My old trolling foot control bow mount died and it is so old they do not even have any parts. I am looking for suggestions for a new one. I have a fiberglass bassboat that is 16'. I only have room for 1 battery so it must be 12v only. Obviously want good power, quiet, easy steering, good speed ranges, battery efficient and mostly reliability and a decent price. I know some are die hard MK or MG fan boys, but just give me an honest opinion. My old trolling motor was an MG and lasted over 20 years if that helps. Thank You.

If you are going to just use one 12 volt battery, you will probably be limited to 55# thrust. I would suggest the Minn Kota Edge. It is your basic trolling motor but a good one. I have used one for 4 years with no trouble at all.

2 minutes ago, tander said:

If you are going to just use one 12 volt battery, you will probably be limited to 55# thrust. I would suggest the Minn Kota Edge. It is your basic trolling motor but a good one. I have used one for 4 years with no trouble at all.

^^ this.

I have owned a couple edge trolling motors. they are reliable and will take a beating. 

also reasonably priced.

 

I currently own a Minn Kota Ultrex. it is by far the best trolling motor I have ever owned.

It does not have a 12 volt model and is much more expensive than the edge.

 

yep, pretty limited with only one battery.  MKota has the edge option which would suit you well for short trips.  However, you may run out of juice with that boat on a long fishing day in wind or current.  Edge is a good choice if you can't find room for 2 batteries.

I use a Minn Kota Maxxum which is a step above the Edge in price but also comes with a some internal thingy to maximize battery life. Also has a couple other upgrade over the Edge. 

I changed my TM two years ago on my 17'6" tin boat to a 12V X3 36"MG, 55lb, digital, variable speed run by a 12V Deka 27, 575CCA  battery and I can stand on that thing all day and never run out of power.  I love the blade design because I can grind through grass and do not end up with grass inside the prop casing.  My old MG was miserable in that regard. The Deka goes on a 10amp automatic charger immediately after I get home and has been going strong for three years now.  That TM is not expensive at all. 

I personally prefer motoguide. The x3 I believe is their basic model comparable to the edge. My dad has one I put on his boat and its quieter and I just prefer it to the edge that came on my triton tin boat. The edge is a fine motor tho have had several over the years without any problems.  I'll be upgrading mine in spring to something with spotlock.  Good luck 

I had a 14 ft mod V all welded Jon 1448 and wanted a trolling motor with similar specs to yours: good battery management, single battery, quiet, efficient, good speed range, reliable... and didn't want anything with too much fancy stuff.

 

I chose the MotorGuide X3 in 55# thrust, mechanical cable steer but digital battery management. Mine was the 36 inch version but you have other length options... my jon didn't have much freeboard so 36 inch worked great.

 

I loved it, worked out just great. Highly recommended. Granted, your boat is a 16 ft and fiberglass, so there's a little more boat to pull, but it might work well. I really liked the simplicity of installation, single battery to save on weight, and it pulled the 14 ft jon around so easily, never even had to run it up to full speed.

 

(lost it in a crash, otherwise I'd still use it today)

 

I have a 16 foot with a Minn Kota power drive with the remotes. I can fish all day and still have power. the motor runs almost non stop. this i my second one , the first lasted 15+ years

7 hours ago, browne762 said:

I use a Minn Kota Maxxum which is a step above the Edge in price but also comes with a some internal thingy to maximize battery life. Also has a couple other upgrade over the Edge. 

It’s a digital maximizer. I have a maxxum too but I don’t think it’s available in a 12 volt version.

This will be a strange setup for some here but it may help with the motor.

 

I run an 18ft sailing catamaran converted to a fishing platform boat. It runs using two 35 lb thrust minn kotas with two 100 amp 12 volt solar energy storage batteries. I charge them at night and run about 6 hours the next day with usually at least one motor wide open. That's how I get around and troll.

Strange I know, I live on a 4.5 mile long lake and make a regular run around about half of it.

 

Point is. These motors have run this way on this boat for two summers and before that on another similar boat for ten summers. They've gone through many batteries over time and they're still going strong. In my experience minn kotas have longevity.

I have them wired using my own variable speed controls at the helm.

10 hours ago, gimruis said:

It’s a digital maximizer. I have a maxxum too but I don’t think it’s available in a 12 volt version.

They make a 12v 55lb thrust Maxxum. I think it might be a Cabelas/Bass Pro exclusive.

i have had the mk edge 55 on my last 2 boats. it sucks!! mount on both was bad, hard to deploy. first 2/3 speeds r useless. my weldbilt 1648 it would move on 3.my current boat , g3 1756 cc had the 55 and it barely movd it on 4. my advice is to go with a 24  v setup if u can squeeze another battery in. if that is not feasible go with a digital variable speed as a minimum requirement. i dont know motor guide and cant offer opinions on them. i have owned 3 edges

 mk in the last 15 yrs and cannot reccomend them. i currently run a maxxum on my boat and the mount alone was worth the upgrade. maxxum 12v variable speed would be my choice