Garmin Force vs. Motor guide/Minn Kota

[SamMule]

How does the spot lock/anchor function of the garmin compare to these other guys?
It will be used for very long days 14h+ sometimes with waves exceeding 3-4'.
I had an old minn kota that was ok. (Before the generation with the jog function)
Been using an xi5 for the last 5-6 years and it seems to be better than the minn kota was. Most of the time... Been a really buggy unit.

I run garmin units, so I am considering using the force for compatibility reasons.
Not worth it if the spot lock isn't as accurate though.

For those of you that have used them. What's the consensus?

Thanks!

[ifishinxs]

Check out the Garmin board.

[AKRISONER]

Check out the Garmin board.

kinda unfair because there is a thread from a guy having difficulty with his.

I personally have had 0 issues with my spotlock. I was fishing in 35mph wind this weekend with my force and it was laser precise.

[coachallen]

kinda unfair because there is a thread from a guy having difficulty with his.

I personally have had 0 issues with my spotlock. I was fishing in 35mph wind this weekend with my force and it was laser precise.

Me either.. works fine.

[ifishinxs]

kinda unfair because there is a thread from a guy having difficulty with his.

I personally have had 0 issues with my spotlock. I was fishing in 35mph wind this weekend with my force and it was laser precise.

You mean multiple guys not just one. I am one of those guys that has had the foot pedal replaced and now the entire sub assy. If you do just a little searching you find that Garmin has a problem. The good news is they stand behind the product. I’m sure Garmin will get things sorted out. In the mean time I would not recommend the Force to anyone.

[2dwoods]

So I've had mine replaced I had one of the first but since its been great and Garmin was no problem working with me .I believe in my reading they all have problems its my 02 that the Garmin mount and all are built like a tank I got tired of my mk bushings going out and the foot pedal switch

[coachallen]

In the mean time I would not recommend the Force to anyone.

why.. Mine has been out once but NO issues.. I had an ultrex and I went from 2.5 mph to 3.6 mph... Garmin has the best Customer service.. The Force is a awesome.. I had no problems with foot pedal or spot lock.

[86 inches]

I wouldn't recommend one, either.

[cldtx]

I am glad to hear that most love it. I like mine overall, but spot lock is not "perfect." There is a general observation by many that the motor tends to back-up (5-10') when first engaged -- it is not because you are moving forward, etc. (you can see the thread noted above). I don't believe it is so dramatic that makes the unit useless or un-recommendable. The unit seems to hold position well once it settles. When I fish in open water, it is not that big of a deal and I hardly notice it. When I am fishing around docks and shore/rocks, it becomes a big deal real quick.

[E-rude_Dude]

One vote for MG Tour pro

If you read the boards they are all having issues.

MG is a true cable steer still. Meaning if the electronics crap out you can still fish.

[PMantle]

I have used a Force and a Tour Pro. No comparison. The Force moves around a lot. The Tour pro sits still with no jerky motions at all. I have nothing positive to say about the Force.

[Riccochet]

One vote for MG Tour pro

If you read the boards they are all having issues.

MG is a true cable steer still. Meaning if the electronics crap out you can still fish.

+1 MGTP. True cable steer is why I went with it. Too many people left dead in the water with the other brands due to dead electronics.

[jtracc]

I have the MK ultrex, I was reluctant to buy one in the start but peer pressure got the better of me. I really like it now and don't have much to complain about. It be cool if mk introduces a brushless motor, I'm sure it's in the works. I had a terrova a while back on my last boat and the spot lock wasn't that great. Anything more then a medium breeze and the thing would toss you out the boat. The ultrex is way smoother and really accurate. I have a 80# with ranger glass and paired with lithium batteries it's unstoppable, I still have my fortrex as a spare cause I just don't trust the technology.

[GPtimes2]

Garmin just released a software update for the force that is to improve anchor lock. If you're interested in it, I would see what people say in a few days after trying it.

[Dh0ckey11]

In my limited experience so far (about 10 fishing days), the force is the best TM I have used. I have the issue of backing up when first engaging spot lock, but understand that is a software issue and have not tried the update yet. I also don't like the button for heading lock, and have added a zip tie to effectively deactivate it (youtube video from MDJ shows this). I wish I could apply more tension to the foot pedal (similar to Ultrex, both are too easy to turn and take getting used to). These are my only problems.

Things I like:
Easy to lift and stow, automatically turns head to the stow position when I pick it up. Much easier than Ultrex
Power/Efficiency is great
Weedless prop works well, seems robust so far
The internal transducer is user replaceable (and I was able to make an adapter so I can use a Humminbird transducer in the built-in location)
Quiet (the quietest motor vs the ghost and ultrex)
Spot lock works well (other than the backing up thing, liveable but annoying)
Calibration/Setup is easy, remote shows progress
Cable routing is best in class, makes for clean installs
Depth adjustment works (unlike Ultrex which is awful)

I have used Ultrex's for years, this is an improvement over the current Ultrex for sure. I have only had one experience with a Ghost... it was awful and the owner returned it the next day. Not saying the Ghost is bad, but that one was. Bracket creaks, noisy movement, while it was working, then it also stopped doing that. Not great.

[Kb444fishing]

Love my force. Second season. If it holds up say ten seasons will be the question. Like others have said customer service is great. Had a few small issues mainly self inflicted.

[SamMule]

Well, as it turns out, the shaft is too short for my boat. Apparently, the 57 is about equal to a terrova 54, which was too short. I called garmin and it sounds like there are no plans to offer a longer shaft. So, i ended up ordering a new terrova.

[coachallen]

took my garmin force out for the second time. Love it.. I did find out that you can adjust the foot control so that is what I will do next. I was going 4 mph with 36 volt on a 19ft boat while on high... I might take one battery out and see how I like it.. I have to learn all the controls on the remote..

[ifishinxs]

took my garmin force out for the second time. Love it.. I did find out that you can adjust the foot control so that is what I will do next. I was going 4 mph with 36 volt on a 19ft boat while on high... I might take one battery out and see how I like it.. I have to learn all the controls on the remote..

Mine will run 3.8 to 4 mph on 24 volt.

[86 inches]

Mine will run 3.8 to 4 mph on 24 volt.

Same here. This is definitely one of the outstanding things about the motor. Extremely strong and efficient.
For my use, I have no need for a third battery.

I've been on the water with the new update just a very short time but it seems like the anchor lock is much improved and I did not have the problems with the auto-reverse that I had with the previous version. Hopefully, others will have similar reports. If it continues to be this good with a little more time on the water, I might change my recommendation. There are a lot of good things about the motor.