I'm looking at buying a trolling motor simply for holding my arse in the waves. I'm looking at the Minn Kota Vector (55lb) and I have an 1800 explorer.....is this motor big enough to do the job?

NO. Go to 24 volt.

Since you are looking for something to hold you in place, I think it should work fine. I have my larger 80lb 24v bow mount and my 55Lb 12V in the rear for boat control or jigging while keeping me right on the spot. The 55LB holds my 18Ft Lund just fine and rarely ever need to use the higher speeds. If you plan on putting hours on it at a time, then the 24V system will give you more time.

I have a Mr. Pike 18. I bought the biggest Minnkota 24-volt AP available at the time I bought my boat -- a 65 pound 60-inch shaft model.

On LOW with 20+ mph winds (which create 2+ footers) my 65 pound AP would barely move me foward. That was a beast when I got snagged up and tried to retrieve my lines.

I switched to the 80-pound AP and that will move me forward under any winds I have encountered over the past 3 years. (They have now switched to the Terrova of course).

If all you encounter are 1 foot waves or if you never go after snags in bigger waves, the 55 will be ok. But, I am willing to bet you will regret not going bigger. I won't ever go less than 80 again.

I have a Mr. Pike 18. I bought the biggest Minnkota 24-volt AP available at the time I bought my boat -- a 65 pound 60-inch shaft model.

On LOW with 20+ mph winds (which create 2+ footers) my 65 pound AP would barely move me foward. That was a beast when I got snagged up and tried to retrieve my lines.

I switched to the 80-pound AP and that will move me forward under any winds I have encountered over the past 3 years. (They have now switched to the Terrova of course).

If all you encounter are 1 foot waves or if you never go after snags in bigger waves, the 55 will be ok. But, I am willing to bet you will regret not going bigger. I won't ever go less than 80 again.

-probably good advice BT, but if the wind causes my AP 65 problems I just turn the key on my Honda main...

There is a guy in DeKalb that repairs trolling motors. That is all he does. Been doing it for years. He told me, that most trolling motors are ok, no matter what brand. The thing is, buy the biggest one you can, and run it at the lowest speed you can get away with. He said doing this, it should last forever. The worst thing to do, he said, is have one that is smaller, and you have to run it at high to highest speeds all the time to use it.

I agree with that. I got a deal on a 101 thrust 36 volt system last year for my 18' aluminum boat. Everyone said it was too much, and it was. But I have fished tourneys where the wind was 40 mph and gusting. Never had a problem. Never worried about batteries running down. Most of the time I use it on 3 or 4 speed, with high winds or at the end of a long day, maybe 5 or 6. I have only used 7+ when I wanted to move from one spot to another. Another advantage of the 36 volt system is that if you ever forget to charge your main battery (say after the boat has set for a month or so), you can use one of your trolling motor batteries and you will not lose any power on your trolling motor. Of course this is just what some guys have told me because this hasn't happened to me!!

ironjax

I have made the mistake before but never again. I will always max out my outboard motor and will always max out my trolling motor based on volts and batteries. I now have a 24vt Terrova 80# on my 1725 Lund and absolutely would not go smaller...IMO

Using a 80lbs trust on 1600Explorer and most of the time I don't even go over Speed 30 on a normal day. Am I overpowered? Yes, I am. Hardly drain my Group 31s more than 1/3 after a day of fishing. I remember those days when I was running a 40PD and always have to worry about when the day would end because of running down the 12V battery.

If they ever made a 24V that is 101lbs, I will jump on it for sure.

Stinky is absolutely correct. I've got 80lbs Terrova on a Alumacraft 175cs. Does exactly what I needed it to do.

Dave