Finally got to test TM

[Bud Kennedy]

Today was the first time we have been able to get on the water for a couple weeks.  This was the maiden voyage also for the Minn Kota Maxxum trolling motor.  This unit is a 24V 80LB thrust motor.  River was at high tide and the tides were really running hard.  The TM delt with running into the tide easily but did have to turn the power up to 70% to make any headway.  I can't see that this motor is any more powerful then my past Motorguide motors have been but it was indeed very good.  I really like the fact that the spin up of the motor is a gradual process and not an instant on at full speed setting.  The spin up is just a second or two but you certainly can tell that it handles the electrical elements a bit differently.  I also noticed that it does not seem to drain the batteries as quickly either.  I was on the motor for about 4 hours today and upon return home the trolling batteries were still at 100%.

The real interesting thing about today is this is the first time in about three years that we went to the river and had nothing wrong with the boat, motor, troller or anything.  It was truly nice just to go about ones business without having to worry about something breaking down.  It truly was a pleasant day with temps reaching 80.  The water temps were in the low to mid 50s and the winds were between 10-15mph all day.  Really nice fishing in shirtsleeves in December.

Boat is now cleaned up and covered and in the storage lot until the next time.  Not sure when that will be but a couple days next week look interesting.  We did not boat any fish today but did have some bumps here and there but that was about it.  This was our first time on this section of the river and were surprised to find some spots with over 40 FOW.  We clearly have to learn how to catch em when they are in deep water.

[Donald Garner]

Bud, glad you had a good day on the river with the Ranger.  How many speeds does your Minn Kota Maxxum trolling motor have?   You mentioned that yours has a gradual process and not an instant on at full speed setting.

I have a Fortrex 80lb thrust and it has 10 speeds.  On mine I have that instant full throttle force when I step on the pedal.  There have been a couple times I almost got thrown out of the front of the boat when I hit the pedal and it was set on 10. 

Tks for the update and again glad you finally had a pleasant day running the Ranger out on the water.  Hopefully next trip you'll get onto some fish 

[Bud Kennedy]

Donald, the Maxxum is a variable speed product with ranges from 0 to 100%.  The maxxum product handles the spin up of the motor quite differently than the fortrex.  You don't get that sudden burst of power that will kick you out of the boat it just builds up to the speed setting selected.  I kinda like it because it is also stingy about using up batteries.  The spin up time is only a second or two so no big deal for the economy you get on the power usage side.  My Motorguide motors would also jerk you out of the seat if you hit the pedal when set on high speed.  No so with the Maxxum.

[Capt. BassinLou]

Both Fortex and Maxuums come in Variable speeds with a digital maximizer. That's why they ramp up versus other TM 5 speed models that go 0 to 100 in a second.

[Bud Kennedy]

This is my first time with a motor that has variable speed.  After running it today for 4 hours I gotta tell you it worked great.  Also was happy with how quiet it is.  Much quieter than my other Motorguide units.  Also did not see any electrical problems with the front deck electronics that has a trolling motor mounted puck transducer.  My front deck electronics are not sophisticated just basic but I had heard that the MK units did create an interference problem but I did not notice it on the screen.

The other thing I noticed is that the MK does not seem to have the torques steer problem that I always had with the motorguide.  I have always used the Troll Perferfect to combat this but I don't see that it is needed with the MK.

[Capt. BassinLou]

On my previous tin boat, I had a 55lb Maxumm with Variable Speed and I enjoyed it for many years. My new tin came with a 80lb Fortex with Variable speeds.... that bad boy does not mess around. 

[Oldfart9999]

Good news all the way around Bud, good to hear!!!
Rodney