Trolling motor options.....

[Wade2131]

Looking at buying a new trolling motor for a G3 1860 DLX CC.

I am down to a Garmin Force or a Minn Kota Ultrex. Big difference in price and technology.

I use Garmin electronics, and do a lot of line line trolling, and some live scoping treetops as well.
24 volt system

Just don't want to make a $$$ regret buying the wrong TM.

There are so many internet opinions on the good/bad on each TM hard to weed out truthful reviews

[Soonerdg65]

I have the Minn Kota Ultrex and I run Garmin electronics. I have no issues with this set up in the way i fish. I made the decision on the Ultrex strictly because it was cheaper. I felt like I could live without the features that I would gain for the additional $1500. That said, if you have the funds I would recommend going with the Garmin so that you can network it with your graphs. Especially for long line trolling as you can make your TM follow a particular path or even a contour line on your GPS.

Thanks my 2 cents

[Micanopy]

I am wanting the Garmin myself. For me it is about battery life and not needing to purchase lithium batteries. Also, the quietness of the unit. I long line as well and the TM has to go past the fish before you can catch the fish. I might pull the chicken switch and go with the MK though. Hope this clears things up for you. LOL

[220cst]

Nothing wrong with Minnkota they work great. I have a 22 ft Ranger center console with a 80lb thrust. No problem at all with battery life in a 10 hour day. Garmin trolling motors just seem really expensive.

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[KrappieKrane]

With the two techniques you listed of LS and pulling, I would go with Garmin for quietness. My MK is pretty loud on the water, and when trying to go in stealth mode, I have to mask it with a constant noise so I don’t spook fish. Either way, both are dependable with a good reputation.

[Hammmerhead]

I went from Minn Kota to Garmin. I love the Garmin, but there are a few things I like better and a few things I dont.

It is very efficient, strong and quiet being brushless.

It is picky and smart when it comes to getting plenty of clean voltage. If your wiring is old, too small for the length of run or you have a weak battery that possibly has a dead cell, it will let you know its not happy with a warning light and can shut itself down if its bad enough.

The pedal and its movement takes some time to get accustomed to and the unit can be a bit jittery at times during when making minute or intricate adjustments trying to stay on one fish. The pedal tension can be adjusted and it holds this setting well.

The remote is pretty unintuitive, even after 2 years of use and the mapping inside it LED readout for its different settings is far from user friendly without some practice and memory. Having said that, I rarely use it with my current setup, so no biggee for me there.

Its built like a tank, but the heaviest of all trollers on the market I think. I have whacked it so many times on submerged trees hitting the skeg and flexed the shaft, I cringe to think about it, but nothing has cracked or broken and I did blow up a shaft collar on my old Minn Kota from this.

It needs to be updated from time to time and although its infrequent enough, I still scratch my head on occasion getting it done.

It is a powerhouse and will pull my 21' hull just a hair under 4mph consistently and with just 24V.

A lot of people have had various issues with them, but I have had none since bolting it on.

My spot lock works and has not given me any issues like some, but I do feel like my old Minn Kota held its position a tad more accurately, talking 1-2 feet accuracy.

All in all, I would go back with another Garmin Force just because I think it is the best built out there and I really like having the large pedal cable gone which would be the same for some models from other manu's, but a heavier built pedal and a remote with larger buttons and icons for frequent used actions would be a huge benefit for most. My old Minn Kota remote was so much easier for anyone just to pick up and use, but I dont spider rig or long line anymore, so thats that.

[blueball]

Call performance fishing electronics,there now a board sponsor if you decide on a ultrex.He just got a couple instock,they have been hard to find.He also sells garmin and lowrance so he can get you either one of those too. 7314418965 is his number,thanks

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[slabbandit]

So far, I'm really happy with my 80 thrust 24 volt Ultrex on my new Ranger 188P Aluminum rig. Spot lock is really nice when dealing with a caught fish and not spooking the rest that may still be there.

[Bricks]

I have the Minnkota Ulterra I-Pilot Link self deploy and will never go back to manual deploy, for some and the way they fish it may not work. The only draw back is you cannot mount anything else to it ie Mega 360 or Live.

[BuckeyeCrappie]

That’s why I went with an Ultrex Bricks.