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Trolling speed control
dreamer 
 		  Home: twin lake , mi   10/11/2008 00:28
Brookie
Posts: 13
 

I have a tiara 25ft pursuit with a 350 Chevy v-8 Mercruser I O
I am having a hard time setting the exact trolling speed that I want. The RPMs are around 1000 at triling speed, 2.2 at the ball and I can’t seam to get the boat to run at that speed, it just seams that I can’t get it just right. A little higher or a little lower. I am wondering if anyone makes a throttle control that you can set like a cruse control on a car. Or an electric micro control that can be added to the motor to give me fine toning of the motor.
I have tried using bag cankers and they just make the motor run faster and I still can’t get the exact speed that I want. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks Mike
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Re:Trolling speed control
playinhooky 
 		  Home: DePere , wi   10/11/2008 07:56
Coho
Posts: 186
 

Try a pair of troll bags from www.bigpapasportfishing.com.. That will help slow you down and stabilize your boat too.
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Re:Trolling speed control
LittleDandy 
 		  Port: LaSalle,MI   10/11/2008 08:12
King
Posts: 497
 

Kyle is right, bags are great.

There should be a friction adjustment on your throttle control that helps prevent rpm from falling off or rising.

These folks may have something you can use: http://pjpower.com/murphygauges/.
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Re:Trolling speed control
hondacat 
 		    10/11/2008 08:16
Moderator
Posts: 673
 

This is a problem great lakes trollers have been struggling with for years
There are almost as many solutions as there are persons with the problems
Although not perfect the most common solution is bags. The number and size will vary to get the rite combination for your boat every boat with different power options will be a different solution in most cases there is no replacement for experimentation when it comes to finding your sweet pot
Sorry to date there is no electro mechanical solution that I know of that actually works
You will see more and more boats out there with kickers. They are not the cure all but seem to be a good way to control speed and fuel use
If you don’t want to deal with a kicker probably the best solution is to experiment with bags
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Re:Trolling speed control
1MAINIAC 
 		  Home: Muskegon , MI   11/10/2008 23:56
Brookie
Posts: 20
 

Sounds like a carburated engine problem my 350 chev trolls at 650 rpm all day if I want. A healthy V8 should idle smoothly from 500 rpm on up however that is in a car or truck not a boat rocking back and forth. if you want precise engine control you will need a newer computer controlled engine as they will maintain a idle within a dozen or so range. One other issue with older engine tuning is matching the load to the RPM range you want. This may result in a comprimise elsewhere in the power band With my old boat I switched props several times before I got what I wanted but that messed with full throttle operation I ended up limiting the throttle and giving up about 8 - 10 MPH on top end but I wanted to troll not go fast so that was my choice. The boat would still hit 25MPH so I could still move but being able to idle down to well under 1 was nice and gave me better control as the throttle was not as touchy. I have a new design for a trolling speed controller but will wait till I hear from a couple of Manufactures before I get to in depth with what it is.
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Re:Trolling speed control
1MAINIAC 
 		  Home: Muskegon , MI   11/11/2008 00:07
Brookie
Posts: 20
 

One more thought not sure if it would work but a lot of older engines used to have what I called a dashpot on the throttle linkage. It is a adjustable selinoid that was used to kick the throttle up for warm ups and to prevent stalling on a bunch of older cars and trucks. You could adjust it to the setting you want and then have your trolling speed setting with the flip of a switch. Another option would be a governed dist like many trucks had in the 60's and 70's. There are also several vernier throttle cables that could be adapted from older Deisel trucks. Hope that helps.
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Re:Trolling speed control
Peaser 
 		  Port: Luna Pier and Monroe, MI areas   11/19/2008 21:38
Brookie
Posts: 21
 

I have a 1988 Proline with the same issue. It wants to set at 850 to 900 RPM minimum. That will troll at 1.5 MPH with two large trolling bags (2.2 mph w/o the bags).

You may want to get the trolling speedometer (called a Subtrol I believe) to show you accurate lure speed. I was amazed that my lures were running at 1.5 MPH (with no speed variance), but my Lowrance unit was showing anywhere from 1.3 to 2.1 MPH (had 5-6 ft waves that day). Those units will also show you water temp at your lure depth. They hook onto a down-rigger so it can be costly to set up if you don't have any of this equipment. You will be amazed at how a light current can change the lure speed.

In order to slow the boat down more, my friends suggested a happy-troller plate in additon to the trolling bags.

I have a trolling plate on my other boat and it works great.

But spend the money for a spring loaded plate so you don't have to buy a big orange NASCAR hammer to flatten it back out after gunning the engine w/ the plate down!

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