Trolling motor help

[xp600]

Hi,

I have a 16' deep-v aluminum boat. The trolling motor died over the winter and I've been borrowing a transom mount hand operated TM while I decide what to buy. The only thing I know for sure right now is that I will buy some sort of bow mount TM.

Because the internet is so full with information, often time contradictory, I have reached my capacity with "research". I went to Cabela's in Scarborough, Me and looked at the various types they had. I wish I could put them on my boat then decide which I like. I'm leaning towards the Minn Kota Powerdrive v2 with Autopilot.

I was hoping to pick something up in the $500 range but that seems low, very low when adding various options.

I'm thinking a 12volt system is sufficient, only because thats what was on there before.

Can you offer any advice on what to get or what I should consider as must have options? Or what to stay away from?

Electric steer vs mechanical?

Size wise I was thinking 70 pounds of thrust. Too much? Not enough?

In the past I mostly used it to bass fish in freshwater ponds. This year and for years to come I plan to use it while Striper fishing in the Merrimack and Great Bay/Piscataucau. Does that mean I should only consider a salt water version? Can I use the MK PowerDrive V2 in the salt water?

I've read an awful lot of reviews that say the MotorGuides are no good, but there were plenty of people who aren't happy with their Minn Kotas either.

Thanks for any help and if there are more questions to consider please let me know.

[Striperjim]

xp
I did a search on the subject on Joes (Roccus) posts.
Read here what he says about it.
Search Results for thrust

Skip the first thread on Boats

[54EXPRESS]

I have owned both Motorguide & Minn-Kota. IMO Minn-Kota is the way to go. My Motorguide had cable steering, hated it. Got stiff at times and could never figure out why, I would manually turn the motor sometimes in a complete 180 and it would be fine, others not so lucky. Currently I am boatless, however I have a few friends that have Minn-Kotas with the Auto Drive and remote steer and they love 'em. That will definately be my next one. Can't be of much help on the saltwater issue.

[Wingnutt]

Having owned several Minn-Kotas, all I have to say is that the Powerdrive ( you can always add the co-pilot feature later) is the way to go! My old boat weighed in right at 3000# and a 12v 50# thrust unit moved it OK. It had a little difficulty in a high wind, but I attribute that to the large amount of freeboard the boat had. IMHO, 50 to 70 lb of thrust should move you along quite nicely.

[Reel Force]

Ok my 2cents ... I gots a Minn Kota on my boat not the auto pilot but the same base - first ya have to pull the release handle then push the shaft out out ( which sticks a lot ) end up pounding it out with your fist .... ok now that it down it's time to get it aboard ... another release button and have to grab the shaft or the top of the motor and pull up (no rope) then pull and push down to bring it in then pull hard on the shaft to lock it in (and if it's not locked in and ya stop hard enough in boat or trailering it it will shoot forwards ) what a pain in the a$$ !!! Make sure whatever trolling motor ya get it has a cord !!! If ya want I'll take a video of mine and show what a pain it really is .... my 2 cent - Thanx.

[RJinHull]

i had Minn Kota power drive
the circuit board messed up and it would only turn one way

and like Reel Force said

"ya have to push shaft out out ( which sticks a lot ) end up pounding it out with your fist .... ok now that it down it's time to get it aboard ... another release button and have to grab the shaft or the top of the motor and pull up (no rope) then pull and push down to bring it in then pull hard on the shaft to lock it in "

the only thing that was nice is you could move the control to any place on the boat (it had a 15' cord)

[xp600]

Hahahaha - just like all of the other reviews I've been reading - Minn Kota, MotorGuide, Minn Kota, Motor Guide, Miller, Miller Light.

In all seriousness, thank you for your feedback. At this point anything is going to be better than what I have

[inbred]

You aren't likely to find a 12v motor over 55 lbs. Anything above that is 24v territory. Need to ask some more questions to really advise you. Are you one of the few folks like me who actually use a trolling motor for trolling? If so, you do not want cable steering. Slow trolling from the back of the boat you will want power steering with a long cable to get the control to the back of the boat. You will also want the autopilot feature. It will allow you to stop worrying about making constant course corrections and focus on your spread. It can also allow you to hold a stationary position in a current without anchoring. The wireless remotes are nice, but the limitation is that they only have a set number of speed settings, so they lack the infinite control of a foot pedal. On my last boat I had a 12v 55 lb non-autopilot powerdrive. Loved the motor, but the whole time I had it I wished I had spent the extra money on the autopilot. Anyone who tells you that it's not worth it has likely never had one. Downside about autopilot is that the constant corrections will drain more battery, so it can cut down on your usable time on a single battery 12v. setup.

If you are sitting up on the front deck, fishing 'bass' style, about anything with ample strength will do you fine.

Despite what you may read from manufacturers, the only real difference between standard and salt water motors is the paint color. But, the second you put a standard motor in salt water, you void its warranty which is not a good thing on an item this spendy.

The painful launching of powerdrive motors others have described is the old version. The new V2 version has a very different launch that is much, much improved over the original version. I've owned both. They got it right this time. Is it as simple as a rope? no. But, if you need the features of a powerdrive type motor, you likely aren't stowing and deploying the motor repeatedly like a bass fisherman is.

Minn Kota vs. Motorguide, you will find people who swear both by and at each one. Brand should be whichever one has a model with the set of features best suited for what you need it to do.

Fishing style dictates the features you will want. It also plays a part in the size of that model you will want. Style combined with boat size will dictate size.

If you can explain your planned fishing style and boat more (weight, model, etc.) it could help people make a better suggestion.

I had a 12v. 55# PD V1 on a 16' x 72" deep V and could troll all day at 1mph in calm water. Could max it out up to about 2.5, but it would drain the single battery fairly quickly. On my new boat I have a 24v. 70# PD V2 Autopilot on a 16'8" by 93" alum. deep v, and it will slow troll ridiculously long, but still give me hours of run time trolling at 2 mph. Probably maxes out over 3 mph, but run time would be much shorter. Usually for anything above 2 mph I use the kicker.