Trolling motor preferences....

[Stratosman]

I need to buy a new trolling motor this spring and was wondering what everyone's opinions are as far as Motorguide vs. MinnKota. I have owned two Kota's and one Motorguide. Had issues with Kota's foot pedals on two different occasions. The motorguide performed flawlessly for 3 years of heavy use without one issue, and it was 3 years old when I purchased the boat it was on.

I need a 24 volt cable drive. Leaning Minnkota again, for what reason I don't know though. Need some feedback and generally interested in others opinions on either.

[bassphish2005]

Well for starters,I use a hand control bow mount.......

Why???

I dont stand in one place in the bow,use an extention hand ,more comfort for me,foot doesnt get tired

I feel I have more pinpoint/quicker control with the hand control,I have had 3 differn't Minn Kota models,all worked very well,never had to worry about foot pedals/cables and all the stuff going bad on me,or getting in the way of my feet.

All I know it just works for me,and although some other basser's look at me a little funny,I guess it is all a personal choice

[Stratosman]

Really,

I always wondered how one can fish with a hand control bow mount....seems like all your casting time would be used up in maintaining position with you hand? Especially in the wind. Sounds like you have it dialed in though. Thanks.

[Try Too Fish]

Have you tried the CoPilot? clamp the remote too your rod! Run the motor from any where in the boat.or any where your rod is! I Love it! I also bought an extra remote and clamped it too the steering wheel spoke. Now i can run the troller from the captens chair. I have never liked the foot control!

[VMS]

The copilot does not work with Cable steer motors..

Steve

[iffwalleyes]

Minnkota are darn tough to beat. Their cable steer is very tough. The only think I like about the Autopilot and Powerdrive models is you have 18' of cable so you can run a bow mount from anywhere in the boat. This can be nice depending on your situation. The cable steer has an instant response where as with the powerdrive units the electronic steering can be slower but with a 24 volt system it is much faster than a 12 volt.

[eyepatrol]

The foot pedal on my powerdrive on my previous boat went out on me too. The boat I have now is a powerdrive, and I'm hoping the same doesn't happen. A few years ago the pedal cost $75 w/o labor. So it's a bummer when it goes out, plus any downtime from trolling with it. Still, I like the Powerdrive and hopefully the pedal on this one will last. You can fish anywhere from the boat, and the pedal isn't big and bulky like on the cable steers.

[Stratosman]

I need a cable drive for mounting the puck on the trolling motor, I know they have universal sonar but already have the puck transducer and can't justify springing for the universal....a guy can spend enough $$ they way it is..

Thanks

[marine_man]

Quote:

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I need a cable drive for mounting the puck on the trolling motor

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Why's that? You can mount a puck transducer on a power drive / autopilot without the cable drive

marine_man

[ChuckN]

Mounted several flashers and pucks on my MK Powerdrive/AP's over the years.. The cable will be loose and you have to guide the cable when raising/lowering the motor.

I've used the Maxxum (cable) and it's not my style.

I vote Minn Kota regardless of cable or powerdrive.

[Wayne Ek]

I vote Motor Guide. I'm on the water more than most folks and my trolling motor takes a real beating, both guiding and tournament fishing. More so tournament fishing. I ask that poor motor to pull that boat through more junk than even I can believe. It just keeps on working. One thing if you get a Motor Guide and are a shallow water angler, the new Hydrilla Hacker blade is a must have. It will go thru anything, maiden cane, dollar pads and everything else.

[Stratosman]

Simple...

Unless I am wrong, a power drives head roatates well beyond 360 degrees, how do you attach the cable to the shaft without it ripping off when you over steer the shaft? (which I always had a tendancy to do) Cable steer the shaft only roatates 360 degrees give or take and the head doesn't move...can't damage the transucer cable that way.

I am leaning Motorguide just becasue the last one was a workhorse without a single issue....

Thanks for the tips so far...

[Ray Esboldt]

Strat,

If you've been using a cable drive all your life, a PowerDrive type motor would drive you nuts. It's slow, you always need to look what direction it's pointing, and until recently the cradle system was not very user friendly. If you fish bass, you will want a cable driven motor.

I own a Minnkota Maxxum. It's been a good motor so far. In fact all of my Minnkotas have been without flaws for the last 8 years. I've never had one serviced in that time period. With that being said, I've talked to guys that have had good experiences with their MotorGuides over the last 3 years. I really would not hesitate to go either direction right now.

[iffwalleyes]

Ray's point is a good one if you are used to a cable steer stick with that. Yes a trans. cord can become tangled if you over steer.

[bassphish2005]

Nope,I set it and forget it,my hands are nomally free.I used my elbows/knee's to move the handle around.I use an extention handle to give me more reach.

I normally fish slow,just dont like foot control, it's all a personal choice for me.

[marine_man]

Quote:

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Unless I am wrong, a power drives head roatates well beyond 360 degrees, how do you attach the cable to the shaft without it ripping off when you over steer the shaft?

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You're correct here on the rotation, and it is a valid concern, however, if you wrap pass 360 degrees you'll also be wrapping your control cord coil around the motor head, which isn't good for the trolling motor either.

marine_man

[Rost]

I agree with Ray. A cable driven TM takes a bit to get used to, but after awhile it becomes a part of you. You steer in the directions you want without even realizing or thinking about it. It's awesome for casting, especially when fishing hazardous waters such as submerged trees. You can turn your TM 360 degrees in a heartbeat.

[Stratosman]

Exactly sir.

When I had the power drive I always seemed to wrap the sucker around farther than I should have, you know, not paying attention...had a cable on the last boat, loved it right from the start, kinda (Contact Us Please) proof in that regard...my type of setup! New boat now not equiped with bow mount but soon to be, cable drive an absolute must, Minnkota or Motorguide is the question....

Thanks for all the feedback guys!!!

[dkf]

I've had several Minnkotas over the years and all took a real beating on river rocks and kept coming back for more. I bought a Minnkota Vector 3X transom mount motor and it is absolutly horrible. By the third time out the bolt that adjusted the height seized up and I could not get it out. So I had to drill and tap it for a smaller set screw to keep pressure on the cheesey little key that keeps the shaft from spinning inside the housing. I had to machine an adjustable collar to adjust the height. Then by the sixth time out the direction indicator on the top stopped working. Just posting to maybe prevent someone else from spending over $400 on this POS motor. I'm definatly going to take a closer look at motorguide for my next purchase. It just seems everything is made so crappy now days you might as well buy the cheap stuff cause the more expensive models don't last any longer. I never had any problem with my powerdrive Minnkotas, except the pedal can be a pain to use.