Trolling Motors

[Cantstandya814]

Im in the process of putting a boat together for the river and was wondering what guys are using out there for trolling motors. I wanna make sure I get something strong enough for the current and whether to go with a 12v or a 24v system for a 16 ft. Lowe. Have been looking around and Minn Kota seems to be the way to go but there are many brands out there. These motors get pretty pricey and if im spending that amount of cheese I want something that I wont second guess when im on the water. If anyone had suggestions as to brand,thrust ratings,reliability..etc. I would appreciate it.

[toothyfishman]

I have a Lowe 14/48.
I got the biggest pound thrust I could get and stay on a 12 volt system to cut down on the weight of carrying another battery. My battery is mounted up under the front deck.
I got a Minn Kota Maxxum 55 pound thrust. When the smallmouth move into the current areas in the summertime I can spin the boat around facing upstream and set up so I'm bucking the current and staying right in one spot. Once I'm done fishing that area I get off the pedal, drift down to a new casting area and jump back on the pedal and maintain in that new spot.
There are times when the outflow is really cranking that it would be nice to have just a little more but we are talking up in that 15,000-20,000 outflow. That is a trip or two a year so no big deal there. Normal fishing conditions that 55lbs should be all you need.
I've owned them all and broke them all.........the stainless steel shafts of other brands just bend, the Minn Kota shaft that is unbreakable....WILL BREAK!!! They do replace the shaft for free but you pay the labor and the bearings and seals. I had around $100 in my repair but the motor was like $650 so not a bad deal. It is a tough shaft, you really got to mess up bad to break it...........LOL.....

Hope that helps you out.

[ttabaleulb]

I have one year under my belt with a MinnKota Terrova (12v, 55#) on basically the same setup as Toothy's. I spend most of my time on lakes with it and it does a great job. Also, I opted for the i-Pilot which is fantastic!! If you decide on MinnKota, definitely consider getting the iPilot. Also, the boat came with an older MinnKota 40# that worked great too. The main reason I replaced that was to get access to iPilot on the newer models.

[HD Fatboy]

And if the iPilot is too costly the autopilot feature is also nice to have. I have 64lb. thrust MinnKota on a 18.5 foot Crestliner, 24v system and I ran it testing it out on two different days for about 3 hours each to see if I could completely drain my power, but it did not. The autopilot is nice cause standing all the time with 1 foot slightly higher than the other becomes real uncomfortable for me. I have also read where this can lead to major back issues, knocking your spine out of line. just point the motor and something and press a buttom and the boat stays on that course!

My old boat had a 24v 64lb. Motorguide I was not impressed, it would troll for maybe an hour and it was dead. with new batteys also.

I agree with Toothy and ttabaleulb, 12v should be good enough in your boat.

[Cantstandya814]

That is good information guys! I have been looking at the Minn Kota Maxxum and a friend told me to look into the i-pilot setup. I wanted to stay with a 12v system just for weight reasons with the extra battery. Was wondering about motorguide setups but it seems they get a bad rep when you look at overall reviews. Just as you were not impressed with yours HD Fatboy many of the reviews are about early battery lifes. Was reading about the "unbreakable" shafts on Minn Kotas website and its hard to believe they wont snap or bend if you plow into a pile of shallow rocks. I will start looking for the best deals on the Minn Kotas now. Thanks for the information guys!

[lowbidder]

I second the I-pilot. I used it extensively this weekend with the high winds. It's basically the Autopilot feature with the addition of "spot lock" and "record a track" or whatever they call it. I use both functions a lot. Yesterday I fished a mile long stretch of bank that had both good shoreline structure and a deep dropoff. I trolled downriver with my TM in position and the "record a track" function recording. When we got to the end of the run, I just hit the "return to start" button, set the speed at .5 MPH and pounded the entire mile of shoreline without touching my TM again. It uses GPS to both keep you on track and adjust your speed for wind/current. Freakin' awesome technology.... worth the bucks.

[toothyfishman]

Cabelas is running some sales on a few motors, I just got a new marine flyer yesterday