Bison Trolling Motor

[lpdsn]

I don't have an outboard. A combination of not wanting to keep it on the stern in the usual steal-me position and not wanting to store a petrol outboard down below. However rowing the rubber dinghy ashore isn't always fun and I'm always wary that conditions could worsen and make it difficult to get back.

I quite like the look of the Bison trolling motors and wonder if any user on the forum had any feedback on them. I did see a thread where someone had issues but he was running one without a trip switch. I'll either buy the Bison battery box or make my own so won't have that issue.

Im also interested in feedback on how powerful they are in practice. I'm half resigned to motor-assisted rowing so don't have huge expectations of the power compared to a petrol outboard.

Any experience of battery management issues would help too. How do you charge the battery for the motor?

 

[Tranona]

I don't have an outboard. A combination of not wanting to keep it on the stern in the usual steal-me position and not wanting to store a petrol outboard down below. However rowing the rubber dinghy ashore isn't always fun and I'm always wary that conditions could worsen and make it difficult to get back.

I quite like the look of the Bison trolling motors and wonder if any user on the forum had any feedback on them. I did see a thread where someone had issues but he was running one without a trip switch. I'll either buy the Bison battery box or make my own so won't have that issue.

Im also interested in feedback on how powerful they are in practice. I'm half resigned to motor-assisted rowing so don't have huge expectations of the power compared to a petrol outboard.

Any experience of battery management issues would help too. How do you charge the battery for the motor?

This has been discussed many times here and on PBO. The motor is designed for exactly what the name implies - a trolling motor for fisherman who normally have a big outboard to get to their fishing spot then switch to the trolling motor for slow speed work. Battery capacity is not problem because the outboard has charged the battery.

Can be used on a dinghy, but the problems are lack of power - much less than a small outboard and range. Plus having to cart a heavy battery around with you. Don't take too kindly to salt water either.

So, if your usage is in flat water over short distances and you don't mind the battery problem they have their uses. Just not practical for the type of usage of a dinghy on a cruising yacht. The only realistic electric power plant for this application is a Torqeedo.

You don't see many of either type. The Bison or similar because they are inadequate for the job (they have been on the market for over 30 years!) or the Torqeedo because of cost (twice the price of a petrol or propane outboard).

 

[lw395]

ISTR someone on here found the Bison OK for their purposes, maybe search for that?

 

[lpdsn]

Don't take too kindly to salt water either.

Thanks. As I said, petrol outboard ruled out. I also ruled the Torqeedo out. Initial cost and a battery that is good for no more than 3 years before expensive replacement).

I'm happy to live with motor-assisted rowing as an improvement on rowing alone. Figures I've seen quoted for size and speed of fishing boat powered by one of them is more than I'd hope for my small rubber dinghy.

Interested in your comment on salt water. Are you able to expand on that?

 

[Murv]

I did contribute to that thread, still happy with mine.
Power-wise, it seems my guess of about 1hp for the 63lb thrust model was in the ballpark, it certainly punts along 2 people in a 10' dinghy against wind and tide with no problems.
It's not fast, maybe 2.5-3 knots when running against the elements? Certainly a great deal faster than I could row, anyway!
As above though, they are heavy. I use an 85AH battery and with the weight of the motor as well, I reckon it's more than a 2.5hp 4 stroke. But, so much more convenient.

 

[JumbleDuck]

You'll find that people who haven't tried them generally say they're terrible and that people who have tried them say they are fine, with some limitations. I'm planning to get one for freshwater use on Loch Ken.

 

[Tranona]

Interested in your comment on salt water. Are you able to expand on that?

Lots of mild steel and cheap aluminium. Made for use on US inland lakes.

 

[Tranona]

You'll find that people who haven't tried them generally say they're terrible and that people who have tried them say they are fine, with some limitations. I'm planning to get one for freshwater use on Loch Ken.

Then, why in the last 30 years have so few people bought them? Usually if a product is satisfactory and cheap word tends to spread, but this product seems to be immune to that the process!

BTW we investigated trolling motors at Seagull with a view to marketing them as a complementary product. That is until we inspected and tried them. Little has changed since then.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Then, why in the last 30 years have so few people bought them?

Your source for the sales figures being ... ?

Almost every fishing boat I see on Loch Ken has a trolling motor.

 

[RupertW]

Thanks. As I said, petrol outboard ruled out. I also ruled the Torqeedo out. Initial cost and a battery that is good for no more than 3 years before expensive replacement).

Fair enough on price but we are about to go into our 5th season with Torqueedo and no battery problems yet pushing a heavy 3m rib usually on 1/2 mile trips. Torqueedo is the elegant and simplest solution needing no maintenance but at a real cost.

 

[lpdsn]

Fair enough on price but we are about to go into our 5th season with Torqueedo and no battery problems yet pushing a heavy 3m rib usually on 1/2 mile trips. Torqueedo is the elegant and simplest solution needing no maintenance but at a real cost.

That's interesting. I can't remember the exact source for the three year limit but I remember it being authoritive, perhaps even a manual. My recollection was that the battery was to be returned for some form of servicing after three years. Interesting you've got over four years out of yours.

I'm sure these Li powered motors will ultimately be pretty common, but at the current prices they're in danger of chipping too far into my new mainsail fund.

Thanks everyone else for your input too. I think I'll give the Bison a go. If the quoted figures are accurate* it should put more thrust into the water than I can with two oars (and because I once smashed a rowlock apart when rowing too enthusiastically I'm wary of getting into a situation where I have to put a bit of grunt into rowing).

Any practical feedback on charging techniques on a cruising boat will be welcome. I've a few ideas of my own but it'll do no harm at all to hear others' experiences.

*I'm a little wary though that some sites seem to quote the thrust in ft/lbs.

 

[Tranona]

Your source for the sales figures being ... ?

Almost every fishing boat I see on Loch Ken has a trolling motor.

That is what they were designed for. The subject of this thread is a motor for a dinghy on a cruising yacht. How many have you seen used in this way.

The point I am making is that they have been available for over 30 years and have not penetrated this particular market for all the reasons regularly aired here. Does not mean that they do not sell well in other market segments for which they are suited.

 

[Tzu]

Just about to start my second season with a 62 bison. Bought it for the 500 yards to the mooring and back several times over a weekend which it accomplished quietly and efficiently. Often got home and the (new, specifically bought) 85ah battery hasnt needed much of a charge. Not fast, but I dont go sailing for fast
an un-anticipated advantage over the 2.5hp petrol jobby i would have bought include being easier to lift the bits separately from tender to yacht.
I did think I'd need to marinate it with stainless bolts etc but an occasional spray with 3in1 has kept the metal bits looking ok.

 

[RupertW]

Just about to start my second season with a 62 bison. Bought it for the 500 yards to the mooring and back several times over a weekend which it accomplished quietly and efficiently. Often got home and the (new, specifically bought) 85ah battery hasnt needed much of a charge. Not fast, but I dont go sailing for fast
an un-anticipated advantage over the 2.5hp petrol jobby i would have bought include being easier to lift the bits separately from tender to yacht.
I did think I'd need to marinate it with stainless bolts etc but an occasional spray with 3in1 has kept the metal bits looking ok.

And at a fraction of the cost of a Torqueedo and less thrust you have your solution. The main reason we moved to electric was the lightness of each detachable component. If you could just add a modern lightweight battery to your setup as they come down in price then you are pretty much there.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Interesting. I investigated it as our yacht is over half a mile from the staging in a sometimes choppy creek, but the staging is a similar distance from the nearest road when the beach is underwater and carrying a petrol outboard across the marsh was stretching my arms and ruining my ageing back. The problem seemed to me that battery plus electric outboard weighed at least as much as the petrol outboard. Range under battery at full power was given as 20 minutes so only just enough for there and back - no doubt gives hours for trolling but that's not it pushing against tide and wind when the dinghy blows backwards under oars alone. I appreciate that lifting battery plus trolling motor separately into the yacht is easier than great big lump of petrol motor. In the end I went for low tech solution of launching down the bank 15 metres from yacht and getting v muddy except at top of springs and its 13m tide. Lightweight affordable battery might make electric effective, but for now my trusty 2hp petrol Yamaha just lives on board for occasional excursions around various of the Isles of Scilly

 

[JumbleDuck]

BTW we investigated trolling motors at Seagull with a view to marketing them as a complementary product. That is until we inspected and tried them. Little has changed since then.

Except that trolling motors still sell in huge quantities and Seagull is ancient history. "Great Business Decisions Of Our Time", eh?

 

[Tranona]

Except that trolling motors still sell in huge quantities and Seagull is ancient history. "Great Business Decisions Of Our Time", eh?

That was not the point of the post - and Seagulls are still widely used for this purpose. Trolling motors are not a good substitute for a Seagull. Yes they sell, but not in the market where Seagull was operating.

As to whether it was a good decision to reject I note that in the UK trolling motors are generally sold through ebay - how often do you see them for sale in mainstream chandlers and outboard dealers? The reality is that in the UK (and I suspect most of Europe) they are a fringe product in relation to the mainstream yachting industry.

 

[lw395]

Except that trolling motors still sell in huge quantities and Seagull is ancient history. "Great Business Decisions Of Our Time", eh?

But can you imagine a troling motor made by Seagull?

 

[Tranona]

But can you imagine a troling motor made by Seagull?

Actually many of our motors were used for trolling (in the purest sense) by inshore fisherman. Trolling for bass for example in a sturdy 15' clinker boat with a 102 on the back running at half throttle and 2-3 knots for hours on end was a common sight 50 years ago!

 

[duncan99210]

I used a trolling motor of 60 lbs thrust on a dinghy for a season. Pain in the arras compared to the small 2 stroke motor I replaced it with the next season. Problems were; lack of thrust (couldn't compete with the tide and wind), heavy battery, fragility of the motor attachments and (as mentioned by Tanona) the problems of using it in a salt water environment (corroding contacts to the battery, sticking clamp bolts etc).
In comparison, the outboard had more than enough power, was lighter than the battery, designed for a saltwater environment and well able to cope with the salt water environment. I'd have a Torqueedo if I could persuade the Admiral the cost was worth it but frankly the outboard is a simple robust solution and the carriage of a small quantity of petrol on board doesn't cause me any problems. As to the theft risk, if you're using the motor to get and from the boat, the only time it'll be at risk is when you're on board. That'll reduce to almost nil the chance of some scrote helping himself to it.