So I am looking to buy my dad a foot controlled trolling motor for his birthday for this new 14ft john boat. I have been looking at 45-46lb thrust but dont know what brand to buy. I have been looking at Minn Kota edge, Minn Kota powerdrive V2 (looks easy to use), Motorguide wireless series (looks convenient and easy to use), or the motorguide pro series.

I have never bought or used any of these because I don't have a boat myself, so I am interested what you guys have to say about each brand and models. Any help would be great.

Leaning toward the Minn Kota Edge, I can get a 50lb thrust for 369.00

I would opt for the Minn Kota. The shaft has a lifetime warranty against bending/breakage.

I have only had MK. Great motors. FYI boatersworld.com has no tax and no shipping over $100. I purchased a MK IPilot a couple years ago and other stuff since. Never had any issues with them.

I've got both brands. A MinnKota Traxxis 55 pound on my canoe, and a Motorguide 70 pound 24 volt on my Nitro.

Had to have the speed controller replaced on the Minn Kota before it was a year old. Fortunately, it was still under warranty. Have not had a bit of trouble with the Motorguide.

Does that mean I wouldn't buy another MinnKota? No. But, I have to believe this. If one brand was markedly superior to the other, that's the brand all the pros would be using. Sponsorships notwithstanding.

Don’t buy a Motor Guide! The costumer service and warranty is horrible. My steering cable broke after one year and of course it does not fall under warranty. Instead of sending me a 30 dollar (retail) replacement cable they wanted me to drive 70 miles to a service center to double check if it would fall under warranty. I don’t know about you but that does not seem like good business to me.

I've had both and prefer the Minn Kota. I like the progressive take-off so it doesnt throw you out of the boat. When fishing Toledo Bend in 30+mph winds you have to kick the TM up to 80% and without the progressive take off, it will straight up throw you around, but Minn Kotas dont jerk like a Motorguide.

That being said, the Motorguide will do a bit better ripping through grass because of the same reasons.

Don’t buy a Motor Guide! The costumer service and warranty is horrible. My steering cable broke after one year and of course it does not fall under warranty. Instead of sending me a 30 dollar (retail) replacement cable they wanted me to drive 70 miles to a service center to double check if it would fall under warranty. I don’t know about you but that does not seem like good business to me.

I had to drive more than seventy miles to get my MinnKota repaired under warranty. And, that was in the Atlanta, GA area.

I've owned both brands, and have used both cable steering and power drive models.

I'd look at what type of usage the motor would get first. I prefer the cable steer models for bass fishing as they are faster to respond to changing direction than a power drive. If he will be trolling more often then the power drive option is nice whether it's corded or remote controlled. You may even want to consider a hand controlled unit as long as you pair it with a foot controlled power switch.

Buy as much thrust as you can afford, dollar and battery wise. You'll never regret the added power.

Finally, buy an extra cable if you go with cable steering, and an extra pull rope for any model. The cost is minimal, and either repair is very easy to do.

I've owned both brands, and have used both cable steering and power drive models.

I'd look at what type of usage the motor would get first. I prefer the cable steer models for bass fishing as they are faster to respond to changing direction than a power drive. If he will be trolling more often then the power drive option is nice whether it's corded or remote controlled. You may even want to consider a hand controlled unit as long as you pair it with a foot controlled power switch.

Buy as much thrust as you can afford, dollar and battery wise. You'll never regret the added power.

Finally, buy an extra cable if you go with cable steering, and an extra pull rope for any model. The cost is minimal, and either repair is very easy to do.

The extra cord is a great idea. But, you can still use the original cord, even if it breaks, as mine did on the Motorguide. Use a fisherman's knot to rejoin the cord, then swap the ends. The pull handle end goes on the motor and vice versa. You end up with a cord that is a few inches shorter, and the knot ends up between the tie at the unit, and the guide through which it slides.

Minn Kota

Ended up getting a 50lb thrust Minn Kota Edge. I think it will work very well for what we are going to use it for.

Ended up getting a 50lb thrust Minn Kota Edge. I think it will work very well for what we are going to use it for.

Congrats I love my Minn Kota Edge 45lb.

The extra cord is a great idea. But, you can still use the original cord, even if it breaks, as mine did on the Motorguide. Use a fisherman's knot to rejoin the cord, then swap the ends. The pull handle end goes on the motor and vice versa. You end up with a cord that is a few inches shorter, and the knot ends up between the tie at the unit, and the guide through which it slides.

Sometimes its more than inches. When mine broke at this spring's roadtrip, I ended up with a cord that was just a little over 12" long. That was rather interesting when trying to pull up the motor in rough water. I didn't have a spare then, but I've got one now.

Sometimes its more than inches. When mine broke at this spring's roadtrip, I ended up with a cord that was just a little over 12" long. That was rather interesting when trying to pull up the motor in rough water. I didn't have a spare then, but I've got one now.

What happened to the other piece? I had two, one short, and one long. I knotted them together. The short end got tied to the base, and the long end went through the sleeve.

As an aside. In the tube, through which the rope slides to release the mechanism, there was a casting burr at the bottom of the radius where it becomes a tube. I took a small, fine, round file, smoothed off the burr then took some extra fine, wet or dry sandpaper to smooth it out. Crocus cloth would have worked as well.

It's been a year, and there is no sign of chaffing on the cord.

The Edge is a nice motor for the price. Enjoy

Thanks guys, I am looking forward to fishing with this trolling motor this fall/winter.