rob v

I've got a line on a 2 year old Minn Kota Power Drive V2 - with electric steer. Anybody have any experience with the electric steer vs cable steer ??

is that some sort of a steering arm extension you have on it ?

I can relate to that !!

cost is certainly one factor as well I'm sure - seems to be quite difference esp when you compare to an i-pilot or remote control. I do know that I have to agree with a couple of the comments here - i.e. with my foot control (of course I'm no professional either) I find myself sometimes doing a lot of "foot work" to try and not over or under steer with my current foot control unit. I also know that from my experience in my previous boat (smaller tinny) I had a hand control stern-mounted trolling motor that I back trolled with (reversed the power head so the unit was pulling me backwards). I actually found it quite easy to use and fish at the same time. Steering control was actually easy to maintain. Anyone else have any experience with the hand controlled bow mount ?

doesn't matter where you are - 90% of the sales experience and/or customer satisfaction comes from the person you're dealing with - obviously this guy cares about his customers and you end up with a great experience as a result . Hopefully this guy gets recognized for this somehow ($'s). FAR too many people in the retail / service business don't understand this !!

If a person was going to the trouble of taking the whole thing apart, cleaning etc why not spend the few dollars to replace bearings, race & seals ?

I'm trying to think of why anyone would buy a hand controlled bow mount trolling motor (vs foot control or remote control) - other than to try and save a few bucks. Would there be any other beenfit ?

Thanks for all the opinions. Sounds like another one of those better safe than sorry questions. I've got the boat stored in my brother's barn which is about an hour away from anywhere (kind of a pain in the neck) - maybe I'll try and get the job done this winter while its there - just means a couple of trips. And thanks for the info on the supplier in London - I'll definitely keep that in mind (i assume he carries the good stuff !). And DanD thanks for the offer - actually if I remember correctly you're the fella that helped me replace my trailer tires last spring !! thx again - if I don't get it done this winter I may take you up on the offer !!

Thanks for the input. The grease smears on the rims were on the backside so I know it wasn't the over-flow - it had to be the seal. And yes - they could very well have been replaced before I got the unit. With the bearing buddies I'm not sure I need to re-pack every year or put in new seals - just keep an eye on the grease level filling them only in accordance with the bearing buddy instruction (fill periodically just till the pressure plate moves). I've jacked the wheels and there's no play or noise. The spare hub is a nice idea though - good insurance for longer trips - I may look into that !

I know this subject comes up about once a week .... but I wanted to ask. I bought my boat and trailer used 3 years ago. The boat and trailer ( I'm not 100% sure about the trailer) was about 5 years old then so I'm guessing it's about 8 yrs old now. When I bought it I noticed the grease smears on the insides of the tire rims - the tell tale sign that bearing seals were compromised. The wheels have bearing buddies. So I kept a close eye on them. I don't trailer too much - not many long trips - but haven't noticed any problems with them what so ever. No heat, no play, no bearing noise etc. I've also kept an eye on the grease levels, making sure not to over-fill them. I haven't noticed any new grease escape since I've owned the unit. I'm trying to decide whether it's worth the trouble to change and repack the bearings/seals - or should I just keep an eye on them. I don't have a good spot to do this job myself (no shop etc) conveniently. Is it possible the bearings may have been over-filled with grease some time in the past but have not lost their seal ?

great input fellas - more food for thought. thanks very much

and if you ever get a branch out london way - let me know. grimsby's a bit too far for me to go - I'd love to attend a seminar like this though - especially on where Jocelyn is speaking !

and if you ever get a branch out london way - let me know. grimsby's a bit too far for me to go - I'd love to attend a seminar like this though - especially on where Jocelyn is speaking !

following on my previous topic of upgrading to a more powerful trolling motor - I've noticed that the maxumm 80 bow mount seems to be a good unit in terms of power-per-dollar. Has anyone used this motor and have any comments about it ? Also - can anyone tell me the main difference between the "edge" line up and the Maxumm line-up ?

if i upgrade to a 24 volt system/motor is it possible to still wire in my 12 volt items into that system i.e. just wire them to the +/- terminals of one of the batteries in series? (I've got a couple of live-well aerators that hook into my trolling motor battery)

Guess that's what i kinda figured - so the 12 volt motor would fry on a 24 volt system - guess that answer's my question - time to think about a new motor ! .

I've been thinking about up-grading my trolling motor to something with a bit more power. Currently I have a minn kota maxum 55 running off a 12 volt source. Would upgrading to a 24 volt power source (two batteries in series) provide me with any more power - or would I risk damaging my motor ? I'm sure there's someone out there that's tried this ? is it possible ?

that was good - thanks for sharing !

Great pictorial - thanks for sharing !! More to come in 2012 I'm sure !

Well done !!

For reasons I'm not sure I can explain I'm not 100% in agreement .... but this fine young man makes a very GOOD case !! Very well said. Hat's off !

great subject (eating is one of my favorite pass times !). When frying fish - how do you know it's time to change the oil and/or how many times can you reuse the same oil ??

Now that was a man who said it like it was.... and made a lot of sense. the world has lost another wonder ! RIP

fantastic - thanks for sharing

hey - now that makes sense - might wanna try that one - just for fun.