Depth Source — Product Selector
Trolling Motor Selector
Four quick questions — boat size, water type, mount, and how you want to control it. We match you to the right Minn Kota.
How the Trolling Motor Selector Works
Picking the right trolling motor comes down to thrust (matched to your loaded boat weight), voltage (12V, 24V, or 36V — drives how many batteries you'll need), shaft length (long enough to keep the prop submerged in chop), fresh vs salt (Riptide series for salt), and how you want to drive it (hand tiller, foot pedal, wireless remote, GPS Spot-Lock, or i-Pilot Link integrated with your fishfinder).
This tool walks through all of it in four steps and matches you to the closest Minn Kota — the only brand we carry for trolling motors. Minn Kota motors are universally compatible with every fishfinder brand (Humminbird, Garmin, Lowrance, Simrad, Raymarine), and pair with Humminbird via the One-Boat Network for full integrated control. Not sure what to pick? Call us at (833) 831-4077 and we'll spec it for you.
Step 1 of 4 — Boat Size
How long is your boat?
Rule of thumb: 2 lbs of thrust per 100 lbs of fully-loaded boat weight (boat + fuel + people + gear). Underpowered motors struggle in wind and current; oversized motors drain batteries faster. Voltage scales with thrust — 12V (under 55 lb), 24V (55-80 lb), 36V (101+ lb).
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Step 2 of 4 — Water Type
Where will you be running the motor?
Saltwater requires the Riptide series — sealed electronics, sacrificial anodes, stainless hardware. A standard Minn Kota in salt will corrode within a season. Riptide motors run fine in fresh too, so "both" defaults to Riptide.
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Step 3 of 4 — Mount Style
Where will the motor mount?
Bow mount sits on the front of the boat — pulls the boat through the water (vs pushing). Far better tracking in wind, and required for foot pedal, GPS Spot-Lock, i-Pilot, and most premium features. Transom mount bolts to the back next to your outboard — simpler, cheaper, hand control only, best for small boats and canoes.
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Step 4 of 4 — Control Preference
How do you want to drive the motor?
Hand — telescoping tiller, you steer by hand. Transom or small bow setups. Foot pedal — bow only, hands-free steering, the bass-fishing standard. Wireless remote — drive from anywhere on the boat. GPS Spot-Lock — virtual anchor, motor holds you in place automatically. Adds AutoPilot + Cruise Control. i-Pilot Link — full integration with Humminbird display: depth-contour follow, route playback, full Spot-Lock control from the head unit.
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Common Trolling Motor Questions
Quick answers to the questions we hear most often. Still stuck? Call (833) 831-4077 or use the "Talk to an Expert" button after running the selector.
How much thrust do I need?
The classic rule is 2 lbs of thrust per 100 lbs of fully-loaded boat weight. Loaded weight = the boat itself + fuel + batteries + gear + the people on board. A 16-foot aluminum bass boat loaded out comes in around 1,800-2,200 lbs, which puts you in the 36-44 lb thrust range — round up to 45 or 55 lb so you have margin in wind and current.
The bigger the boat, the more thrust you need: 18-21 ft → 55-70 lb, 21-24 ft → 80-101 lb, over 24 ft → 112+ lb. Underpowered motors fight wind and drain batteries; oversized motors are fine functionally but more expensive than they need to be.
What's the difference between 12V, 24V, and 36V?
Voltage is the number of 12-volt batteries wired in series the motor needs:
12V (1 battery) — motors up to about 55 lb thrust. Endura, Edge, Traxxis 55, PowerDrive 45/55. Easy and cheap, but limited.
24V (2 batteries) — motors from 55 to 80 lb thrust. Edge 70, Terrova 55/80, PowerDrive 70, Riptide Maxxum. The middle ground.
36V (3 batteries) — motors 101 lb and up. Terrova/Ultrex/Ulterra 112, every QUEST series motor. Tournament and offshore.
QUEST series motors run on 24V or 36V and auto-detect — you can wire them either way.
Will a Minn Kota work with my Garmin / Lowrance / Simrad fishfinder?
Yes. Minn Kota motors run independently from your fishfinder — Spot-Lock, AutoPilot, i-Pilot, and Cruise Control all work from the Minn Kota's own remote and foot pedal regardless of what brand of display you have on the boat.
What you'll lose with a non-Humminbird display is two-way integration — the ability to drive Spot-Lock from the head unit, depth-contour-follow on LakeMaster, and shared waypoints. Those features require Humminbird via the One-Boat Network. If you have Garmin Force or Lowrance Ghost (their proprietary motors), those integrate with their own brand of fishfinder — Minn Kota does not.
What is the One-Boat Network (OBN)?
The One-Boat Network is Humminbird and Minn Kota's shared system for connecting your trolling motor, fishfinder, and Talon shallow-water anchors. Both brands are owned by Johnson Outdoors, so they design their products to work together.
With a compatible Minn Kota (PowerDrive with i-Pilot, Terrova, Ultrex, Ulterra, Riptide Terrova/Ulterra, or any QUEST motor) and a Humminbird display (HELIX, APEX, or XPLORE), OBN gives you Spot-Lock from the head unit, depth-contour follow on LakeMaster maps, AutoPilot, Cruise Control, route playback, and shared waypoints across every device on the boat.
Endura, Edge, Traxxis, and Maxxum motors are not OBN-capable.
Bow mount vs transom mount — how do I choose?
Bow mount sits on the front and pulls the boat. Far better tracking in wind, near-zero spinout, hands-free with a foot pedal, and the only mount that supports GPS Spot-Lock and i-Pilot Link. Standard for bass, walleye, and most serious fishing builds.
Transom mount bolts to the back of the boat next to your outboard. Hand control only — you sit at the back and steer by tiller. Cheaper, simpler, no hole drilling. Best for small boats, canoes, jon boats, and dinghies, or as a kicker / backup motor on a larger rig.
If you have any choice in the matter and you fish from your boat, get a bow mount. The extra control is worth it.
How long should the shaft be?
Shaft length is measured from the motor head to the bottom of the propeller. The prop has to stay submerged in chop, with about 12 inches of water above the prop to avoid cavitation (sucking air, losing thrust).
Quick guide for bow-mount: bow height under 22" → 45" shaft · 22-25" → 52" or 54" · 25-30" → 60" · 30-36" → 72" · over 36" (offshore center consoles, deep-V hulls) → 87" or 100".
Transom-mount shafts are shorter — 36" to 42" covers most small boats. When in doubt, go longer; you can always raise the motor in calm water.
What's the difference between Spot-Lock, AutoPilot, and i-Pilot Link?
Spot-Lock is a GPS-based virtual anchor — press a button and the motor automatically holds you in one spot, fighting wind and current. The killer feature for vertical jigging, dropshotting, and live-bait fishing.
AutoPilot holds a heading regardless of wind — set a direction and the motor adjusts steering to keep you tracking straight. Great for trolling.
i-Pilot is the wireless remote and feature suite that bundles Spot-Lock, AutoPilot, Cruise Control, route record/playback, and Jog. i-Pilot Link adds full two-way control with a Humminbird display — Spot-Lock from the head unit, depth-contour follow on LakeMaster maps, and i-Pilot routes overlaid on your chart.
Can I install a trolling motor myself?
Transom mount — yes, almost everyone does. Clamps to the transom in five minutes, no drilling.
Bow mount — most people DIY it. You'll drill 4-6 holes through the bow deck, run the wire harness back to the batteries, and wire to a circuit breaker. Plan a couple of hours. The trickiest part is cable routing — through factory rigging tubes if your boat has them, otherwise drilling a clean cable run.
Battery wiring — for 24V or 36V, you need 2 or 3 deep-cycle batteries wired in series, plus the right gauge cable, an on-board charger, and a circuit breaker sized to the motor's max amp draw. If that's unfamiliar territory, get a marine electrician — wiring it wrong shortens battery life and can be a fire hazard.
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