When you are an avid enthusiast of fishing or if you just simply love being out in the lake while on a boat, you would be familiar with how a trolling motor is helpful for your endeavor. However, like anything else, trolling motors do have their limits especially when it comes to the wear and tear that will eventually accumulate. So, do trolling motors lose power over time?
Like any other thing that has electrical components, trolling motors will eventually lose power over time. The primary reason for such is that it will accumulate wear and tear over time, especially when you use it quite often. Meanwhile, there could be other reasons such as corrosion, a dying battery, or bad wires, among others.
Always remember that your trolling motor is made of different electrical components that all have their own individual lifespan. As such, you should keep in mind that your trolling motor won’t last forever and will eventually start to show signs of power loss over time. But, as long as you take care of your trolling motor, you can prolong its lifespan and maximize what it has to offer.
Do trolling motors lose power over time?
If you happen to be one of the people who are fond of taking their boat out on a spin during a long weekend or whenever there is a holiday, you would know how useful a trolling motor is. Trolling motors are great to have for different boating enthusiasts and for anglers or game fishermen alike because they can be pretty helpful out in the water.
However, you might be wondering whether or not your trolling motor will still be performing the same way it did when you first bought it as you use it more and more. So, do trolling motors end up losing power over time?
One of the most common qualities that electronics share is that they will end up getting weaker and weaker over time as the different electronic parts they are made of begin to wear down due to use and because of the effects of time. In that regard, as your trolling motor, which is made up of electronic and mechanical components, is used more and more over time, it will begin to lose power.
So, yes, you should more expect that your trolling motor will more than likely end up losing power over time as the different electronic and mechanical parts diminish in terms of quality and performance as time goes by and as you continue to use the trolling motor.
What causes a trolling motor to lose power?
Now that you know that a trolling motor will lose power over time, let us go over the causes of why this happens on a deeper level so that it will be easier for you to understand why this happens to your trolling motor.
First off, like any electronic and mechanical object, your trolling motor is made up of different parts that will begin to wear down from the first moment you used it. That means that those electronic and moving parts will see the signs of wear and tear as soon as you begin using the trolling motor. In that regard, the effects of wear and tear will gradually accumulate and pile up to the point where the different parts are no longer at their peak in terms of their quality. As such, these diminished electronic and mechanical parts will begin to cause your trolling motor to lose power because the parts themselves are no longer functioning at their best.
Another reason why your trolling motor can end up losing power over time is when the different parts in the electrical system and the battery terminals get corroded. Corrosion is quite normal when it comes to electronic components that are often exposed to oxidation. In that regard, when corrosion happens in the electrical system, your trolling motor will eventually begin to lose power.
Meanwhile, a dying battery can also be the reason for your trolling motor to lose power over time. Trolling motors rely on a battery to function correctly, and that is why they will begin to lose power when the battery also begins to lose power. So, what you need to do in this case is to try to replace the battery to see if the trolling motor gets its power back. If it does, then it was really the battery that was the problem.
Finally, bad wires will also tend to weaken the performance of your trolling motor. This is quite normal for any electrical system as the wires will begin to see the effects of wear and tear the more that they are used. So, when the different metallic parts inside the wires begin to wear down, they won’t be able to conduct electricity effectively, which will then lead to your trolling motor losing power.
Of course, there can also be other reasons why your trolling motor will lose power over time but these are merely some of the most common reasons why trolling motors end up diminishing in terms of their performance the more you use them. What you can be sure of, however, is that trolling motors that are older will naturally perform less effectively compared to the newer ones.
How long do trolling motors last?
That said, your trolling motor can expectedly last for up to 10 years as long as you are taking care of it properly and that you are doing routine maintenance on it from time to time. And if you take care of your trolling motor in the best possible way, you could even see it lasting for more than 10 years.
However, what you should expect is that, if you are using your trolling motor more often than the average person does, it probably won’t be able to last a decade. As such, temper your expectations if you are on the heavy side in terms of your trolling motor usage. Some trolling motors that are heavily used may even last for only a few months before they need some replacement parts. And that is why you shouldn’t try to overuse your trolling motor if you want it to last long.
Sources:
https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/88856-do-trolling-motors-lose-power-with-age/
https://www.lake-link.com/forums/boats-motors/discuss.cfm/72634/Trolling-motor-loses-power-slowly