Minn Kota is a trademark of its owner. Amp Hour Supply isn’t affiliated with Minn Kota.
The short answer. Three Terrovas, three voltages. The 55 lb runs on one 12 V battery with a 50 A breaker. The 80 lb wants 24 V and the 112 lb wants 36 V, both with a 60 A breaker. Minn Kota says all three can run on lithium but are “specifically designed” for lead-acid, and that prolonged speeds over 85% on lithium “could cause permanent damage” to the motor.
Minn Kota’s table
| Terrova | Volts | Max draw | Breaker | 5 ft | 10 ft | 15 ft | 20 ft | 25 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 lb | 12 | 50 A | 50 A | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 AWG |
| 80 lb | 24 | 56 A | 60 A | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 AWG |
| 112 lb | 36 | 52 A | 60 A | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 AWG |
Distances run from the batteries to the motor’s 10 AWG leads. The table is good to 25 ft; after that Minn Kota says call a marine technician.
The 55 is the odd one out
Two things people get wrong on the 12 V Terrova.
The breaker is 50 A, not 60. Minn Kota’s table says so, and the 60 A MKR-19 it names elsewhere is for the bigger motors.
The wire gets heavy fast. At 12 V the same thrust needs more amps, so a 25 ft run calls for 1 AWG. If your batteries live in the stern of a 20 ft boat, that’s a thick cable. Moving the battery forward is cheaper than the copper.
Batteries by motor
Minn Kota’s size is 105 Ah or more, lead-acid. For lithium there’s no Ah figure, only the 85% speed caveat. Our fit test: match the voltage, and make sure the pack’s continuous discharge covers the max draw.
Terrova 55 (12 V, 50 A) Pro-Guide 24M100 12V 100Ah Group 24 lithium, 100 A continuous. One battery, done. This is the one Terrova we can also charge from the store: Victron Blue Smart IP22 12/30 is a 12 V charger; set it to the lithium profile at Pro-Guide’s 14.6 V.
Terrova 80 (24 V, 56 A) Pro-Guide 24VM90 24V 90Ah lithium (90 A continuous) or Pro-Guide 24VM115 24V 115Ah lithium (100 A continuous). Or two 12 V 24M100s in series.
Terrova 112 (36 V, 52 A) Pro-Guide 36VM60 36V 60Ah lithium (60 A continuous) or Pro-Guide 36VM75 36V 75Ah lithium (75 A continuous). Or three 12 V in series.
For the 24 V and 36 V packs we have no matching charger in the store yet. The 12 V charger works on series banks only one battery at a time.
Wiring notes from the manual
- One battery per 12 V, in series: the 80 takes two, the 112 three. Breaker on the positive at the last battery. The series diagram is in Trolling motor battery: 12V, 24V or 36V, wired right.
- The motor carries a bonding wire with a 3 A fuse. A charger or alternator that ties the trolling negative to the crank negative “can damage” the motor and void the warranty. Keep the trolling bank separate.
- Unplug the motor to charge it and whenever the boat sits.
- Nothing else on the trolling bank: sonar and radios stay off it, and any accessory negative goes on the low-side battery only.
The meter on the mount
Terrova has a Push-to-Test battery meter. Four lights is full, three good, two low, one means recharge. Minn Kota says it’s only accurate with the motor off. It doesn’t say how it reads a lithium pack, so trust the pack’s own gauge or a shunt over the lights.
Run time, worked example
Run time calculator math, trolling mode: amp hours x 80%, over the amps, warm day.
| Motor | Pack | Full draw | Half draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terrova 55 (50 A) | 24M100 | 1 h 36 min | 3 h 12 min |
| Terrova 80 (56 A) | 24VM90 | 1 h 17 min | 2 h 34 min |
| Terrova 80 (56 A) | 24VM115 | 1 h 39 min | 3 h 17 min |
| Terrova 112 (52 A) | 36VM60 | 55 min | 1 h 51 min |
| Terrova 112 (52 A) | 36VM75 | 1 h 09 min | 2 h 18 min |
Max draw is a peak, per Minn Kota. A day’s fishing sits between the columns, usually nearer the right.
Quick answers
What breaker for a Terrova 55? 50 A, manual reset, per Minn Kota’s table. The 80 and 112 take 60 A.
Can I put a lithium battery on a Terrova? Minn Kota says the motor can run on lithium-ion but is “specifically designed” for lead-acid; running above 85% speed for a prolonged period “could cause permanent damage to the motor.”
How many batteries does a Terrova 112 need? Three 12 V in series, or one 36 V pack.
Does the battery meter work with lithium? The manual says it’s accurate only with the motor off and says nothing about lithium. Use the pack’s own gauge.
Sources
- Minn Kota Terrova owner’s manual 2327162 (Rev A, 10/26), pages 5, 26-30, 35-36, 50, 53-54, 58, 61
- Minn Kota Terrova product page: https://minnkota.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/freshwater-trolling-motors/terrova
- Pro-Guide brochures and product pages; Victron Blue Smart IP22 manual (our product page)
- Trolling motor battery: 12V, 24V or 36V, wired right, Run time calculator, Wire gauge calculator
