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  1. #1
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    Trolling Motor Upgrade

    New to the forum. Recently picked up a 2008 Tracker 195 pro team in great shape. Original Trolling motor is 12v, only 45 pound thrust, and is tired. Original electronics as well. Looking to upgrade. The options are overwhelming. Can anyone recommend a trolling motor and electronics package for this boat? I’m totally lost. Any help appreciated.

  2. Dogfish_Jones
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    #2
    Go with a 24v 70 lb thrust model.

  3. Member
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    #3
    There is alot of good used fishfinders out there if you take some time to look around. I just sold my spare Hummie 859ci HD DI low hours 400.00 shipped including ducer and cover, so I am sure you should be able to find a good 700 or 800 series specially with many people moving up to big screen TV this days.

  4. Member
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    #4
    It all depends on your budget and then what's important to you in a trolling motor and electronics.

    Go 24v for the trolling, 65lb and up. If you don't care about all the fancy new trolling motor features you should be able to get a new trolling motor for a reasonable price or a used one for fairly cheap. Remember you'll need to buy another battery, so factor that into the budget.

    Electronics can be as cheap or expensive as you want them to be. If you know anyone else with electronics on their boats get them to explain the differences. If not, figure out a budget first, then how many you want, and what features your looking for. That will narrow it down for you. Other than that it's personal preference for brand name. They all do the same sort of things for the most part and everyone has their opinion on which is best; so ultimately it comes down to your needs/wants and $$$.

    If you already have a map chip from your old ones then you might not need a new one. If not then add that to the budget. In my opinion the map chip is definitely worth it.

    Finally, if you don't feel comfortable installing everything add that cost into the budget.

    Go to your local fishing/tackle store and see what they have on display and play with it - bass pro has a descent selection of the different manufacturers. You may find one is easier for you to navigate than the other.

    As long as everything you have is working, take your time deciding and you'll be fine.
    Last edited by Bassmada; 07-15-2020 at 11:28 PM.
    Wishin I Was Fishin...

  5. Member mbeachy's Avatar
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    Dec 2016
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    #5
    I got a trolling motor Ultex with Spot Lock on it last year and do not know how I fished with out it before. It has many uses in shallow and off shore and feel its the best upgrade that I have on my boat.

    Mike Beachy 2020 TRX 21 250 Pro XS 4S

  6. Member
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    #6
    If you plan to go high end with your trolling motor, figure out what electronics you want. Since all the major electronics manufacturers now have motors that are compatible with their units, it makes for less wires, and better interface. I bought my boat last year before all the trolling motors came out and got an Ultrex and Lowrance electronics. I still prefer Lowrance over Humminbird because of the ease of the touch screen, but I can't use anything but sonar with the built in transducer on the Ultex, which sucks.

    I have to agree that I don't know how I fished without spotlock. If you have the money, get something with a spotlock feature.

  7. Member
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    #7
    If you can, wait until November for the electronics but if you go the used route, make sure you do your research. just as an example post #3 sold a Used humminbird series unit for $400 thats no longer in production and while it might seem like a good deal since a new Units of that size are upwards of $800, it’s also an old unit that was used. For reference I was considering buying a used unit from BBC but ended up getting a Helix 7si G2 from bass pro for $400 last November then another Helix 7si for $450 in April from Bass pro again.. While it might be a 1” smaller screen, it was also new for the price of a used model thats 3 generations old.

    Humminbird is more user friendly, has better side and down imaging and lakemaster mapping Is great but costs extra (the base mapping is iffy). I’ve also had way better luck with reliability with Humminbird. I’m a big Humminbird fan for what it’s worth.

    Lowrance needs more user input to be tuned but has a lot better 2D sonar definition than Humminbird and also with good maps installed, the side and down imaging are decent but the transducer is friggin massive. If you want side imaging at the bow, more times than not the lowrance transducer won’t fit. I originally bought a lowrance Hook2 7x for the bow just for 2D but ended up returning it and getting another Humminbird when they want back on sale.

    Garmin is kind of the good alternative that has decent Overall imaging and mapping but Isn’t as user friendly as Humminbird.


    for trolling motors, get a 24volt with atleast a 65lb thrust and preferably 50” shaft. The length might be overkill but those trackers sit pretty high at the bow, and when the waves pick up you’ll be glad you had a longer shaft. If you fish shallow, just raise the motor manually. I prefer motorguide but minn Kota seems to last longer. Spot lock isn’t necessary but it is a very nice feature to have, sometimes I wish I had that feature but man it’s pricey. If you fish shallow, I’d suggest power poles over a spot lock. If you fish deep, spot lock is the way to go.
    1995 Ranger 481v
    1995 Johnson Fast Strike 175hp

  8. Member
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    #8
    My friend Mark just bought a new Tundra shiny red and came with standard TM Ultrex with Spot Lock. Apparently, the second day out fishing last week, something took a crap in his digital controller, and was without a TM the rest of the week. Pretty sad for a 2 month old boat and your fancy TM has a catastrophic brain fart.
    I think I will stay with my trusty foot operated "spot lock" Motorguide Digital.

  9. Member
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    #9
    Quote Originally Posted by digthemup View Post
    My friend Mark just bought a new Tundra shiny red and came with standard TM Ultrex with Spot Lock. Apparently, the second day out fishing last week, something took a crap in his digital controller, and was without a TM the rest of the week. Pretty sad for a 2 month old boat and your fancy TM has a catastrophic brain fart.
    I think I will stay with my trusty foot operated "spot lock" Motorguide Digital.
    On that note, every trolling motor manufacturer mass produces these things so with anything you buy, there's always a chance it could be defective, that's why they have warranties. It's unfortunate that it happened to that guy but if he just bought it, I'm sure it will get fixed/replaced in a timely manner.

    You will get more accurate answers for your question telling us your budget and how you fish.
    Wishin I Was Fishin...

  10. Member
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    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Bassmada View Post
    On that note, every trolling motor manufacturer mass produces these things so with anything you buy, there's always a chance it could be defective, that's why they have warranties. It's unfortunate that it happened to that guy but if he just bought it, I'm sure it will get fixed/replaced in a timely manner.

    You will get more accurate answers for your question telling us your budget and how you fish.
    Hey Bassmada,
    How does the warranties replace nearly a weeks worth of fishing? Praise the Lord, it happened to crap out near the middle of Lake of the Isles while fishing for larries, and in the Narrows by the bridge fishing for smallies where the current alone can carry you and smash you into a bolder minefield. How would have warranties replaced a damaged new boat or worse??
    BTW, when I said the TM crapped out, I did not mean just the spot lock portion, but the digital controller rendered it inoperable .

  11. Member
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    Sep 2020
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    #11
    My boat is wired for 12 and 24 trolling motors. My current one is the one that came on the boat, a MotorGuide 41lb that runs either at 12v or 24v. The second battery was dead when I bought it and I removed it. So far I have only run this with in 12v, but in 2 trips I haven't had to charge it yet. The 41lb seems to work ok on the lake where I have been taking the boat to test, but I feel like it won't handle current. I was planning to swap it out with a newport vessels 62lb 12v that I actually bought for my jon boat. Would it be better to go with something 24v and replace add a new battery in? I honestly don't fish all day. My plan for the boat is to use it here in FL in the river on the flats. For reference, but boat is a little over 17' long and a little under 8' wide. My GF didn't have a measuring tape when I was measuring to put it in the garage so I just had to kind of walk it off with my feet.