Are modern Troll Motors 'better?' 2024
livemusic reply :
Bought a used boat last year, '97 17' Tracker with 40hp outboard with Tracker 30 troll motor, made by Motor Guide and says 37lb thrust. I don't fish if it's super windy; in light to moderate wind, I guess it pulls the boat okay. But it's old and it wasn't a high end motor when installed. Might be some mechanical problem I could fix, but if not, I'm wondering if I could buy a better motor and enjoy it more. Ease of steering a troll motor is crucial to enjoy fishing. Mine has 'slop' in the linkage, and I wonder if a more expensive, modern one would just be smoother anyway.
Anyone have an opinion? Are modern motors quite a bit better? If there is any model that steers great or has some newfangled super duper feature, let me know!
Bass newb reply :
They all need adjustment from slop that developes in time.
Chris at Tech reply :
All things being equal, I think you'd appreciate having more power for your boat.
And on top of that, I think the newer motors would do significantly better on battery consumption.
Bass newb reply :
I always thought that I wanted an ulterra or terrova but I bought a boat with a maxxum 70 and I love it...don't even want the other gps fancy electric steer model anymore.
junyer357 reply :
we just upgraded ours to a 80# 24v fortrex and wish we had done it sooner. The one it replaced still worked, and is stored as a spare, but its the origional OMC 24v motor that came on the boat in 93. went from 3 speeds to variable. HUGE change in battery life, much longer, as well as no longer problems with being between speeds in any condition.
Way2slow reply :
Modern technology has made them more powerful and more efficient, modern construction practices and cheaper materials have made them more problematic and subject to failures.
Further North reply :
On 3/2/2016 at 1:38 AM, livemusic said:
- Anyone have an opinion?
- Are modern motors quite a bit better?
- If there is any model that steers great or has some newfangled super duper feature, let me know!
- You're gonna get lots of opinions is my bet.
- Good gosh, yes. Much, much better. Everything the folks above mention and more.
- You bet:
- Minn Kota Terrova with iPilot and Link
- Minn Kota Ultera with iPilot and Link
- Motor Guide Xi5
Impossible to go wrong with any of them...but they're pricey. What do they get you for the money? The ability to not worry much about boat control and spend your time fishing instead of futzing with the trolling motor.
livemusic reply :
On 3/2/2016 at 1:51 AM, Chris at Tech said:On 3/2/2016 at 9:36 AM, Further North said:
- You're gonna get lots of opinions is my bet.
- Good gosh, yes. Much, much better. Everything the folks above mention and more.
- You bet:
- Minn Kota Terrova with iPilot and Link
- Minn Kota Ultera with iPilot and Link
- Motor Guide Xi5
Impossible to go wrong with any of them...but they're pricey. What do they get you for the money? The ability to not worry much about boat control and spend your time fishing instead of futzing with the trolling motor.
All things being equal, I think you'd appreciate having more power for your boat.
And on top of that, I think the newer motors would do significantly better on battery consumption.
I guess Ulterra is an upgrade? Do you know what it has versus Terrova?
WIGuide reply :
Any newer more powerful cable steer is going to be a huge upgrade. In the early to mid 90's a 55-60 lb thrust was thought of as being a pretty powerful tm where these days top of the line tm's are in the triple digits. The extra power comes in handy more often than not. Times when there's high winds, current, or even heavy boat traffic can cause you to not be able to stay on a spot, or continue to make headway in the direction you want to. Today's high LB thrust trolling motors will help you be able to do that and they do it at a better efficiency.
livemusic reply :
Adding on to my original post, my motor is very noisy and herky-jerky when I press the button to engage the motor. Looking at it, I am not sure where the slop is coming from. Anyone have this experience, can this be fixed? Is it worth it, or just forget it and buy a newer one with newer technology? I mean, if I buy a new one, do you think it would appreciably better to steer versus a 1997 model? Also, do you think you'd need to spend quite a bit of money to get smooth steering?
Fishing Rhino reply :
On 3/2/2016 at 1:51 AM, Chris at Tech said:All things being equal, I think you'd appreciate having more power for your boat.
And on top of that, I think the newer motors would do significantly better on battery consumption.
Especially true of the digital trolling motors.
tbone1993 reply :
I won't reiterate the information above as its been pretty helpful. Let's focus on the steering aspect. Do you enjoy the cable steering and standing like a pirate? If you prefer the cable steering I suggest you install a trolling motor tray to reduce fatigue. Most of the electronic steering units are low profile and you aren't off balance. With the reduced size there is a little less feedback. I feel like the electric steer motors are a little bit slower. This may have improved on the newer units, my experience is with the terra nova and powerdrive. Both are nice units but cable steering is more responsive. The spot lock features and ipilot are nice but not a necessity.
On 3/2/2016 at 1:38 AM, livemusic said:Bought a used boat last year, '97 17' Tracker with 40hp outboard with Tracker 30 troll motor, made by Motor Guide and says 37lb thrust. I don't fish if it's super windy; in light to moderate wind, I guess it pulls the boat okay. But it's old and it wasn't a high end motor when installed. Might be some mechanical problem I could fix, but if not, I'm wondering if I could buy a better motor and enjoy it more. Ease of steering a troll motor is crucial to enjoy fishing. Mine has 'slop' in the linkage, and I wonder if a more expensive, modern one would just be smoother anyway.
Anyone have an opinion? Are modern motors quite a bit better?If there is any model that steers great or has some newfangled super duper feature, let me know!
slonezp reply :
On 3/2/2016 at 8:36 PM, livemusic said:I guess Ulterra is an upgrade? Do you know what it has versus Terrova?
Ulterra and Terrova are identical motors EXCEPT the Ulterra is a self deploying unit rather than a manual deploy. Press a button on the remote and it deploys
Further North reply :
On 3/3/2016 at 9:20 AM, slonezp said:Ulterra and Terrova are identical motors EXCEPT the Ulterra is a self deploying unit rather than a manual deploy. Press a button on the remote and it deploys
There's one other difference, and it's the biggest reason I'm planning on upgrading: you can raise and lower the depth of the motor without having to go to the bow and fight with that !@#$%^& depth adjustment collar.
On 3/3/2016 at 1:41 AM, WIGuide said:Any newer more powerful cable steer is going to be a huge upgrade. In the early to mid 90's a 55-60 lb thrust was thought of as being a pretty powerful tm where these days top of the line tm's are in the triple digits. The extra power comes in handy more often than not. Times when there's high winds, current, or even heavy boat traffic can cause you to not be able to stay on a spot, or continue to make headway in the direction you want to. Today's high LB thrust trolling motors will help you be able to do that and they do it at a better efficiency.
What I marked in red: That, right there, is why I run a 36 volt system on an 1850 Crestliner. I could "get by" with an 80# version...but for the price difference, it was a no-brainer for me to go up to the 101 lb. motor.
Add extended battery life, and it's not even worth thinking about, for me.
On 3/3/2016 at 3:29 AM, livemusic said:Adding on to my original post, my motor is very noisy and herky-jerky when I press the button to engage the motor. Looking at it, I am not sure where the slop is coming from. Anyone have this experience, can this be fixed? Is it worth it, or just forget it and buy a newer one with newer technology? I mean, if I buy a new one, do you think it would appreciably better to steer versus a 1997 model? Also, do you think you'd need to spend quite a bit of money to get smooth steering?
Probably not worth it, IMO Everything about the new motors is so much better.
You'd be getting a lot more than smooth steering with the newer motor.
quanjig reply :
I want @junyer357 to sell me his old OMC trolling motor. For a 14' jon boat, those things are like gold!!
Ohio Archer reply :
On 3/2/2016 at 8:36 PM, livemusic said:I guess Ulterra is an upgrade? Do you know what it has versus Terrova?
The Ulterra has auto deploy and stow via the remote. It can raise and lower the shaft as you need it via the remote. Lots of videos out there on its capabilities. But along with those capabilities cost a much higher cost.
Fishes in trees reply :
The quick & easy answer to the original question is yes.
WPCfishing reply :
Buy a new T motor........
Further North reply :
On 3/5/2016 at 9:00 AM, quanjig said:I want @junyer357 to sell me his old OMC trolling motor. For a 14' jon boat, those things are like gold!!
I have one of those in my garage...it can be had for the cost of shipping to where ever anyone wants it.
...it is a 12/24 volt model...it worked when I took it off a '91 Lund Pro-V.
quanjig reply :
I will pm you!!!!Thanks!!
"hamma" reply :
I am in the process of upgrading to the ulterra now, .I own a 2000 16 ft tracker super guide v .which came with the same tracker 30 tm.,... just so you know the mount for that model sucks, its flimsey and weak, so after a few years I upgraded to a 12 volt 55 pd thrust powerdrive, (as the tracker 30 began to "fade").,.,.... light years ahead of the tracker 30. a bit different going from cable steer to electric but you get used to it and its a breeze,.
now,.. i got the i pilot link and am going to get the compatable hummingbirds so i get all the options from my upgrade,...expensive,?? heck yeah almost 6k (and thats the lower end model electronics),.... but worth it as my health isnt what it used to be and the auto deploy and stow is necessary ,... and seeing that i fully intend to fish well into infinity i need a upgrade and chose a final one
so to answer your question is the newer stuff better?,... heck yeah,,.. do some research, check out the videos on minnkotas site,.. plan out what you see in the future with this "new rig" how long do you plan on keeping this rig, what waters are you going to fish,.. rivers with strong currents will demand certain criteria, big waters will bash you around a bit with strong winds etc. So consider what amount of thrust you will need and exceed that a bit with your choice of motor,
heres a hint of the difference between old and new
my original tracker 30 i needed to be up on the bow physically manipulating my tm with my foot all day, After im done setting up the ulterra and hummingbirds?,.once afloat.i will press a couple of buttons and be guided around my local lakes by gps controlling the motor without ever touching the trolling motor or its footpedal at all. Barring incedents that require me to stop of course
livemusic reply :
On 3/9/2016 at 6:00 AM, Keith "Hamma" Hatch said:I am in the process of upgrading to the ulterra now, .I own a 2000 16 ft tracker super guide v .which came with the same tracker 30 tm.,... just so you know the mount for that model sucks, its flimsey and weak, so after a few years I upgraded to a 12 volt 55 pd thrust powerdrive, (as the tracker 30 began to "fade").,.,.... light years ahead of the tracker 30. a bit different going from cable steer to electric but you get used to it and its a breeze,.
now,.. i got the i pilot link and am going to get the compatable hummingbirds so i get all the options from my upgrade,...expensive,?? heck yeah almost 6k (and thats the lower end model electronics),.... but worth it as my health isnt what it used to be and the auto deploy and stow is necessary ,... and seeing that i fully intend to fish well into infinity i need a upgrade and chose a final one
so to answer your question is the newer stuff better?,... heck yeah,,.. do some research, check out the videos on minnkotas site,.. plan out what you see in the future with this "new rig" how long do you plan on keeping this rig, what waters are you going to fish,.. rivers with strong currents will demand certain criteria, big waters will bash you around a bit with strong winds etc. So consider what amount of thrust you will need and exceed that a bit with your choice of motor,
heres a hint of the difference between old and new
my original tracker 30 i needed to be up on the bow physically manipulating my tm with my foot all day, After im done setting up the ulterra and hummingbirds?,.once afloat.i will press a couple of buttons and be guided around my local lakes by gps controlling the motor without ever touching the trolling motor or its footpedal at all. Barring incedents that require me to stop of course
Keith, thanks for the post. I have been steadily thinking about this since my OP. Why? Because the way I fish, a troll motor is the most important feature on the boat! I use it more than anything. So, I am intrigued, and, like you, not afraid to spend some money. I might end up selling this boat and buying a newer used one or even a new one. And then upgrade what it needs if it's not new. Let me ask... let's say I come up a tree in the water and I catch one and want to stay right there, in that orientation. Can I have it hold that, and how do I do that? Foot switch or what? Will it hold that spot, with the nose pointed in the same compass direction until I click it off? Somewhat of an anchor feature.
Edit: 2nd question: I often fished scattered trees and Mother Nature does not make all of that a cast away. Some tempt you to crank the big motor and go, and some, you have to do that; it would just take too long to troll over. But... it makes me want to get the fastest troll motor I can get, so I can get there faster. Is there a limit for the size of the boat? It seems not.
slonezp reply :
On 3/9/2016 at 9:55 AM, livemusic said:Keith, thanks for the post. I have been steadily thinking about this since my OP. Why? Because the way I fish, a troll motor is the most important feature on the boat! I use it more than anything. So, I am intrigued, and, like you, not afraid to spend some money. I might end up selling this boat and buying a newer used one or even a new one. And then upgrade what it needs if it's not new. Let me ask... let's say I come up a tree in the water and I catch one and want to stay right there, in that orientation. Can I have it hold that, and how do I do that? Foot switch or what? Will it hold that spot, with the nose pointed in the same compass direction until I click it off? Somewhat of an anchor feature.
Edit: 2nd question: I often fished scattered trees and Mother Nature does not make all of that a cast away. Some tempt you to crank the big motor and go, and some, you have to do that; it would just take too long to troll over. But... it makes me want to get the fastest troll motor I can get, so I can get there faster. Is there a limit for the size of the boat? It seems not.
The Terrova/Ulterra Ipilot trolling motor has a feature called Spot Lock. In theory it will keep you within a 10ft radius once you engage it. It is more or less a deep water anchor and it does not take the place of a shallow water anchor. It has a foot pedal that you can use to control the basic functions. There is a handheld remote that controls both the basic functions and the advanced functions. The Ipilot Link allows you to network the graph(s) with the trolling motor which makes the Ipilot even more versatile. My favorite function of the Link is the ability to idle over a spot, mark the waypoint, deploy the trolling motor, and then troll back to the waypoint hands and foot free.
The only thing that would limit the size of the trolling motor is space for the batteries
Kevin22 reply :
On 3/3/2016 at 3:29 AM, livemusic said:Adding on to my original post, my motor is very noisy and herky-jerky when I press the button to engage the motor. Looking at it, I am not sure where the slop is coming from. Anyone have this experience, can this be fixed? Is it worth it, or just forget it and buy a newer one with newer technology? I mean, if I buy a new one, do you think it would appreciably better to steer versus a 1997 model? Also, do you think you'd need to spend quite a bit of money to get smooth steering?
What do you mean by slop? In the foot control steering, a delay in engaging the prop, or the whole unit flexing?
Probably best to just upgrade. Pick your brand, they are both good. Get the biggest 12V you can find or upgrade to 24V and have more power. Sell this one you have for $75 and put it towards the new one.
BaitMonkey1984 reply :
On 3/2/2016 at 1:51 AM, Chris at Tech said:All things being equal, I think you'd appreciate having more power for your boat.
And on top of that, I think the newer motors would do significantly better on battery consumption.
Ever since getting the Motorguide digital tour I would never go with a different brand. They have the variable speed which is a factor that can't be marginalized. With 5 speed motors you can really have a hard time finding the right speed for a given condition. Also, as mentioned above the digital motors have the ability to give you increased battery length. You need a trolling motor that is going to be able to give you power all day without changing batteries- these newer motors give you that ability. Not to mention, I am sure the steering mechanism have greatly improved. A brand new 82b thrust will give you plenty of added umph and is a modest investment at around $1000.
livemusic reply :
Anyone know... is there a general certain size that requires a 36v system?
And a 36v system, does it, literally, require 3 12-v batteries to run or do you just have 3 batteries instead of 2 for adding run-time?
slonezp reply :
3 batteries wired in series
"hamma" reply :
live,.... theres a spotlock button on the footpedal that utilizes gps to keep you on a certain spot, wind may move the back of the boat around, but the nose should be within 10 or 20 feet of the spot locked. As far as size of motor? i learned the hard way,...get the strongest you can (unfortunately i can only fit 2 batteries in that compartment)
Kevin22 reply :
On 3/10/2016 at 2:02 AM, livemusic said:Anyone know... is there a general certain size that requires a 36v system?
And a 36v system, does it, literally, require 3 12-v batteries to run or do you just have 3 batteries instead of 2 for adding run-time?
3 batteries, runs on 36 volts. You will probably also need to upgrade wiring if going from 12v to 36v. 36v takes 8 gauge minimum.
Further North reply :
On 3/9/2016 at 9:55 AM, livemusic said:Let me ask... let's say I come up a tree in the water and I catch one and want to stay right there, in that orientation. Can I have it hold that, and how do I do that? Foot switch or what? Will it hold that spot, with the nose pointed in the same compass direction until I click it off? Somewhat of an anchor feature.
Spot Lock will keep you in position...but the bow will orient into the wind and/or the current. I've found that if I think this out ahead of time, it's not a problem as I come up on the structure from a place that will allow me to do what you describe.
On 3/9/2016 at 9:55 AM, livemusic said:Edit: 2nd question: I often fished scattered trees and Mother Nature does not make all of that a cast away. Some tempt you to crank the big motor and go, and some, you have to do that; it would just take too long to troll over. But... it makes me want to get the fastest troll motor I can get, so I can get there faster. Is there a limit for the size of the boat? It seems not.
I run a 36 volt, 101 lb thrust trolling motor on an 18 1/2 ft. boat. Lots of folks will say all I "need" is an 80 lb., thrust 24 volt trolling motor. It wouldn't work for me...
You're only limited by how much storage space you are willing to give up for the batteries and charger(s).
I'm adding a 5th battery and single bank Minn Kota charger this year so I can isolate my starting battery from my electronics battery...I have the room, and it's worth it to me.
Further North reply :
On 3/10/2016 at 4:31 AM, Keith "Hamma" Hatch said:live,.... theres a spotlock button on the footpedal that utilizes gps to keep you on a certain spot, wind may move the back of the boat around, but the nose should be within 10 or 20 feet of the spot locked. As far as size of motor? i learned the hard way,...get the strongest you can (unfortunately i can only fit 2 batteries in that compartment)
I had that problem on a Lund I had - I put two batteries in one compartment and carved out space for the 3rd in another. The wiring was..."interesting"...but it worked great.
BTW, there is only a Spot Lock button on the foot pedal of the Ulterra.
On 3/10/2016 at 2:02 AM, livemusic said:Anyone know... is there a general certain size that requires a 36v system?
Not really. As I mentioned above. lots of folks are happy with a 24 volt system on boats the size of mine...I'm not. I have never, ever, been unhappy I had the extra power and battery life.
livemusic reply :
On 3/11/2016 at 5:33 AM, Further North said:Spot Lock will keep you in position...but the bow will orient into the wind and/or the current. I've found that if I think this out ahead of time, it's not a problem as I come up on the structure from a place that will allow me to do what you describe.
I run a 36 volt, 101 lb thrust trolling motor on an 18 1/2 ft. boat. Lots of folks will say all I "need" is an 80 lb., thrust 24 volt trolling motor. It wouldn't work for me...
You're only limited by how much storage space you are willing to give up for the batteries and charger(s).
I'm adding a 5th battery and single bank Minn Kota charger this year so I can isolate my starting battery from my electronics battery...I have the room, and it's worth it to me.
I don't understand why your 5th? You have 3 for your troll motor and one to crank, or what is the other one for, do you have one for fishfinder? That doesn't require much power does it? Or is it fishfinder plus everything but crank and troll?
Further North reply :
On 3/11/2016 at 7:52 PM, livemusic said:I don't understand why your 5th? You have 3 for your troll motor and one to crank, or what is the other one for, do you have one for fishfinder? That doesn't require much power does it? Or is it fishfinder plus everything but crank and troll?
Right now, I have three for my trolling motor, one that does double duty as my cranking battery and my electronics battery.
I want to separate those two batteries as a redundancy - I am often on lakes (Lake of the Woods, for instance) where I am both a long way from camp and a long way from any help...with my electronics potentially draining my starting battery I run a risk of not being able to start the big motor to get back to camp.
This actually happened last year - I had a short develop (it was fine one day, bad the next) in a charging cable for a remote that drained the battery to where the big motor would not start...it was a long ride back to the camp on the trolling motor - about 5 miles (another good reason for the extra capacity of the 36 volt trolling motor)...so now I want to separate them. I have the room and it's it's the redundancy up solution for me.
livemusic reply :
In my 17' (EDIT: Tracker aluminum) boat, if there is wind and a pretty good chop, the ride is not very good and the bow takes a beating. Let's say I bought a high end troll motor like an Ulterra. Do you think that motor could be secured such that it would survive for very long without tearing out of its bow mounts? That is one heckuva pounding on the bow in a chop. I don't like to fish wind much but sometimes I do and sometimes it comes up after I start the day!
junyer357 reply :
On 3/17/2016 at 8:34 PM, livemusic said:In my 17' boat, if there is wind and a pretty good chop, the ride is not very good and the bow takes a beating. Let's say I bought a high end troll motor like an Ulterra. Do you think that motor could be secured such that it would survive for very long without tearing out of its bow mounts? That is one heckuva pounding on the bow in a chop. I don't like to fish wind much but sometimes I do and sometimes it comes up after I start the day!
Not sure if you have a fiberglass or aluminum boat but what i did when installing our new fortrex should work. I used 4 3/8" bolts on ours got them plenty long to go through bracket and boat. A small flat washer under bolt head on top, and the widest fender washer i could find in 3/8", with a teflon locking nut. Alll the hardware is stainless steel, except for the fender washers. I felt they would be ok since i couldnt find any in stainless, and would be inside the hull. It only cost about a dollar more to use stainless over standard bolts, so why not on something that will be on water.
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