I was on Ray 'Bob last night and my fuse for my trolling motor fried. Changed the fuse and it happened again (and again, really). Seems to me that it's a short but, on the water, I couldn't find any evidence of what might cause such a thing to happen.
I looked for exposed wires and wires touching and made sure i had the proper amp for the fuse itself. Not sure how the thing grounds out.

I'm not that handy and if anyone has advice on steps to trouble shooting this issue, I would really appreciate it. I have a Minn Kota, 35 lb. thrust.

Sounds like the moter is getting water in somehow
that would cause problems..

craigorio, What size fuse are you using? That trolling motor pulls a lot of amps. You need at least a 40 - 50 amp fuse or circuit breaker. Oldtimer could be right, water inside the motor increases amp draw.

Good Luck, Tommy Yetts
Rockwall Marine

Thanks for the quick reply guys.

Oldtimer\Tommy - how do I check for water in the motor? Just take the cover off?

Tommy -. There is a tag on the wire from my trolling motor that attaches to the battery that says "30 amp max". Also there is another fuse on that same wire that is larger and isn�t blowing. I wonder if it is the fuse size. I�ve been using this motor for 2 years without issue. Seems like it would have happened before now.

The trolling motor wires are pulled from the rear of the boat to the front. It could be that the insulation has worn due to vibration and are shorting together. If you have a multi-meter you can unhook the batter and unplug the trolling motor and Ohm out the wiring from the battery to the front of the boat to check for this. Is the fuse that is shorting at the front near the trolling motor or at the rear near the battery?

lthompson -

thanks for the info.

its near by the battery.

You may very well have water in the motor as it was already said, but justy in case check for fishing line or weeds wrapped around the propshaft behind thye prop. This canb cause an added bind to things and cause the fuse to blow...

craigorio, The easy way to see if there is any water in the motor is to turn it upside down and see if any runs out of the head ( top ). The other way is to remove the prop and take out only one of the screws that hold the motor together. If there is any water in there you will see it on the bolt. If you damage the o-ring on the bolt you will have to replace it.

Good Luck, Tommy Yetts
Rockwall Marine

thanks a ton for all the info. i feel like i have a handle on it. i'll get on it this week and post an update. if it goes well, i'll be on the lake this weekend, if not i'll be stopping by to see you again tommy.

Rowdy wins the prize! The first thing i checked was the prop to see if it had anything wrapped around it. There was so much line and weeds on it there was no way it was going to turn. This must have happened on an earlier trip and just gotten worse as I fished it anyway. I even made a half hearted effort to check that on the water, but was SO SURE it was a short, cause I've had that problem before. When the screw on the prop gave me trouble I blew it off. Wish I hadn't. It's all good now. Glad it was simple.

Thanks again for all your input guys!

-c-