Trolling motor suggestions

[Texas Transplant]

Okay. I'm really needing/considering a change in my very old, very noisy trolling motor. Have a few extra duckets, so this is a good time.



The boat:



1995 Stratos - 278DC (dual console) - just short of 18'.



150 Rude on the back.



Boat wired for a 24v Trolling motor, and I really don't have the room to add another battery to go to 36v System. I don't believe that I need a 100 lb thrust motor, but I certainly don't want to underpower it either.



I don't 'run the motor wide open all day'=, but do occasionally get into windy conditions that require a good motor.



What I'm looking for from the NTOWS wizards here, is the following:



Recommendation on 'size'.



Recommendation on brand/model. Especially interested on viewpoints/opinions on the 'digital Motorguide's', if anyone has first hand experience/knowledge on their newer products.



I do not have unlimited funds to spend, but I'm not trying to spend the smallest amount possible.



All rights, have at it. Motorguide guys on the left, and MinnKota guys on the right.



Thanks.



Tex

 

[Christopher Laurencio]

Tex,



The lift assist is a great option on the MK, currently I'm still a MG guy, but when the time comes for new one, which is within the next few months I may get the MK for the lift assist feature as it provides ease of using your TM to get the boat back on the trailer, (something we must do in most NJ lakes).



As far as the built in Transducer, I have only heard bad things about them.



I would get the biggest 24v they have,



what I have noticed is the MK maximizer is "for real", the MK's with that feature seem to last longer than the MG's without it.



The MG is good if you like to remove your TM.

 

[Jim B]

If it was me id get a minnkota maxxum 80# or the maxxum pro 80# Both are very good trolling motors. Every motorguide i have ever owned has beem problematic and noisy.



I know its a chevy vs ford thing but in all the years i have owned boats and used trolling motors i have owned 3 motorguides, 4 minnkotas and one shakespere that my grandfather gave me and of the 2 brands still available the minnkota has been the best for me. When that old shakespere i used on my rowboat died i bought a 35# motorguide transom mount motorguide and after two died in 3 trips to the lake i returned it and got a minnkota 36#, thatg one lasted for over 10 years before i wore the on off switch out, i replaced it with the same basic mootor and that one is 12 years old now. On my bassboats my Champion came with a 12 volt 48# motorguide and it didnt make it thru half a season before failing the dealer replaced it with a 12/24 brute 50# and that had 3 armature failures in like 3 months then i got replaced it with my maxxum 74, ran that for 4 seasons on the champ, moved it to my current nitro for 3 more then replaced it with my current maxxum 80# pro. The only problem i ever had with the 74 was the plastic where the cables go into the top of the motor cracked and had to be replaced and over time the mount flat wore out. Thats why i got a new one, the mount was noisy and rickety from use and my lack of ever lubing it and it cost over half of a new motor to fix it. If not for that id still be running it, that motor was used hard for the 7 seasons i used it. I fish normally 2-3 days a week from april to oct and about a dozen or more tourneys mixed in. That minnkota never once broke down on a fishing trip( bad batteres excluded). It was also getting a bit noisy because the brushes were worn out but after 7 years i expected that. I ended up getting the brushes on the 74 replaced and i plan to use it as a spare should i ever have a problem with the 80, i can just swap the motor without having to swap the whole mount.



If the maxxum is too much money i noticed bass pro has some of the old 65# allterains on sale for a great price, they were listed on the back of the latest flyer i got. But the mount on the maxxum is much better and stronger and with the maximizer electronics the battery life would be much better.

 

[william Clark]

I had a nitro with a MG 67 gator mount and liked how beefy that mount was but it was noisy. Most people may not notice but one of my rules for night striper fishing is to minimize the noise.

I bought another boat and it has a Minn Kota 65lb and it is amazing how quiet it is. They have it also to where the motor engages slowly instead of just off or on. On the lowest setting I cannot hear it run at all. Also with the motorguide setting 1 was too fast for me.

It did take me a while to get used to the MK pedal having the switch on the other side of the pedal.

I know nothing about the digital MG's.

Clark

 

[Mike Zechman]

I have the MK pro 80 with lift assist, best motor I ever owned

 

[Jim B]

Oh one more thing.



Dont buy the steel shaft vs plastic crap. The shaft on the minnkota is one strong deal. I asked my Father about the material its made out of years ago and he tells me it has a much stronger then steel. He has machined it in his shop for a bunch of aerospace applications in the past. I dont remember what it was called be he knew instantly when he saw it. I have beat my trolling motor pretty hard and its never been a problem. I have also seen some ungodly things done to a minnkota tm without hardly a scratch on the motor. My buddy dave driving onto the trailer with the gas motor with the tm deployed comes to mind. Yep he did that and didnt hurt it ( he took off once on plane with it deployed too, that also didnt hurt it).



On the other hand i have bent the shaft of a motorguide more then once and they are tough to get straight again. Thyey dont steer too good bent. I have also kinked one to the point that it had to be replaced to the tune of $130.





CJL the new minnkotas are much easier to get off the boat now. They have a quick release pin and one nut. remove the nut and clip, yank the two pins and off it comes. I had my old one retrofitted to that style. I do agree the motorguide is still easier to take off the boat.



Also the list assist is great, my current motor has that.

 

[Bruce Yeaton]

I'll add my $.02 for what it's worth...



I currently have a MK Maxxum 65. It was in the shop last year for repair, but it's also the first MK I ever put in the shop.

Pro's - composite shaft is almost impossible to break/bend. The maximizer extends trolling battery life. The breakaway mount is easy to adjust and holds the shaft well, no slipping. Variable speed output. It's a MK

Cons' - foot pedal is larger than MG, consider a recces if you can. The mount frame makes it hard to wire the transducer wire with out drilling/modification, so the wire just kinda hangs out. The motor is a "tad" louder due to the maximizer technology (digital).



If I were to buy another one right now, I'd still buy a MK. The two I'd look at is the new Edge 70 with the new shaft door opening for ease of removing the motor itself or a Maxxum with transducer built in for easy plug n play.



If I had the chance, I would test the MG digital DS (70 lb) for the sole purpose of the smaller pedal and built in transducer.

 

[davetnitro]

i have the MG 109 digital steering. it is very quiet, smooth. i have ordered the remote

control for it, so that when i go to the TM only, trout infested bass ponds, i can sit at

the console, while i blast across the pond, TM on high.



:lol:

 

[Larry Harp]

I would like to cast my vote for MinnKota too. I replaced the OEM Motorguide 43 pounder that came on my PT-185 with a Minn Kota AT-55 because it was the most umph I could get and stay with 12v. When the MG crapped out it was less than two years old and sounded like a Wal-Mart blender. The Minn Kota is in it's third year now and is still as quite as the day it was new. I have bashed it into more tree stumps, rocks, fence posts, shores, than you can count and once even into the crossbeam of the trailer when I tried to trailer the boat with the TM down.:wacko: In my opinion the composit shaft is the best thing since pockets on shirts. I have seen that thing bend to where you would have bet the shaft was permantly ruined but then snap back with out a scratch.



One more thing...I've never been a big fan of the chrome shaft on MG's. I was watching that Bass Tech show the other day. The guys had fixed a combination fishing and hunting boat for some kids. They camouflaged practically everything including the head and the motor of the Motor Guide TM....but there was that big chrome shaft shinning out there for every duck in the county to see.



There's my 2 cents spend how you see fit.



Harpo

 

[Greg J.]

...but there was that big chrome shaft shinning out there for every duck in the county to see.

I can imagine a duck turning to another duck and saying..."Doesn't that look like a Motor Guide trolling motor shaft over there?" .



Sorry, couldn't resist

 

[mike chip]

ive owned both, both are nice, just make sure you have the brushes cleaned every year on the mk espesically. Im sure people will say ive never done mine, but when i did mine it was like i added 10lbs of thrust.

mike

 

[Bill Hutchison]

I hear everyone talk about how good the Mk's are never tried one. But I have the MG 82lb digital Steering and love it don't know if I could go back to cable steering..

 

[Christopher Laurencio]

What about a city duck, they might actually be attracted to the chrome, you know the "bling bling duck"



LOL JK



:lol::lol::lol:

 

[Larry Harp]

Water, I'm no hunter but isn't that a big no-no...to have anything shinny showing when you're duck hunting? Seems to me that a shinny chrome shaft would put either duck or bass on alert that something wasn't right.



Mike C, tell me more about cleaning the brushes. Is it something I can do or would I have to take it to the shop? Wouldn't you clean the commutator and change the brushes?



Tex, sorry about highjacking your thread.



Harpo

 

[Al Greco]

I have had both and currently have a maxxum 74#. I think for your size boat this would be a good amount of thrust. It also has the delayed start which does not give you full thrust as soon as you stomp on the pedal. The MK in my opinion is much quieter and has a much stronger mount than the MG I had.

 

[TritonGlenn]

For several of the reasons listed above, I would highly recommend the Minn Kota Maxxum 80 or Maxxum Pro 80.... however, so far, I have not been satisfied with the built in universal sonar feature on my Pro 80US. With my Lowrance 102C up front, when I have the motor on higher than 50%, I get a solid line from surface to bottom on my fishfinder when I press the on button on the trolling motor. Other than that, the Minn Kota Maxxum and Maxxum Pro (non Universal Sonar models), is IMO - the best trolling motor on the market. I've had 4 boats that all came factory rigged with Motor Guides - the very latest one, with a Digital model. All four were noisier than my MK's. The non-digital models were very noisy, had noisy mounts, and I have never cared for the just "back and forth" protection of the Motorguides.... I think the 360 mount on the MK Maxxums are the best idea ever. I noticed this year that Motorguide came out with a new 360 mount, but I didn't see it on their Digitals. That, and their new Hydrilla Hacker prop may bring them up to competition status with the MK Maxxum, but I don't want to change over to find out.

All the best,

Glenn

 

[Texas Transplant]

Been a very good thread, which one comes to expect here of course.



I'll do some pricing, and take all into consideration.



Tex

 

[Jim B]

Tex, call Fosters Trolling motor repair. I know sometimes he had refusrbished Minnkota's at a really good price. It might be worth the phone call. You can get the phone number from thier website.
http://www.trollnmotors.com/

 

[william Clark]

Cabelas website also sells reconditioned MK's

 

[chris acuff2]

I agree with Jim B I just had my MG rebuilt this winter, it was a 50lb thrust when I took it in and had them put a new 70lbs head on pluss they went thrugh it and greased bearings replaced a couple of worn out parts for $210 its like new and quiet. Cheaper than a new trolling motor..

 

[Peter Wulfekotte]

I've had several different motors and I don't like MG at all. Problem and the shaft bends to easily. I presently have a Maxxium 101 and like it a lot. If I were going to buy today I'd get the MK power drive. With AP if I had the $$. EVERY motor has it's + & -. The PD has a low profile peddle, needs the least amount of "tending" while fishing and stays put when you let off the peddle. The AP is a great feature if you're an electric lake guy like here in NJ but if you use if for fishing and not "running" you can get away without it. I saw a lot of post a few weeks ago about balance and backs with the foot controls. I had a 12 PD/AP and loved it. If they made a 36 volt that's what I'd have gotten. Wish I would ahve gone 24 volt with the 74 or 80.

 

[Christopher Laurencio]

Pete, your going to need at least 24v for MC