Trolling motor issues

9ft is a long distance for TM leads, what guage size is the wire? It's usually written on the wires sheathing. You might be suprised to see how thick of wire you need to cover that distance. Also what kind of TM is it?

 

Trolling motors draw about 1.2 amps per pound of rated thrust.
So at maximum load a 54 lb thrust trolling motor draws (54 x 1.2 = 64.8) about 65 amps.
So using the calculator at the bottom of the page in the link...

http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

it's easy to determine voltage drop with a set of 9 foot long cables.
input:  copper wire
          gauge size of wire (6)
          voltage  (12VDC)
          length round trip (9x2=18)
          draw in amps (65)

then hit the calculate button...results shown

voltage drop 0.951 volts
voltage loss 7.93%

Maximum loss should be no more than 3%, you've got double that.
you need a heavier gauge wire for that setup at maximum draw.
According to the calculator, at maximum thrust, you'd need a 2 gauge wire
for a 9 foot distance from battery to trolling motor

 

yes, either that or a short somewhere.

 

Current flow through wires results in voltage drop caused by resistance.
That drop in voltage due to resistance ends up in being converted to heat.
The greater the voltage loss the greater the amount of heat produced.

 

Is the extesion open on the end? if so that should be enough ventilation and you should be ok. For protection put some rubber boots over the leads and terminals on the battery.

But....I would really only relocate the battery if you think it will help you balance your load better. Other wise I would just run the 2ga wire like Brett said. Does your boat have one or 2 batteries?

 

Well if it's dragging in the rear, moving a battery up front will help and allow you to just shorten your wiring. Just make sure the compartment with the gas tank is well vented!