decisions decisions-GREEN LIGHT OR WHOA JA HOATS ?

[zzzybil]

started shopping / pricing trolling motors back early fall.......absolutely no experience whatsoever....

i just think an alternate means of propulsion sounds good and fig to use it floundering .

its a huge jon (20'FLAT) and at 1st i was looking at 55lb thrust then after reading more decided i need at least a 70

i was about to buy a motorguide and a guy at work said stick with minn kota....... soooooo ok been lookin at'm and working some overtime saving up........ NEAR ABOUT HAVE THE CASH NOW

thing is after looking sooooo long now i want the razzle dazzle satilite gps smancy boom shocka locka......... i would think the hold in position might come in handy ...hahaha yep i have an anchor but yuh gotta admit it sounds cool........not to mention the retrack a route etc

MY QUESTION IS - what do yall think ? i could prolly get the simple STICK steering handle 80 and still save a few bucks vs the 70 gps.............less likely to give me trouble ? IDK ? the hand held remote = freedom to move about the boat would be a big plus too

any of yall have opinions ? and is motorguide a reasonable option or stay with minn kota ?

i'm wondering if i have lost my mind ? original budget i thought was about $500........the 70 saltwater gps is $1200........... i'm not a deep pocket but don't mind workin hard to have nice stuff....
...i know i'd have been happy with anything a while back but after lOOkin at the fancy version hahahaha............... looking for a green light or whoa ja hoats !
ALSO wonder if they go on sale near spring ??????? i'd hate to pull trigger and nx month they all go on SALE

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Motorguide vs Minn Kota....Ford vs Chevy....Pepsi vs. Coke. Both make a good motor.

Disadvantage of a remote is that you loose a free hand because you have to have the remote in your hand to drive it. I have bowfished with a remote/wireless motor and it was more of a disadvantage than an advantage vs a hand control. Fumbling with a remote was a pain in the ***.

The GPS is neat. But, from what I've heard...it's not that great. Doesn't work well in wind or current. Doesn't actually hold the boat on a spot....more like around a spot. Saving tracks is cool, but if the water changes usually the track you want to take does too. This is just things I've heard, I don't have any experience using it.

Hope this feedback helps.

 

[1957Crestliner12]

As a previous (retired) dealer that has sold over a thousand trolling motors for both Minn Kota and MotorGuide, I can tell you that the GPS trolling motors do not work as advertised. They have inherent problems with dependability as far as the GPS aspect, are complicated and time-consuming to operate properly, and are way over-priced.

As for brand loyalty, we sold 10 Minn Kotas for every 1 MotorGuide. For every 10 MotorGuides sold, approximately 10% of those were ultimately returned and exchanged for a Minn Kota.

As far as a Powerdrive type motor goes, I personally owned one for years on my 21' Carolina Skiff DLV. It was OK but I opted to get a saltwater series hand-controlled motor on my next boat. You could mount the key fob on your wrist or on a rod handle so it was always at your fingertips but you still have to look down and fiddle with buttons then look at the control head to see which way it was pointing. With a hand-controlled motor, after becoming familiar with it for less than an hour or so you can just reach for it and operate it second nature without even looking down. The Powerdrive was also more of a pain as far as deploying and retrieving.

In my opinion, there is no better bang-for-the buck motor going now than the Minn Kota Endura Max. Although it is a transom mount motor, you can twist the head and mount it on the bow. The 36" shafts are easy to find but 42" shafts are a little more challenging. You may need a shaft longer than 42". It is a digital motor so battery life is phenomenal. Wal-Mart even has the Endura Max 55 in a 36" for $279.99.

The plain-jane, no-frills Minn Kota Endura series hand-controlled motors are hard to beat.

Hope this helps.

Rod
Oriental, NC

 

[kofkorn]

I got one of the I-pilot GPS units about a year ago. It's nice, but I find I don't actually use the GPS functions much. I tend to fish very slowly, nearly drifting around. I find that the Minn Kota GPS is not really well suited to the slower speeds that I like. If it is a perfectly calm day, it will work well, but any kind of wind makes it challenging to work.

The way it works is you pick a direction and it lays out a number of points at a given interval (I'd guess ~50ft). Then the unit aims the motor at the next point and plods toward it. If there is any wind, it will push the boat off of the intended path, and the motor will turn to keep aimed at the GPS point. So what happens is that you end up doing a series of arcs from one point to the next as you move forward.



I tend to fish at a speed of .1 mph (or Less), which really makes this situation much worse. If you move at a speed of .4mph or better regularly, you would likely not be bothered by this issue.

What is even worse, is if you are trying to fish with the GPS at a low speed with the wind behind you. Since the wind can move you at .1 or .2 mph easily, the motor will completely shut off, and the GPS function is useless. The unit does not look at a speed in a specific direction, only the absolute value. So if you are setting cruise at .1 mph and the wind is blowing you backward at .1 mph, the motor shuts down and again the gps function is worthless.

Now when I'm trolling, and moving along at a good clip, the GPS is really useful. But at the slow speeds that I normally fish, I prefer setting the compass function and let the boat drift with the cross-wind. It's fairly easy to compensate for the drift, and it gives me more of the motion that I'm looking for.

The anchor function is only so good as well. I tend to find that it only works for short periods, as it will drift for a minute, then energize the motor at full speed to get back to the original spot, overshooting. Then the motor starts spinning around to get aimed back to the correct spot again. After about 2-3 minutes, you need to take control of the motor and unwind the cord, requiring you to re-set the anchor setting again.

Now overall, I am still pleased with the purchase, as I find the compass feature and cruise control simplify my fishing greatly. I really prefer the wireless remote over the foot control. But based on the way that I use it, I would have been better off with the Co-Pilot version instead of the more expensive I-pilot.

Good luck!

 

[earl60446]

You got a big boat so yes you need a big trolling motor. I lived a long time with a simple transom mount, it was simple and always worked but then a friend gave me a a bow mount =D> with mechanical foot control. A bow mount will outperform a transom mount because it STEERS and PULLS from the bow. I never used a electronic control but friends of mine who have say they prefer the mechanical foot control. I find it hard to believe all those fancy features work right, just seems too complicated to me and complicated stuff breaks a lot more and costs more upfront and when fixing.
Tim

 

[zzzybil]

thanks guys
got me changing ,leanin toward sf model now.........heavy duty ? height adjust and gas lift assist.-got a gimpy arm and ankle- be worth a few bucks not to struggle/fall in fightin if easier version there for choosin
SF..says easy remove for storage ?.if that's true don't need to buy accessries.so I can store it safe

..prolly more durable.........not sure wat makes it so......just says industrial/commercial use
spending enuff ........buyin new.........last thing I need is a finicky high dollar problem child......
love the idea of gps anchor......but not trouble free not worth headaches.......

no doubt I could rig a transom to bow but why not just get bowmount from get go...........save headaches and mcgyverin

think I prolly need to go take a look see if sf looks like worth the extra $$$$..........bass pro bout a long ride........you guys know more than I can guess

still cold here......lol.....coldest winter in decades they say - got locked in work 36 hrs ....stashin that OT........patience sucks
ONE MORE QUESTION
do they go on sale in spring ?????????

 

[zzzybil]

having trouble with dang pc......lol......it ate my last post

IN A NUTSHELL i'm looking for help picking and finding the stuff needed to connect /install a 24v trolling motor

HELP ME PICK OUT where or which

circuit breaker
plug and receptacle

i know i need marine tinned wire ? tho what gauges ??

i almost ordered minn kota plug and circuit breaker but the reviews weren't so great.....i don't mind pricey if its the best sensible option .but like everyone- tryin to save where i can ,most of all DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

I'M SHOPPING $99 deep cycles locally saw 29 type - no clue

 

[ccm]

zzzybil » 28 Feb 2014, 08:43[/url]"]having trouble with dang pc......lol......it ate my last post

IN A NUTSHELL i'm looking for help picking and finding the stuff needed to connect /install a 24v trolling motor

HELP ME PICK OUT where or which

circuit breaker
plug and receptacle

i know i need marine tinned wire ? tho what gauges ??

i almost ordered minn kota plug and circuit breaker but the reviews weren't so great.....i don't mind pricey if its the best sensible option .but like everyone- tryin to save where i can ,most of all DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

I'M SHOPPING $99 deep cycles locally saw 29 type - no clue

As far as a plug and receptacle go, use MARINCO the one for 12/24 volt trolling motors. Heavy duty connections that will outlast the life of your trolling motor. With the wire go with 6 or 8 gauge. 8 if your batteries are close to your motor. 6 if your batteries are at the back of your boat. Get a manual reset circuit breaker it can be inline or set on one of the battery terminals; they all last about the same get what you can find/most reasonable price I went with SEACHOICE 50 amp manual reset circuit breaker and paid $11. In the area of deep cycle batteries get the best quality that you can afford. Generally in the area of lead acid batteries the heavier batteries are the better(more plates) so if their are two brands, same price, same size, I would go with whichever is heavier. I hope this helps you in making your decision on hardware.

 

[zzzybil]

$167 for plug , cb, and marine wire........got the plug yuh said........not cheap !........no news waiting for stuff......mostly just read and try to learn.....TODAY learned i can'y enter contest cuz i don't post enuff

pretty excited - went with the 80 ipilot against my better judgement... hahaha just looked at it tooooooo many times.........can't wait to try record a track and spot lock and get eligble for nx months contest

 

[ccm]

Yea I hear you about the sticker shock on the plug, but it will be worth it in the long run to do things right the first time. That I pilot sounds cool. I'm still stuck with an ancient MotorGuide Brute 550 45# of thrust but it's more than enough to pull my 14fter around. I've talked to a few local guides on the lake I fish who use the I pilot and they say its phenomenal they say the spot lock will hold on a spot as long as you have enough thrust to hold against strong current and wind.

 

[panFried]

Just did the same thing zzzybil! I thought I got hosed when I found out I needed almost 150 dollars worth of extras just to use the dang TM.

With that said I shopped around hard and found 6 awg wire at geniunedealz.com cheapest per foot. Then I grabbed the receptacle, plug, and 60amp circuit off amazon with free shipping.