inline fuse or breaker?

i have a minn kota 55lb 12v maxxum. but i dont have the instructions. would it be best to use inline fuse or breaker and what size?

[QUOTE=lakebandit;477896]i have a minn kota 55lb 12v maxxum. but i dont have the instructions. would it be best to use inline fuse or breaker and what size?[/QUOTE]

Either one will protect the motor. I use the inline fuse just because it was the cheapest way to protect the motor, was easy to install and I know it is working.

I have a fuse holder that has a place for a spare fuse. I have had this on my boat for over 5 years and I have never blown a fuse. I think it would be just as easy to replace the fuse as it would be to reset the breaker.

Size of fuse is another matter. My 80# MK uses a very large fuse, can't remember for sure what the size is but it may be as big as 40 amp. I remember I bought the in line fuse holder on Amazon.com. The manual for your motor is probably online at the manufactorers website. That would tell you what size fuse you need without guessing or relying on second hand information.

[QUOTE=lakebandit;477896]i have a minn kota 55lb 12v maxxum. but i dont have the instructions. would it be best to use inline fuse or breaker and what size?[/QUOTE]

I put a 50 amp circuit breaker on my boat for my Minn Kota 50 lb All Terrain Trolling Motor. It works good so far. I've been using this setup for about 7 years now.

I wonder if the length and diameter of the electrical lines would make a difference in the size of the fuze or circuit breaker?

12 volts pushed though 16 ft or more of #10 copper strand line to get power from the 12 volt battery in the back of my boat to the front trolling motor. I put the circuit breaker up on the bow which has a platform up there. The platform is there for the trolling motor to be mounted on. But I also have an inline fuse on the red wire near the battery. So I have a fuse and a circuit breaker between the trolling motor and my battery. Probably overkill and redundant. It also probably is robbing me of some power too.

Use a breaker.

[QUOTE=Moveon;477922]I put a 50 amp circuit breaker on my boat for my Minn Kota 50 lb All Terrain Trolling Motor. It works good so far. I've been using this setup for about 7 years now.

I wonder if the length and diameter of the electrical lines would make a difference in the size of the fuze or circuit breaker?

12 volts pushed though 16 ft or more of #10 copper strand line to get power from the 12 volt battery in the back of my boat to the front trolling motor. I put the circuit breaker up on the bow which has a platform up there. The platform is there for the trolling motor to be mounted on. But I also have an inline fuse on the red wire near the battery. So I have a fuse and a circuit breaker between the trolling motor and my battery. Probably overkill and redundant. It also probably is robbing me of some power too.[/QUOTE]

That works.

If you ever decided to remove one, MOVE the circuit breaker to the back and eliminate the fuse......

If you leave the breaker up front and eliminate the fuse, you risk a fire. While this is a very minimal and remote risk, the chances of a short in the wire the BURNING your boat down are greater, the more distance you have between the breaker and battery.

Don't ASK how I know this :):)

Later,

Geo

[QUOTE=Moveon;477922]I put a 50 amp circuit breaker on my boat for my Minn Kota 50 lb All Terrain Trolling Motor. It works good so far. I've been using this setup for about 7 years now.

I wonder if the length and diameter of the electrical lines would make a difference in the size of the fuze or circuit breaker?

12 volts pushed though 16 ft or more of #10 copper strand line to get power from the 12 volt battery in the back of my boat to the front trolling motor. I put the circuit breaker up on the bow which has a platform up there. The platform is there for the trolling motor to be mounted on. But I also have an inline fuse on the red wire near the battery. So I have a fuse and a circuit breaker between the trolling motor and my battery. Probably overkill and redundant. It also probably is robbing me of some power too.[/QUOTE]
Rule of thumb is a 30 amp on a #10 awg wire. You are sizing the wire for protection as not the motor. Over sizing can create heat which can lead to fire. A fuse is my recommendation as you are more likely to fix the problem before shelling out for fuses and you can size the fuse for the exact amount of the load. Having both in line a breaker and a fuse won't rob you of voltage. If it's voltage that's causing your power loss. Hard to say. Batteries react under loads.

I like the breaker - I flip it off when I'm not using the boat.