Minn Kota vs Motorguide

[Zeeke]

Currently ive got a 52lb Motorguide Magnum FW model for my lure fishing, its a cable driven bowmount, for saltwater corrosion resistance i coat the motor down once a month with a paint on lanoline, and spray the controls with lanoline so the wiring and cables dont rust up, ive had it for 7 months now i think.. been awhile.. and use it upto 4 times a week, i always wash it down with freshwater as soon as i get home because i do fish in the salt.. and i grease the bearings every so often.. now i must admit this, i treat it like DohDohDohDoh when i go fishing, it gets plowed into mud, rocks, oysters, pylons, sand..trees.. heh.. everything, and the paint is chipping off big time, in a few weeks i plan on upgrading to the MinnKota Riptide 55ap.. seeing as the motorguide was my first experience on a boat with an electric and having one.. and its cable driven, can any of you folks tell me how the 55ap Riptide handles, is it gonna give me troubles? once ive had the riptide i'll be writing a full article on the 2 motors to compare them on how i feel about them, but id like to know what you think about the Minn kota.. also.. do you guys use the Quick Release Brackets??

Tim

Tim, are you selling the motor guide?

Samurai

[Ryan]

Tim,

I am not sure why you would choose to get the Riptide. It is not a cable steer motor and I think that you will find that the response time will be too slow after having used a cable steer for quite a while now. I personally use a Maxxum and have had it since the start of the year with no problems what so ever (apart from a bearing starting to rust which I have now fixed). For the price, you will find that the Maxxum should also be cheaper. Sure, the Riptide has the autopilot but IMO, I do not think that it is worth it. When you start fishing in strong currents, wind and the like, the cable steer wins hands down. Another thing to keep in mind with the cable steer is that there are less parts which can be broken or cause troubles, all there is really is a cable and a few switches.

To make a comparison between a Riptide and Motorguide, IMO, is like comparing apples and oranges. You are comparing a saltwater motor to a freshwater one, and a servo driven one to a cable steer.

Cheers,

Ryan

[Zeeke]

yea, ill be selling the motorguide after ive converted.. $200 ONO its a bargain at that price

Ryan, the cable is great.. BUT.. i do fish in very strong currents and under heavy winds, i spend more time concentrating on positioning the boat then i do fishing and im sure my catch rate would go up.. the problems i have for the motorguide right now are.. the cable.. its too bloody short.. its too stiff and its uncomfortable to use.. i had to drill a hole through the bow of my boat so that i could slip the cables through so that i could use the foot control.. otherwise it'd be hanging in mid air while the motor was deployed and its locked to one side of the boat, not exactly idea when your fishing from a boat and you've got water and snags that are fishable in a 360 degree's radius but your stuck to fishing on 1 side.. also i fish in some spots that just arent ideal for the cable steering, i fish in a place called Sunshine Plaza.. its a major shopping center that goes over a local creek.. the pylons are 4 meters apart and theres a good couple of hundred of them.. the place likes a massive wind tunnel and the motorguide just doesnt like me moving back and forwards to get to just one spot.. i feel with the autopilot i could set it to be about the same speed as the wind/tide and get it to hold position, letting me fish the pylons and get those big fish i know are there because ive caught them when it isnt windy

Tim

[Zeeke]

also another thing i forgot to mention, atleast with the MinnKota i'll be able to fit the quick release bracket.. might sound insignificant.. but with the way the boat is now, ive gotta unhook and disasemble the foot pedal to take the motorguide off my boat because the cable goes through the bow of my boat.. but i like doing reef fishing.. and having 30kgs of electric motor, 45kgs of deep cycle battery, 60 litres of fuel and fishing gear and all that in the front deck of a 4.3 meter boat.. thats alot of weight up there that could make or break your boat if you hit a good solid wave.. least with the quick release i could pop the motor off and take the deep cycle battery out and give the boat some chance.. the conditions around here are pretty ordinary but when it blows up (which can happen in a matter of seconds) its the worst thing you want to deal with

Tim

[Craig_S]

Zeeke, I'm currently using a Motorguide too. In general I'm pretty happy with it but if I was to change to a Kota these would be the reasons why:

1. The Kota has a lot more subtlety on the speed settings. When I'm searching for the right speed on the Motorguide it might be somewhere between say 1 and 2 , whereas the Kota has those half settings (ie the MG goes from 1 to 5 and the Mk from 1 to 10).

2. I prefer the mounting of the Mk

3. From time to time I just wish that cable would get out of the bloody way lol.

[Zeeke]

know what you mean Craig, im generally happy with my motorguide aswell.. but i would just like to go upto something that can offer just that little bit more.. yea.. it might be servo driven.. but before motorguide came prancing into australia, everyone used them and not many complained

Tim

[Zeeke]

just sold my motorguide for $200 to one very happy man, he'd been wanting to get a minnkota.. but since he is renovating his house he couldnt afford to get one, i told him i had my motorguide for sale.. which he has used a few times and said he'd take it for $200.. i said done.. and it was done..

Pick up my new MinnKota Riptide next week

Tim