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Hey guys, I recently purchased a 12ft tracker topper jon boat. specifically the 1236, the wide model I believe. I am looking to mount an electric trolling motor to the front. i’ve been looking at the minn kota edge debating on if it’s worth the foot pedal version or the hand control one. sometimes i’ve heard that the foot pedal can be a bit “much” for a 12ft jon boat since it does weight more. just wanted to see if anyone had any experience with this. thanks!

Hi There, I decided I wanted to try to put a trolling motor on my kayak and control speed and direction with a PWM. I'm running into a bit of a problem and for the life of me, i can't figure out what the issue is. I'm hoping someone on here may have seen a similar issue before and can help point me in the right direction. I have the battery, trolling motor and PWM all hooked up. I've created a wiring harness to extend the PWM controls to a smaller "remote" box away from the PWM so that I can limit the length of wire between the battery and the trolling motor so I can use 10 AWG with limited voltage drop. I'm using a Newport Vessels 55lb thrust kayak trolling motor with a VMAX 85 AH deep cycle marine battery. The PWM controls consist of a 3 way (forward, neutral, reverse), polarity reversing switch and a potentiometer knob to control speed. When I flip the switch to forward and increase the speed knob, the trolling motor kicks on and works as intended. I flip the switch into reverse mode, and nothing happens. If I manually reverse the power and ground wire of the motor at the PWM and test again, I get reverse working as it should, and no forward. It seems the like 3 way polarity reversing switch isn't working. Here's what I've tried / tested so far: 1. I've done continuity testing across the 3 wires in the switch and they all have good connection from one end to the other (all the way to the back of the pins on the PWM board and to the solder joints on the switch) 2. I've tested multiple switches 3. I've tested multiple PWM units / controllers 4. I've bypassed the speed / direction controls in the trolling motor head and wired directly to the motor itself 5. I've manually reversed the trolling motor power / ground wire at the PWM to make sure the trolling motor would run in forward and reverse directions at this point, the only thing I can think is that maybe BOTH of the 3 way switches are bad ? I have more switches coming from amazon today to test that theory, but if anyone has any other ideas I can try, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

I'll soon be rewiring my boat. As I'm primarily a river rat, my plan is to move the t/m battery forward, ditch the old MotorGuide and replace it with a new Minn Kota. I'm also going to add a new Garmin up front. From my reading, I may need to shield the wiring for the Garmin. What exactly does that mean? What do I need to purchase? Thank you for any help.

Looking to upgrade the trolling motor on my 2000 G3 Pro 185. I’m running a 2000 Yamaha V4 115. Pretty much set on the MK Terrova, but I’m unsure if 55lbs of thrust will be enough. I normally fish alone and I don’t load the boat with a ton of gear. Also unsure if the 45” shaft is the way to go or if I should go up to the 54”. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Hey guys, I am new to these forums, so I apologize if I did not post this correctly the first time. Hey guys, I am new to the forum here, but have used it for ideas and different mods on my Pelican Bass Raider 10E, so thank you for all of that. I was wondering if anyone has had any issues with the 8AWG wiring that is pre-wired in the boat. I have mine set up so that I can run my 55lb thrust MinnKota Traxxis in the back of the boat, and keep the battery up front. I am a big boy (275lbs on a good day), so as I stand towards the back/center, I can keep the extra weight of the 12V battery up front to keep things balanced. I recently purchased the TM plug to utilize the wiring inside. my second time out, the 40amp inline fuse melted, but didn't pop the fuse. After reading up on this, it seemed that this might have been because of a poor connection inside the fuse. To replace it I purchased and am waiting on a 40amp inline flat fuse holder which I am going to install upfront, closer to the battery. My concern however is that the 55lb TM may push too much amperage for the length of the 8AWG wire and the 40amp flat fuse i just purchased. Has anyone had any issues after switching to a new flat fuse with the fuse constantly popping, or still with the fuse holder melting. Any help would be appreciated from the #plasticboatnation!!! Thanks, Dennis

Brand new custom external mount for Ultrex. Never put in water. The mounted picture is from a buddies boat. $250 plus shipping Allows angler to spot lock and control the direction of panoptix. Use link below to access more photos. Email me if interested: hesster8@gmail.com https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8t7en1gyvr3f299/AAAr4DyvtIz3nYbZaIXHYXCha?dl=0

This might be informative to anyone with an electric Kayak or anyone who uses electric motors to power your boat. It's been talked about here in other threads, usually in relation to Kayaks. Last fall I installed a Pulse Width modulator on my two motor, minn kota 35 lb/thrust, electric catamaran. Homemade of course. (see lower thumbnail) I originally had one motor connected directly to 12 volts. The second used the 5 speed controller that came on the motor that I relocated to a console. The controllers have limited lifespan located outside of the motor for some reason. I had gone through two of them. The Pule Width Modulator is an electronic device that is basically a motor variable speed control. As I understand it, it sends rapid pulses to control the speed that is very efficient. For the first time I've put about 6 hours on it this spring and I must say, that if it holds up I'm impressed. And the thing is available on amazon or ebay for about 17 bucks. Many of them have a reversing switch wired in. Wiring and incidentals add another $5. And it's simple. Two wires connect from the battery and two connect to the motor. Screw down connectors marked motor + and -, and battery + and -. The variable resistor is smooth and very linear. i.e. it goes from 0 to max with a smoothly variable speed increase. Comparing it with my other motor which is turned on full with a switch or off, no in between. I'd say the PWM produces about 90% of the thrust of the direct connection. I expected that. The nature of the unit and the way it works should give about 10% longer battery life though from what I've read. This is the one I got. They come in many varieties. Look up 'pulse width modulator' on amazon. I chose this one even though I had to add my own DPDT reverse switch because it was 60 amps. Many of the others are 30-50.

Hello everyone, I'm a first time boat owner and I have to buy a new trolling motor for my boat. Is it possible to buy a trolling motor with the "Spot Lock" ability without having to dump another $3 grand on an Ultrex? The company/ brand isn't that important to me... I just want to know what kind of trolling motor models are out there that can do the spot lock thing, and those that are perhaps cheaper (ie Motor Guide). I know the Ultrex does, Im pretty sure theres a "power drive 2" from minn kota does as well but that also seems top of the line... What about a Fortrex? Can a minn kota edge do spot lock? Thanks for clarifying

Someone let me know if this is connected properly and will work and if not what is wrong with it? I dont want to ruin anything so im seeking help first. Note there is no power to the yakpower system and idk if that is needed or not for the plug in to function I was told it shouldn't matter as long as u have a battery for the trolling motor. Any help greatly appreciated ?! https://photos.app.goo.gl/6DqQ3FcnQ4v7T3CU6 https://photos.app.goo.gl/ewh5rgAhDB5A3nJMA https://photos.app.goo.gl/BFM8CNcWd5faspj78 https://photos.app.goo.gl/R5faWNxqAMgYiiRT8 https://photos.app.goo.gl/EKxa3fKVP7tWwPT38

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bWAFzRiZReFdLLtT6 Is this meant to connect to my trolling motor somehow or is it for the yakpower system? If anyone knows the particular name of this piece pls let me know. Trying to hook up trolling motor and the connections fit the fuse/breaker but not the terminals on the battery. Minnkota 55lb thrust comes with tiny connectors that won't fit one the battery posts. https://photos.app.goo.gl/f4ofvXXPhYDjJ5286

Foot pedal troller was running fine all day pulled it up to move spots and when I went to use it again I didn’t have any thrusting power. I can hear a relay clicking when I go to power it but the prop isn’t spinning. Weird thing is that I can still move the shaft side to side with the pedal. The prop spins freely by hand which leads me to believe there isn’t any line tangled in there. I’ve tried toying with the wires while it’s on auto thrust and still no luck. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Im pretty much a beginner with this stuff, so excuse me if I don't know much about what im talking about. I have a 10 ft boat, and now I have to figure out its primary means of propulsion. I already own a transom mounted trolling motor with 36 lbs trust and am trying to figure out if I could get away with that as the primary motor. The boat is very light and even fully loaded with 2 people shouldn't push past 500 lbs. Any input would be very appreciated.

Hi All, Looking into modifying a trolling motor to install at the stern of my Wilderness Systems Ride 135 over the winter. I have realized that it will require some MacGyvering to make everything work the way that I want it to, but for now wanted to focus on modifying the actual trolling motor. Last winter I put together something that allowed me to add a trolling motor to the side of my kayak (just behind and too my left). It worked well getting between locations, but having it at the side required manual adjustments from one hand on a fairly regular basis and turning or even going dead straight against wind, waves, current required oversteering in many cases – I think based on it being at the side vs. rear. I would really like to have it at the rear of my kayak and use the foot pedals to steer – more hands free to continue fishing… I have been doing a lot of research on this, but unfortunately am not particularly handy or mechanically inclined (accountant) – feel free to let me know if I am way off track or need to rethink everything… I have a Minn Kota Endura C2 38 lbs thrust that I plan to use for this purpose. I am planning to add a Pulse Width Modutor (PWM) – some additional reading = here: Unfortunately, I need something that can be shipped to Canada – so currently looking into: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/DC-10-55V-100A-Motor-Speed-Controller-PWM-Reversible-Control-Forward-Reverse/264569858292?hash=item3d9997a8f4:g:1x0AAOSwiX1d-MGd From my understanding – with a standard trolling motor – this would be installed between the battery and the trolling motor, leave the trolling motor control to 5 and then the PWM dial would then control the actual speed (100% variable) using the dial. If reverse is required, the above noted PWM has a switch that would need to be used… What I know so far: · I was planning to remove the Minn Kota head, shorten the shaft and extend the wires from the motor to my seat (approx. 5 feet). · Minn Kota’s instruction manuals provide a conductor gauge and circuit breaker sizing table. For 5 feet recommends 10 AWG. For most installations this would be extending just the positive and negative cables running between the battery and trolling motor. · The Endura has 4 wires running down to the motor – these are significantly smaller gauge than the battery wires that run external to the trolling motor itself. · Two of the cables are the +ve and -ve for power, while the extra 2, to my knowledge are designed to regulate the speed and convert power into heat as opposed to propulsion – which makes the trolling motor extremely inefficient – hence the use of a maximizer or PWM to improve the power consumption. What I am currently wrestling with: 1. Will I need 2 control units going forward? The PWM to allow for 100% variable speed control as well as the Minn Kota head set to setting 5? Or can I remove the Minn Kota head from the equation, tying the wires from the trolling motor directly into the PWM and use the PWM to control everything? 2. If the trolling motor head is no longer required and the PWM controls the power flowing from the battery to the motor, can the 2 “extra” wires that regulated speed previously be ignored? 3. I want to extend the wires from the trolling motor forward so that the PWM would sit either directly in front of me or to my left (position TBD but again ~ 5 feet should work). Effectively, my thoughts were battery connected to PWM using the existing battery cables that would normally run from the trolling motor to the battery. Then 5 fees of 10 AWG connecting the PWM directly to the shortened trolling motor via the existing smaller gauge wires. I think that is a good staring point for now. Thanks in advance for any assistance. Scott

I just bought a used minn kota edge 70. OMG new plug and receptacle and wire are expensive. Same total cost that I paid for trolling motor. I can't tell what wiring awg , no markings, that it has now for an OMC 24 volt trolling motor in the boat. It's got a 3 prong, blk, red and orange. Can I use the existing blk and red wires and just not connect the orange? I know I'll have to change wiring at the bow plate. I was hoping to just cut the plug off the omc and attach it to the minn kota. Of course I would track the red and black back and install a 50 amp breaker per manufacturer. They also recomment 6 awg wire.

I'm looking for a new trolling motor for my 16.5ft Sea Nymph Fishing Machine 161B and 2 trolling motors that i like are the MotorGuide X3 and the Minn Kota Edge. To the people who own both these trolling motors in the pass or present what are your pro's and cons about them?

i have 10' flat bottom jon boat and want to use a trolling motor as my main motor what size would i need to effectively push the boat?

Motorguide has introduced their new Tour models. The Tour and Tour Pro. Cable steer with anchor mode which is unusual and interesting, nobody else has done it. The price points seem more down to earth too which is good news. https://shop.motorguide.com/products/941900050.html

I have a 36v MinnKota Maxxum. 3 12v batteries ran in a series being charged by a MinnKota MK3150D. My first issue began when I noticed a drastic loss of power in the trolling motor. I traced it back to one of the batteries. Found out it had a NEGATIVE charge. The previous owner was actually charging the battery that ended up reversing polarity on a separate single bank charger and had the cranking battery in a series with 2 of the TM batteries. I thought the single bank charger went bad(I was told by the guy at the battery store) and fried my battery. I replaced the battery and was fine for a couple months(probably one or two outings) until the battery I just replaced reversed polarity like the last one and also fried another battery in the series(it's reading 170v.) PLEASE HELP! I can't afford to pay for diagnostics. I'm thinking that I had a bad connection between these two batteries in the series. Would that cause them to do this? Does how I have them hooked up to the charger interfere with them running in a series? Also found this junk wired between the 2 batteries in question under shrink wrap. My current plan is to replace all 3 batteries and all cables/connections but my boat is basically useless until I can afford to do this. Thank you for your help.

I've always brought my boat back to the garage and immediately plugged it into the onboard charger. I've always left the trolling motor and starter marine batteries plugged in 24/7 all year long, including during the winter with the boat in a heated pole barn or garage. I've had 2 boats, one with a high end Dual Pro Professional Series and low end Minn Kota charger. Someone said that you shouldn't leave it plugged in 24/7 if the onboard charger doesn't have a 'maintenance/trickle' charge function. I just assumed that all newer onboard chargers had maintenance/trickle charge built-in but apparently not. He said he brings his boat home, plugs it in until it's charged, about a day, then removes it. If he doesn't go out right away again he'll plug in the onboard charger the night before he goes out. Don't today's onboard chargers have maintenance/trickle charge feature and are meant to be left plugged in 24/7 all-year long? Even if it has a maintenance/trickle charge feature are you supposed to unplug it after it's fully charged? So, are you supposed to leave your Boat Batteries plugged in 24/7 all-year long on the Onboard Charger?

I just got a 14 ft alum bass boat I have a minn kota endura 44 lb trolling motor do i wanna have as deep as i can get or just below the bottom of the boat ?

Hi All, I am in the middle of doing work on my boat for the first time - new TM and Garmin at the console. I have replaced my old 12v 46 lb MG with a new 12v 55lb Terrova. It's all mounted up no problem, but have a few questions below: 1) The current wiring is 8ga and I'd love to just use the existing wiring with a new 60amp circuit breaker to replace the 40amp by the battery. Will this be ok or do I absolutely NEED to run new 6ga? 2) Would you recommend I buy a new MK plug and receptacle? Or can I cut off the old plug from the MG and splice it to the new power cables? 3) Where are most of you mounting your GPS puck? I plan to mount it on the outside console dash, just past the windshield. Any other suggestions? 4) How do you power your GPS puck? Are you running the power all the way back to the battery, or fuse box? Now a few on the Garmin install: 1) Since I am replacing the console unit, can I use the same power wire run by cutting the old unit plug off and splicing into the Garmin power? 2) Another dumb question - I have both bow and console units that are both powered by one set of power cables to the rear battery. How is this possible? I would expect to see two sets of power cables to the rear battery. What am I missing here? Thanks for the taking the time to read and entertain these questions. I am a total newbie to this stuff! Jason

I can't think of anything that they will improve on shallow water anchors, but I can see some with trolling motors, specifically Minn Kotas. I believe that Motorguide already makes a wireless foot pedal but I would like to see Minn Kota do it. I like to move my Minn Kota Ulterra's foot pedal around from one side of the boat to the other depending on what side the docks or shore I am fishing are on. It's a pain with a wired foot pedal like the Ulterra has. It would be nice if the Ulterra had a wireless foot pedal with hard-wired backup. Like you could just whip out your cable and connect it to the foot pedal and trolling motor with quick detach hardware if the wireless went out for some reason or the battery died. It would also be nice if you could quickly charge the foot pedal off of the boat batteries when you plug in your boat's batteries each night. I'd also like to see a "Summon" feature on the Minn Kota. This would be similar to Tesla's summon feature. So you could launch your boat like in the Minn Kota Ulterra commercial where the guy launches his boat and then guides it to the dock with his remote. However, with the summon feature you could just walk to the dock and hit the "summon" button and rather than have to manually guide the boat to the dock with your remote the trolling motor will do all of the work for you and come right up to the dock so you can keep your hands full with your tackle and rods that you are carrying down. Sort of like when the Silver Surfer summons his board by saying, "To me my board". You also don't have to worry about coming in too fast with your trolling motor and crashing your boat into the dock. What will the next improvements to Trolling Motors and Shallow Water Anchors be?

Hi I'm hoping to build a barrel raft pontoon 5m x 3m with a small cabin and a roof the the length of the raft and a small floating trailer with solar panels to a total of 3000w made of 12 250w 50.75 volts 4.92 amps panels and 4 200Ah 12v deep cycle batteries i hope to power 3 60lbs 12v 53amps 684w each trolling motors it should (hopefully)weight under 1000kg i would like to explore the murray-darling river system here in Australia which covers WELL over a 1000km's of river day light travel only is fine as I'm in no rush and 15km/h speeds would do fine if i could maintain that all day my quetions are #1 should this set up give me the power to motor all day in perfect conditions #2 will a trolling motor power all day every day for weeks or months at a time reliably sorry if I've forgot key info I'm starting from scratch here trying to build my knowledge any info would be appreciated p.s the pic is a build by the barrel raft boys love yah work boys

So I'm looking to upgrade my 1232 jon to something a little more stable. Have had my eye on a 1448 jon. Wanted to put a basic deck on it and add some seats, nothing to crazy. My question is would the 45 pound bow trolling motor and the 55 pound transom motor from the 1232 be enough to push the 1448 with a deck? With people, gear and deck most likely in the 500 pound range. Any input is much appreciated!