Choosing a Trolling Motor
(author unknown)

The trolling motor is one of the most important fishing tools on a boat. If you don’t believe that, just try fishing without one. Motor Guide’s and Minn Kota’s philosophy has forever been to deliver a reliable and dependable product that is always just as ready to go fishing as you are, from first cast to the last.

There are few pieces of equipment that get as much use in bass fishing as your trolling motor. You normally own just one boat, motor, trailer, and trolling motor. The boat and motor were matched for you, generally by the Coast Guard ratings on the hull. The boat and trailer were matched by the length and weight of the hull. But how did you choose your trolling motor? Generally the answer is one of two, either you bought the most motor you could afford or it came with the boat from the dealer.

You may have chosen between hand controls or foot controls, but brands, ratings, or mounts were generally left up to the dealer's markup. The first time we think about the trolling motor is either when we're not happy with the performance, or when the old one breaks and it's time to buy a new one! They come in a wide variety of styles and options, and they certainly aren't all the same, or the same price.

It's very difficult to describe the features on a trolling motor, because we really don't have a point of reference. We can compare one motor to another, maybe on a laundry list of subjects, to help you get a pretty good idea of the style, power, features, and ultimately price of motor best suited to you and your boat. Trolling motors tend to be a very personal item.

Thrust:
“I've never heard anyone complain about too much power.” To a point this is true, but budget, weight, and physical size come in somewhere. You need enough power to pull into the waves up until they break over the front of the boat. Here are some general guidelines:

• 14’ and under can use something in the under 40 lb. range.
• For 15’ - 16’ boats we'd look in the 40-55 lb. range.
• For the standard 18’ tournament boat, you'll want 55-80 lbs. or a little better.
• Big boats need over 70-100 lbs. of thrust.

Efficiency:
Just because you have a high thrust rating doesn't mean you're all that powerful. You may put out say 42 pounds to get started on a 12 volt system, but depending on your batteries, you may be all done within an hour.

• The power ratings are made at maximum thrust setting. Motors have different speeds, but the thrust is measured full throttle.
• Depending on how efficient your motor is, (along with those all important batteries), you may be able to hold for an hour, or for 8 hours.
• The overall efficiency of the motor will be the biggest contributor to how long it pulls.

Most of the higher end motors now use Pulse Width Modulation (PCM) or digital systems, which improves the efficiency by about 35%. That doesn't mean you get more power, just that you fish for a longer time.

Hand Control vs. Foot Control:
Foot control motors rely on a pedal with a built in momentary switch to control power and steering. A hand control normally also has some type of floor mounted button for controlling power, but instead of the pedal/cable arrangement, the user just steers by moving the motor head directly.

The open water types love their hand controls, and they work great for that application. Anyone with bad knees will love a hand control, except if they fish sitting down. Hand controlled motors are not preferred for those who like the comfort of a chair on the front deck. The disadvantage of a hand control has to do with your hands. If you grab the trolling motor, you're stuck with only one hand on your rod. The less you need to steer, the more you'll like a hand controlled motor.

Foot controls do represent hands free fishing. The normal configuration is a rack and pinion steering mechanism on the end of a cable controlled by a pedal. Push down, you got one direction, lift up you go the other. A momentary switch is mounted on the pedal, and generally even the speed can be controlled with your toe. The pedal is either screwed to the deck or has a weighted plate on the bottom to keep it in place. Anyone who need precise boat control in tight quarters, this one's for you! Most of the folks who love to flip near tight cover love their foot controls.

• If you opt for a foot control, be sure you have a quality bracket. To make the foot control go, you've got two concentric shafts which will seriously object if one or both get bent. Most brackets have either a breakaway feature or a spring mount. 

Choose a trolling motor that matches you and the way you fish. There are plenty to choose from and you should find one that fits your needs nicely, no matter what your needs are. Trolling Motors have come along ways over the years, and it looks like the best is yet to come.

Shaft Size:
To determine what shaft length you will need for your boat, measure from where the mount is attached to the boat to the top of your trailer. For fresh water add 6 to 8 inches, for salt water add 10-12 inches and pick the product that is closest to that measurement.

The following applies to transom mount motors only: measure from the transom to the water line.

0” to 10” - 30 Inch Shaft
10” to 16” - 36 Inch Shaft
16” to 22” – 42 Inch Shaft
Over 22” – Consult Factory