Why not M/K power drive's on bass boats

[BIG DADDY BLUE RANGER]

As my M/K Maxxum is slowly being beaten to death I'm lookin at new models...

But it got me wondering why don't we see more Power Drive models on bass rigs..... walley rigs use em.... I had one one my first boat some 12 years ago and loved it....it was a small boat though

flat pedal design (for those of us without comfortroll), auto pilot option (wouldn't that be realy cool on the Delta in the wind), and the ability to move the pedal around so your body is always in proper alignment to set the hook...... even without auto pilot the motorize steering allows you to put it on constant on and it won't move side to side like cable steers do.....

So what's the downside I'm wondering ?????
24V 70lb maximum model (will still work for my rig)
power steering reduces battery charge slightly faster....
power steering turns slower than cable models

Are they not made to handle rough water ???? seems like if walleye guys use em they would handle the rough stuff pretty well...

Anyone in the know have any insite on how these compare to Maxxums

[Dan McKenzie]

They are very slow to turn compared to a manual footpedal. If you bust a cable you can rig a manual unit to steer, I don't see how it would be possible to do that with a powerdrive. If you primarily were fishing lakes it would probably make alot of sense, especially the auto pilot to hold to a particular depth.

[krpierce]

My dad had one on his lowe. He went out twice and hated it! He replaced it with a Minn Kota Edge. He said that in the wind it didnt respond as fast as a cable driven trolling motor (Maxxum and Edge models). He said that in the delayed response time he was constantly having to adjust it to go where he wanted to go.

There was also no way to mount a transducer on it, since it has to slide through a housing. So he had to mount a transducer to his boat. Just one man's opinion though. He has it for sale now if your interested.

[Greg_Cornish]

Are you talking about the ones that you can use a remote control with? the ones that just go round and round like on my pontoon? I have a Minnkota PowerDrive on it.

If I owned a bass boat, I wouldn't want a motor that would do constant speed. If you have it on constant and you go overboard, you are flat out screwed. Your boat will take off without you.

Guys who have used my foot pedal on my PD complain because when maneuvering while landing a fish you have to keep your eye on the motor to see where its heading. With standard troller you know just by the position of your foot and can keep your eye on the action.

But, on a pontoon boat with a guy in a wheelchair running it with a wrist control you can't beat it.

Yeh the transducer is a bear.

[Quantum_Kid]

We (my dad and I) just upgraded from our Power Drive to a Maxxum. It is a vast improvement.

Here are my pros and cons of the Power Drive:

Pros:
Flat foot pedal.
Long cable that allows you to put pedal anywhere in boat.
Easy to adjust motor height.
Takes up less space than the Maxxum.

Cons:
Hard to deploy into the water (very frustrating and time consuming).
Difficult to put a transducer on.
Motor turns slowly (even worse towards the end of the day).
Doesn't seem to be as weedless as the Maxxum.
Very difficult to turn with the power on.

All in all it isn't a bad motor, I just don't think it suits bass fishing very well. I can see it working for walleye as they troll a fair amount (I think).

Just my 2¢

Scott

[Sacto John]

I have a power drive on my boat and I love it. It is true that it takes longer to turn the motor, but I feel that is a very minor problem. I actually think the slower turning can be an advantage as I have, in the excitement of fishing almost dumped myself overboard by turning a cable steered motor too fast. I love the fact that I can point the motor in one direction, put it on constant and it will hold its course with out me constantly having to make adjustments. Sure new cable steered motors are like this when they are new, but inevitably they loosen up and you have to make constant adjustments. The flat peddle is the other thing I love about the power drive, it does not take up any room on my smaller deck and I do not get fatigued running it, even if I needed to have my foot on it all day long. If I ever upgrade and get a new boat I will most likely put a power drive on it.

[kopper_bass]

I had one of those remote control versions (which is a motor drive w/ radio controls) on my first boat.

As stated on other posts, the delayed response was the biggest issue; especially when you needed instant change - like about to bank the docs or something. Another issue was the relative noise of the servo motor constantly turning the head; that noise is on top of the motor turning the prop.

It doesnt work well when fishing in tight quaters - in the tulles, in between docs, etc. But out in the open water it is fine.

One big advantage that i did like with it was when trying to go in a relative straight line. once you set a direction, the motor was "locked" in that position, so all you had to do was hit the pedal to make the prop spin - you didnt have to re-adjust the steering constantly.

Kopper_Bass

Oh yeah - almost forgot too, with the wireless unit, the darn thing wasn't 100% waterproof (how crazy is that). i blew up 2 footpedals in less than 3 months. that was a big problem since you had no way to use it without the electronic pedal.

[Mike]

Yep! What Kopper said!


I had one when for awhile and they are not for the Delta!

1. You cant turn fast. You really notice this when the wind is blowing you into the rocks! And when you need to blow weeds off of the prop.

2. They are not as durrable and harder to stow.

3. That is enough reasons NOT to get one.

[Paul W]

I like the Powerdrive motors. I had one on my old 14' boat, then one on my 17' flats boat in Florida (a Riptide, same thing basically). Yes the head turns alot slower than a normal motor, but to me that was the only disadvantage. The flat pedal is nice and is a bit easier on your back. It's also MUCH easier to use in rough water. The slower turning really wasnt an issue for me, even in a strong breeze. One thing u should get if u get one, is a velcro strap to strap the shaft of the motor down when its up and youre running. My 2 motors werent real rigid when locked in the up position and tended to vibrate/bounce around a bit while running thru chop.

Paul W

[Steve]

Power drives are just about the only trolling motor Ive used for the last 18 years. The primary reason I use this motor is because I have a small boat and I need as much space as possible up front. The power drives have a very small base and a small flat pedal (the other engine in this category is the motorguide wireless). The pros to using this engine are small size; the cons are the noise its makes when turning and the pedals have a tendency to die on you. The amount of time a pedal lasts varies. If the pedal dies on the water your only option is to turn the head with your hand and hope you can find a new pedal before your next trip. If Minn Kota could fix the pedal dying problem, my interest in the power drive would sky rocket. If I had a full sized bass boat I would not use the power drive; what I would use is the Terrova or a top of the line scissor style Minn Kota. Im not a fan of Motorguide.

[Greg_Cornish]

Sacto, Paul and Steve, are you running bass boats?

[bustout]

i dont like the power drive because w/ cable....i dont have to look where the steering pointer is...i know the general direction it is pointing based on the position of my foot on the pedal (horizontal....strait. front of pedal down - rt turn. rear of pedal down = lft turn)

[Steve]

Sacto, Paul and Steve, are you running bass boats?

What other kind of boat is there?

[Sacto John]

Sacto, Paul and Steve, are you running bass boats?

Yes.

[BassManDan]

The PowerDrives are fantastic!!!!
I have a little 12v, 55lb thrust on my bass tracker and I love it!

Pros:
Smaller size/weight etc.
Flat(ter) foot pedal
Steering is locked (ie, the wind and current doesn't blow your motor off course.

Cons:
Electronic steering can use more battery juice
Doesn't turn as quick

In response to using extra battery power, really it is negligable, I can run two days on my group 27 no problem.

And to answer who's ever question it was.... you can still steer it manually, my footpedal died on a trip and all I had to do was lift the stopper over the top of the electronic turning mechanism and I was able to navigate easily wiht my hand.

The Powerdrives are great simply because you don't have to pay attention to it (ie keep your foot on it) all the time.

Give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

BassManDan

[Greg_Cornish]

I've met fisherman who fish alone love it because they can operate it from anywhere on the boat, and I've met fisherman who fish alone that hate it because they have to keep their eye on it and can't change direction on impulse by the way the pedal feels under their foot. I like mine for the reasons above.

The best case scenario would be to find someone who has one and try it before buying.

[Riplip]

I know what you are thinking BDBR...

I had a Silvertroll 12/24 TM on my very first bassboat that had a foot control with the option to hand control by switching a pin on the head. It was a pretty crappy TM but the hand control option was surprisingly cool. I discovered many situations where the hand control was way easier than trying to do three things at once. In current with wind gusts it is really pretty easy to just bump a quick correction and leave the speed just enough to accomodate my fishing method.

I am knda surprised I don't ever see any TM's with a option for hand control/foot control used anywhere.

[Trackerbass]

I had one for a while. The pros and cons are as stated above but another major one for me was the way it deploys. The shaft slides thru a collar as you lower it. The problem is it gets stuck all the time. I had to spray the shaft with WD at least once per trip. A real pain when it gets jammed. The auto steering was cool at first and very handy fishing lakes but in the delta wind and current it doesn't really hold it's course. Number one on the con side is in about 6 months of use it went in for repair 3 times. Replaced it with a maxxum. In my opinion, a big upgrade.

[Greg_Cornish]

I've used mine heavily for 4 years. Had to replace the co-pilot after 6 months, but it was free and I could still use the pedal while it was being exchanged. I took it apart after 4 years to examine the brushes and they were like new.

[Rod Martin]

most of the compliants are about pedal position, seems a TM company should come out with a electronic pedal that has the feel of a cable. If fly by wire and drive by wire can be done. Something as simple as a TM should be a snap.

[Paul W]

Sacto, Paul and Steve, are you running bass boats?

Yeah, I have an 18' Champion. Right now I have a Motorguide 82lb Tour and love it so far. I forgot to mention in my other post, my first Powerdrive (freshwater 36lb model) lasted for the 4 years I had my 14 footer, and never gave me trouble. My Riptide/Powerdrive on the other hand (65lb thrust) I had on my flats boat visited the shop twice in 2 years, both for electronic issues in the pedal. Still like the motors, but they probably arent quite as reliable as a normal heel/toe motor.

Paul W