On the Trolling Motors
Well, here you have an opinion. An opinion that carries some validity we would hope. Since I began bass fishing I have had no less than 55 different trolling motors from a quick memory jog, that is no less than. Those include Ram, Silvertroll, Byrd, OMC, Mercury/Mariner, MotorGuide, PinPoint, MinnKota plus a few more that most would never know about. I have operated them all with varying degrees of difficulty and problems. The first bass rig I ran solo was a Deluxe Tournament in Red with a 70 Johnson, and it had a Silvertroll. The one I have now is a MotorGuide 109.Bass Cat Boats has no preferred trolling motor contract. No company is paying us or giving us a special deal to secure the trolling motors on the bow as standard equipment for a Bass Cat or Yar-Craft. Those contracts are out there and we preferred to not have one in 2013 and have not had one in years. We can hang any troller we want as standard equipment. There have been efforts to get a troller as standard equipment in this company as late as 60 days ago. Over that time period many of you will say I never own one enough to see issues, though in this case we are talking about fairly new units. And before you pass judgement the most I operated one boat was the 1988 Sabre with a Mariner 150 Mag II, that one have a 767 Hand Control which I passed on working and sold to Scott Boaz. That particular rig I ran for about 12 months and I burned a total of 47 gallons of oil through that engine. Think about how long it would take any of you to burn 47 gallons of oil, documented and from the same drum. This folks was a 150 too and they didnt do too bad. Other boats Ive run have seen similar amount of use when I had them. One of the most enjoyable ownerships I had was a 1997 Jaguar and 225 EFI Mariner I swapped a person out of in a dealer situation. That rig I kept for about 18 months and it was well used when I got it in 2000. That one had a TR 77 in 36 volts and it worked just great. I really enjoyed that one as I did not have to worry about any incidental scratches and bruises as everyone expected them on a three year old boat. At times I have has two boats and used a 200 at home and 150 in BASS, of course now this is a 250 and 350 situation. We also have a 200 tiller now with Yar-Craft with an iPilot Minn Kota. Back when I was competing in major events and minor events I never really completed too many seasons as the factory would conflict. If I did I often would miss a practice and just show up. Though I did manage to compete rather frequently and somehow managed to have spent more days just fishing than most any of you will in your lifetimes. Even qualifying for a couple of what is now the Elites and then the Top 100 Tour of BASS, and fished one year. Those days are filled with many friends and memories of everything from cotton mouths to alligators, manatees and seagulls. They also were filled with many memories of issues on those various brands of trolling motors. One of the most memorable was at Lake Mead with Charlie Murphy of Palatka, Florida, we were way above Temple Bar on my fish with a busted OMC cable the second cast. That day was a nightmare from the start and I still am reminded daily of this one. Often in those older BASS Invitationals we would draw out someone who had a different brand we would end up operating in those draw events. That leaves one with a whole bunch of experience in everything you can think of. You name it Bullet to BMG we have seen them all. Which also means we have seen many various trolling motors. There is little I have not run myself in trolling motors. I have run 12 volt Mercury trollers on 18 volts, MotorGuide TR 70s and TR-75s on 32 volts, TR 82s on 36 volts and more. Anything that would give a competitive edge at that time I have pretty much tried to do it. Sharpened aluminum blades, changed bearings, shaved armatures, Revised boards, Frank Woodleys SS capped props to Kipawas and on and on. One time a friend and I built a Minn Kota lower end and a Mercury upper half for steering. That was a project and it worked till he sold it!Over that course of time I have had issues with cables, pulleys, wiring, [you can quit here on this paragraph it just lists issues] switches, button caps, micro switches, button switches, reostats, indicators, pivot doors, bracket mounting (hate rubber T mounts), lighted indicators, foot pedal sticky grip, upper gears, lower bearings, upper pulleys, upper PC boards, lower nose cones, electric motors, brushes, seals, propeller balance, pivot arms bolts stripped, bracket locks slide, backets lock to stay down, brackets lock to drive with the shaft in the air, twisted brackets, E Clips, lock down pins, four (4) spring trap doors, mount pulleys, hinged shaft pulleys, tension cables, broken end pieces, floating lock pins, stomp boxes (high beam swithes), stomp switches independent, rubber booted on off switches, rubber boots on switches, switch cover plates, cables rubbing wiring, Rack and pinion slides, broken single cables, 12/24 switches, seals on shafts, water in housings, and on and on... Ive used about every method one can imagine to get by a day on the water with a busted TM of all brands. [move on]As it think about all the trollers I have run, and all the experiences I have had, some of the worst were not necessarily the worst trolling motors by claim of others. Trolling motors are a preference and you either like the way one works or you prefer another. Today there are only two options whereas in the past there have been about a half dozen at times. The market is just that small in our world today and the smaller market has driven out others as they can not exist. At Bass Cat Boats we have aboout 10 or 11 factory boats and one Yar-Craft 2095 BTX. The 2095 BTX has a Minn Kota iPilot in 101/36. The other boats used by sales staff or in house gurus are all MotorGuide. Most of the staff runs a TR-82 version in 24 volts. I have TR 109s now and Ron has a couple of TR 82 motors on his two rigs. That means we all prefer MotorGuide over Minn Kota for what we do here. If we were in Florida or at Guntersville all the time we probably would consider a Minn Kota for many of our uses, though we arent and in the more open water we fish, as well as the skinny water I usually fish, we just seem to all prefer Motor Guide. And no one gives me a break on one or a free trolling motor, we buy ours just like we buy yours. There is room for a much better trolling motor today and there is the room to charge what one would cost to produce. If we spend in excess of $7500 in electronics with side imaging, GPS, a link to satellite stereo and everything just short of ESPN, we danged sure have the need to improve trolling motors greatly. With the market shrunk to where it is and the amount on R & D dollars restricted based on that, we dont think anyone is working on the ultimate trolling motor today and we have tried with both companies to grasp this concept instead of the newest revision of a power anchor or a depth seeking troller. The dollars that have been spent there would have put one ahead of the other in bass fishing propulsion. We dont see a new player coming right away and we do not see any improvements soon by the other two. Thats all and they all break! It is your preference as to which one you want to run and we offer those for you. Take your pick Minn Kota or MotorGuide we offer them both. Thanks, Rick
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Well said (of course). With a company like Bass Cat you get options…..96 Eyra/12 Mercury 175 Pro XS with 2015 single axle trailer2017 Victory Gunner
A well written piece. Although I have not had the opportunity to run as many trolling motors as you (Rick), I do remember the brands you mentioned and have also worked on OMCs, Minn Kotas and MotorGuides (how many, I cant tell you) from 12V to 36V. As I tell those that ask me, which one is better — I simply state that I see problems in a both (as we know OMC is not around anymore), but both trolling motors are good motors, each with their inherent problems and each company seems to be trying to address these problems. In my humble opinion, MinnKota is trying a little harder to address problems then MotorGuide, especially on certain issues. I do not get a “comp” from either company, and my wife makes me purchase the trollingmotor from “us”, to keep inventory straight. When asked what I run, I have a MinnKota on the front of the Puma. As Rick stated, Basscat doesnt “come” with a particular brand trollingmotor, (and I completely respect that decision as a choice) but offers both and in doing so, has a one size fits all recess to fit both the MinnKota and the MotorGuide. On trolling motors (both brands), mounts are going to get loose (some quicker than others), steering cables are going to break, variable speed modules/control boards are going to go out, MotorGuide shafts are going to get bent; MinnKotas are going to break, switches are going to go out, and seals are going to go bad and allow water intrusion (maybe job security ). Sorry for the ramblinJohnLast edited by JonesTrollingMotor on September 9th, 2012, 3:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.Jones Trolling Motor Services870 773 3474Motorguide/MinnKota/PowerPole/Lowrance/Humminbird
It is to bad that a small company cannot afford what it takes to design and build the ultimate trolling motor and put the rest out on their ear. But just like any thing else most wouldnt support it because of the cost. They would much rather invest a little and live with it because it still works for the most part no matter it is a POS compared to what it should or could be. Some could see an extra 500.00 or even 1000.00 investment as very beneficial, but most anglers are a wkend a month type that wouldnt see the benefits that a true quality trolling motor would provide. A big screen tv on the bow looks so much cooler and makes a Jones statement. I for one would rather have the performance in a trolling motor that would be there when I need it, when I say performance I dont mean just power. These damn things are still in the stone age comparatively speaking to all of the other options we have hanging off of these boats. Ill garauntee you if the military had a need for a trolling motor you could only dream of where they would be at today with the stealth, performance, and dependability that would be demanded. BrianBrianHAWG Hunter2013 BassCat Eyra2013 Mercury 250 Pro XS Gen2 L/U
I love my MK motor over all but I miss the foot pedal on my MG, a lot.
BassCats your position is duly noted with TM offerings and am all good with your objectivity toward branding and appreciate you offering options and choices. Heck, because of your openness with options I can get a BassCat boat with a Yamaha on it. Im thankful for that because my loyalty is to my dealer not Yamaha and you providing options extends inclusions that brought me to and keeps me in the BassCat family. Now if Yamaha had some real performance and longevity issues then my relationship with my dealer would force me toward a different direction. However, that is not the case. Im glad your are not 100% motor centric that could potentially eliminate many like myself to be in the family. So thanks for expanding the family and making the “doctor peppers” in the crowd feeling included to something special, your boats! Same can be said for TMs, Electronics, etc…..Trolling Motors:Due to recent posts I feel there are real systemic issues centric to MG TMs. Also, I have read many reports googling over the internet with new owners open to trying MG or allegiant owners to Motorguide reporting the same noise rattling issues but being much more verbose with negative comments. Some will claim this is a Ford/Chevy debate but to me doesnt fit and is nothing more then a distraction that takes away from real current challenges with Motoguide. This is not about branding but real ownership disappointment with MGs TMs making rattling noises when thrust and power is engaged. Heck, pro KevinShort has documented fixes that validate the issue. Now if making this noise is not a concern upon initial surge then more power to you, life is good and BassCat offers Motorguide TM as an option. The branding distraction continues. If folks want to engage in MK comparison only distracts the issue with Chevy/Ford follies. Also, I never had that issue with my past number of boats discounts people with real issues. Trust me you dont want a TM that makes a rattling noise when you are flipping grass. This is about owners with MGs who are disappointed with their TMs making rattling noises when power and thrust is engaged. I feel confident it will get resolved and feel BassCat and their valued resources (boat owners) shouldnt be the source to the solution. I truly am thankful for the support and direction BUT Motorguide has been WAY TO Quiet toward their current MG owners. BassCat what has MotorGuide said to you all about these issues? To me this is the big sin that can draw parrallels to owners with Etecs. Perception will grow that has really hurt BRP and its a matter of time that perception COULD impact Motorguide. Trust me on this I want Motorguide to be successful I have nothing against them. Heck, I made the switch with excitement because of cost savings vs MK. However, right now Id race to the front of the line to pay extra vs my current ownership experience. So Whats the Fix?Thats up to Motorguide now.As an end user here is my most important expectations with TMs all things being equal to basic operations.Motor needs to be stealth QUIET. No rattling or shifting noises at anytime with the exception of deploying and retracting your TM. Nothing less!!! Motorguide lets start the process. Ill hang with ya if you do.Last edited by Flyswatter on September 9th, 2012, 6:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ive always had MG until my new to me Puma came w/ a MK. So far I like it. The MK seems to do better in the thick grass then my MG did.
I have a motorguide digital tr82 24volt and it is awesome! I cant imagine owning anything else, John
Very interesting info Rick. While I havent had nearly as many trolling motors as you, I have had one MK and 5 Motorguides. I do prefer the Motorguide. That being said, the best two trolling motors I have ever used, (both were on friends boats) was the old Silvertrol and OMC.
Good read. like the stories of past.i would agree about the use of MK on guntersville and MG in the open. i would like to see MK come out with a new power prop for open water like a 2 blade or a 3 blade for the shallows. MK needs prop options. im not so fond of the weedless wedge wile say ledge fishing. i have run 2 MGs and like the prop options.dont know what the options are for the 109s. i never really had any problems out of any TM other than a foot switch.maybe i take care of my stuff better or have been lucky with all my tools. with all this TM talk i have been shoping and looking.if a new boat is not in order soon then a new TM will be
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