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Trolling Motor


diggyj

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Time for a brand new trolling motor for the boat. What would boardies recommend? Motor Guide, Minn Kota, BPS Brand? After seeing some of the reviews on BPS website I am having doubts about Motor Guide. Any suggestions greatly appreiciated. Thanks.

 

Dirk

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Well I have a Pro Series 167BT Princecraft with a Mercury 60hp 4 stroke. Last season early, I bought a Minn-Kota Edge, 24 volt, 70lb thrust. The thing has been flawless for me. The price is right and it can do more than I need.

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I may be biased Dirk but MinnKota are a large customer of mine and I have seen their process many times. Based on what we put into the motor and their engineering and quality program I would recommend them highly.

 

I happen to have MotorGuide on my Princecraft as I bought is as a package last year and Brunswick of course now owns practically everything. What I like about it is the wireless remote, what I don't like is the way it stows. I would definitely recommend 24 volt whichever brand you decide on.

 

The rest is really up to you, how you use it and of course your budget.

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Hey Dirk,

I have a 12V, 45 lbs. Motor Guide on my 16' Crestliner (it came as part of the package). It is the wireless model and has done everything that I have asked of it. I have yet to drain the battery and it pulls like a sophomore geek.

The only thing that looks even cooler to me is the little wrist mount push button thingy.

Jim

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Here is my input. Both companies are great Minn Kota or Motor Guide, but i think Minn Kota parts are easier to get then MotorGuide. Also if you are thinking of a bow mount you have a choice of Remote control steer or Manual Steer. I personally like the Manual Steer cause i fish tournaments and it's just one less thing for the unit to malfunction in and is quicker to steer and sometimes less confusing. Here is an article from www.alltrollingmotors.com

 

Should I go with a bow or transom mount motor?

 

Bow mount motors offer very precise control. In the wind or on a river a bow mount motor will help you the most. The drawback of a bow mount motor is that most of them are more or less permanently mounted on your bow.

 

Transom mount motors are more versatile and can be moved easily from boat to boat. On a small craft like a canoe or row boat they can be used as the primary source of power.

 

How much thrust do I need?

 

In general you want to have as much thrust as possible for the times when you run into wind and current. The rule of thumb in choosing thrust is to take the total weight of the loaded boat and divide it by 70. For example, if your boat with people and gear weighs a total of 3500 lbs you will then divide that by 70. That means that ideally you should have a motor with at least 50 lbs. of thrust.

 

Motor Thrust Total Weight

30 lbs 2100 lbs

36 lbs 2520 lbs

40 lbs 2800 lbs

42 lbs 2940 lbs

44 lbs 3080 lbs

48 lbs 3360 lbs

50 lbs 3500 lbs

55 lbs 3850 lbs

65 lbs 4550 lbs

74 lbs 5180 lbs

101 lbs 7070 lbs

 

What type of steering should I choose?

 

First of all there are several types of steering to choose from. There is hand control, foot control, remote control, and even voice activated. Yes, that's right - voice activated. Believe it or not.

 

What it comes down to is your preferences and style of fishing. Some like the foot control because it allows for hands free control while fishing. While pulling in a big one you can maneuver your craft if necessary. If you are a no-frills type of person then hand control might be right for you. If you aren't a talker then I don't recommend a voice activated model. Fancy features aren't for everyone.

 

What length of shaft do I need?

 

First, that depends on whether you want a transom mounted motor or a bow mounted motor. If you go with a transom mounted motor then you need to know the distance from the transom to the waterline when your boat is loaded. You want to take that distance and add at least 20 inches to it. If there isn't a shaft in that size then round up. Let's say the distance is from the transom to the waterline is 10 inches. You then add 20 inches to that and the length of shaft you want is 30 inches.

 

If you want a bow mounted motor then you take the length from the top of the bow (where the motor would be mounted) to the waterline when the boat is loaded. You then add 20 inches to that number and then round up to the next longest shaft if you have to. So, if the distance from the bow to the water is 15 inches then you will add 20 inches to that. You come up with 35 inches but find that there is no motor for the brand you want with a 35 inch shaft. Therefore, all you have to do is round up to the 36 inch shaft. Simple, right?

 

Bow to Waterline Shaft Length

0-10 inches 30 inches

11-16 inches 36 inches

17-22 inches 42 inches

23-30 inches 50 inches

31-34 inches 54 inches

Edited by Henry Nguyen
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Yep, Both Minn kota and Motorguide make good products. I am partial to Minn Kota because it is what I have always had. Parts and service are readily available.

I have a 65# thrust, 24 volt cable steer model that is great! The boat is an older fiberglass bass boat that is a pig by weight! It is very rugged and dependable.

It has the variable speed option that maximizes battery life. This is a good feature on either brand.

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I have a Minn Kota Power Drive 2 with a built in transducer for the bow mounted sonar.On a 16ft Lund

 

What I love on this model is the auto pilot just point it where you want to go push the auto pilot button and you require much less effort manuvering

when casting in the weeds .

 

Another great thing about auto pilot is when I am trolling in 2 to 3 foot chop I run my kicker motor in the back and use the autopilot up front on the minn kota.

 

Boat control has a whole new meaning when using this set up.Its so stable that when I was in Quinte last November bringing in those big hogs my fishing partner and I were taking pics of the brutes and we let the boat steer itself.

 

I am not sure if Motor Guide has that.So spend the $$$$$$$get a Minn Kota with autopilot.

 

Mike

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Hey Dirk, So far I've put 12hrs on the W55 wirelss motor guide , I really like it. Yesterday I figured out I can steer from the console and just leave the trolling motor running straight and use the outboard as the rudder, works very well. 16ft boat with 3 ppl, full tank(24 gallons) & gear does 2.4mph. battery seems to last 4+ hours.

 

Don't forget online reviews can't be accurate/valid for every bad review there could be 1000s of satisfied customers.

 

Just my 2 cents.

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i have an 80lb minn kota terrova with built in sonar on my stratos. it will practically plane on top speed. i think it might go all season on one charge. only complaint or comment would be if you are constantly raising and lowering the motor choose a style with a lift assist and handle, the terrova can be a little dificult. remember with minn kota you can add autopilot and copilot later if you wish.

good luck and you might want to listen to the nguyen fellow seems to have done some research....

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I have had both and just laid to rest a old motorguide that was 15 years old. if weight is a concern the MG seems lighter, as far as performance i have noticed ,overall there comparable. my opinion is the minn kota pedal feels nicer to work either cablesteer or powerdrive.

I just installed a 65lb maxxum on my ranger and it moves the boat around great and chops through lily pads and cabbage with no issues and the minn kota seems quieter than the mg.

what style of fishing do you want to do? if your going to to it all, casting ,trolling, slop ect then the powerdrive style units with auto pilot would be the ticket for you, if your gonna stick with the slop fishing ect i would use the cable steer

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