17’ 190 FSH Sport Trolling motor advice

[Andrew Mac]

Joining the Yamaha Jet boat club and looking for advice from 190 FSH owners. I’m purchasing a 2017 190 FSH. I want the ability to fish bigger water (Lake of the Woods Canada, Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, FL Keys). I’m definitely in the Riptide I-Pilot Link market. What length shaft 60” or 72”? 24V 80lb or 36V 112lb? It will be installed with the QD mount so I can remove it. Will the 2017 factory cover still fit with the Minn Kota quick detach mount? Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences and guidance.

 

[erexa71]

Hello, two years ago I had the exact same situation. I have an ‘18 190 FSH and went with a 60” / 24V Riptide and I’m happy with it. I feel the prop is plenty deep, even in heavy chop, and it holds the boat well in stiff winds. The factory cover does not fit with the motor mount installed. I had a local canvas shop alter my cover to fit over the mounting plate. I remove the motor when covering the boat. Good luck!

 

[Andrew Mac]

Hello, two years ago I had the exact same situation. I have an ‘18 190 FSH and went with a 60” / 24V Riptide and I’m happy with it. I feel the prop is plenty deep, even in heavy chop, and it holds the boat well in stiff winds. The factory cover does not fit with the motor mount installed. I had a local canvas shop alter my cover to fit over the mounting plate. I remove the motor when covering the boat. Good luck!

Thank you for your input!! Guess I’ll be looking for a person to do some canvas work?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Thank you for your input!! Guess I’ll be looking for a person to do some canvas work?

FWIW,

It may be possible that there is a difference between the 2017 190 FSH Sport factory cover and the 2019 190 FSH Sport cover. I bought a factory 2020 FSH Sport cover and it has a molded in section for the factory trolling motor mount. All I do is remove the trolling motor and the cover goes right on.

If you look at the pics in the lower right corner of the attached screen shot you will see a 190 FSH with a factory cover that has the molded in section for the factory trolling motor Mount. The part numbers are also different between the 16 to 18 and the 19 to 21 model years.

Give Babbitt’s on line a call and ask for Britta. (231)737-4542 You may be able to get the factory cover with the molded in section for the factory trolling motor Mount.





I am sure that erexa71’s 24 volt Riptide works great! Some food for thought is the 36 volt Riptide has one more battery in its bank and thus more amp hours In its battery bank, which should give you 30% + more hours of runtime at comparable thrust levels. Whichever system you go with, I suggest installing a MinnKota on board battery charger so you can just plug it in when you get home from the lake. I also installed a second MinnKota onboard charger for my start and house batteries. I found that in my use my OEM house battery was not getting charged by the engines as my transit times were pretty short. I leave my chargers plugged in all the time so when I go out all batteries are fully charged. MinnKota also makes a flush Mount waterproof connector for a way to plug in your chargers.

Note: If you are not familiar with smart chargers like the MinnKota, they are not a trickle chargers, rather they are a battery conditioner. They will bulk charge at 10 amps (depending on the model) then back down as the batteries get close to a full charge to prevent excessive gassing and electrolyte boil off. Once fully charged they go into a maintenance mode and maintain voltage. Roughly once a month they will do an equalize charge to keep the electrolyte from stratifying. An old school trickle charger charges at the same low rate regardless of the batteries’ state of charge, and this type will eventually boil off the electrolyte and will not properly charge a battery.

The I Pilot system works really great... don’t know if you are in the market for a fish finder as well, perhaps consider a Humminbird Solix control head, I went with this model for the better graphics and touch screen capabilities, in my opinion it was well worth the extra grand. With a lake master sd card of the lakes you will be on installed, the Solix can operate the trolling motor to follow a specific depth contour, once set on a contour, you select the speed and all you do then is fish. With this set up the Solix can do other navigational duties as well. There a lot more features of the I Pilot link system as well. As I’ve said in another post, no one is here on a second tour...buy the best equipment you can afford and enjoy it.

 

[Andrew Mac]

I have decided to go with the 36V 112lb Link Riptide with a 60” shaft. They are installing with an on board 3bank charger and quick disconnect. The boat comes with the factory cover. It’s a 2017 with 14 hours on it. They told me in writing the cover will fit with the troller added, so if it doesn’t, I’m sure they will keep their word and get one that will.

I’m looking at the Solix for that very reason. Thank you for taking time to reply!!! This has proven to be a great community of boaters! The help has been very much appreciated!!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I have decided to go with the 36V 112lb Link Riptide with a 60” shaft. They are installing with an on board 3bank charger and quick disconnect. The boat comes with the factory cover. It’s a 2017 with 14 hours on it. They told me in writing the cover will fit with the troller added, so if it doesn’t, I’m sure they will keep their word and get one that will.

I’m looking at the Solix for that very reason. Thank you for taking time to reply!!! This has proven to be a great community of boaters! The help has been very much appreciated!!

Man! 14 hours on a boat 4 years old is a great find! Just 4 hours past the initial 10 hour oil change!!

That’s awesome you get the cover as well!! Those things are a grip!

I think you will be really happy with the 112# thrust troller... it really moves the boat when you put the hammer down! And out in those big waters you are looking at going to the anchor lock feature will really shine!

Congrats on your purchase! I’m sure everyone would love to see pics of your boat after you get it!

 

[Andrew Mac]

It was a great find for under $30k! I have had other boats and found myself wishing for more power, so I stepped it up. I may convert to lithium batteries in a few years when I replace the initial lead core. We took the kids to FL for spring break and I’m sitting here with my coffee, looking at the water wishing it was with us. I’ll post some pictures when I get it picked up. Thanks to all for the info!!