Motor and weight advice for 8' livingston

[TedBull]

I purchased my first boat last weekend. It's a 8 ft livingston in very good condition, it has a canopy for shade and wheels for transport. It fits great in the back of my 69 F250. We had it out at bosworth last weekend with myself, my wife, our son, and our dog. It was a little cramped but floated very well. My boy caught his first fish- 12" rainbow. Anyways, here is my question:

How many of the small lakes in snohomish county are electric motor only? I live in Sultan and dont plan to visit too many lakes out of my area. I have been doing some reading and am trying decide what motor to get. From what I gather a Minn kota 30# 30" shaft should be a decent choice and at $100 new is not bad. I would like something that will easily push it fully loaded. Weight is a issue so I would like the smallest battery possible but something that could provide enough juice to troll around fully loaded for a few hours with bursts of speed to get from point to point. It would be charged after each use.

I would like to hear from guys running the same setup. Also, I know these boats can handle a lot more weight then they are rated for but how much have you loaded yours to? I want to take my father and son with me but we would probably be between 550 or 600 loaded with gear and motor.

Thanks, Ted

[The Quadfather]

I see you are in Sultan. There are lots of little lakes around you... fontal, Hannan, Tomit, etc. They will all be electric motor lakes. The far majority of lakes are electric. Stevens and Goodwynn of course gas, I think Ki or Shoecraft may have small horsepower gas allowed. I would stick to getting a minn kota. You will have all the options of lake usage in your hands. I would go with a 50lb thrust Minn K. It will push you just fine. Admittedly I don't own your same boat. I have been in that boat many times though. Congrats on the new boat.

Edit: To keep the batter small in size,, look into 12 volt wheel chair/scooter batteries. I have a couple of these which are about the size of an Army canteen. I need to contact the person I got them from to determine manafacturer and amp hours.

[dave g]

i would go for the 50# thrust. for years my son in law and myself fished out of a tricked out canoe with a 30# and there were plenty of times i wanted more. we are both a couple of big guys and we fished all over withn that boat. we even fished rufus woods a number of times. definately i would go with the 50 and you won't find yourself lacking...

oh, and you will want a back-up battery for use on the larger bodies of water...

[TedBull]

Thanks for the info guys. I will look for a 50# motor, i posted a add in the classified. Can't afford a new one, or at least not till august. The boat rows decent but rowing upsets my healing shoulder injury.

[TedBull]

I appreciate the advice and input but after looking at 50# motors online I am leaning more towards a 30# or 40#, I understand that more power is nice when you need it but the added cost of the motor and added weight of the larger battery needed for the larger motors is too much I think, and overkill for my needs. From what I gather a 30# thrust motor should move us along pretty good even if the gross weight is 800 pounds. But, I have never used a troller motor to propel a boat so I really have no Idea. If I could troll around for 4 or 5 hours on a small battery at speeds that I would normaly row at or a little faster I will be happy. Keep in mind that I am only fishing small lakes and do not plan to have it on a river or any anything with current. Wind will be my biggest hurdle. And, If I run out of juice after a few hours and have to row thats alright.

Anyone else out there running a 8ft livingston with a 30# troller have any input.

[G-Man]

A 30# thrust motor on that boat will be a good motor to troll with, that's about all. Also, any wind and it becomes a hassle, especilly if you have the top up to maintain course. Check with your physical therapist regarding rowing and your shoulder, it may be a great way to rehab it.

[A9]

A 30lb thrust motor will push you fine, don't worry about it. More is usually always better, but you'll be fine with a Minn Kota 30... Just make sure to get a good battery for it...

Good for you getting your son out on the water....

[edge540]

Easy Guys, I think the Man mentioned he was on a BUDGET.... and he just bought a boat...

Get a 30# Minn-kota for $100 it will push that boat like crazy! Run it off " the best battery you can afford" By this I mean if you can afford a $40 car battery from schucks get it if you can afford a little more go with a small deep-cycle. You can also check out a used battery place and see what they have laying around. You could also try a Lawn mower or wheel chair battery.

I use a 30# on my 16 Foot Smokercraft and it goes just fine. No Im not pulling any water skiers but it will go just fine into the wind all day.



I am located in Maple Valley, If you want to try my 30# on your boat I would gladly let you use it to see if it will work for your needs. Yea a 50# would be nice also but a 30# will do just fine.

[rjn cajun]

I have a 10ft Livingston and run a 40lbs of thrust. It gets me around just fine. I also have a cheap Napa battery I use and it also runs fine. A 30 should be just fine for your needs. Those boats can handle alot of weight it`s just cramped with gear and more people. I fish by myself with my electric an 8hp motor depth finder two batteries and 6 rods and reels. Have fun and enjoy.

[spindog]

I appreciate the advice and input but after looking at 50# motors online I am leaning more towards a 30# or 40#, I understand that more power is nice when you need it but the added cost of the motor and added weight of the larger battery needed for the larger motors is too much I think, and overkill for my needs. From what I gather a 30# thrust motor should move us along pretty good even if the gross weight is 800 pounds. But, I have never used a troller motor to propel a boat so I really have no Idea. If I could troll around for 4 or 5 hours on a small battery at speeds that I would normaly row at or a little faster I will be happy. Keep in mind that I am only fishing small lakes and do not plan to have it on a river or any anything with current. Wind will be my biggest hurdle. And, If I run out of juice after a few hours and have to row thats alright.

Anyone else out there running a 8ft livingston with a 30# troller have any input.

My first boat was a 8' livingston- 30# Minn Kota- fished all the lakes in your
area with no problem.
I prefer "Variable Speed". Throttle is in infinite settings and does not have
only 5 preset speeds. With this type of setup you benefit from a built in
battery maximizer system which allows your batterey to last longer.
Also when trolling you can dial your speed to exactly what you want, where
a 5 speed I didn't like how one speed could be too slow and the next too fast.
I would never go without being fully variable speed. Costs a little more but
well worth it!

[racfish]

I have a 8' Livingston. I used to put my 7.5 Hp honda on mine.Worked great for one person. Two people on Lk stevens and we sank the unsinkable boat.

[Bodofish]

I'm with you Ralph,
Couple weekends ago I watched a guy in his little livingston try to row out a couple crab pots. With each stroke a little more water came in. By the time he was 25 yards off shore it was swamped and the pots went over........

[G-Man]

I never could figure out why a boat plate listed maximum occupancy and a weight limit. Most folks don't have the common sense to process this information and simply figure as long as they aren't exceeding the occupancy limit they are good to go. An 8 foot Livingston has a max occupancy of 3 persons and a max cargo limit of 450 pounds. With the size people are these days, 2 folks can put the boat over capacity, and that's not including gear.

[TedBull]

The max people would be two adults and one child, so pushing a little over 400 pounds right there, then small troller, battery, rods, tackle, oars, beer, lunch. Obviously I can read and understand the weight limit and I do have common sense, I was a little concerned about the weight of the battery and motor and asked the question to see what others have gotten away with. I am not a hardcore angller and will most likely be enjoying my boat on calm sunny days on small lakes with my boy only but possibly the wife as well. I bet fully loaded, worst case we will sit at 550#. So 100 over listed capacity. Guess we will find out.