Which style bow mount do you prefer and why?

[Cox]

So my question is fairly simple. I have a Minn Kota Edge on my 16' Aluminum Deep V. It functions very well in terms of power...moves the boat no problem in a variety of wind situations up to and including a stiff 20 mph wind. Battery life with this motor is fantastic (simple 12v system btw). After 6 to 8 hours on the water I always think I'm pushing the limits but low and behold when I attach the charger it's never less then 65%.

The only thing that gets me is the cable system and foot pedal. It's a real pain to move the pedal from right to left if I decide to fish from the other side of the boat. The cable just gets so kinked, rigid, and stiff. Keeping one foot 8 to 10 inches up off of the ground while you're casting, retrieving, figure 8-ing, etc is also very tough on the back.

I've considered going to the Power Drive with the long cable and flatter foot control thinking that I'm solving all of my issues while also giving myself the opportunity to run the motor from the back of the boat instead of just from the bow. Unfortunately I've read a ton of negative posts about the foot pedal as well as the quick deploy lever.

Which do you prefer and why and what would you purchase if you were given $750 today to buy a new Bow Mount?

Thanks in advance for the feed back. I'll sit back and watch the reply's!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Which style bow mount do you prefer and why?

I've had a number of power drives and they are still my motor of choice. The foot pedals are an issue for some and not a problem for others. I've not had an issue with them. Those folks with size 13 feet that stomp on the pedal may rupture the small switch pads on the circuit board. That lets moisture into the circuitry and therefore the issue. Leaving the pedals out in the weather is not a good idea either and that doesn't just apply to Minnkota. The deploy mechanism on my V2's have worked fine.

 

[bassman284]

Re: Which style bow mount do you prefer and why?

I got my 2001 Lund 1650 with a 47lb Minnkota Maxxum and about 4 years ago I switched to the PowerDrive V2 for the same reasons you're stating: back and knee problems. The area in front of the front seat mount is pretty cramped and at 6' 5" with size 14 feet it was killing my back. I spend most of my time working the shore line casting for bass so I get a pretty good workout. The PD helped a lot with those issues, but there are some tradeoffs.

Quick deploy: Drove me nuts until I learned how to use it. Initially I was just opening the lever and trying to push the motor out which can be pretty difficult. With some help here I learned to give it a fairly sharp push downward which ejects the motor off the rest. There is a threaded collar below the lever that you can adjust to make this work better - the farther up the shaft the collar is, the better it deploys.

Pedal: Yes, they are not terribly robust. I trashed my first one after about a year of fishing 1 or 2 days a week. Turning was becoming unreliable but ultimately destroyed the speed control board. Whatever your shoe size, DO NOT use your foot to adjust the speed control. My second pedal is 3 years old and still doing the job. Tread lightly and, as Silvertip says, don't let it get rained on.

I got the CoPilot which is nice at times, but I don't use it as much as I thought I would. Mostly just for fast runs to a different fishing spot.

Mostly I'm pretty happy with it and it definitely helped out with the back problems. You just have to get used to a little different operating motion. Maybe you can find someone who has one that would let you test drive it a bit.

 

[dlngr]

Re: Which style bow mount do you prefer and why?

I use Only the CoPilot,usually don't even pull the foot control out from under the deck. hang the CoPilot around my neck,and it's right handy what ever I'm doing I can even control the trolling motor while I'm -uh,watering the flowers over the side of the boat!

 

[bassman284]

Re: Which style bow mount do you prefer and why?

If I had three hands, I'd use the copilot a lot more. Unfortunately, the kind of fishing I do keeps both hands busy most of the time.

 

[pootnic]

Re: Which style bow mount do you prefer and why?

I have a older 50lbs powerdrive(no co-pilot).
I still have the orginal foot pedal,gets used in all types of weather(including rain/snow),havn't had any problems(probably jinxed myself now);it gets stored inside after I get home.
I do the same type fishing as you and there are times I wish I had a cable drive or even a hand tiller(faster turning?).The PD's aren't the fastest(atleast mine)at turning and I find the foot pedal alittle light and can be kicked around.
If your happy with a 12V system,you could always buy another battery and hook up in paralell.