although i've fished the river for many years i really haven't from a boat...i recently was given a 12ft boat and was thinkin of putting a 2hp motor on it that way i can haul it in bed of my truck,would that be big enough to scoot me up river? Would a trolling motor be enough to take me up river since it would be lighter to carry. ANY Suggestions will be greatly appreciated
That's pretty small. If the current is low and you have the wind at your back, a 2 hp may work. I have a 15 on my 12' and with two adults (me being 200lbs) and another guy weighing 165, I was able to hit 22mph on the DPR. With myself and a guy weighing 240+ I was stuck at 9-10 with a strong head wind and current.
I tried it once with a 4hp motor, extremely slow going against the current. I'd suggest at least a 9.5 hp motor. I can't for the life of me remember what size trolling motor I used to use, I remember it was on the large side so I could make headway against the strong currents you will encounter.
A 55 thrust minnkota will slowly move your 12' boat up river in mild to low current. In heavy currents after rainfall you will drain the battery quickly.For outboards, 2 hp is a little bit small for a river like the Kankakee. I would start at a 4-5 hp. it won't get you going real fast, but will be more practical for loading and unloading. I've got a 4 hp on a 10' two man boat and average 5 mph up river. It's nice not having a trailer and being able to set up and go wherever. Those motors can get heavy,if you go over 5 hp. Good luck.
thanks for the info guys. i guess i use the small motor for small lakes like mazonia, lake george in indiana, and wolf lake and start Looking for a 9.9 for river. if anyone knows of a inexpensive one im all ears
Check ebay and craigslist for a used motor, be sure to check the compression before you buy. Good luck.
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