Minnkota trolling motor question(s)

[brian howard]

I searched on previous posts on trolling motors and the debates on Minnkota vs. Motorguide were very helpful. At the risk of starting another, and that's not what I mean to do here, I have a few questions.



What is the difference between the Maxxum Pro and the Maxxum units? Is it just the Lift-Assist on the mounts? I was comparing motors on the Minnkota website and that's what it looked like. But there are so many features and options that it gets confusing real quick. So what's the difference between the Maxxum Pro 80 and the Maxxum 80? It looked to me like just the lift assist.



Does anyone know why that some models have a SC behind the model# and what it means? I figured out some of those suffixes like US2, but the SC has me puzzled.



One more question that might be fairly obvious because of pricing, but is the Terrova line better than the Maxxum (Pro)? Is the electric steering dependable vs. the cable steering? I like the idea of the longer cable and what seems like would be some freedom of mobility of where the foot control goes.



Unfotunately I'm working with a budget and I have to decide which models fit in that. I have a PT185 and I will be upgrading in power for sure from my current motor, but I'm trying to decide how much more I will actually be able to upgrade to. This is kind of a dumb point and idea, but I'm wavering over 70lb. vs. 80lb. and if it's worth $180 more in price.



Thanks in advance for any opinions and ideas.



-Brian

 

[TritonGlenn]

Maxxum - Bow Mount trolling motor

Maxxum Pro - add Lift Assist

Maxxum Pro US - add Lift Assist and Universal Sonar



SC = (from below - I stand corrected. I said "single cable" - I guess it's "speed coil" instead)



Terrova v/s Maxxum - matter of opinion. I don't like electric steering, as I find it isn't fast enough for me sometimes. If I want to turn, I want to turn NOW... not in a couple of seconds. The time difference may seem minor, but when you're getting ready to smash into a cypress stump, it could mean the difference in a hit or miss. In the end, they are both reliable units, and should serve you well... but I'll probably always have a Maxxum on my boat.



Power - get the most power that you can afford, but also realize that if you don't need it (if you don't fish fast water, current, wind, etc...) you may be wasting your money on more power. I used to run a 17 foot, fairly heavy fiberglass boat, and my 54lb OMC trolling motor got me around just fine. I upgraded to a 74 Maxxum the first time I couldn't make headway in some fast moving current. Currently, I own a Maxxum Pro 80 US, on the front of a 20 foot Triton fiberglass boat - plenty of power, and I haven't had an instance where I have needed more yet... although I'm sure their could be a time in the future where it is needed. Right now, I'm sticking with 80 for my boat.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Jim B]

Brian

The only real difference between the Maxxum and Maxxum Pro is the lift assist. Otherwise they are the same motor. The lift assist is a nice feature, i have had Maxxums with and without and its a nice to have not a must have in my opinion.



The SC stands for speed control, the big difference is those motors dont have the Maximizer electronics. They are 5 speed instead of variable speed. In my opinion the variable speed is the only way to go. A friend of mine had a 70 sc on his boat and the first three speeds were pretty much useless and 4 and 5 were too strong unless there was a big wind. With the variable speed you wont have that at all, you will always be able to dial in the "right" amount of power for what you are doing. The maximixer will also help battery life bigtime so you can stay on the water longer.



As far as the Maxxum vs the Terrova im not realyl sure as i have never seen much less used a Terrova but regardles i would be inclined to get the Maxxum. I like keeping things as simple as possible and i think electric steer is just one more thing that can break. I have used other electric steer motors on friends boats in the past and never could get the feel for the steering . I like cable steer better for the tactile feel.



As far as thrust goes i never think you can have too much but that has to be within your budget. Personally on your boat i dont think that the extra 10# of thrust is worth the money. A vwery good friend of mine had a maxxum 65 variable speed on his pt 185 when he had it. I spent a lot of time on that boat and that motor really moved that boat nice. He very rarely had to turn that motor up over 30% to move the boat at a nice pace and there was no wind or waves or current that could stop him that we would fish in. He absolutely had thrust to spare and thats a nice thing to have. His batteries would last all day and charge up in like 2 hours because he was hardly draining them.

 

[TritonGlenn]

Jim B,

I stand corrected! Thank you! I could have sworn a while back I read where there was a single cable version of the 70lb thrust, but looking at the web site under the comparison, I see that you are right - although it doesn't spell it out, I see that the SC model is 5 speed, without Maximizer, and the regular model is variable. I spoke with my MK contact a few minutes ago to confirm it - yep, you are right. It's "Speed Coil" in reference to how the speed control dial works. I would fully agree with you - Variable (and Maximizer) is the way to go. Thank you for the corrections.

All the best,

Glenn

 

[brian howard]

Glenn and Jim - Thanks for the info. I really appreciate it. The deal with the extra thrust is that I live on a river and that's my primary water that we fish. I currently have a 56lb. thrust 24V Motorguide and it has done fairly good, but I have had a few times when the water was high because of big rains and it would have been nice to have more power. I know that more power than my current motor is going to be good, but I don't want to regret later that I skimped because of $180. Unfortunately, money is money and not always easy to come by. I'm confident that since my boat is aluminum that the 70 is going to be fine, but like I said, I'm factoring in heavy current. I know a guy who has an older PT175 and last year he put a Minnkota 101, I think Maxxum Pro 36V on his boat and he was telling me how great it was. But I do know that motor is not in my budget. UNFORTUNATELY!!!



Thanks guys!

 

[Lonnie Conner]

Brian, I had a PT 175 and I upgraded to the 70 lb.MK Max. and I never needed anymore thrust. I fish alot of rivers with alot of current and I'm sure that you will be quite happy with the 70.I have a Nitro now with a 80lb MK and it does the job just fine.

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

I can't imagine where you wouldn't be able to get around with a 70# thrust trolling motor on that tin boat, including some rapids.. Don't get me wrong Brian, I like power too but it was also a matter of money for me when I bought my PT-17 to settle on what came with it. I figured I would always upgrade sometime from my 12 volt to a stronger 24 volt. Now, mt boat is smaller and lighter than yours but I only have a Motorguide 30# on it and it has been an extremely rare instance when I had any trouble getting around and on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where I 'used' to fish a lot there are some horrific rivers as far as tides and tidal currents are concerned. Granted, with one of the strong tides AND a howling wind going in the same direction, I would have trouble but I would still get to where I wanted, not as fast as some but I did get there.

What I'm trying to say is that I would LOVE a more powerful trolling motor but I haven't had enough problems with what I have to make me get one. So, $180.00 more for an added 10# thrust is just not worth it to me unless you have $180.00 to just throw around. Good luck with whatever you do.



Uncle Billy