lower speeds tp move around . Joe R I do this as well. 24" is ridiculous IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nag Juice Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 Agree. I adjust mine and stay as skinny as possible. If all I could get was 2ft I'd be in trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin-addict Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 11 hours ago, Nag Juice said: Agree. I adjust mine and stay as skinny as possible. If all I could get was 2ft I'd be in trouble. agree, adjust accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 13 hours ago, RedfishRippn said: I do this as well. 24" is ridiculous IMO If your skiff is drafting 12" as does my MA17.....and you are in 18" of water....the TM head is about 8" tall...you are basically churning mud and grinding the prop on the bottom and creating huge amounts of noise and mud...does it work...yes.... In addition....the new ULTERA's have a safety mechanism that do not allow it to start when to close to the bottom.... What I've found, for the most part, is 24" allows you to "creep" along and fish....this is what I was referring to....can you use it in 18"....yep, put the blade slightly below the water level and you have a washing machine and a huge amount of noise and spray.... To each either own.....but, I'm just giving real world fishing conditions....I have 1000's of hours of shallow water fishing in Chokolosekk in 4 different MBC platforms.....REDFISHER, PATHY, 17T AND NOW A MA 17....OTHER THAN MY 17T.....ALL WOULD DRAFT ABOUT THE SAME - 12" OR SO....and in Choko, the bottom is not "flat"....so, in most cases....i've found to be able to fish with a TM...you need 24".... For what it's worth..... DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedfishRippn Posted March 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 Considering that from tip of prop to bottom of skeg is exactly 12" on my great white (which has a smaller prop than minnkota so you can go shallower) then I would say t-motor operation starts getting sketchy in about 16" of water. Although at SLOW motor speeds you can pull the prop up to just under the surface of the water (maybe 13"). Truthfully in NE Florida I fish a lot of soft mud and most of the time the blades are cutting through the top layer of silt the whole time. Like you said @Wanaflatsfish operation in this depth can be noisy as you run into oysters and such frequently (thats why I run a metal prop). My rig (18 hpx w/ 150) varies so much on draft depending on load and gas that it varies from an honest 10" all the way up to 12" or even 13" with a ridiculous load in it. In a tournament with full gas and gear 12" is probably the real number with the draft decreasing throughout the day as gas is burnt, I prefer an afternoon low because of this! My last boat was an 04 redfisher 16 w/ a 2 stroke 90 and that thing drafted significantly more than my 18 hpx. All in all we can just comment on our own experiences and fishing styles, no right or wrong answers here (besides some peoples claimed drafts LOL). TIGHT LINES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsusteve Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 Since I grew up in Collier County since 1960, I would venture I have more hours than most running these waters, I have never needed 24” to run a TM, is it ideal? sure but not a necessity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dave Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 Speaking of trolling motors and props, anyone running a Kipawa Propeller? If so, have you noticed improvements in thrust and speed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedfishRippn Posted March 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 4 hours ago, Big Dave said: Speaking of trolling motors and props, anyone running a Kipawa Propeller? If so, have you noticed improvements in thrust and speed? Kipawa does not increase thrust or speed IME, however they are king when it comes to being weedless. I fish in Louisiana every year and running Kipawa is a MUST for all Motorguide owners. Minn Kota props are already weedless so I wouldnt worry about Kipawa if you have a Kota. As soon as I come back to Florida I remove my Kipawa and replace with my aluminum motorguide blade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabear Posted March 5, 2018 Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 29 minutes ago, RedfishRippn said: Kipawa does not increase thrust or speed IME, however they are king when it comes to being weedless. I fish in Louisiana every year and running Kipawa is a MUST for all Motorguide owners. Minn Kota props are already weedless so I wouldnt worry about Kipawa if you have a Kota. As soon as I come back to Florida I remove my Kipawa and replace with my aluminum motorguide blade. I run the machete lll because it works well shallow , motorguide does may a 2 blade weedless prop called a Safari that looks like the kipawa , I didnt like the safari weedless two blade because it was noisey when I ran the TM shallow . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedfishRippn Posted March 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 10 minutes ago, dabear said: I run the machete lll because it works well shallow , motorguide does may a 2 blade weedless prop called a Safari that looks like the kipawa , I didnt like the safari weedless two blade because it was noisey when I ran the TM shallow . The Aluminum Machete is what I run, it is my favorite all around prop. I have not heard good things about the safari prop at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabear Posted March 5, 2018 Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 RedfishRippn , the motor guide machete lll that I have is a black plastic . If I am the only one using it the plastic motorguide machete lll last me for years. Unless we fish out of town we seldom fish in weeds . We fish lots of mangrove root areas . Is that aluminum prop made by motorguide ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedfishRippn Posted March 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 44 minutes ago, dabear said: RedfishRippn , the motor guide machete lll that I have is a black plastic . If I am the only one using it the plastic motorguide machete lll last me for years. Unless we fish out of town we seldom fish in weeds . We fish lots of mangrove root areas . Is that aluminum prop made by motorguide ? Yes sir, the aluminum machete 3 is usually used on 36V motors but a lot of us run them on our 24V up here (JAX) due to all the oyster bars. The plastic props get chewed up so bad they catch spartina grass like Velcro and just loose their efficiency very quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedfishRippn Posted March 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 https://www.amazon.com/Motorguide-Aluminum-Weedless-Propeller-3-5-Inch/dp/B001GXARA8 @dabear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.