83 Champ 184 updating/upgrading opinions please

[swestermann]

Hello fellow Champ brotherin Im going to be in the market in acouple months of upgrading the front of my ride and I am looking for tips and or opinions what to do.
1. I use the boat mainly to bass fish (trolling around shore and structure) but some crappie
2. I live in NE Kansas where the win seems to blow everyday that hook up to the ol girl
3. Its usually me and a buddy so around 500lbs of man, a tank and a half usually of fuel yes mine has 2 fuel tanks, 5 rods and reels, 2 well equip tackle boxes and multiple other lure boxes
4. Im pretty sure the minn kota up front is original and a whooping 28lbs (new prop) So I need/want to upgrade this
5. The Lowrance up there is a 3-4" model from way back so its going bye bye also
6. The chairs front and back are needing new struts also

I have been eyeballing the motorguide xi5 TM with the whole spot lock or whatever they call it and a nice lowrance up front also but don't want to end up divorced by the choice I make so any tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated. I fish as much as I can on my days off and weekends. I have a lowrance elite 7 ti for my main one with the transducer mounted on the transom (I used the old holes so I didn't make new ones)

[Milo30]

As far as electronics go, are you a Lowrance or Humminbird fan or do you care? Do you want electronic steer, cable steer or remote for the trolling motor control? The most popular trolling motor on the market right now is the Ultrex which is the only one that offers spotlock with traditional feel cable steer. Then you have the Terrova and xi5 which are electronic steer (pedal is electronic also - no pressure feedback). I don't know about the xi5 but you can get a remanufactured terrova (the new model) at a good price with a one year warranty. Humminbird Helix gen 1 units are heavily discounted now that the newer units are out. You can really upgrade the size for an affordable price now.

take a look at https://www.mygreenoutdoors.com/ I bought my trolling motor from them a few months ago for a deal that I couldn't beat anywhere else. Also https://www.universalmania.com/ they always have good deals on fish finders.

Once you have a trolling motor with spotlock, you'll never want to get rid of it. What kind of budget are you looking at?

[smokewagon]

Hello fellow Champ brotherin Im going to be in the market in acouple months of upgrading the front of my ride and I am looking for tips and or opinions what to do.
1. I use the boat mainly to bass fish (trolling around shore and structure) but some crappie
2. I live in NE Kansas where the win seems to blow everyday that hook up to the ol girl
3. Its usually me and a buddy so around 500lbs of man, a tank and a half usually of fuel yes mine has 2 fuel tanks, 5 rods and reels, 2 well equip tackle boxes and multiple other lure boxes
4. Im pretty sure the minn kota up front is original and a whooping 28lbs (new prop) So I need/want to upgrade this
5. The Lowrance up there is a 3-4" model from way back so its going bye bye also
6. The chairs front and back are needing new struts also

I have been eyeballing the motorguide xi5 TM with the whole spot lock or whatever they call it and a nice lowrance up front also but don't want to end up divorced by the choice I make so any tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated. I fish as much as I can on my days off and weekends. I have a lowrance elite 7 ti for my main one with the transducer mounted on the transom (I used the old holes so I didn't make new ones)

The best deal on the Ultrex was the 20% off at Tackle Warehouse Black Friday Sale. Pick one up next year if you can wait. You can find some really good deals on near new Fortrex with people that upgraded to the Ultrex. There should be at least one more price lowering incentive for the HDS- Gen 3 units soon. There should be some good deals for the 3-D bundles if your interested in one.

[swestermann]

What is the reason that everyone or at least most everyone is on the minn kota bandwagon? I have seen/read some bad reviews for the noise of the electronic steering on the minn kotas. I don't care so much about brands but the Lowrance electronics seem to be more user friendly in my opinion, also a couple retailers I have talked to all seem to steer to lowrance for there personal use boats. The whole feel of steering doesn't matter that much to me or I don't think it will,cable is all I know. I've been watching craigslist and trolling motors for sale on here as well.

[Milo30]

The older electronic steering was a little louder but the new ones this year are much improved. I just went from an older terrova to a new ulterra. It is super quiet turning. They also improved the spotlock accuracy to better than than the MG xi5. There is a big difference in feeling steering like the Ultrex and any other electronic steer trolling motor. It actually has a cable so it gives feedback like a traditional tm. All others, the foot control is basically a pedal that depresses a button. You can't feel how much it is turning, you have to look at the head and see which way it is facing. Most people don't use the foot control, only the remote.

Fishfinders is a personal preference. Most people that I talk to think the Humminbird is more user friendly. What I like about humminbird is the price you see is what it is going to cost. You don't have to buy other accessories to use other features plus the new Helix megas have clarity that I've never seen on another fish finder. Google helix mega photos and you'll see what I am talking about. If you have humminbird you might want to go with minn kota ipilot link so you can connect to the fish finder for more features. If you have Lowrance then go with the XI5.

There's nothing wrong with a used trolling motor just beware, if it is Minn Kota and used it will be the old model (not as accurate). The new ones hold me in a foot or so of my spot. virtually don't move.

[swestermann]

The sad part for me is that I think Im only going to have this boat another 3-5 yrs before I look for nice used Champ

[Milo30]

The way electronics go they will be considered outdated in 3-5 years. Either buy what you really want and don't include them in the sale of the boat or look at getting used. Personally, I'd be upgrading mine in 3-5 years anyway so I'd just buy what I wanted now and enjoy using them.

[Littleman2009]

Go with the Minn Kota ULTREX.This trolling motor is awesome.You will be glad you did.

[rustyed]

Go with the Minn Kota ULTREX.This trolling motor is awesome.You will be glad you did.

This!

[swestermann]

Whats the deal with these Garmin Striker and Striker plus finders now a days?

[fishATX]

I picked up a '91 168 last year and have been doing the same in regards to updates. I am running a elite ti 7 and a MK 80lb Terrova with iPilot, the iPilot is a game changer for me, the only drawback is Lowrance and MK are a no no. If you want to tie the TM to your FF you have to go MK with HumminBird or MG with Lowrance. I do not have this feature but I'm not sure how often I would even need it. Autopilot seems to be enough. I agree with going for a lightly used TM, I found my Terrova locally and saved a bunch of money.

[swestermann]

I thought you could buy a adapter cable to go lowrance to minn kota? I watch miliken fishing on youtube and I think he has minn kota and lowrance up front.

[fishATX]

I thought you could buy a adapter cable to go lowrance to minn kota? I watch miliken fishing on youtube and I think he has minn kota and lowrance up front.

You adapt the built in sonar puck to work with Lowrance, but, you cant tie it to your mapping.