hi guys i live in perth western australia,and we don,t have bass this side only bream,the comp scene is gettin big over here ,and i am about to import one of your awesome bass boats over its a triton 18,6 dual console now it comes with a 72 llb motor guide on it ,most the boats over here run minn kota riptides due to the salt i notice you guys don,t seem to use minn kota,s much , i was thinkin of swaping the motorguide for a 80llb /ap/us power drive minn kota have you guys used this model much what are your thoughts on both ,the riptides over here are always breaking down ,,,,,,,,,thanks  

Good-Aye Mate  

Welcome to the site. Couldn't resist the cheesy Aussie popular term. I have had friends over the years who were from Australia. I would love to visit there someday.

Triton's are nice boats. They take some time getting used to driving. They are not the smoothest ridding boat, nothing like a Skeeter. But I have a MinnKota 72lb Maxxum. Under normal conditions it is a good TM. However, when I first started using it I was fishing a lake with stumps everywhere. In stumpy water I do not reccomend them. I have busted mine from crashing into stumps. The spring deal is a joke and doesn't make the shaft snap out of the socket like it is suppossed to, so when you hit a stump going forward it will force the shaft up against the hull of the boat. One time it literally ripped the base mount right off of my bow as it rolled the shaft up tight to the hull.

I like the Gator mount setup that Motorguide uses far better. It will bend and absorb those shocks. However, the minnkota is a quieter motor then a motorguide. At least as far as I can tell. Plus, I like the slow starting ability of the Minnkota. It doesn't lunge forward it ramps up so as to gently move forward.

Hope you enjoy the site and post up some pictures of your homeland for us sometime.

I only know this about the trolling motors.

Minn Kota has composite shafts so they give a lot  before bending or breaking when you run into something like a stump or a Crocodile,   .  The Motor Guides have a solid steel shaft that will bend if you run into something.  I run nothing but Minn Kotas on my boat.  They seem to perform better for me.  Just MHO.

By the way.

Welcome to the fishermen from down under...  

My partner has an 80# riptide on his 22ft Mako.  You almost have to be a pro bodybuilder to deploy and retract that thing.  Not very user-friendly.  It is powerful though.

thanks guys by  the way keith its good-day ok cobba,fair diunkum for havin a go though,gotta go bloody roos in the vege patch again