Trolling Motors
Which trolling motor should you buy?
Quick answer
For most freshwater boats, the Minn Kota Terrova 55 is the buy-once bow motor: 55 lb of thrust, 12 volt simplicity and GPS Spot-Lock. A jon boat or canoe does better on a transom motor, and a kayak needs its own shorter shaft entirely.
A trolling motor is the most expensive single item on most fishing boats after the outboard, and it is also the purchase that decides how many batteries live under the deck for the next several seasons. Thrust gets all the attention on the box, but thrust is a static bollard pull figure measured at maximum power in a tank. It is not horsepower and it does not convert to horsepower. The number that actually drives the rest of the decision is system voltage, because voltage is what sets how many batteries the boat carries, and that weight is permanent.
This page compares bow mount, transom mount, kayak and saltwater motors side by side so you can pick the category first, then the size. If you already know which mount your boat needs, the dedicated pages for bow mount, transom mount, kayak and saltwater motors go deeper on each one.
We compared published manufacturer specifications and verified owner reviews rather than running every motor in this catalog through our own boat trial. A motor's thrust rating, voltage and published maximum draw come straight from the manufacturer's own listing, and where a figure is not published we say so instead of guessing.
On this page
- Bow mount, transom mount or kayak motor: which do you need?
- How much thrust does a loaded boat actually need?
- Why does voltage matter more than the thrust number on the box?
- Beginner: the cheapest way to a working motor
- Intermediate: the buy-once upgrade
- Expert: chasing the last ten percent
- How we chose these motors
Bow mount, transom mount or kayak motor: which do you need?
A bow mount motor steers by pointing the whole lower unit with a foot pedal or a remote, and it pulls the boat rather than pushing it, which tracks straighter in wind and current. It needs a bow with deck space for a mounting bracket. A transom mount motor is far cheaper, tiller steered by hand, and clamps to the back of a jon boat, canoe or inflatable that has no bow to mount anything to. A kayak motor is neither of those off the shelf: it needs a shorter shaft built for a kayak's low freeboard and a battery small enough to carry to the water and back out again every trip. See bow mount versus transom mount for the full comparison.
How much thrust does a loaded boat actually need?
The number every retailer and every forum repeats is two pounds of thrust for every hundred pounds of fully loaded boat, meaning hull, motor, batteries, fuel, gear and everyone aboard. That figure is boating convention, not a published engineering standard, and it is a floor rather than a target: it assumes flat water with no wind, which is rarely the day anybody actually needs a trolling motor for. Run the exact number for your own boat on the trolling motor thrust calculator.
A typical lake day calls for 3 lb of thrust per hundred pounds of fully loaded boat, rising to 5 lb per hundred in wind and current.
Rule of thumb Boating and fishing convention rather than a published standard. Taught everywhere, useful, and not a specification. Nothing enforces it and no body publishes it.
| Condition | Thrust per 100 lb loaded |
|---|---|
| Sheltered water, little wind | 2 lb |
| Normal lake conditions | 3 lb |
| Wind, current or big water | 5 lb |
This is community convention repeated across the industry, not a published standard, and no manufacturer or regulator enforces it.
Why does voltage matter more than the thrust number on the box?
Two motors can carry the same thrust rating and need entirely different boats, because thrust is not the whole story. Once a motor's thrust crosses a threshold, the manufacturer moves it to a higher system voltage, and voltage decides how many batteries the boat carries permanently. A 12 volt motor runs on one battery. Cross into 24 volts and the boat carries two. Cross into 36 volts and it carries three, which is roughly 180 lb of lead acid or a four figure lithium bank, either way a weight that never comes back out of the boat.
A 55 lb motor runs on one 12 volt battery drawing up to 50 amps, while a 112 lb motor needs three 36 volt batteries wired in series.
Published figure A published engineering, regulatory or manufacturer figure. It does not change because somebody disagrees with it.
| Thrust (lb) | System voltage | Batteries | Published max draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 12V | 1 | 30A |
| 40 | 12V | 1 | 42A |
| 45 | 12V | 1 | 42A |
| 50 | 12V | 1 | 42A |
| 55 | 12V | 1 | 50A |
| 70 | 24V | 2 | 42A |
| 80 | 24V | 2 | 56A |
| 101 | 36V | 3 | 46A |
| 112 | 36V | 3 | 52A |
Maximum draw is the manufacturer own published figure at full thrust and sizes the breaker and the cable. Always check the figure printed on your own motor rather than assuming a class average.
Beginner: the cheapest way to a working motor
A first trolling motor should get a jon boat, canoe or single battery freshwater boat moving without adding a second battery or a foot pedal to learn at the same time.
Minn Kota Endura C2 40, 36 inch shaft
$259.99 Published specsFive forward speeds, a mechanical switch and nothing electronic to fail, which is why this motor outlives almost everything else in the catalog.
Best for: A jon boat, canoe or small aluminum boat on one battery
Check price on Amazon
Minn Kota PowerDrive 55 with GPS and CHIRP sonar, 54 inch shaft
$1,252.99 Published specsGPS Spot-Lock and a built in sonar transducer on a 12 volt bow motor, the cheapest route to GPS anchoring on a single battery.
Best for: A boat under about 2,500 lb loaded that runs one battery
Check price on AmazonIntermediate: the buy-once upgrade
This is the size most serious freshwater anglers land on: enough thrust and voltage to hold position in real conditions without stepping up to a three battery bank.
Minn Kota Terrova 55 with GPS and Spot-Lock, 54 inch shaft
$1,649.99 Published specsSpot-Lock, a one-hand deploy lever and 12 volt simplicity, the default bow motor on a huge number of boats.
Best for: The buy-once bow motor for a single battery freshwater boat
Check price on Amazon
Minn Kota Terrova 80 with Spot-Lock and MEGA Down Imaging, 60 inch shaft
$2,299.99 Published specsEighty pounds of 24 volt thrust with a MEGA Down Imaging transducer built into the shaft, removing a separate bow transducer entirely.
Check price on AmazonExpert: chasing the last ten percent
The 36 volt tier and the self-deploying Ulterra platform exist for heavy boats, big water and anglers who fish alone and need the motor to do the reaching for them.
Minn Kota Terrova 112 with Spot-Lock and MEGA Down Imaging, 60 inch shaft
$2,399.99 Published specsThe 36 volt Terrova, for a heavy boat or genuinely windy water, and the point where the boat carries three batteries.
Check price on Amazon
Minn Kota Ulterra with MEGA Down Imaging and i-Pilot Link, 60 inch shaft
$3,299.99 Published specsDeploys, stows and trims itself from the remote, the difference between using a bow motor and reaching over the bow rail to wrestle one into the water.
Best for: Anyone who cannot easily reach the bow, or fishes alone and deploys constantly
Check price on AmazonWho should not buy this tier: Any boat that does not genuinely need it. Three batteries is roughly 180 lb of lead acid or a four figure lithium bank, and once it is bolted in that weight never comes back out.
How we chose these motors
We compared each motor's published thrust, voltage and maximum draw against its listing, cross checked bracket and shaft compatibility against the manufacturer's own fit notes, and read verified owner reviews for the failure patterns that only show up after a season of use. This is research and specification comparison, not an in-person trial of every motor in this catalog, and where a manufacturer does not publish a figure we say so rather than estimating one.
How we chose
We did not test this equipment in person and we never claim to. Picks are researched from manufacturer specification sheets, published engineering and regulatory figures, and the recurring themes in verified owner reviews. Every pick is matched to a real thrust rating, a real published amp draw, a real capacity or a real conductor size rather than to a price bracket, and it is placed in the tier where its published capability actually belongs. We rejected the unbranded flood that dominates several of these search results, because a lithium pack whose management board is the only thing between a cell fault and a fire, a breaker protecting a battery cable, a life jacket and a bracket holding a two thousand dollar motor to the bow at highway speed are all parts whose failure has a consequence nobody can walk away from. Where a figure is convention rather than a published standard we label it that way, and where a manufacturer does not publish a figure we leave it out instead of estimating it.
Frequently asked questions
Is more thrust always better on a trolling motor?
No. More thrust means a higher system voltage and more batteries, which is permanent weight and cost the boat carries every trip regardless of whether it is windy that day. Size the motor to your fully loaded boat weight using the two to five pounds of thrust per hundred pounds convention, then round up to the nearest stocked thrust rating rather than buying the largest motor available. A motor that is genuinely oversized just adds weight and battery drain for no benefit on calm water.
Does trolling motor thrust convert to horsepower?
No, and this is the most common misunderstanding on the spec sheet. Thrust is a static bollard pull figure measured at maximum power with the motor held in place, not a measurement of horsepower or speed through the water. Two motors rated at the same thrust can move a boat differently depending on the propeller, the shaft length and how the hull sits in the water. Compare motors on published thrust and voltage, not by trying to convert one figure into the other.
Why do some trolling motors need 24 or 36 volts instead of 12?
Once a motor's thrust rating crosses roughly 55 to 70 lb, drawing that much current efficiently at 12 volts would need impractically thick cable, so manufacturers move to a higher system voltage instead. A 70 or 80 lb motor typically runs at 24 volts on two batteries wired in series, and a 101 or 112 lb motor runs at 36 volts on three. The tradeoff is permanent: each voltage step adds a battery that stays in the boat for the life of the motor.
Can I put a bow mount motor on a boat with no bow deck space?
Not without adding a deck or a mounting plate, which is a real fabrication project rather than a bolt-on fix. A boat without flat bow deck space, such as many jon boats, canoes and inflatables, is generally better served by a transom mount motor, which clamps directly to the back of the hull and needs no bow modification at all. See the transom mount roundup for sizing on that style specifically.
Do I need a breaker or fuse even on a small trolling motor?
Yes. Under ABYC E-11, overcurrent protection belongs within 7 inches of the battery positive terminal regardless of motor size, because the cable between the battery post and the first protective device is unprotected the entire time the battery is connected. A 12 volt 30 or 40 lb motor still draws real current at full thrust, and the breaker protects the wiring from a short far more than it protects the motor itself.
Is a lithium battery a straightforward swap for lead acid on a trolling motor?
The battery swap is straightforward. The charger is not. A lithium battery needs a charger with a genuine lithium charge profile, because a lead acid profile will either never bring it to full charge or will hold it at a voltage a LiFePO4 pack should not sit at for long periods. Confirm the charger you already own supports lithium before assuming any 12, 24 or 36 volt lead acid charger will work on a new lithium bank.
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Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published engineering and regulatory figures, manufacturer specifications and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Figures described as a rule of thumb are boating convention rather than published standards, and they are labelled that way wherever they appear. Marine electrical work is not house wiring. Use tinned, finely stranded marine cable, size it for voltage drop and for the ABYC E-11 ampacity table rather than one or the other, and put overcurrent protection within seven inches of the battery positive terminal, because everything between the post and the fuse is unprotected. A lithium battery needs a charger with a lithium profile. Never load a boat past its capacity plate, and remember that canoes and kayaks carry no federal capacity plate at all, so their stated capacity is the manufacturer own figure. Wear the life jacket, and treat early season water as the hazard it is: cold water immersion takes your breath and then your hands long before it takes your core.