MOTOR GUIDE IS KILLING ME!!!

brendanc · Post by **brendanc** » Wed Oct 30, 2002 7:29 pm

I am on my 7th Motor Guide Tour Edition trolling motor. That's right "7"... and it's not because they are great motors. I have sent 5 of them back for repairs/replacement. I just wanted to get some feedback from the general public about these motors. Is it just me that's been experiencing problems with this company?

I have had cables snap, 4 gator mounts have broken, electrical problems on all 7 units, bent shaft and the list goes on.

At this point, Motor Guide has cost me more money in lost tournament winnings than I care to disclose at this time.

I am in the process of shopping for a Minn Kota trolling motor. I figure I better cut my losses and move on.

Does anyone have any first hand experience with the 74lb thrust, 24 Volt Maxxum trolling motor from Minn Kota? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks,

BC

SMbass · Post by **SMbass** » Thu Oct 31, 2002 1:44 am

hey B,

I heard about your unfortunate problem this past weekend. Motorguide has had some major problems with motors made after July 2000 due to sabitage from past employees who sabataged parts, machinery, inventory and such. Most of the problems have been rectified in recent months, but not all have been found just yet. Hopefully Motorguide will be running 100% by spring when I get my new boat. Before the sabatage, Motorguide was the best trolling motor available for power and durability and I'm sure when all the problems are rectified, Motorguide will again be king.

I'm keeping my trolling motor that is on the boat I am selling because it is one of those good pre-sabatage models.

As for the Gator Mount, I do not have one for one reason.......they suck. I have seen anglers have more trouble with that mount then the Motorguide mount. The Gator Mount is notourious for breaking and losing pins, especially in rough water, which can result in damage to the trolling motor also, which may contribute to your problems with Motorguide.

Another plus for Motorguide owners that compete in BASS tournaments is the fact that Motorguide has a service trailer at each and every event. Competitors who have a problem can get a brand new motor or parts. Minn Kota is not at those events, so if your Minn Kota has a problem, you are on your own.

Personally, I do not care for Minn Kota. They are quite motors as advertised, but I find them to be too bulky. The foot pedal is real bulky taking up deck space, and the motor sits high on the mount when in the up position. That worries me when riding in rough water as it will have more resistance when spearing a wave. I fear that will damage or even rip the motor from the bow of the boat. The only Minn Kota I owned was an Auto Pilot several years ago, which had a flat touch pad. I had so many problems with the touch pad versus the cable directed pads.

As for your cables breaking, that can happen for several reasons, including the anglers misuse/abuse. You should carry an extra cable in the boat as it only takes a few minutes to change it and you are back in business.

Personally, I like Motorguide motors, but I have not have the problems you and others anglers have, who have purchased those "bad" motors.

Scott Johnson · Post by **Scott Johnson** » Thu Oct 31, 2002 2:31 am

Hey Brendan I know how you feel my partner I fish with alot is on his third one. I just purchased a 2003 Skeeter and I have the minnkota 74lb thrust and It is the best I had yet. In fact my partner will be getting one soon. It is easy to use and it has some serious power.It is stronger than any other one out there. The shaft is stronger than steel and you can hit a stump from any direction and the motor will reset it self.Hope this helps you out it is well worth it to get one. Scott

JoeM · Post by **JoeM** » Thu Oct 31, 2002 6:10 am

Gentlemen- I always like this type of posting.
It's kind of like Ford vs. Chevy or Lowes vs. Home Depot.

However, it is always good to talk out the differences. Especially when our Pro Staff Members have experiences from those days when the rest of us people are home in front of the TV.

Anyone not familiar with high winds, "vertical water flow" (waves) or serious storms better draw up a chair and listen.
I know I will. JoeMo

mofish · Post by **mofish** » Thu Oct 31, 2002 5:27 pm

Hey I got a 74 Minn Kota and I wouldn't trade it for nothing. (Except the 100 pounder maybe) My brother and I bought our boats a week apart and he got the motorguide.
He has cables break and is not happy with it at all. Matter of fact he is going to get the minn kota next week.

brendanc · Post by **brendanc** » Thu Oct 31, 2002 6:21 pm

Scott & Conley,
I'm glad to hear to hear about some success with Minn Kota motors. There are only a couple of things stopping me from buying the Minn Kota:

1) It only goes up to 74 lbs thrust in the 24 Volt model. The next step is the 101 36 Volt. This means you have to add a 3rd battery into the boat.

2) I agree with Tim about the size of the foot pedal, that was what originally turned me off to Minn Kota in the first place.

I have always been happy with the transom mount motors I have owned in the past. I fish a lot of lakes with heavy cover on Long Island for fun and I'll crash into every rock and stump in the lake trying to get to my fish. Those shafts are hands down the best.

Tim - You and I have had this conversation before about Motor Guide, in fact you were the guy who originally convinced me to get one... So, technically I should blame you for the trouble I'm having... (JUST KIDDING)

Maybe it's a Bad Karma thing? I have also had 3 Okuma reels that broke on me in a row, but I have spoken with people who swear by them... Who knows?

Anyone have any input on 24 -vs- 36 Volts in the boat? Adding a 3rd battery means adding 70 lbs to the boat. That could be the difference between 73 MPH and 69MPH on the water...

Thanks for the input so far I really appreciate it!

BC

dansfishntales · Post by **dansfishntales** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 6:45 am

Brendan,
I've got a 2 year old MotorGuide 780. Right out of the box I had to take it to the local repair shop because the wires were routed incorrectly. My worst problem has been the direction indicator, which constantly keeps pointing the wrong direction. That isn't good when fishing muddy water, or loading a boat on horsepower limited waters, of which there are plenty in our area.

To top it off, this is a promotional motor given to me by MotorGuide. Unfortunately I lost my contact when he moved to a different job, and I can't get a reply on repairs or replacement motor. I used to get a new one every year, or every other year.

I'm not sure on the MinnKota. When I had one of those there were a lot of steering cable problems. Three times I had cables fray out - once during a tournament, once during pre-fishing, and once during a TV show (although it was tempting we didn't mention it on camera).

I've got two other MotorGuides in storage (762 and 745) and they work great. I also gave an older 765 to Johnnie Crain when mine was replaced, and it works great. My hand control for my 2-man boat is another good one, although there was a minor switch problem, and some how the catch bar fell off, but it is several years old. Of course all of these were made back in the better days.

There has been some real bad stories from others regarding MotorGuide, so I can definitely relate to your concerns.
Dan

brendanc · Post by **brendanc** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 11:07 pm

Dan,

It seem like no matter which brand I choose, I'm going to have some problems. I must say, that I'd rather deal with the minor problems from Minn Kota.

I know a lot of guys who swear by Motor Guide, I may just be having some bad luck.

Thanks for the feed back...

By the way, I still have not heard from Dave Greene about our meeting with Jerry McKinnis... we can discuss this offline... I'll try to call you this week.

BC

MMT · Post by **MMT** » Tue Nov 05, 2002 2:32 am

Bren, I've never had any problems with the smaller Motorguide Stealth motors...say 42's and under. All of the 12 volt motors seem to be pretty decent. Once you up the power and add another battery, that is where the problems start. I got rid of all of the Motorguides I have except my current 54. I bent the shaft up bad running full tilt on Upper Mills during a Tourney this season. I got it fixed but can't understand why they don't make a composite shaft like Minn Kota. I'm looking into a 70+ lb thrust now from Minn Kota. I also am thinking of getting the 109lb thrust motor. I won't buy another Motorguide.

johnnie crain outdoors · Thu Nov 21, 2002 10:34 am

Guys, sorry to hear about your trobles sith Motor Guide, as Dan G. said, we have used them for years with great success, The 765 works just great and I use it constantly. I have put the break-away latch to many uses while fishing the shallow backwaters of the Miss. river and it functions properly. I've yet to break a cable or have any problems what-so-ever and this is so important for our confidence levels when fishing. My Marina may conk out , which it does on ocassion, but the Motor Guide will get me home. Might I suggest shopping some older bait and tackle shops that may not have been able to sell the older models and purchase one of those. I'm sorry, but I just don't think Minn-Kota has the guts for heavy in -your-face tournament angling, then again, I've never tried one. Just putting in mytwo cents worth, Johnnie Crain Iowa Pro Staff