Are the Minn Kota Powerdrives worth the money or if you have one or used one in the past what are your thoughts on it?

Im having a hard time deciding on a brand and type..

This will be used on a 16' mod v alumacraft, total weight with modifications a, gear ,boat, people, about 1000lbs

all advice and so forth are greatly appreciated

The new Tour Edition Digital Trolling motors are flawless!!  A good rule of thumb is to get more than you need.  You can always use less but you can never use more if you don't have it.  I would say the 72lb thrust would be more than adequate for your 16ft boat.  YOu could probably step down to the next thrust level and be fine as well.   The motor guides weigh less than the Minn Kota's and are more compact ie take up less room on the front deck.  I think Bass Pro has them on sale during their spring fling.

T Mike

I have a 16' semi v-hull and i just put a 46# minn kota tourney series on the bow this year. Works great, its more than enough power for 3 ppl with gear and everything else in there. The price was a little more than i wanted to spend but it was well worth it. I'm pleased with this.

I had a 40 lb. MK Powerdrive on my 14' Semi-V.  I loved the fact that you could turn it on in a certain direction and it would stay the course.  Infinite speed settings were another definite plus.  The aspect that I didn't like was the speed at which it changed direction.  It was too slow especially in close quarters pitching and flipping.  If there was a decent wind blowing, I couldn't swing it around as fast as a cable drive to avoid crashing into laydowns, shoreline, rocks, etc.  Yet, I am very happy with the cable drive Minn Kotas.  They are workhorses!

My Tracker 165 (16') (loaded approx a 1000 lbs-1person and gear)came with a Motorguide 4300 (43# thrust) and works okay when I fish my usual SMALL lakes/ponds.  If the wind really picks up, I do lose some performance.  Currents on river and tides on tidal rivers bites into the power some - get a good wind with the current/tide and you really feel it, high power and barely moving sometimes.  IMHO, if I was doing this over again, I would have had them upgrade the T/M to the next power which I believe (in Motorguide) is around 53 or 56#.  That little extra I believe would really upgrade the performance of the 165.  As Triton Mike said, go a little higher; you do not have to use it but if you are in wind and current and have the lower # thrust, you are out of luck.  Also as mike said, the digitals are nice.  A little extra money spent at the beginning reaps rewards later.  Just like rods and reels, if you can afford a little extra, go for it; it will pay off later.

As far as Motorguide and MinnKota -hum.  Will let you decide that factor as I have only owned Motorguide.  Friend owns only MinnKota.  Each to their own.

Tight lines      Bob