I just bought a used 16′ bass boat with a MotorGuide Three 727 trolling motor with 24lb thrust. The motor is 12 volt and was made back in about 1985.

When I put the motor in the water, it will run at full speed for about 5 sec and then shut completely off. I have to wait about a minute or so before it will respond again. The person who sold me the boat hard wired the motor directly to the trolling battery. I mention this only because a coworker has a later model MotorGuide and said that his has a connector plug that connects to a port at the front of the boat.

The trolling battery has a full charge ( I checked it and connected it to a charger to make sure that it was full). I suspect that somehow the motor is pulling too many amps or something and that the motor is shutting off as a safety measure to prevent damage.

Any ideas would be appreciated (other than “buy a new trolling motor”).