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Posts: 332
Location: Neenah, WI | Just wondering opinion on Motorguide - WS75 60 in shaft Vs Minn Kota with AutoPilot PD 2.
I believe Minn Kota has some quality Issues . Just wondering thoughts
SAINT 1 |
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| personally I would never use a motor without autopilot...that feature saves you lots of dancing around on the pedal....I'd go Minn Kota hands down...
I have had great luck with the APs I have owned... |
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Posts: 4266
| I used Minn Kota since the 70's, and when I bought my last boat it came with a Motorguide. The first week out smoke was pouring out of the foot control. I took it back to the dealer on a day that "The Motorguide Guy" would be there and he replaced everything under the foot control and gave me extra pieces in case it happened again. No explanation besides "something got hung up I guess". It happened again less than a year later, and the last time that it happened it melted everything under the foot control. I say "last time", because it went right in the garbage right after that. I have a new Minn Kota on the bow to go with the transom mount motor that I've been using since 1980. I'll pay for a Minn Kota before I take a free Motorguide. |
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| i've seen MinnKotas blow up, i've seen Motorguides take a dump too.
i know people who swear by autopilot and others who will only use cable steer.
just this week i saw a very expensive Terrova go crazy, start spinning out of control and cut its own transducer wires. does that mean they're all bad? nope.
i've used a couple different models of Motorguide trolling motors the last few years, all with electric (non-cable) steer. i've loved them and had no real significant issues. the wireless foot pedal is a great feature, and very convenient.
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | I'm a MinnKota guy. My boat now came with a Maxxum which works fine, but just tonight swapped it out with a Terrova with CoPilot from Thorne's. I like MinnKota and they've never let me down.
Jeff |
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Location: Twin Cities | I've had a lot of problems with the Minnkota I bought last year. It's been in twice for warranty and still has a problem running on the highest setting. After about a minute on "10" it will just shut off and after about two minutes off, it will turn back on, even if I have the switch turned off....it's going back in again... |
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Posts: 191
| I like the minnkota for the shear fact that everything is in the board. When your board goes (about every 2-4 years) and your AP goes batty you just put in a new one. They cost 50-100 depending on the model. My 2 stints with a motor guide where not good. One started a fire when the battery cables melted running it on high for to long, and the other had a phased out motor.
Jredig, what guage wire do you have running to the motor? I had a similar issue on a boat where the boat came with only 10 guage wire for the batteries to the front and I keep blowing my circuit breaker because the amp draw was to high on full power. Then when the auto reset kicked in it would start where it left off. I replaced all my wiring with 4 guage to the plug and never had a issue again.
chris |
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Posts: 332
Location: Neenah, WI | I was really wondering if anybody else has cocerns about there service, I recently had a issue and after speaking with Minn Kota on the phone . I am not very happy with there service and warranty. FYI.
If you have a motor that is out of its warranty period and you need to buy a new footpad (POWER DRIVE) .You can place the new foot pad on you motor and if it breaks after 10 minutes of use It has no warranty as a new replacement part due to the fact they claim it could be something else that took out the footpad.
As a manufacture myself i can understand this policy.
However , I then posed a question that if i take the motor to a authorized service center and they check out the motor and find everything is okay with the motor.. and you place a new footpad on the motor from the service center, there still is no warranty on a brand new replacement part even though it was just ok'ed by a factory trained service center.
SAINT |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | THIS IS NOT A BASHING POST! I'm a MinnKota and Lowrance repeat customer (as recently as last week on both).
With that said, I'll say this: I think this is the nature of the business. People rant and rave about Lowrance, but I use Lowrance and have two on my boat and just bought a new 27C. I like MinnKota and just bought a new Terrova. I accept the fact that I just dropped all of this money and I may be left hanging out to dry if something goes wrong. They're both brand new and under their respective warranties, but the fact of the matter is that we're dealing with overly large corporations who are owned by other companies and they all have bottom lines. MinnKota and Lowrance both know that our choices are slim. Motor Guide or MinnKota. Lowrance, Humminbird, Garmin. That's pretty much it. They've got us, and if we don't like their product or service, they know there's 1,000 customers in line behind us who will. We need their product worse than they need our business is what it comes down to. Same as getting warrantee work done on a Ford or Chevy; I've had bad experiences with dealers and getting things covered and having them cover their product and take care of me.
Compare that to say, the fly reel industry. Most quality fly reels are still made in USA by relatively small companies. Some are corporate and are part of larger corporations and so forth, but the flyfishing equipment industry is still on a relatively small scale, where when you call them and deal with them, you'll be talking to one of maybe twenty people who work there, if not the owner! I had a problem with the annodization on a reel a few years ago; I had some pitting start to show up. I called the company down in Florida, the owner/designer answered the phone, appologized for five minutes that that reel had made it out the door, and sent me a new one second day air. It's a small company, which is actually a tool and die company that makes reels, and he needs my business as much as I want his reels. He knows that I could go to Bauer, Abel, Islander, Loop, Ross, Hardy, or Orvis and he'd be out a customer.
Motor Guide and MinnKota will both have lemons in the field, smoking pedals and problems on 10, and will each have good and bad stories of customer service. It's the nature of dealing with the majority of large corporate companies. Doesn't make either of them bad companies.
Jeff |
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Posts: 32935
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Been using the MotorGuide wireless for three years now, very impressed. |
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Posts: 5874
| The PD2 has a redesigned footpedal from the last version that so many had problems with. I had one for 4 years, and just recently was out in that boat and it was still working fine. I have a Terrova on the new boat, and this is the best TM I've ever used.
The new PD2 also has the new Universal Sonar, and Auotpilot II. The copilot is a really neat option, too.
Not saying MG is a not a good TM, but I have had great service from my MK's, and I will have AP on my TM. That leaves only MK Terrova or PD 2. |
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Posts: 1287
Location: Stevens Point, Wi. | One thing to consider is the locations of factory authorized warranty repair facilities. If it breaks, how far to get it fixed?
BTW- I thought you'd be in China, competing in the diving competion  |
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Posts: 734
Location: Watertown, MN | Saint
I have had many issues with PD and they have stood behind all but 1 pad, I took it into the cervice center in mankato and they went through the motor and fixed an issue and replaced all 3 bad pads at no cost, very impressed since it was 2 years out of warranty, and shipped back no cost. within a week. All motors will have issues it is just luck of the draw on the motor.
Troyz |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | ghoti - 8/12/2008 1:55 PM
One thing to consider is the locations of factory authorized warranty repair facilities. If it breaks, how far to get it fixed?
BTW- I thought you'd be in China, competing in the diving competion :)
Yeah, shipping from Utah to Mankato is a bit pricey these days... 
They all work, yet they all break. I'd advise looking at the spec sheets of any brands/models you are considering and purchase based on features you want/need rather than the name on the side of the motor's head.
S. |
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Location: Twin Cities | cbuf - 8/10/2008 9:24 PMJredig, what guage wire do you have running to the motor? I had a similar issue on a boat where the boat came with only 10 guage wire for the batteries to the front and I keep blowing my circuit breaker because the amp draw was to high on full power. Then when the auto reset kicked in it would start where it left off. I replaced all my wiring with 4 guage to the plug and never had a issue again.
I've got 4 guage from the batteries to the TM, they are all of 3 feet apart. I've also got 4 guage for my charging wire just to be sure it's not getting warm. (i had a bunch left over from another project!) |
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Posts: 158
Location: Burlington, WI | I think the only safer bet with both companies is to go with cable drive trolling motors. There is a lot less that can go wrong electronically. They are much simpler pieces of equipment than the motor turned trolling motors. Its the same with boat and car engines. The more electronics and crap you put under the hood the more things can go wrong. Just the nature of the beast I'd say. |
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Posts: 291
Location: Minneapolis | I agree that cable drives are simpler mechanisms, but I MUCH prefer electronic controls. With cable drive, you always have to have your foot on the pedal. I had one for a short while, but I quickly switched back to electronic drive.
The copilot for the Minnkotas is really the cat's pajamas. I never use a foot pedal anymore. I keep one in the boat in case the remote goes out, but it always stays stowed. I can run the trolling motor from anywhere in the boat; I love it. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Agreed. I'm in love my new Terrova and CoPilot. I don't know how I fished without! LOL |
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Minn Kota vs Motorguide