Minn Kota factory closure

[apenland01]

Okay, so I had a major malfunction of my Ultrex trolling motor on the water this Saturday near the end of my tournament.  The motor would cut off and then start back at varied power like it was trying to work, but wouldn't.

I called the guy at the ASC that installed it while I was on the water and he helped me troubleshoot it.  Unfortunately, it's going to need repairs most likely under warranty.

The problem is that the Minn Kota factory is closed and he can't get parts.  They aren't shipping anything, so repairs won't happen until after all this gets cleared up and they open again.

Just a heads up that if you have trouble with your gear, there is a chance it won't get fixed in the near future because of a lack of parts or service.....

[Mike Cork]

This is effecting a lot of the industry. The shimano parts warehouse is closed. I've been told major parts departments for outboards are shut down...

Non essential...

[coldfront]

just had my ultrex 'go down'.  first, it refused to spot lock... then it wouldn't turn right, unless I jogged left first.  then, the foot pedal wouldn't depress (turning left)... finally, the head, without a foot on the pedal, would do a super slow turn right...all the way right.

doing some investigation on the net, seems it's a computer board/chip issue.  sounds like I might be waiting a while for repairs.

guess it's a good thing my old foretrex didn't sell and is sitting in the garage just waiting to be changed over.

all that cool electronic stuff is GREAT until it doesn't work.  and then 'analog' saves the day!

[apenland01]

Minn Kota opened on Thursday, so I took my boat to the shop on Friday.  He said it would take about a week or so to get the parts, since Minn Kota will be behind on orders.  I should have it back up and running in couple of weeks.

As for the Fortrex, I found out that it will mount straight to my existing Ultrex mount.  I've decided to buy a cheaper used Fortrex for a spare in case something happens again....

[Bud Kennedy]

It seems to me as a bystander that the Ultrex has demonstrated that the electronics is somewhat prone to failure that renders the troller inoperative.  While this may not be true it just seems that way given the number of reports I have read about.  I am sure there are many reasons that may be cause by other than electronics failure.  I just don't know what they are.   

Anyway it seems like the Motorguide Tour series is better suited for contingency operation then the Minn Kota in this case.  If I wanted to buy a troller with all the gee whiz stuff I would have to choose Motorguide given my current perceptions.  At least you still have a cable steer capability and the motor is not fully dependent upon signals from other electronic circuits.  I realize I may be wrong on this but just saying this is my current feeling.

[Wizard]

I've got a lot of troller stories but I won't inflict them on you. Bud, if you want to keep fishing into your 80's, you need a troller to relieve the strain of raising and lowering. I suspect you might double your time on the water and help your back. The only extra I would want is a pedal with a long cord. I have a boat designed for flipping and pitching with the seat so far forward you are almost sitting over the water. If I go long while casting a crank, I could find myself swimming. With a long troller pedal cord I could cast from the running seats, control the boat and be safe.

Wizard