I am in the market for a new trolling motor for my sea pro sv 2400cc
need advice on which brand to get. would like the auto pilot/anchor and realize motor guide and minn kota both have them. I will eventually be replacing my fish finder as it is oudated but still working for me right now(lowerance 104c), so matching to a unit will not be a issue as I will then get the unit to match the trolling motor.
Ty for any help
I just replaced my 80# minkota with the new rip tide st 112? i think. It is the 36 volt
one. I love the spot lock feature. My old rip tide had auto and co pilot but the new one is so much better. I also have a Sea Pro sv2400. You will not be disappointed with the Minn kota. BTW: I got the best price at trolling motor wearhouse.
Hoss
SeaPro SV24 / 225 Yamaha
Carolina Skiff 16J / 50 hp Yamaha
Duracraft 15ft ’ 25 HP Honda
I got mine from the trollingmotordepot.com . Got the lowest price I could find & asked the guy to beat it. He did, and threw in free shipping.
Bob Van Gundy
Marine Designs,Inc.
Custom Aluminum Fabrication
803-727-4069
IMO, MInnKota is a better motor. However, my buddy got the new motorguide with all the bells and whistles and it seems to be much higher quality than the other model and older MG motors. I got my new minn kota from charleston marine. If i have any warranty issues i just take it back there instead of having to ship it to someone somewhere. Chris is a good guy and i know if there were/are any issues he will sort it out. the price was about the same as online too. I got the tiller control because i was tired of spending money fixing the electric computerized components of my previous motor. My buddys motor guides gadgets do make it nice for certain types of fishing tough. I just know in ten yrs that tiller one will likely still be kickin and the other fancy ones may not be.
- I’d rather be a free man in my grave than living as a puppet or a slave.
[/URL]
thank you for all your help i appreciate it, 1 question, with the min kota, can the position be locked if not communicating with gps/fish finder?
The Spotlock function on the MinnKota Ipilot is independent of anything else. It has its own GPS. It is seriously the cat’s meow. Make sure you get the longer shaft with whatever you buy though.
wow, thank you for all the advice. Appreciate you all taking time.
x10 on the MK iPilot.
If you do anything offshore/nearshore it’s the best thing since clean underwear.
Inshore around docks and such it’s not bad. Sometimes I’d rather have a tiller. Mostly when maneuvering in tight creeks. it’s just faster to change direction with a tiller.
I don’t care what anyone says, get the 36v. Tides are too strong here to run a 24ft boat with the 82lb thrust motor. You’ll drain the battery in short order.
I was really sold on the iPilot for fishing the nearshore reefs. Spotlock saves a ton of time and frustration. I could have sold 4 on Memorial day out at 4KI. All those guys were busy fighting with anchors and I was chasing schools of spadefish with cobia on ice already.
Mako 1901 Inshore-Honda 130
10% of the people catch 90% of the fish.
I-pilot is the way to go.
depending on how you fish, a 24 volt may work for you
the 36 volt would be recommended
one last vote for Minn kota I pilot.
Bigjim,
I always like to hear from people who’ve had both options, so I’ll chime in here for you. I’ve had Motor Guides and Minn Kotas–tiller, foot control, and the electronic foot control–and I still have one of each. I’ve fished boats with the autopilot, too.
First off, I’ll have to ask some folks here to forgive me, but I really despise the autopilot and electronic controlled ones. Some folks love them, but I need more instant response because I commonly fish in tight stuff and current, and how you position the boat relative to the fish is very important. Maybe some styles of fishing cater to the autopilot, but it won’t do for me. The tiller is the only model I’d consider.
As for the brands, the Motor Guides (Great White) that I’ve had had a quieter motor and a smaller prop and motor body for shallow water. The Minn Kotas (Riptide) that I’ve had looked and felt considerably nicer in my opinion (sort of like a more expensive car versus a cheaper one) but they have a much louder hum to the motor, a fatter motor body, and a much larger prop (none of which is good if you’re trying to fish shallow without having to get your 45-year-old out-of-shape frame onto a polling platform 
). I put the Minn Kota on my last boat because it fit and looked best (purdy boat), but for pure function, I really, really prefer the Motor Guide. I just do. To each his own. I’m undecided on which motor has the better shaft because I’ve bent a stainless Motor Guide shat and shattered an “indestructible” Minn Kota shaft. LOL. Take your pick there. I can tell you that fixing your Motor Guide electronics yourself is easy, but I haven’t had to fix my Minn Kota yet (because it’s newer and hasn’t seen nearly the abuse that I put on the Motor Guide).
For a 24’ boat, I’d focus on power and get the longer shaft. With a boat of that size, my quoms over the Minn Kota’s hum and large prop probably won’t be an issue. I think you’re probably fine either way. Just don’t get one that’s underpowered. People will say,
Gotcha,
I’ll agree that the MG is quieter. I replaced a MG wireless with the MK.
I do prefer a tiller for tight inshore stuff. But the benefits of the iPilot outweigh the benefits of the tiller for me. If minn kota was smart, they’d use a removable mount that’s compatible with both the remote and tiller models. Unfortunately they’re different. I found this out when I tried to put my iPilot on my Dad’s boat to so he could see it in action(he’s in FL)
Mako 1901 Inshore-Honda 130
10% of the people catch 90% of the fish.