That video on the home page is pretty good about comparing the three new trolling motors.  They all have some cool features.  I will admit that I am biased toward Garmin but I was really surprised at how noisy the Lowrance one was.  I really expected it to be fairly quiet.  The Garmin (and I'm sure Lowrance) does draw a lot less from the batteries.  I like having 20 speeds to choose from.  The first prototype only had 10 speeds and speed 1 was too fast if it was dead calm.  If you start it on any of the upper speeds, you better have it pointing the direction you think it is or you better hang on or you could get wet. I've gotten a little over 3.5 mph on an 18.5' Triton with the motor down on 24 volt.  

 

SE Kansas grass grower 

The Garmin does look like a really nice trolling motor packed with a ton of features!

 

The MotorGuide looks to be a good trolling motor too, with the cable steer and the fact that any brand of graph can hook up to it. I think these two will sell a fair amount in the near future. 

 

I too was shocked at how loud the Lowrance TM was, I think that could be a deal breaker for a lot of people even some of the diehard Lowrance guys.

 

Time will tell how well they all sell. I do believe all three have an uphill battle though. The Ultrex has been the only player in the bass market the past couple years. I’m not sure I see a ton of anglers who already have an Ultrex sell them and get a new unproven TM. I think the ones who’ll buy these are the ones getting new boats and the ones who are looking to upgrade. Me, I’m going to save my pennies and wait for the price to hopefully come down on them. 

 

Now we we need to see what Power Pole is going to do. 

The deal breaker on the Lowrance is that your warranty is void if you use on brackish water.  That’s a deal killer for me on the Potomac.

I think these new motors, as well as some of the new graphs aren't for everybody.  There are a lot more Chevrolets sold in the world than Mercedes.  They all get you from point A to point B, some just have more comfort features.  

 

Toxic, the current Garmin is not to be used in saltwater either.  I would bet there will be salt water versions from both in the future.  This is not something I'm aware of, just speculating.  

 

SE Kansas grass grower  

Salt and brackish are 2 different things.  There aren’t any bass in salt water.  I hope they do address it.

I'm guessing for warranty purposes brackish and salt may be classified the same.  I'd definitely check with the manufacturer for sure.

 

SE Kansas grass grower

5 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

 

Now we we need to see what Power Pole is going to do. 

 

They’ve been working on the “Charge” and “Vision” for quite some time now.  Both very interesting and useful looking products, though neither is a trolling motor.

 

Im very pleased with my Ultrex, won’t be upgrading any time in the near future, but I welcome lowrance and Garmin entering the market.  They’ll be plenty of real world data/feedback (and probably updates) to both before I’ll be in the market for a new trolling motor.

22 minutes ago, Janderson45 said:

 

They’ve been working on the “Charge” and “Vision” for quite some time now.  Both very interesting and useful looking products, though neither is a trolling motor.

 

Im very pleased with my Ultrex, won’t be upgrading any time in the near future, but I welcome lowrance and Garmin entering the market.  They’ll be plenty of real world data/feedback (and probably updates) to both before I’ll be in the market for a new trolling motor.

Power Pole is making a trolling motor. There’s was rumors that it was going to be unveiled at ICAST, but they said they weren’t quite ready to reveal it. 

Just now, 12poundbass said:

Power Pole is making a trolling motor. There’s was rumors that it was going to be unveiled at ICAST, but they said they weren’t quite ready to reveal it. 

Interesting, I hadn’t stumbled upon that yet.  Would hope to see one or both of the aforementioned products released before that - it’s been years of r&d for both if I’m not mistaken. 

25 minutes ago, Janderson45 said:

Interesting, I hadn’t stumbled upon that yet.  Would hope to see one or both of the aforementioned products released before that - it’s been years of r&d for both if I’m not mistaken. 

The two you mentioned were unveiled two years ago at ICAST. I didn’t know they weren’t available. I guess I wouldn’t hold my breath for a trolling motor anytime in the near future then. I guess it’s been rumored for a few years. 

43 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

The two you mentioned were unveiled two years ago at ICAST. I didn’t know they weren’t available. I guess I wouldn’t hold my breath for a trolling motor anytime in the near future then. I guess it’s been rumored for a few years. 

Agreed.  Powerpole is a pretty small operation I believe.  Big fan of their current product though, I’ve got two blades hanging off the back of my Lund. 

So if you think Garmin and Lowrance will be the only "newcomers" to the trolling motor market, you're going to be surprised.  Stay tuned....

5 minutes ago, Glenn said:

So if you think Garmin and Lowrance will be the only "newcomers" to the trolling motor market, you're going to be surprised.  Stay tuned....

Stay tuned for how long? Short term? Long term? This summer? This year? Throw us a bone @Glenn! ?