Check to see if there is any fishing line wrapped inside the prop housing. I have had that happen before. Most trolling motors do not come standard with a fuse or circuit breaker. You have to wire that in. It is usually a circuit breaker. I have run trolling motors for a good many years and have never had the circuit break trip. For little fishing boats, I like to just use a prewired trolling motor battery box. The circuit break is prewired into it and it makes things a lot easier. It protects the bettery and has a battery power gauge built right into. Be careful, some brands are super cheap and will fall apart with little use. The one made by Minnkote has been very good.