In the electronics section, I asked about the cost of livescope, and it appears with the 93 Garmin unit and the right transducer, I’ll be in for about $2000 +. So, I mentioned that to the wife, and she’d rather have some form of Spotlock type trolling motor. I thought we were in for a disagreement over where to spend the money, but she says we should do both, since we aren’t going on a vacation this year. Well, that doesn’t change the game, but it does add to the complexity. So...

Our boat is a 2019 Tracker 175 Pro something or other, with the 24 volt battery setup for the trolling motor, which is a 75# thrust MinnKota. What do you fellows think I need for a spotlock type trolling motor? I don’t need the best, but sure don’t want the worst. Assume I’ll have the Garmin gear on the front, if that’s crucial to the decision.

Give me some help here, so I don’t mess this up and have to spend more money to fix what I got wrong. Don’t make me rely on a salesman that just wants to make a sale.

My electronics units are Lowrance - they know that business well. My trolling motor isn't. Why? ....Lowrance hasn't proven itself in that product segment yet, so I'm watching, waiting. Garmin lacks when I do an overall comparison of their products to Lowrance - except for live viewing technology - Garmin has everybody whipped on that right now, I will absolutely admit (at least from what I have seen and learned).

Maybe some others here can shed light on how much you'd gain from going with a Garmin Force vs MinnKota TM. Stay with ~80# thrust (24V). That's plenty for your boat, and you do NOT want to add another battery to the back of that boat. ICAST is coming this summer, and new product versions will invariably be out. Do you REALLY have to have that TM upgrade right now? You might want to do it in steps, which would possibly give you more options of which model TM by fall. Even a new top whiz-bang model pushes prices down on a different one you might be looking at. Remember, the pros get all that stuff to use at $0 out of pocket, so no big deal if it has to be replaced or worked on. That's not your case, nor mine. If you decide MK is fine, they have had theirs out longer, and it seems solid. The others are more "hope so" on long-term reliability. This isn't a slam of brands - it's just a fact of any newer-to-market products.

A Garmin trolling motor with Garmin electronics makes sense.

A Minnkota trolling motor with Humminbird electronics makes sense.

A Lowrance trolling motor with Lowrance electronics makes sense.