How Many Amps Does a Trolling Motor Draw?

How many amps does a trolling motor draw? It depends on the motor, the battery voltage, and above all the speed setting. The published numbers show the spread: Garmin’s Force Current kayak motor draws well under 1 A at its lowest forward setting and about 34 A at its top setting on a 12-volt supply, while Newport rates its 55 lb Kayak Series motor at a maximum of 52 A. A 24-volt bow mount such as the Garmin Force draws about 14 A at half throttle and about 57 A at full throttle. In these tables, the low settings draw a few amps and the top settings draw tens of amps.

This guide is general product information, not repair or electrical safety advice. Follow the installation, wiring, and charging instructions in your product’s manual, stop using any battery, charger, or electronics that overheat, swell, or smell of burning, and contact the manufacturer.

Every figure below comes from a manual or product page we opened, linked where it is cited. The guide explains what each kind of number means, why current rises so fast near the top of the dial, and how to use the figures on the water.

How Many Amps Does a Trolling Motor Draw? Two Kinds of Figures

Makers publish current in two very different ways, and mixing them up leads to wrong conclusions.

• A single maximum rating. Newport lists one number per model. Its Kayak Series product page gives a max amp draw of 29 A for the 36 lb model and 52 A for the 55 lb model, and the Kayak Series owner’s manual lists the input power as 12V, 29A, 348W (NVK-36) and 12V, 52A, 624W (NVK-55). There is no figure for speeds 1 through 4 of its 5 forward speeds.
• A measured table by speed setting. Garmin’s owner’s manuals for the Force family include a “Motor Thrust and Current-Draw Information” table that pairs each throttle level with thrust and current. Garmin states the conditions: its high-efficiency propeller, relatively calm water, and a motor deployed deeply enough not to ventilate, with tolerances of plus or minus 5 lbf and 5 A. The Force Current and Force Kraken manuals add that the values follow the ISO 13342 setup and that voltage was measured at the motor’s power cable terminals.

Because the bases differ, Newport’s 52 A cannot be set against a Garmin table value to decide which motor is more efficient. One is a maximum rating; the other is a measured value under stated conditions, and they come from different motors. Compare like with like: table row with table row, rating with rating.

Garmin’s manuals also list an input amperage rating in their specifications: 40 A continuous for the Force Current and 60 A continuous for the Force and the Force Kraken. That is a continuous rating listed in the specifications, not the current at any particular speed, so it is a third kind of number again.

How Many Amps Does a 12 Volt Trolling Motor Draw?

The clearest 12-volt table comes from the Garmin Force Current owner’s manual, which lists forward propeller speed settings 1 to 20 at 12.8 Vdc. Selected rows:

Source: Garmin Force Current owner’s manual, measured values with the high-efficiency propeller in relatively calm water, tolerances of plus or minus 5 lbf and 5 A.

For a hand-steered 12-volt motor, Newport’s maximum ratings of 29 A (36 lb) and 52 A (55 lb) are the only published figures, and they apply at the top speed. Lower speeds pull less, but Newport does not say how much less, so treat the maximum as your worst case.

Two cautions on reading the low end of any table. At settings 1 to 5, the listed current is smaller than Garmin’s stated tolerance of 5 A, so those rows are a rough guide rather than precise values. And the table assumes the high-efficiency propeller; the Force Current also ships with a weedless propeller, and the published table does not cover it.

How Many Amps Does a 24 Volt Trolling Motor Draw?

The Garmin Force owner’s manual gives throttle levels from 10% to 100% on a 24.0 Vdc source, under the same conditions as above:

Source: Garmin Force owner’s manual, tolerances of plus or minus 5 lbf and 5 A.

Other 24-volt figures from the same kind of table: the Force Current at 25.6 Vdc lists 32.8 A at its top setting for 56.0 lb of thrust, and the Force Kraken owner’s manual lists 58.9 A at its top setting for 90.0 lb on 25.6 Vdc. On 36-volt systems, the Force table shows 54 A at 100% for 100 lbf on 36.0 Vdc, and the Kraken table shows 55.9 A at its top setting for 114.7 lb on 38.4 Vdc.

Why the Last Few Settings Cost the Most

Read down any of these tables and the current climbs much faster than the thrust. The arithmetic from Garmin’s rows:

• Force, 24 V: going from 50% to 100% throttle gives about two and a half times the thrust (31 to 80 lbf) for about four times the current (14 to 57 A).
• Force Current, 12.8 V: going from setting 10 to setting 20 gives a little over two and a half times the thrust (13.8 to 36.8 lb) for more than four times the current (7.8 to 33.9 A).
• Force Kraken, 25.6 V: going from setting 10 to setting 20 gives about three times the thrust (29.7 to 90.0 lb) for about five and a half times the current (10.8 to 58.9 A).

The top step on the Force is the extreme case: 90% to 100% adds 2 lbf for 3 A more, both within the stated tolerances. The top of the dial is the expensive part. On the Force, dropping from 100% to 80% gives up 15 of its 80 lbf but cuts the listed current from 57 A to 40 A, which is worth knowing when you cross a cove or hold against a light breeze.

Same Motor, Different Voltage

The Force Current is useful here because one motor has a table at both voltages. At the top setting it lists 33.9 A for 36.8 lb on 12.8 Vdc and 32.8 A for 56.0 lb on 25.6 Vdc. On this motor, the higher voltage gives more thrust for about the same current, and because both figures come from one table, the comparison is a fair one. Whether a 24-volt system suits your boat is a separate decision, covered in the guide on choosing between 12 and 24 volts.

What Pushes the Draw Up on the Water

Garmin’s tables describe calm water and a properly submerged propeller. Real days are rarely that tidy.

• Wind, current, and load. They push you to higher settings to hold the same line, where current rises fastest. A loaded jon boat holding a weed edge in a crosswind sits further up the dial than a solo kayak on a calm cove.
• Shallow depth and chop. The tables assume the motor is deep enough not to ventilate. A propeller that breaks the surface in waves is no longer working under the listed conditions, so expect the figures to stop applying.
• Weeds, line, and a stalled propeller. Newport’s manual warns that a stalled electric motor will “draw extremely large current” and can generate heat that damages the switch, rotor, and other parts. It strongly recommends a circuit breaker, which cuts power when the current exceeds the normal limit, and says to disconnect the battery and clear the obstruction before resetting. Its trolling motor FAQ adds that the breaker only protects when the motor is at the highest speed setting, so do not count on the breaker at lower settings: if the motor bogs down, disconnect the battery and clear the propeller.
• Reverse. Garmin’s Force Current manual says the propeller is designed primarily for forward thrust and is less efficient in reverse, and advises using reverse sparingly. Its table bears that out (see the FAQ below).

Using Amp Draw to Plan Run Time

Amp draw is half of the run time question; the other half is how many amp-hours your battery can deliver. At the concept level, run time is roughly usable amp-hours divided by your average current. Newport’s FAQ puts it in its own terms: in theory, a 50Ah battery runs its 55 lb motor continuously at the highest speed for about an hour, not counting wind, water speed, or boat size and load.

The tables show why your speed habit matters more than the battery label. On the Force Current at 12.8 V, setting 20 draws more than four times the current of setting 10, so by simple division the same battery would last roughly four times as long at setting 10. Usable capacity by battery type, and step-by-step run time examples, are in the 12-volt run time guide. For battery choices, browse the Batteries & Power section.

Wire and Breaker Sizes Come From Your Manual

It is tempting to size wiring from a table like the ones above. Don’t. Each manual sets its own cable gauge, extension limits, and breaker rating for that model, and a current table is not a substitute for them. Garmin’s Force Current installation instructions show what is at stake: connecting the power wire without a circuit breaker or fuse could cause a short that may lead to overheating and a possible fire. Follow the wiring section of your motor’s installation instructions exactly. The same instructions recommend installation by a qualified marine installer, and that is the right call for any wiring change you are unsure about. Both makers say to disconnect the battery before working on the propeller.

This guide isn’t for sizing a new electrical system or choosing a breaker; it is for understanding what the published amp figures mean. For more motors and guides, see the Trolling Motors section, and for how we evaluate gear, see How We Review.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many amps does a 12V trolling motor draw?

Anywhere from under 1 A at the lowest setting to tens of amps at full speed. Garmin’s Force Current table lists 0.4 A at setting 1 and 33.9 A at setting 20 on 12.8 Vdc. Newport rates its Kayak Series 12-volt motors at a maximum of 29 A (36 lb) and 52 A (55 lb). Check the manual for your exact model.

How many amps does a 24 volt trolling motor draw?

From a couple of amps at low throttle to nearly 60 A at the top, depending on the motor. The Garmin Force lists 14 A at 50% and 57 A at 100% on 24.0 Vdc; the larger Force Kraken lists 58.9 A at its top setting on 25.6 Vdc.

How many amps does a trolling motor draw on low speed?

Very little, by the tables: 2 A at 10% for the Force on 24 V, and 2.8 A at setting 5 for the Force Current on 12.8 V. Garmin’s stated tolerance is plus or minus 5 A, so the low rows are approximate. Makers that publish only a maximum, such as Newport, give no low-speed figure.

Does a trolling motor draw more amps in reverse?

On the Force Current, reverse draws about the same current for much less thrust. At 12.8 Vdc, the top reverse setting lists 33.7 A for 20.5 lb, against 33.9 A for 36.8 lb at the top forward setting. Garmin says the propeller is less efficient in reverse and recommends using reverse sparingly to limit cavitation and wear.

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