Yooo... just bought a new (used) bass tracker 170, I fish a reservoir, no grass, will fish some local areas with grass but 90% will be my home lake no grass.

I need a trolling motor (currently do not have one), something ya only buy once every so often (at least I do) and honestly never bought my own, just used the basic one that came on whatever jon boat or whatever came with my old boat

 

the two im looking at, i want spot lock, i use livescope, any integration with my screens being garmin is a plus since thats what i run

 

-Garmin Force Pro

-Ultrex

 

1.) has anyone used one of these specifcally on a bass tracker? or similar style boat? (like not on a big glass boat, a 160 to 175 aluminum style boat)

2) your thoughts on it? was it too much? was the spot lock "jerky"?

3) I want cable steer, so i have maximum fine control moving it/panning it, any experience w/ that?

 

thanks guys

I had an Ultrex, and now have an Ultrex Quest (brushless version), so I can give you my thoughts on the Minn Kota product.

 

Stowing - The Ultrex is heavy. The original gas piston it comes with barely helps stow/deploy. The Quest is heavier, but comes with a 2 stage piston assist, it's much much better. So if you're younger, the Ultrex shouldn't be an issue, with one caveat. If you go Mega Live 2 and want to add the target lock mount, you'll probably need to update the gas piston for the added weight.

Spotlock/Thrust - I had the Ultrex 36v 112lb thrust, and have the Quest running at 36v 115lb thrust on a Lund PVB 1875. The Ultrex comes in 24 or 36v, and the Quest comes in one model which auto-senses 24/36v. It's plenty of thrust for my tin boat. It's not jerky at all, you can set the boat scale from -2, -1, 0, +1, +2. I have mine set at -1.

Cable Steer/Feel - I came from a MotorGuide cable steer, so that's also the feel I wanted. The Ultrex has that feel, but it's not cable steer. I really like the feel of it.

Remotes - The Ultrex LCD remote is big and bulky and touch screen, I didn't like it and if the LCD touch screen was faced down on my chest, it often got inadvertently pushed. The Quest LCD remote is smaller, and not touch screen, no issues with inadvertent remote commands, but the Quest only comes with a small basic remote, the advanced LCD remote is like $300 extra. You may not need it at all, but I found it helpful when I fish with my dad and put him up front while controlling the TM from the back.

 

If you run any kind of electric only reservoir, think about going with the Quest since it's brushless. It is more efficient, and pair with LiFePO4 batteries, it can keep you fishing for a long long time, this the the primary reason I switched to the Quest. But the Ultrex is perfectly fine if you think you'll have no problem stowing/deploying.

I have a Fish and ski and my 20 year old Maxxum just quit on me so I upgraded to a powerdrive with remote control. I didn't think I was going to like it but since my whole boat is humminbird my MinnKota plays well with my graphs.

I have an 24V/80 lb ultrex on my 16' crestliner aluminum bassboat.  There is no jerkiness whatsoever.  Even on 'high', the motor doesn't apply 100% force to the prop immediately.  It ramps it up (quickly, but not surprisingly).  On high, it will move the boat around 4 mph give or take.  The cable steer is power assist and is incerdibly smooth to make even minor changes.  There is a reason why the ultrex was on almost every BASS/MLF tournament boat for a really long time.  It's a mature platform that has been refined and is fantastic.

 

I have ML2 on mine since I run HBird and everything is integrated in OBN.  You can definitely mount LVS onto the ultrex, you just won't integrate the head units into the motor and vice versa.  I don't see that as a major downside since I don't use the head units to control the motor.  Even when I am graphing for structure, setting waypoints, and then going to them with the trolling motor, I'm not using the head units to direct the trolling motor.  Maybe I should more, but I just put a split screen of map and waypoint and navigate it myself.  Having the console and and bow units networked is more important for me than having the motor connected.  

1 hour ago, Junger said:

I had an Ultrex, and now have an Ultrex Quest (brushless version), so I can give you my thoughts on the Minn Kota product.

Bro - thanks so much, that was very insightful - I feel like the QUEST is the right decision

I liked the Garmin Force with its integration into my electronics, but.. the more I think of it i'm not sure how useful it'll ACTUALLY be, you know?

Thank you for explaining all that and helping me make a good decision

 

Thanks to the other gentlemen, much appreciated - I was worried it'd be overkill for my Tracker and end up regretting it, but it sounds like;

- it's heavy, so consider it

- it doesn't jerk, its smooth

- the feeling of cable steer is still there and likable

- the remotes are decent, upgrade if possible (i'd use this a lot actually)

 

I think 24v would be plenty? im not sure if 36v would give me a whole lot more benefit? like a 36v 100ah lithium battery vs a 24v one?

I have a Ghost on my RT178. It’s got more power than I need and has had a couple electronic module failures just outside warranty.

 

I run two 27 series batteries in series and have never run them down to nothing.

Minn Kota spot-lock, cruise control, auto-pilot, etc., are all great features. I really like. 

 

Brother has a Lund Alaskan 18' boat. My Lund is 1775. 

 

Brother has 36v on his boat...and I have 24v system. Honestly, I cannot tell the difference when we fish. He might have a little more run-time, but we have never pushed our batteries that far when fishing.

 

I opted for the Ulterra, it fits my fishing style. I use the hand-held remote probably 80% of the time.

 

If you have Livescope and want integration, lean towards the Garmin Force Pro. Buy once, cry once...don't look back!

 

so, I see the integrations with the Garmin Force Pro .. but, how many people are really sitting at their console with their TM deployed and managing it from there? why not just use the remote instead? when would there even be a need to be sitting at your console and say, "oh let me manage my trolling motor through my chartplotter" ?  I ask myself this a lot when I see these "one boat network", I feel like we put our TM down when we fish, we lift it when were not fishing

 

the whole TM to fish finder integration is still confusing as to when or why someone would "actually" do this? .. can anyone help chime in on experience please?

@GorillaBass - I went 24V with a single 50 Ah battery and have never wanted for more.

 

One note that Junger made and I'll echo- the Ultrex is heavy.  I think mine with the short shaft is 96#.  If you're underpowered on the gas motor it will weigh down the nose a little and be harder to get on plane.  I can't get on plane with mine (9.9 hp) and probably couldn't even without a motor on there but if you're right on the edge then this will put you just over the edge on the side of not planing well.  I was going to go with a terrova which would have been 40# lighter however, for FFS you need an aftermarket mount which is $300. Minn Kota was running the ultrex on sale and it was only $300 more than the equivalent Terrova so I went with the better motor at the penalty of weight. 

 

As to integrating, if you're trolling it would be useful.  For setting up your trolling motor and using the advanced settings it is a lot easier to do it through the touchscreen than the remote.  Also if you're on electric only lakes then sitting at the console while riding around and watching the console FF is more comfy than sitting on the bicycle seat up front.  Then if you see something to waypoint then you can tell the motor to send you back to it.  That said, on electric only lakes I just throw the remote around my neck.  If I'm running across the lake I'll set the direction and speed on the foot pedal and go sit down.  If I need to change direction I have the remote.  These are all fringe examples though.  For the most part, I don't control the motor through the head units. 

What you don’t need is 36V, shaft over 45”, heavy to store (pull up), brushless that will cost 3x the standard TM’s. You need spot lock and GPS compatible to keep you spot locked and cable foot control. Batteries, consider marine lithium, saves a lot of weight and maintenance.

Good time yo purchase with Black Friday sales.

Tom

I have an Ultrex 80lb on a Ranger RT188 Aluminum bass boat.  I'm very pleased.  I have Humminbird electronics and for me integration with the trolling motor is essential. 

 

6 minutes ago, GorillaBass said:

so, I see the integrations with the Garmin Force Pro .. but, how many people are really sitting at their console with their TM deployed and managing it from there? why not just use the remote instead?

I can't comment on Garmin but here are things you can do with Minn-Kota/Humminbird integration.  

You can see the trolling motor heading on the map display.

You can select a spot on the map display and go to it or circle it.

You can go to a spot on any sonar display,  2D, down imaging,  side scan,  360, Mega Live.

You can select a contour line on the map display and follow it.

When you hit spot lock on the trolling motor or remote and it will create a waypoint on the fish finder (you can turn this feature off if you like)

You can go to any waypoint or follow any path stored on your fish finder.

 

ya'll have been extreeemely helpful..

big takeaways from this.

• I want a brushless-trolling motor, so it feels like a cable steer (right?)
• Consider weight, QUEST seems to offer some help with this instead of the standard Ultrex
• Consider integrations, are they worth it to me? would I use it? how would I use it?
• Price points, comparing Black Friday deals across them all

anything i'm missing to weigh/consider?

 

edit: hummingbird side imaging is the best in the industry (to my eyes), but I have two echomaps already from Garmin, I could "in theory" get a Hummingbird at the console, use that for my side imaging and anything I see on there just mark it as a waypoint on my Garmin, then if I did get an Ultrex, I'd have some integration with the HB/Ultrex... thoughts?

3 hours ago, GorillaBass said:

I think 24v would be plenty? im not sure if 36v would give me a whole lot more benefit? like a 36v 100ah lithium battery vs a 24v one?

 

NP, 24v is plenty of thrust, I just had room for 3 12v batteries and went with 36v for more time on the water at Little Seneca Lake which is a 500 acre electric only reservoir.

 

Also the Quest has a feature called Drift Mode, which is a great feature if you're fishing ledges or contour lines a lot.

16 minutes ago, GorillaBass said:

ya'll have been extreeemely helpful..

big takeaways from this.

• I want a brushless-trolling motor, so it feels like a cable steer (right?)
• Consider weight, QUEST seems to offer some help with this instead of the standard Ultrex
• Consider integrations, are they worth it to me? would I use it? how would I use it?
• Price points, comparing Black Friday deals across them all

anything i'm missing to weigh/consider?

 

Both Ultrex's have the same steering, the Quest is brushless in the way the lower unit prop works, it doesn't have brushes on the armature. Brushes generate heat and noise and lose efficiency. The Quest is really quiet on speeds 1-4, virtually silent. I had to replace my old Ultrex's brushes and armature ($250) in year 3 of ownership, but I ran it hard and on high speed a lot.

 

Tacklewarehouse has a sale on Ultrex and Quest, 7-9%, and if you're military another 10% off.

I have the original ultrex (not brushless) and have no complaints.  The cable steering is awesome.  Like Jungler said, you don't need a brushless to get that.

 

The quest is heavier, hence it has the extra piston lift.  I don't find my ultrex to be a problem.  I'm mid 40's and of sound mind and body (well one of those is true at some point).  I can run the motor on speed 10 and hold the motor up out of the water when it gets shallow or weedy.  And the power steering will steer just the same as when it's in the water. 

 

I love humminbird mega side imaging the best.  But I wouldn't get an additional unit just to have good side imaging and integration to the trolling motor.  I would far rather have the console and bow units integrated for waypoints than have the motor on the network.  Seeing something on the HBird and then marking it on the Garmin might work, but it also might not with screen sizes, scroll settings, etc.  You'd have to really screw around with it to match them up.  And then if you changed one you'd have to change the other.  Not worth it to me.  A high end garmin side imaging unit is just about as good as a HBird.  

This might be late.

two things;

1. what's was on it before?   U don't want a bunch of holes in your boat from changing mounts.

2. Price: those new TMs were 2X as expensive.   They've come down quite a bit but still more.   My current boat had ultrex (36V) so when I replaced, I bought two Ultrex for the price of one of those fancy new units.   I always carried a spare TM since I started competing 40+ years ago.   I had one go during a tournament once or twice.   So two "new" ones would break the bank.

When the TM that came with this boat failed, I lost a day of fishn and 4 hours of travel time/expense.   Plus was out of commission for a few weeks.   I swop them out every 6 months.   I have my spare head unit mounted in my tow P/U bed ready for action so it's not left at home.

The Ultrex has foot pedal cable to electric steering, so just because it has a cable doesn't mean it's cable steering as in the past.   Once you hang a bunch of Xducrs and signal cables on them they all get heavy, so if you can use the built in one, it saves a little lifting, but won't have FFS.   Back in the day, cables were not robust.  Motorguide had a single rod and that was the ticket, but eventually they switched to cable.   Cables are a pain to change but reliable now.

I like the auto store TMs, the older I get, but don't like what I see yet.   I had tested some beta ones and they were trick.   When I was going to buy a new boat during covid, I'd opted for the ghost, but there's more options now.   You'll see a lot of pros still use the old reliable stand bys unless forced by their sponsors.   Power pole has entered the market, I've got their "charge", so worth a look see.

I have a 1648 Tracker with a 40 hp tiller. Last year I replaced a Minn Kota Edge 24v 70 with an Ultrex Quest.

I'm glad I waited for the Quest (brushless) version. It looks a little oversized for my modest Tracker 1648, but it has been an absolute joy to fish with spot lock. Absolute game changer for me. I ran it on 24v until I got a 36v battery recently. It ran fine on 24v and would push my rig at 4.6 mph.

Every single person I know that bought a Garmin, which is over a dozen and at least 6 of them use their boats to make a living, misses their old Minn Kota's... None of them have had failures with the Garmin, they just like the Minn Kota/Humminbird duo much better. Humminbird mapping is second to none...

My Ulterra has over 700 days of use now, still going strong... I would not suggest an Ulterra to everyone though, if you are a bit abusive towards your gear, you may not have the same experience with an Ulterra as I have, but the ability to launch my boat and spot lock it without getting out of the truck and then to just spot lock next to the dock until it's time to load it on the trailer is priceless for me. My boat has literally never been tied to a dock in its life, this has saved me countless hours over the years launching/loading my boat and when I go down to places like Tennessee where many ramps don't have a dock or the dock is quite a ways off to the side from the ramp "makes no sense to do this" the Ulterra works flawlessly for such things as I am pretty much always solo... Early Spring or late Fall when the docks have been pulled here, I can launch the boat and pick myself up at the shoreline with the trolling motor, all you need is muck boots to keep from getting wet, etc...

I even drive the boat on the trailer with the trolling motor lol

One time I forgot to plug the trolling motor in and launched it, had to swim for it... Thank God it was 70 degree water lol

Some thoughts:

Another option is the new Minn Kota Ultrex 80 trolling motor without transducer. https://lakesidemarineandservice.com/products/limited-t

Not brushless but a lot lighter than the Quest motors. Hang any transducers you want on the shaft, including Garmin live scope. The original non brushed Ultrex's are solid motors and gave many users years of great service.

The Garmin Force Pro is also much lighter than the Quest coming in around 67lbs. Spot lock is extremely smooth and accurate. It's quiet above and below the water. It's easy to stow and deploy. It's foot pedal is set up to mechanically duplicate a cable steer but it takes a much lighter touch than the Ultrex. People say it takes a while to get used to it but once they do, most folks report they're happy with it. In 50" stowed length is about the same as the Quest and Ultrex without transducer.

I often deploy my tm with the big motor idling in forward, especially with live scope. That way I can scan all around the boat with the remote. For side scan, I point the tm straight ahead and use the big motor for slight adjustments.