Just saw on the Garmin website the new trolling motor is for sale for 3100 bucks. Wow

Yup, and I believe I read somewhere the new Lowrance trolling motor has an MSRP of 3600.

Said to be $3k also, but with the nose cone transducers I suppose it could get up there in price. I don�t think any of these will be sold at msrp though. I bet they are around $2,500.

Wow; difficult to justify when that�s half the price of your boat

The best thing that could ever happen, is nobody buys [censored]! Then the prices will quit climbing faster than a spider monkey. But, as long as we keep shelling out quid after quid....it�s only gonna get crazier.

How many peopled are lined up to buy a used ultrex without warranty?

Well. Being as service centers don�t ask for receipts, and only go by the serial numbers built date code, I�m not sure that a previously owned Ultrex wouldn�t be covered. Just sayin

Game changer

I have been waiting to see what they and Lowrance are going to offer. I just about ordered an Ultrex a couple of months ago but figured as sure as I did someone would come out with something that would make me unsatisfied with my purchase!

There is always going to be something newer and better but I don�t want it coming out weeks after I spent $2500!

exactly

Why do people post stuff they know absolutely zero about...

3+ yr old used ultrex*. Better Jeff?

I think you�re good with your purchase. It doesn�t seem that either of the new ones �one up� the Ultrex ...except on price. Lol.

Over $3K for a trolling motor is asinine!!!!!

A three year old Ultrex doesn�t exist. I have one of the very first made, its 27 months old.

True. By the time folks are able to get the Garmin or Lowrance trolling motors, there will be motors that are 3+ years old.

You think? I bet they are out by late fall. I also don�t see them being nearly the impact maker that the Ultrex was. I would be willing to bet that Lowrance and Garmins new units are gonna fight each other for a VERY small percentage of the high end trolling motor market.

Now, if the Lowrance unit was comparable to MKs pricing, I�d just about sign up. But, at almost a $800 increase in price, I�ll opt to buy a Fortrex to have as a backup to my Ultrex. It only takes 3 minutes to pop a Fortex onto an Ultrex mount.

I was hoping the competition would bring prices down. Hopefully by the time my ultrex wears out, they will all be reasonably priced.

So much for competition bringing the prices down.

The �competition� is to see who can sucker the most fools into paying $3k+ for a troller.

Ultrex has set the standard by which all trolling motors are judged. At the same time they established what people will pay for the technology. Being first at anything has it's advantages. Whether or not Lowrance , Garmin or anyone else becomes the new leader is yet to be determined. I bought my Ultrex in January of 2018 and it has never failed, broken or disappointed. Doubt I'll be upgrading even if there is an upgrade.

I agree.

It's hard to say when, but the thunder cricket was announced almost a year before it was officially released to the public. My guess is November to January or February. You know all of the pros, semi pros, local pros, wannabe pros who run lowrance or Garmin will switch to the trolling motor that matches their graph.

Lol I spent close to 10k on my pan optix/livescope and 12� Garmins and don�t fish in more than 5� of water. I�ve gotta big the troller to match

Motor guide releasing theirs tomorrow I believe also. Gamechanger..

They are too late to the game. ultrex was a big hit and look how many people went out and bought one. Their market share will be small for a few years until TMs start needing to be replaced so they have to make their money on fewer customers. If MK was smart, they'd lower their price and bring in the rest of the people to the party letting the other brands take a huge hit on research and development.

That would be something, but doubtful.
Maybe they could work on the vibration.
112 lbs plus a 52 inch plastic shaft produces too much vibration

I think 3k for a trolling motor makes far more sense than the cost of these 250hp outboards... a bass boat isn�t a bass boat without a trolling motor...

Not too mention the major coin dropped on poles and 3 12+� graphs

why would they drop the price on a product they are selling plenty of when the competitions product cost more an unproven .

^^^^^^ EXACTLY!

Agree but I think that Lowrance motor may give them a run for their money, hard to believe a trolling motor cost 3K and you can buy a new 250 for 20K, something is wrong with that.

Motor Guide Trolling Motor

Did I read this right? Cable steer with GPS spot lock ability?

Yes sir. Might be the way to go depending on price.

Definitely has my attention.

If these new trolling motors are half what is advertised they are going to put a hurt on MinnKota. It won't happen over night but I could see Ultrex sales drop at a minimum 30% and probably more like 50%-60% over a 2-3yr period. Again, that is assuming that the Lowrance and Garmin units are as advertise. At some point that will effect pricing on the Ultrex. It has to. That is a massive reduction in sales of the flagship unit of MinnKota. Now if these new units come out and are a pile of junk then all bets are off, but I don't see that happening. Especially the Lowrance unit.

Can these new units do something the ultrex can't? Otherwise I don't see a reason why anyone would switch. For the extra coin one would think they'd have some pretty serious new and improved features.

Some may change brands for the following reasons
--better interface/networking/control with their depth finders/graphs
--improved reliability
--quieter/less vibration
--more efficient, less battery drain
--customer service

Lowrance users will be more apt to switch because they can link to the graphs. Garmin will probably be the same.

More competition means prices will be more competitive.

Question is will these new TM's, take a decent bite of the TM market as did Minnkota with the Ultrex, I doubt it. They will get a very small piece of the market, first with their loyal customer base, but it will increase over time ( and I think a long time), not overnight, like what happened with the Ultrex.

All will have there own problems, its what the company does in order to correct them. For example, Minnkota said 3 yr warranty, regardless. While it is always a PITA to take something off to go get it fixed, or drop your boat off and be without it and some more than others, [censored] happens and you should expect it to, because honestly the majority of us run our equipment pretty darn hard and then put it up wet and expect it to work the next time without fault, without doing any preventative maintenance. I get it, but think of how many times you deploy and stow that TM a day, week, month, and year and then we complain when the cord breaks....It happens, if you expect it and be prepared for it, it will be more manageable.

When I got my first ultrex, the cables broke about 9 months later, I bought the cables and replaced them myself, took me 1.5 hours. Probably would have been under warranty, but I did not have the time to take it off and have them do it. Sold that boat and bought another Ultrex on my next boat. They broke and I replaced them as well. I bought a spare set of cables and then another set for my parents....they have had theirs for almost 3 yrs and no issue. I mentioned to them that we need to inspect them to see....sure as hell I inspected it on a Sunday and one cable had a fray....I did not have their spare set with me, but said we need to get that replaced soon...they are not hard on their equipment....that next Saturday we had a club tourney and I will be damned if it did not brake first thing that morning....Luckily they had the remote and were able to salvage the rest of the day....went and fixed it Sunday...took about an hour because I had help.

Some things you cannot have a spare for, but most you should, like a prop for the engine and TM, spare nut, washer and pin for the TM as well as for the engine, prop spare cable for the TM (be sure to have a good pair of wire cutters) the standard fishing long nose pliers are not good enough to cut the cable if you have to do an on the water fix.....ask my how I know, been there done that...lol


Just my .02

Now all the minn Kota haters can have an ultrex too

1. I'm sure they will have something comparable to the I pilot link. Which will allow Lowrance and Garmin users to link their graphs to their trolling motor. That alone will be enough for many to switch. I don't know exact market share in the bass market, but with Garmin and Lowrance both having a live scope type display, they are taking over the electronics market. Trolling motor sales will follow. You will continue to see new features that allow graphs and trolling motors to work together via a link type system.

2. If they could figure out how to build a trolling motor that doesn't require a monthly trip in for warranty work.......that would be a distinct advantage over the Ultrex. Lets face it, the Ultrex has some major design flaws.

My guess is within a year or so the Ultrex, Lowrance, and the Garmin trolling motors of comparable size will all be competitively priced. They will make some good cash off of the "gotta have it first crowd" then pricing will even out.

I noticed that Motorguides TM states a 45 inch shaft.

I do like the fact that the new lowrance is brushless. I was waiting for this to happen and they are claiming it now......supposedly zero interference with electronics, at least it states that.

minnkota has a product on the market that works really good for a couple of years. there is always room for competition at the prices seen so far it wont hurt the sales of minnkota because the folks that have them are not going to fire sale them to get something more expensive.

I don't know about the lowrance but I have to turn the gain waaaaaayyy up to get any kind of interference with the Garmin Force which is brushless as well. Under normal operating conditions I have never noticed any interference.

SE Kansas grass grower

I was hoping you would get in on this conversation, I got to run it for about 16 hours over the weekend. Pretty easy decision.

I'm taking up golf.

I'm leaning towards bowling.

I'm happy with my 10 year old Motorguide and 2 cheap junkie Garmins

you are a game changer

Lol the price of the ultrex isn�t going to go down. About 90% of every new boat sold this year will have an ultrex on it. Next year too. They don�t just lower the price because competition came into the market. They�ve been ahead a while, they have tricks up their sleeve too they�ll just wait a year or so then put it out and raise the price of their troller.

Do you see boat companies lower their price when other brands of bots came on the market? No you don�t. Simple supply/demand doesn�t work in this case because they�re already making way over their margins they budgeted for. So they have a lot of room to close that gap before they would ever even think about lowering the price of the ultrex. Bottom line it will only go up in price

Lowrance and Garmin want $3000 for the new unit. Ouch

It�s not much cheaper. Starts around $2300 and goes up to $2700 (approximate numbers)

The Ultrex with the link is almost the same according to the comparison that they did.

I heard that one of them (don't know which brand) will automatically switch to 24V instead of 36V if you have one battery go bad. That isn't confirmed, just something I heard today.

I am trying to get the logistics together to open a finance company exclusively for trolling motors and graphs, tote the note pay by the week.

Garmin. The same motor is either 24 or 36. Plug it in to either one. If you have a 24 volt set-up and someday decide you want to go to a 36, you just add a battery.

If you add the si and di transducers then you are pushing $3500+ with the Garmin and add another $100 if you want the remote

My first boat, motor and trailer was $800 total...boys I caught a lot of fish out of the tr-hull, and was she fast, 50 HP Black Max Merc would fly...man that makes me sound old!

Garmin comes with sidevu and clearvu, Ultra Hi def transducer built in. The hand held remote is included in the package.

SE Kansas grass grower

I don't know why people are bickering about the prices... People are gonna pay for it regardless the price. It's never gonna change.

How many are you gonna buy?

My only problem is figuring out how to camouflage one so's I can ease it into the shop and put on the boat!

Cheers,

George

1 Lowrance

If Lowrance/Garmin was really smart , they would show how a brushless motor compares to brushed motors regarding the actual noise frequency . Every motor ever designed , makes some type of noise. If the "Ghost " model is truly that quiet --- then show the market place the actual measurements taken in the water --- where it counts. In addition , one of the primary motor noise's occurs at start up , show the customers how that might be better .
What about the prop noise on a TM -- have they reduced that also ?
Lastly , take decibel readings throughout the entire power range of these motors ( in water where it counts ) and do a comparison against MK and MG . If they can prove it is SIGNIFICANTLY lower in noise , then they could have a huge advantage ---- otherwise it's just marketing BS .
Personally , I will wait for a technology that sounds like a large school of shad running for their lives when the motor kicks on --- now that will be a game changer !!!!

You are kidding when ultrex came out people were selling new trollers just to buy one.
No difference here people will buy these new trollers.
Hide and watch lol.
J D

I�m sure it IS measurably quieter. If you have the high tech under water dB meter thingy. To a fish, it�s just as audible.

The shad running? Hydrowave, when that POS isn�t broken.

They were selling non spot lock trollers to get spot lock/cable steer trollers. Very new, and innovative at the time. These new trollers are nothing special. Nothing new. Just more expensive. They�re gonna sit on a shelf in a warehouse. Hide and watch.

I'm not gonna buy any lol I'mm upgrading to a new boat (used from someone else) at the end of this year and I will have an ultrex just because I already have hummingbird graphs...
But your retarded if you don't think that every person, sorry not every but majority of the people getting their new boats at the end of the year or beginning of next will add it to their boat because they are able to finance it with the boat.
Their will be easily a couple thousand sold within months of them releasing

So. Is the Lowrance troller gonna be the only troller compatible with Lowrance now? Or is Lowrance graphs still gonna be compatible with Motorguide? Since the Motorguide is cheaper, and true cable steer, I�d put my money on the MG Pro Tour before I�d buy a Lowrance. The Garmin looks like less and costs even more.

Here's a solid review from a creditable person... I know alot of you guys are familiar

I can't tell you the answer to that about compatibility, I haven't looked that much into it because I honestly don't care... I agree with you on the other comment....
I just know people are gonna put it on their boat because "they can" and they want to "have the best"

You have officially become the smart asss of the TFF. Go back and read your own posts about how you were going to buy the lowrance trolling motor because it�s brushless, etc etc.

What percentage of bass boats are sold every year with 2-3 lowrance units on them? I�m not sure but it�s a lot (thousands?). And when financing a boat (most people do), the $500 price difference for the trolling motor (that connects to all your graphs) will not be on anyone�s mind when they sign the line for a $75k boat.

For someone that claims to fish 3-5 days a week, you sure are on here a lot. Do you drive to the lake and just sit in your boat posting on TFF?

Come on man, you bash everything. Lighten up.

I guess I have a lot of anger issues. Lol.

It�s JUST A FORUM. I was excited about the competition. I was really excited to see Lowrance coming out with a new troller. All of my excitement went away when I saw it was simply a �me too� troller at a �not me� price. Yeh. I�m a little butt whooped by shelling out $2699 on a very first Ultrex. Only to have quite a few things wrong with it. I was hoping that one of these new trollers would have something that would make me WANT one. Be that either a feature, cosmetic, or price point. None of those things are better than what I�ve got. And what I�ve got is not quite living up to the investment.

Again. This is a forum. And opinions run rampant here.

I don�t fish on Monday and Wednesday. So.....gotta get my fishing fix on here. Sorry if I got you riled up.

The MG comes with a universal 83/200 455/800 transducer. It�s only $100 cheaper than the Lowrance, not sure which one I�ll go with. I don�t want an ultrex though, even if they are cheaper. I�d really like to hear them in action.


The Lowrance claims to be 7 decibels quieter under water than the ultrex, who knows if it�s true or not.

Lowrance website says $2900

The Ghost has more torque, it has a break away to keep you from breaking a shaft, the head does not turn, it is 7 decimals quieter, it is 7 pounds lighter, it is brushless, the bracket looks to be way stronger, the motor always positions itself when you raise it out of the water, it has way point button, it has power pole button, not sure what else you may be looking for.

I guess the deal maker(breaker) for me would be price. Since I�m already into an Ultrex for a lot of money. So while a �needed� trolling motor would be considered at face value, a �wanted� trolling motor costs me double. Since I have already bought an Ultrex. Buyers remorse, I guess. Maybe I can get one next year when my Ultrex dies again and isn�t covered under warranty.

I do like the Lowrance best.

For $3000 that trolling motor needs to have Panoptix built in..

I think i will just stick to my motor guide 112 with no spot lock that was bought used for $200. I don�t need fancy equipment to compete. All this new [censored] has really gotten out of hand. We see the pros deck their boats out with this stuff and we think we have to have to catch fish. All it�s doing is making us look stupid and making us go broke. You can have your $3k TMs

It is basically the same price as an equally equipped Ultrex minus the remote, I have no use for the 99.00 remote.

Why you so Minn Kota jelly HK?

Not sure what you mean, I have an ultrex on my boat now and a new ultrex in the barn for my new boat, I just think the Lowrance is going to be a better trolling motor, we will see.

OK, gotcha, i just misunderstood

No, we don�t think we have to have it to catch fish; but it makes your time on the water more enjoyable when you aren�t fighting the wind. If you have never used a TM with spotlock, you just might not understand.

Expensive??? Sure, just like graphs, motors, shallow water anchors, lithium batteries, nobody forces you to buy any of it. But don�t be jealous of those that do and can afford it.

Garmin takes home the win for "Boating Accessories" at ICAST.

Gamechanger

Yep, kind of surprised myself with all the other trolling motors coming out. I'm amazed how many people are bashing the Garmin or the Lowrance for that matter, that haven't even seen either one of them. Let alone used them. I've had the Force since early March and I can tell you it is super quiet and built like a tank. The stow and deploy assists make it so easy to use with so little effort. Game changer? No. Panoptix and Livescope are game changers but it is one helluva trolling motor.

SE Kansas grass grower

You need the remote with the Ultrex. When your cables break yearly, foot pedal circuit board goes out yearly, steering sensor goes out every few months........that remote will save the day.

As with everything looks cool, bit I DONT want version 1.0... let's talk in 18 months when. The bugs are worked out

Where will the Lowrance trolling motors be built ? I hear the Garmin is built in Taiwan.

Ghost will be available Quarter 4, 2019 per chat with Lowrance. Same schedule for new Motorguide.

Or for me when they make something better and everyone is selling their barely used ones really cheap. I have a nearly new Fortrex on my boat that I bought VERY cheap thanks to the Ultrex!!

Lowrance Ghost vs. Ultrex Kinda disappointed they didn't go over how well the spot lock holds...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUadrpa_yzg

For a budget minded angler none of the above makes much sense until they all prove that their motors are dependable without excessive repairs. I am still running a Minn Kota maxxum on the front of my boat and other than replacing the pull cord it has worked for 15 years. I have replaced graphs twice but those advancements (side imaging) made sense to me. I will gladly re-invest in a new trolling motor when they prove that they can build one that works consistently without breaking.

Tackle warehouse shows the Lowrance to ship Oct 10 (could obviously change) and the MG Pro shows a Jan shipping date. Who knows on either in reality though.


I have not seen where the Lowrance is built, I�d think it�d be in Mexico or over seas, sadly we know it won�t be built here. I doubt the MG will be either.

I�m not jealous of anyone�s debt. You want to go out and spend thousands of dollars to compete in a $20 entry club tournament and catch no more (or even less) than the guy with inferior equipment that�s your choice. I just said I�ll stick with my stuff and let you �look at me� guys continue to drive up the market.

Thrift still runs a Fortrex

Is that beer with the popcorn ? it should be, lol

I never use the remote. My Ultrex works just fine.

I just don't understand comments like this and i see them all the time. Not everyone fishes tournaments. I know several guys that buy brand new boats every year. They rig them with the latest and greatest of everything. They do it because they can afford it and want to. It has nothing to do with being a wanna be pro or impressing anyone. But some of y'all act like if they spend that money then decide to go fish a weeknight tournament for a 100 bucks they are wanna be pros.

Why is always the people without are the most vocal about what someone else spends their money on?

You can keep blowing smoke up your on [censored]. The ones that have a ultrex know the difference they make in your days fishing .

Yes, yes it is

these all end the same way...

Your �look at me� comment is gold. I don�t fish tournaments and I don�t care what you think about me and most others here don�t either. It�s OK if you can�t afford one, but don�t let your jealousy let you act like a fool. I can�t afford a $90k boat, but I can afford to buy a trolling motor that makes my fishing time more enjoyable.

This!

Insanity complete insanity

if you build it they will come .LOL

Give it time. I have had to use the remote on my 13month old Ultrex the last two weeks while I wait on a sensor board for the foot pedal.

I am very intrigued by the brushless part of these new motors. I've had an Ultrex since the first month they were available simply because of the timing of getting my new boat. The only issue I've had was a broken shaft which was my fault since I hit a monticello stump are high speed. Very surprised to here of all of these other issues. Also never understand why these threads go so off topic and people start getting mad at each other. I love the Ultrex but do hate the noise it makes. I am also not a big fan of my Helix so I am going to look into both the Garmin and the Lowrance TM's once they come out. I totally agree with some others that it can be risky buying version 1.0, but that has never stopped me before.

They will all sell a bunch.

Logic that�s says they won�t also would say they can�t sell bass boats for $75K plus. Trolling motors were about $1100 with Fortrex double that Ultrex and they sold a Godzilla amount them. They will sell a bunch at > $3000.

Live,,,die....you might as well get a top trolling motor in between. You can�t take it with you.

I just wonder how well the steering will work out on the Lowrance.

I agree. I don't understand why it bothers anyone what others spend their money on. It is their money to spend however they see fit. I bought an Ultrex for my boat when they came out and after having it I will say that I would not have a boat without a trolling motor again that doesn't have a spot lock feature on it. It makes fishing so much easier when it is windy. I also have a "push" style mower that is all wheel drive because I pushed a mower for many many years before they came out with a self propelled one so I bought it and now I let it do the work, I just walk behind it and steer it. I have a riding mower for the back yard because it is larger. I use technology to make life easier for me.

It is old technology, sure looked to steer just fine, very responsive.

How is it old technology?

Minnkota has a utlerra and terrova both electric only steering and they are terrible to use the foot pedal.

Probably a good idea!

I believe I read where the same system was used in F 16 fighter jets, also used in some cars, so like I said , it is not new at all. The guys doing the trolling motor test sure liked it a lot, guess we will see how it works soon enough.

If it�s similar to �drive by wire� used in almost every car nowadays, it will be fine.

DRIVE by wire in a CAR is the throttle pedal... NOT the steering.

And in performance type cars drive by wire has enough lag to piss us off and we all buy a hp tuner and FIX it.. far from a liked system.. Sure many people go about their day and dont care but they also arent into performance etc..

Well I guess the Lowrance troller will not be a performance motor, so much for having trolling motor boat races, lol. Seriously from what I seen it looks to be just fine, I reserve the right to change my mind if I end up with one and do not like it.