Minn Kota Vantage Trolling Motor

[Benfishin]

I'm thinking of purchasing one for my 17 foot Lund Angler. Anybody have one? Thoughts? I'm looking at the one with 80lbs of thrust. What kind of batterie(s) are best? Any help would be appreciated before I spend the $1000.

[MuskyBug85]

i have the 101 on my 18 and 1/2 foot and it was a great purchase. i run interstates but thats because they were free, but i would put optimums in your boat if i was you

[MIDNIGHT777]

I just got my new boat and put a Vantage on the back. The boat is a 17.5 Alumacraft w/ 140 4 stroke. The Vantage is a 80 lb thrust model, 24 volt. I used the boat and Vantage yesterday and liked it. I used it to backtroll and keep position while on the river. I used it for a while and did not drain the battery at all. It is surely an upgrade from the Maxxium that I had on my old boat. This motor just seems more solid, with little or not vibration when running it. It also trolls at about 2.8 mph GPS speed if I remember right. I have heard you could troll cranks all day and not run out of juice??? I figured it was the best trolling motor I could get without having to upgrade to a kicker, which is what I really wanted in the first place. (save myself $1,000)

The auto raise/lower is a nice luxury to have. I plan on putting splash guards on the transom. I was told that the rubber from the splash guards will get in the way of the levers with the other motor models. I really think it is just a personal preference. Or making a decision weather the Vantage is worth the extra $$.

Hope this helps a little, Matt

[Toby]

Get the brain wet and its a $180 repair. The vertical shaft has a plastic gear that fails often. The minnkota repair shops are full of vantage motors. I couldn't even use mine for a boat anchor--its too heavy so I sold it on hsolist and got a gas kicker.

[Mille Lacs Guy]

I've had that same issue on my vantage. The guy I took it to was a Minn Kota authorized dealer and the guy was a moron. I told him excactly what he needed to fix, the control panel and he replaced something else that was a plastic housing or something similar that didn't need to be replaced and the motor still doesn't go up and down properly. I really think it is a great motor and hopefully after I get it fixed the problem will be solved for good. Someone told me that Minn Kota redesigned something in the motor so it will work properly even when wet.

[JWB475]

I have had mine for 2 years and it has been trouble free.

I love the motor (80lb/24volt), and it can pull my boat all over the lake with ease in any conditions(Alumacraft TP 185 Tiller).