Ultrex Quest Review - Phoenix 719

[msupc]

Hello All,

I wanted to share with you all about the Ultrex Quest I just installed on my recently new-to-me 2012 Phoenix 719 Pro XP. When I picked the boat up, it had a Lowrance Ghost troller. I previously ran a 24v Ultrex on my last boat (Tracker 175 TXW), and going from the Ultrex to the Ghost was no bueno for me. I didn't like the foot pedal feel, the directional arrow, the lack of responsiveness with the motor, the inability to understand where FFS was pointing, etc. I really, really tried to like the Ghost and get used to it, but I just couldn't get there.

In comes Bass Pro Shops' 15% off every Monday in December sale for club card members. I signed up for a card, got $20 club points, and I was able to purchase the Ultrex Quest 45" w/2D chirp for around $3,400 after taxes with free shipping. The motor arrived in two days via FedEx, and I proceeded to rip the Ghost off and replace it with the Quest. The installation was very straight forward. I will say that the pin that holds the spring and latch to prevent the swing arm from opening was loose in the packaging, and I had to figure out how to reinstall it. Minn Kota should really address this. I also had to utilize a 3/4" starboard spacer on the 719, as the Quest's base is a bit wider and it also lays flatter in the stowed position - both of which would have impacted the plastic bow shroud. Phoenix was kind of enough to ship the spacer along with longer mounting bolts; their customer service has been EXCEPTIONAL with this new-to-me boat.

I was utilizing the Fish Obsessed Dominator mount on the Ghost, and I purchased the Quest hub and link to swap this over. I am a huge fan of the D shaped shaft on the Quest; it completely eliminates the opportunity for misalignment for FFS. I also run Garmin graphs - 106sv and 93sv UHD up front and two 106sv at console, so I purchased the Garmin 12pin to 8pin transducer adapter cable and the Minn Kota MKR-DSC-14 to connect the 2D Chirp cable from the Quest to the 93SV UHD. I had to swap out the factory Phoenix circuit breaker for a 60a breaker due to MK's specifications, and I utilized a Blue Seas 285 60a switch breaker.

Once installation was complete, I powered up the Quest in the driveway and synced with the One Boat Network app on my iPhone. I connected to the Quest via bluetooth, and the OBN app picked it up right away. I adjusted some settings (stow position, Auto Pilot course preference, etc.) and did a software update. Time to hit the lake!

Once on the water, I picked the motor up and dumped it in the water. WOW! I couldn't be more pleased. Night and day difference when compared to the Ghost. The foot pedal feel is outstanding, the steering responsiveness is superb, and I know EXACTLY where my FFS is pointing. The motor is a freaking rocket too. At WOT I was tugging my 719 at 4.25 MPH. The fastest I ever saw out of the Ghost was around 3.75 MPH. The motor is significantly quieter too. The steering isn't "quiet", but you can turn it slowly to maintain low sound volume. The auto stow positioning and deploy positioning is very nice to have; this was a feature I wasn't able to utilize with the Ghost due to running Garmin graphs. The Quest mount is BEEFY. Very happy with that aspect, and it seems like it will hold up to abuse. The lift assist is strong and almost too strong when stowing the motor, as I have to push down on the motor to lock it in.

The biggest surprise with the swap was the amps the Quest pulls at WOT. I am running three (3) 50AH Ionic lithium batteries for trolling and a 125AH Ionic lithium battery for cranking and electronics. The highest pull I saw out of the Ghost was 37a at WOT, but the Quest at WOT shows 59a via the Ionic bluetooth app! I am going to be swapping the 6AWG factory trolling motor wiring over to 2AWG due to the amperage pull and wire length to eliminate voltage drop. The Ionic app showed 12.6V at WOT when pulling 59a, which equates to roughly 5.5% voltage drop. The 2AWG wire should bring this to 3% or less hopefully.

In summation, I could not be happier with the new Ultrex Quest. I have only been out for half a day fishing with it and will provide updates as appropriate. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have, and enjoy the video and pictures below!

https://youtube.com/shorts/UZc4DUEnjrw

Quest (10).JPG
Quest (12).JPG
Quest (9).JPG
Quest (4).JPG
Quest (7).jpg
Capture.PNG
Batt33.jpg

[cubsfan02449]

Nice review. I bought one on the same deal you got. Pretty happy. I have a 2015 Phoenix . Sounds like I need to call the factory and get the base and the longer bolts too.

[TwinStick]

I put a Quest on my 919 last week. My experience is the same as yours, i couldn't be more pleased. I do have 1 question, the only issue i had was after running on high for a few minutes my breaker kicked off. I contacted Phoenix and they felt my breaker was going bad. Looks like you swapped yours out as well?

[msupc]

Nice review. I bought one on the same deal you got. Pretty happy. I have a 2015 Phoenix . Sounds like I need to call the factory and get the base and the longer bolts too.

I made the determination that it was required by looking at the Ghost and comparing the clearances to Minn Kota's published dimensional drawing of the Quest. I didn't want to get into the installation only to realize that it was required, which it was. See below...
Ghost Clearance.JPG
QuestStowed.PNG
Quest (14).JPG

[jasonG]

I put a Quest on my 919 last week. My experience is the same as yours, i couldn't be more pleased. I do have 1 question, the only issue i had was after running on high for a few minutes my breaker kicked off. I contacted Phoenix and they felt my breaker was going bad. Looks like you swapped yours out as well?

gotta verify in manual but pretty sure even the normal ultrex calls for a 60amp fuse/breaker.

[msupc]

I put a Quest on my 919 last week. My experience is the same as yours, i couldn't be more pleased. I do have 1 question, the only issue i had was after running on high four a few minutes my breaker kicked off. I contacted Phoenix and they felt my breaker was going bad. Looks like you swapped yours out as well?

Well, Minn Kota specifies a 60a breaker for the Quest at 36v. The breaker that was in the boat when I bought it was a 50a hence the replacement. I don't know the exact length of the factory 6AWG trolling motor wire, but I estimate it to be around 20' or so (40' total circuit length). Nearly 60a at 40' really should be done with at least 2AWG wire. I will be curious to see if the 2AWG will reduce the current, and it should actually increase theoretical horsepower due to wattage increase resulting from the decreased resistance. One mistake I think is often made is not factoring in the total circuit length. Electrons must complete the entire circuit, therefore if you have a 20' run of wire for the TM, then the circuit length is 40'.

See calculations and supplemental information below:

WireChart.PNG


Unloaded Voltage = 13.3v (39.9v @ three batteries)
Loaded Voltage @ 59a = 12.6v (37.8v @ three batteries) = 5.263% drop

2AWG at a length of 45', 40v, and 59a should yield a drop of approximately 2.16% resulting in 13.0127v @ each battery and 39.038v @ three batteries. As mentioned before, I will be curious to see if amperage decreases or increases!

Horsepower Calculation:
I*V/746
6AWG = 59a x 37.8v / 746 = 2.9895 HP
2AWG = 59a x 39.038v / 746 = 3.08746 HP

A little bit of additional information:
The Ghost pulled 37a at 12.9v @ WOT, which given the aforementioned HP formula would yield 1.91943 HP.

To summarize, the Quest pulls some dang amps, and a 36v system with lithium batteries really should be using AT LEAST 4AWG wire if not larger IMO.

[TwinStick]

Ah ok. I missed that part, i already had an ultrex. Pretty positive I've got a 60 in mine. Mine is probably just going bad.

[reelmin5]

Is that a totally redesigned prop? I have not seen the quest in person

[msupc]

Ah ok. I missed that part, i already had an ultrex. Pretty positive I've got a 60 in mine. Mine is probably just going bad.

What batteries are you running? The Ionic app showed the Quest pulling 741.5w at WOT. If you are running AGM or LA batteries, they would have a lower resting voltage and could have a larger voltage drop under such a significant load especially if they have any age to them. Amps are calculated by watts/volts. Without knowing the specific wattage you are seeing, if we were to assume 741.5w (2,224.5w @ three batteries) and a lower voltage, then the amperage actually increases, which could be what is tripping your breaker.

[msupc]

Is that a totally redesigned prop? I have not seen the quest in person

It's not significantly different. The Quest comes with two props - a speed prop (pictured) and a "grass" prop, which is basically the Weedless Wedge 2.

[BassBoatWired]

Great Review!

[SLYDoggie]

It's not significantly different. The Quest comes with two props - a speed prop (pictured) and a "grass" prop, which is basically the Weedless Wedge 2.

The Ulterra Quest only comes with one prop.

[msupc]

The Ulterra Quest only comes with one prop.

Ah! Didn't know that. Good clarification - The Ultrex Quest comes with two (2) props!

[bobcoy]

The Ulterra Quest only comes with one prop.

Seems strange! It comes with the power prop and shows the weed prop as an accessory. So it is not a problem to use it, but the Ultrex comes with both. Huh

[SLYDoggie]

Seems strange! It comes with the power prop and shows the weed prop as an accessory. So it is not a problem to use it, but the Ultrex comes with both. Huh

Guess I didn't really mind since my home lake has zero grass/weeds. It's deep and rocky.

[bobcoy]

Mine is the same way, but it still seems strange. I would be interested in the reason it would be any different for the Ultrex users.

[TwinStick]

What batteries are you running? The Ionic app showed the Quest pulling 741.5w at WOT. If you are running AGM or LA batteries, they would have a lower resting voltage and could have a larger voltage drop under such a significant load especially if they have any age to them. Amps are calculated by watts/volts. Without knowing the specific wattage you are seeing, if we were to assume 741.5w (2,224.5w @ three batteries) and a lower voltage, then the amperage actually increases, which could be what is tripping your breaker.

Figured out my problem. My boat had a 50amp breaker. I've got a 60amp in it now. Should fix my problem.

[msupc]

Figured out my problem. My boat had a 50amp breaker. I've got a 60amp in it now. Should fix my problem.

Glad you figured it out! The 2AWG wire should arrive Saturday. I plan to install soon thereafter and will report back with my findings once I am able to get it back on the water and test.

[justinp61]

Glad you figured it out! The 2AWG wire should arrive Saturday. I plan to install soon thereafter and will report back with my findings once I am able to get it back on the water and test.

After you install the larger wires see if your app shows a different watt load at WOT.

[msupc]

So I was able to install the 2AWG and get out on the water for testing, and the results are that current and voltage (measured at the batteries via Ionic's bluetooth app) essentially stayed the same when comparing the 6AWG wire to the 2AWG wire. Wattage definitely decreased (slightly) and speed increased slightly as well. This is likely due to the lower resistance in the 2AWG wire. See below for spreadsheet.

ScreenShot.PNG

EDIT:
As I was thinking through this whole amp hour thing, I got to thinking about the maximum current draw the BMS is regulated to for the 50AH Ionic lithium batteries. The website states a maximum current draw of 50a as well as a peak current (3S) of 150a, which had me concerned. I suppose the 50a maximum current draw rating is actually 50a immediately versus the 59ah draw on the batteries. 59ah draw is actually .98a/min or .016389a/sec. Am I thinking about that correctly?

A comparison - I am running the 125AH Ionic battery, which states a maximum current draw of 100a but a 900a cranking capacity. These two numbers seem to contradict one another. There is also a specification of 500a (3S) pulse discharge current. Can anyone assist in understanding this?