How Fast Does a Trolling Motor Go?

How fast does a trolling motor go? Most run at roughly 3 to 5 mph at full speed, and that is the range Newport gives in its published speed estimates. Its figures assume a light boat, a light load, and calm water. Add a second angler, a headwind, or a river current and the real number drops. Garmin publishes thrust and current draw for its Force motors but no mph figures in the manuals we checked, which says something about how hard speed is to pin down.

Below: Newport’s speed figures, why a thrust rating does not convert to miles per hour, what slows a boat down, and how to check your own speed. Run time on a charge gets only a short section, because it has a guide of its own.

How Fast Does a Trolling Motor Go? The Numbers Newport Publishes

Newport’s guide to choosing the right trolling motor for your boat gives the most specific estimates we found. They all assume the same setup: a 7.5-foot boat with a 200-pound load on quiet water.

Other Newport pages give slightly lower numbers. Its kayak motor setup article says a trolling motor paired with the recommended weight and conditions will produce speeds between 3 and 4.5 mph, puts a 36 lb motor at about 3 mph and an 86 lb motor at about 4.5 mph, and says the most powerful trolling motors are limited to about 4.5 mph. Newport’s article on how fast a trolling motor can go describes a maximum speed of 5 mph and calls that speed what makes trolling motors ideal for fishing. Read the figures as a ballpark for a light boat in good conditions, not as a promise for yours.

For kayak anglers, one more line puts it in perspective. Newport’s article on trolling motor thrust ratings says a light kayak with a powerful trolling motor can get some respectable speed on still water, but that a lot of people can still paddle faster. The motor’s value on a kayak is steady, hands-free movement, not a quick ride across the lake.

Why Thrust Doesn’t Convert Directly to MPH

It is natural to assume a 55 lb motor is half again as fast as a 36 lb one. Newport’s performance and speed guide explains why that is not how it works:

• Thrust is a static force. The guide describes pounds of thrust as a static, unmoving force, a different measure from horsepower. It tells you how hard the propeller pushes, not how fast the boat ends up moving.
• Top speed follows propeller RPM. Per the same guide, RPM is limited by the voltage applied to the speed coil, and motors with different thrust ratings but equal RPMs reach the same top speed. The kayak setup article makes the same point: more power does not always mean a higher top speed, because many trolling motors run at similar RPMs.
• Extra thrust moves weight. Newport’s trolling motor buyer’s guide says more thrust does not necessarily mean more speed, but it does mean the motor can push a heavier or larger boat. That is why the bigger motors in Newport’s table gain only about 1.5 mph under the same light load on calm water.

Garmin’s numbers show the same gap between thrust and speed. The Force Current owner’s manual, for Garmin’s kayak motor, lists thrust and current draw at each of its 20 propeller speed settings, gathered in relatively calm water with the motor deep enough not to ventilate. On a 12.8 V supply, setting 10 gives 13.8 lb of thrust and setting 20 gives 36.8 lb. The manual does not list a boat speed for any setting. The speed setting on the remote is a propeller setting, not a mph reading.

What Slows a Trolling Motor Down

Newport’s Kayak Series owner’s manual sums it up in one caution: speed depends on many factors, such as loading, water condition, hull type, and wind speed, so it is difficult to give accurate speed ratings, and the manual gives thrust and power ratings instead. Here is how each one plays out:

• Load. Newport’s estimates assume 200 lb aboard a 7.5-foot boat. Two anglers, a battery, a cooler, and a livewell full of water put a 14-foot jon boat in a very different place. The motor still makes the same thrust, but it has more mass to move.
• Wind and current. Newport’s kayak setup article says more thrust is needed for heavier vessels and to combat chop, current, or wind. Heading upstream on a river or into a breeze, your speed over the bottom falls; turn around and it rises. Garmin’s Force Current manual describes its cruise control as a feature that holds a set speed over ground, adjusting for changes in current and wind automatically.
• Hull type. Newport lists hull type among the factors, so two boats with the same motor and the same load will not necessarily move at the same speed.
• Propeller. The kayak setup article says 2-blade props have more efficiency and better handling in weeds but produce less speed, while 3-blade props have increased speed but less efficiency. The performance guide adds that higher propeller pitch raises top speed but lowers maximum RPM, while lower pitch accelerates quicker with a lower top speed.
• Propeller depth. Newport’s buyer’s guide says a shaft that is too short puts the prop too shallow, causing cavitation, noise, and reduced thrust, while one that is too long puts it too deep and adds drag. The performance guide says that extra drag limits speed and thrust. Getting the depth right is part of measuring shaft length.
• Weeds and line. Vegetation or fishing line wrapped around the propeller makes the motor work harder for the same setting. Newport’s manual says to check behind the propeller for weeds and fishing line after each day, and Garmin’s Force Current installation instructions describe a weedless propeller designed to help prevent weeds from wrapping around the propeller and the shaft.

One shortcut to avoid: raising the voltage to squeeze out more speed. Newport’s article on trolling motor speed says a 12V motor is limited by having twelve volts available and that adding volts will only ruin the motor, not improve performance, and Garmin’s Force Current manual says connecting that motor to voltages other than 12 or 24 Vdc may cause poor performance or product damage. Run the motor only at the voltage its manual lists.

Speed Costs Run Time

The top setting is the most expensive one on the dial. Newport’s kayak setup article says trolling motors draw more amps at higher speeds and that speed 5 draws the most power. Its own example: a 62 lb motor with 15 Ah of battery would run for roughly 20 minutes at speed five, or 55 minutes at speed three. Garmin’s Force Current table shows the same pattern from the motor side. On 12.8 V, going from setting 15 to setting 20 raises thrust from 24.8 lb to 36.8 lb, while current draw nearly doubles, from 17.7 A to 33.9 A. Dropping a setting or two below the top saves a lot of current; how much speed that costs on your boat is worth checking with GPS. The math for how long a 12 volt motor runs on one charge, with worked examples, is in a separate guide.

How to Check Your Own Trolling Motor Speed

Published estimates are a starting point. How fast a trolling motor will go on your boat depends on your own hull, load, and water, and GPS is the simplest way to measure it. A fish finder or chartplotter with GPS shows speed over ground, and so does a phone GPS app. Garmin’s Force owner’s manual shows that some motors also display measured speed over ground (SOG) on the remote.

1. Pick a calm day and a straight stretch of open water away from other boats and swimmers.
2. Load the boat the way you usually fish: same battery, same gear, same number of people.
3. Run the stretch at one setting and note the steady GPS reading once the boat is up to speed.
4. Turn around and run the same stretch the other way at the same setting. Averaging the two readings cancels out much of the effect of a light breeze or current.
5. Repeat at the settings you use most and write the results down, along with the load.

Those notes are more useful than any chart. If you troll crankbaits for walleye at a set speed, you will know which setting gets you there with one angler aboard and which one it takes with two.

When a Trolling Motor Is Too Slow for the Job

A trolling motor is built for control, not travel. Newport’s buyer’s guide says these motors do not produce enough thrust or power to get a boat on plane or reach high speeds, and its thrust ratings article says that if you want to actually build some speed, you generally need an electric or gas outboard. As your only motor, a trolling motor isn’t for you if you cross big reservoirs, run long stretches of river against current, or need to beat weather back to the ramp.

For everyone else, extra thrust is still worth considering, just for the right reason. The kayak setup article notes that you can always buy a larger motor and run it at lower speeds. A bigger motor will not make a jon boat much faster, but it will hold that speed better with two anglers aboard and a wind coming off the point. Sizing thrust to your boat starts with its total weight and the conditions you fish, and that process has its own guide. For motors and related guides, browse the trolling motors section.

Frequently Asked Questions

How fast does a 55 lb thrust trolling motor go?

Newport estimates around 4 mph for its 55 lb motor on a 7.5-foot boat with a 200-pound load on quiet water. A heavier boat, more gear, wind, or current will bring that down, so check your own speed with GPS.

How fast does a 30 lb thrust trolling motor go?

None of the Newport pages or Garmin manuals we checked gives a mph figure for a 30 lb motor. The closest published numbers are Newport’s for its 36 lb motor, about 3 to 3.5 mph depending on the page. Because Newport ties top speed to propeller RPM rather than thrust, a small motor on a light kayak in calm water is not necessarily much slower than a larger one, but it has less push to hold that speed against load, wind, and current.

Why does my trolling motor battery die so fast?

Common causes are running at the top setting, which draws the most current, and making the motor work harder against wind, current, or a heavy load. A propeller fouled with weeds or line also pulls more current; Newport’s manual says a stalled propeller makes the motor draw extremely large current. A battery that is too small for your trips, or one that is old, will show it too.

Is a trolling motor faster than paddling a kayak?

Not always. Newport’s thrust ratings article says a lot of people can still paddle faster than a light kayak with a powerful trolling motor on still water. The motor’s advantage is that it moves the boat while your hands stay on the rod.

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