Minn kota or motorguide for 24v bow-mount trolling motor?

i will be buying a new trolling motor come the spring for my 17.5' fiberglass bass boat. it is a 24v set up and i would like to keep it that way. what trolling motor will work, performe, and last the best.Minn kota or motorguide for 24v bow-mount trolling motor?
I own a 24v Motorguide (87 lb thrust) %26amp; it has been very good to me - I use it regularly and have had no issues. However, I will say that both MinKota %26amp; Motor guide make a very good trolling motor - you can not go wrong either way.



It's a great choice to go with a 24v set up, as you will get much more life %26amp; better performance on the water.



Also, your 17.5 foot fiberglass boat is most likely somewhat heavy, so be sure to get a motor with at least 55 lbs of thrust (or more).



The shaft length is also very important. If it's too short, your prop will be lifting out of the water on windy days (if it's a bow mount)



The site noted below will give you more fishing tips. Good luck with your new trolling motor - I'm sure you'll love it.
It depends where/how you fish.

If you fish rough waters the MinnKota 3X might not be a good idea.

They use a planetary gear box that doesn't hold up well when running high speed on rough water. The bouncing and jarring work the gears loose. It is also hand op which most Bass fishermen don't like.

I use a 70# thrust hand op MinnKota Riptide rigged with Bigfoot switches on a 17' Nitro bass boat and love it. The Riptide is one of MinnKota's saltwater series. Hand op is also easier to use in rough water. Motorguide saltwater models are GreatWhite.

The saltwater series holdup a lot longer.



The Wireless series are compact and easy to operate but the servo motors can be annoyingly loud on a quiet day on the water and there are more parts to break.



Both brands are very good and you should be OK with either.



If you can afford a saltwater model go with it you will be much happier in the long run.Minn kota or motorguide for 24v bow-mount trolling motor?
I'm not familiar with the Motor Guide, I'm sure they make a good product. However, I don't think that you could go wrong with a Minnkota. I've had a few, one transom mount that I had for more than 20 years, with no problems. All of my fishing buddies have Minnkotas on their boats, with no problems. I currently have a Minnkota Power Guide 70 lb. thrust on the bow of my boat, a 17' Lund. It has the universal sonar feature, which is real nice, because you don't have the transducer cable running down the motor shaft, and you don't have to clamp the transducer to the motor. I have a Minnkota Vector 3X on the transom, it has the back trolling feature and a telescoping handle. Both motors are 24V, and the batteries last a long time. I charge my batteries up before going fishing, and haven't ran out of "juice" yet. There's a pad to push on the top of the motor, that will give you your battery status. The charge has held up for me on fishing trips to Little Bay de Noc, where I've stayed for 5 days and fished without recharging.
Ok...have had a digital steering, 24v Motorguide. It works great once its working, the digital steering has gone out once. Since then I have had issues with the charger. I have heard great things about the MinnKota, but once I seen a guy with the unbreakable shaft....broken off. He was tied up to a dock right next to us, since both of us had no trolling motor. Both made good products, but beware of the new gimmicks that are out there. Do your research, on items like the digital steering and auto pilot stuff. Remember the more bells and whistles the more stuff that can break down on you in the middle of a hot bite!Minn kota or motorguide for 24v bow-mount trolling motor?
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