Minn Kota Ultrex Worth the Money?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2018
- Hey I’m sure you be heard of the Minn Kota Ultrex. I just wanted to give you guys my personal take on whether it’s worth the money or should you stick to your traditional motor.
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After watching about a dozen of your videos, I’ve decided you’re just about as good as they get. Also the coolest beard in bass fishing. Rock on man
The first 2 minutes and 30 seconds are the best very very unbiased this is what makes you better than all the rest
COOLJC313 right on bro thanks for watching
Absolutely love the un biased opinions will definitely be watching more of you sir
*I bought this model for my 14 ft Jon boat. **enjoyable.fishing** recommend love it!!! It pushes my boat with ease ( 2 men 220 each). I would highly recommend this to anyone.*
Excellent video! This is the standard I wish everyone followed! Thanks for taking the time to put this out.
Best review I've seen on the Ultrex Brian ... Straight to the point on all the relevant information ... And a great communicator!
Love and appreciate your honesty Brian!
Good job Brian......CONGRATS on your recent FLW win at Seminole!
Thank you! I have the Minn Kota Maxxis @70lb 24v System currently but the dealership did change out the shaft to 52" for me UNDER WARRANTY due to the fact that there have been so many complaints about cavitation with the 45" shaft and my boat. What a huge difference!! I really appreciate your vlog! Id like to upgrade to the ULTREX someday, really like the Spot Loc feature!! Thanks again! WISHING you all the best for your 2019 FLW SEASON!
Highly valuable content for the average weekend warrior/club tournament guy. Great reviews of products. Thanks man!
Excellent honest review of a product! Not a walking commercial like most fishing channel's. Well done....I wouldn't be able to handle all the noise that thing puts out, .....like the more stealth approach.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks for giving us an unbiased look at the Ultrex. Met you at Norman last year and have been a fan ever since. Keep up the great work and keep giving us the videos.
I appreciate your honesty talking about both the negatives and positives of this trolling motor.
I appreciate the honesty I am going back to fortrex this week more bells and whistles more problems mine is going to the shop again for the third time
Brian, it isn't a Neutral button but a North heading button. When you turn the motor on continuous and his that button, it will take you in the direction you have the trolling motor pointed and will not deviate. Whatever degree you put that at it will auto adjust to keep you on that heading until you stop it.
Nice review - Thank You !!!
Glad to see no issues with Lowrance graphs .
Thanks for the honest review Brian! I've noticed the same things you pointed out while fishing with a friend. We were fishing in windy rainy conditions, wind slacked off for a bit and my buddy reeled down to set the hook and spot lock moved boat 6ft!!! Needless to say he missed the fish, glad wasnt a tournament, he said it's happened in one before. Noisy unit too!
The N on the bottom right part of the foot pedal is a heading button, you hit it and will keep you on the heading for how long you want, weather it’s a grass line or a drop offs. I use it on grass lines. Good video!
Salt Addict so like follow the bank for example?
@@graybass5661 Yea. Typically if you point in one direction WITH the Navigation button pressed the TM will automatically head you in that direction regardless of current or wind.
Zachary Brown haha this was 6 months ago but thanks. I bought one and liked it a lot until a new boater ran into us and destroyed the boat
@@graybass5661 For real dude? That sounds horrible..
@@jeisonhansson yeah 😂 we’re still looking for a replacement boat
Thanks for the info that is some good stuff. I've always wanted to know about the minn kota ultrex.
Just now got to watch this vid and I thank you for an honest eval on the Ultrex. Just put on a new Maxxum this spring. I'm old and hard headed. Think I will continue to stick with the cable steer and use marker buoys. It works for me so ....??? Glad you like this one but I will stay 'old school'. Gearing up for crank bait season here on Table Rock ... Can hardly wait. Thanks for another great video.
i absolutely love my ultrex. it’s amazing to be able to stop and flip into docks. and to be able to stop on top of brush piles
Good break down and honest opinion! Thanks for some really good points!
Great video Brian. I have been considering the Ultrex for a while now, but the noise is a killer IMHO. I had an old Powerdrive with a Copilot back in the day, and once I went from that to a Fortrex, the silence was golden. I'd absolutely love the spot lock, but I think I'm gonna stick with my Fortrex a while longer. Keep the videos coming!
Great review B-man!
Thank you for the honest review. 😊👍
We use an Ulterra 80 on our 20" pontoon and it is invaluable to us. We've used it 2 summers of fishing in rivers and lakes and its been flawless. It will spot lock our pontoon in 2.5 mph current without issue. I would buy another in a heartbeat.
Great video B-Lat!!!!
I don't hear good, so a little noise don't bother me in the least. I love my ultrex. Best money I have spent on Bass fishing. Thanks for the great review.
Good stuff B Lat!!! 💯
Excellent review thank you for your sincere honesty , there are so many guys on TH-cam they’re only there to sell the product and to bend the knee to the manufactures
I just bought the Ultera, can't wait to try.
Excellent informative video that helped me decide to go with the Ghost over the Ultrex. Although it would be nice to save some money, the head movement/noise when in anchor lock mode made the decision easy. Thanks for a great vid...
Who put thumbs down? Excellent review and honest opinion.
Alright, I have not watched the video yet, but as someone with the Ultrex, it is 100% worth the money. I find myself using it constantly. Spotlock, going in a straight line if I want to retie and move 100 yards or so while a do something else, following contours, it is amazing. I will say that spotlock does not work well in canyons or on a dead calm day. Canyons block the signal and with no current or wind to push the boat in a general direction it ends up in the worlds slowest shoving match. Slightly drifting one way, then the other. Still a great purchase. With that said, I think Brian will agree. Take you bets.
i Bee Amazin it’s great for some anglers for sure!!!
I run the Ulterra and I absolutely love it. Spot Lock is a game changer and the many other features such as being able to do way points and routes makes life easier and gives me more time to fish. I can even move my 24 foot boat at nearly 4 miles an hour on the trolling motor alone.
I loved my ulterra but was tired of having to deploy 360 and live on separate poles
I like that you're honest about need vs want with it. It's a great product I'm sure, but for us weekend guy's it's not a truly needed thing.
Yes I rarely use a trolling motor. I can't compensate the extra money of a ultrex. Fortrex is best in my situation. I'm a weekend guy.
I resisted to retire my Maxxum for a long time because it still functioned perfectly, but finally pulled the trigger on an Ultrex. After one weekend I'm already calling it a game changer and worth every penny. The biggest fear was the noise above water heard by all the TH-cam videos. After one day on the water I don't even hear it now. Also note that if you're trying to be quiet just move your foot slowly in either direction and the sound of the assist motor is super quiet. It's only when you push in a direction fast that the motor ramps up in speed and increased sound.
Love the review. Probably never will have one. Cost is a bit prohibitive but review was interesting and informative.
Dude - thanks for your frank review! Subscribed!!
I would love to see you do an honest review on the Garmin Force,Lowrance Ghost and Minn Kota Ultrex. The underwater noise is what I would love to hear.
The N button is not nutral! It's the heading sensor button. It keeps the boat in a straight line by it self, even in windy conditions.
The "N" button is not the "heading sensor button" either. It is the AutoPilot button. If you don't believe me, read the manual.
@@stevesmart9711 That is true! Just used the wrong term. It will keep the boat in a straight line to where it was pointing when you hit the button. So I don't need to check the manual I belvie you, I have the terrova on my boat 🤣
Honest opinion.. Thank You So Much Fantastic video 👍👍
Just subscribed to your bro. I watch scott's channel and if been watching you grow. Proud of you dude.....
I NOT IF..LOL
I'm not a tournament fisherman but I love my Ultrex. I think you did a very fair review, especially on the calm wind spot lock, it works itself to death. I took it to the river last week and really found out where it comes in the most handy. I locked and fished an area, kick it off and float down to another area and worked several islands like this and put fish in the boat.
Cherokee Lake Tennessee the advantages far our weight the disadvantages
I like the size of the Striker for kayak use. It gives me all the info I need without taking up much space. It doesn't need a giant battery either - also saving weight and space. Is recommend it.
Thanks for the quality review.
Glad I found this. Great job as I am currently going back and forth between the Ultrex and the Terrova. My boat is smaller than yours with only a 90 horse engine so I think I would be ok with the 80lbs of thrust. I really appreciate your honesty and keeping it simple for guys like me.
What did you get ultrex or terrova? And opinion on it? This is the 2 I'm looking at. Ranger Rt188
@@BIG33FELLA I got the Terrova but wasn’t really happy with it. In AZ we have to use our trolling motors a lot as several lakes are trolling motor only. The Terrova ain’t bad but it didn’t hold the boat well in current or in wind. (Current on the river when I was in Wisconsin and wind in AZ). I wound up stepping up to the Garmin and went with their system based on the Bass Tanks recommendation. I only use the 2 batter on the Force but it is much more powerful, faster and quieter. And I use a lot less juice than I did with the Terrova since it has a brushless system. I do miss the spot lock on the Terrova however as it is much more accurate than the Force. With your boat if money isn’t an issue I would go with the 3 battery system on the Ultrex or the Force. I will tell you that the Ultrex is not as powerful or as quiet as the Force, but after using it in a friends boat the Spot Lock is also more accurate as Garmin on pings the GPS once every 6 seconds so sometimes you have to reset the spot lock once you are positioned which can be annoying. I also like the lighter weight of the Ultrex.
Good video. My biggest concern is the durability,- with the Fortrex Iv'e hit hard stumps and the break away spring saves the day. You don't have that system with this- smashing a 1,500 pound boat into a petrified stump can be brutal and break almost anything. MY partner has a new Ultrex on his boat so I've been able to compare. Spot lock is super. This will actually cause less battery use than holding with a standard motor because you won't be attentive enough to stay on spot- you will have to make long corrections that eat more power that constant steer/motor control. When you catch a fish you likely drift far off course and have to make a long correction rather than minor power to hold the spot. I'm very impressed with the operation and am willing to change due to the control advantages. I agree- the absolute most annoyance is the constant motor gear whine in movement. Most of the noise is up top but I have to believe a lot of that noice gets transferred into the water. What effect this has on the fish on any given day? Who knows.
Good in depth review. Thanks
Have this motor in 24/80. its loud and don't always stay locked. had it 2 months and worked one once, But I like it and as a guide and youtube need it, FLC Dennis.
Fishing Lake Country that’s my only concern is noise. I don’t think it really matters but I just don’t care for the noise
Yes iz worth the money love mine soo much man... Keep up the vids man
The best and most honest review that I've seen so far. I've had Minn Kota BBQ spit steer motors before, and hated them. I hate the noise as well, but the Ultrex appears to be much faster. I've owned MG and MK cable steer motors and loved them. This appears to be instantly responsive combination of both. I fish off shore deep water smallies most of the time and I am having a heck of a time holding my position with a Fortrex. I have a 'new to me' boat coming, and Ultrex it is. Thanks, Brian!
Thank You great review
Super video! Thanks!!
Really helpful information as I'm in the discovery mode considering a motor upgrade. You touched on some really great points, one I hadn't been told, and that's the gradual engagement of the motor. I fish mostly local reservoirs here on the west coast, my regular only 20 minutes to the launch ramp from home and it most ALWAYS has a 15+ mph stiff and gusting wind blowing from 10a.m. on till evening. My 17' Lowe Aluminum w 75hp Etec bass boat is heavily influenced because it's lighter than a similar fiberglass rig. My old Motor Guide, which has been flawless, just barely keeps up with the wind and the highest setting just creeps me forward. Problem is, if you actuate it on high setting and it's turned to left or right, it could easily pitch you out of the boat because the bow is light and reacts quickly to input. The gradual on feature is a great feature I would love to have. SpotLock is just an absolute NO BRAINER for all the same reasons and then some. It's what draws me to Ultrex in the first place.
As for noise, definitely a hindrance. I will mention that Matt over on Tactical Bassin' has made the comment that when they do their underwater filming, the sound is not bleeding through under the surface, he attributes that to the mechanism being well above the water line. I don't know if that's solid proof it's not effecting the fishery your sitting on top of but maybe?
For my need, a $2500, 24v unit is the one I want. That's a hell of a lot of coin to throw down on a boat with an overall value of "maybe" three times that amount? That said, I could see this motor investment keeping into this boat for a long, long time because it really would settle pretty much all the issues that would force me into a conventional fiberglass rig for a lot more money. It's all about boat control for consistent success on the water. I think this will get me there! Thanks again for the pointers. Very helpful!
Timothy Foley that’s a book
Thought the Ultrex was cable drive still?? Also in my book being able to stay on your spot without having to fight the trolling motor DOES equal more fish!!
I personally think it helps me catch more fish because when I’m fishing offshore especially brush piles you don’t have to worry about get blown off a spot if I need to do something like change baits are grab a fish I don’t have to worry about loosing that exact spot I was fishing
That's a review! Not a bunch of lies. I was considering an Ultrex because of the noise of my xi5 motorguide. Unfortunately ultrex is not the solution
Love my old tricks 112 lb thrust 36 volt love it will never go back
Good articulate speaker telling it like he sees it.
I know you glad you got rid of that one no more noisy trolling motor for you.
Great video. Brian, I met you at Buck's Island seminar with Gene Jensen about a month ago. Greatly appreciate you taking the time to visit Alabama and doing these videos. Again, thanks.
Blat thanks for all you do. How do I get set up with your guide service? That’s a definite birthday present.
It is so worth it! The noise is minimal and all the benefits outweigh that. You can remove that transducer cable if you just open up the head. It has another twist pin connector and you can undo it so it doesnr hang there flopping around.
J M yup that’s what I said
Really nice review! Thank you-fantastic!!!
Thank u just ordered one
I LIKE THE WAY YOU THINK BROTHER
You should look into kipawa props for the ultrex .....it's an upgrade from the stock prop.... More power less power used ...
Amen on the battery
B Lat.. Still feel the same on the ultrex after heavy use? Different feel as far as the "finesse" of controlling the pedal to limit noise? Set up with current and wind before hitting spot lock?
Thanks for the video B!! I have an Ultrex but would like to note: the noise it makes is up top and out of the water not transferring to below bow. It just takes lil time to adjust, it did for me. Just keep it in your mind the noise is not translating no more than the Fortrex i used to have. But just know though, i kept my Fortrex as a backup and it fits the same mount with fast change out. Also, the more wind and current, the better it works. No wind it searches for a gps point to get a heading. My thoughts anyway...
TheFISHIN14 it’s definitely transferring to the water . Doesn’t meant that it matters but it does
@@BrianLatimerFishing Thanks B*
Spot lock + buttons on hand held remote. Will move you 5 degrees left/right/up/down while on spot lock. Click the button twice and will move you 10 degrees and so on. Buttons on remote are the two arrows and + -
I’ve seen the guys at Tactical Bassin run it while filming underwater with fish present and they don’t seem to hear it. Or hear it anymore than they hear regular belt driven motors. They think the noise is up top and doesn’t transmit down the shaft. However, as loud as that sucker is I’m not sure I’m buying it. 😁
thanks.
Clearly, you have not sold out to Minn Kota corporation. Love your honesty and so rare to hear from the pros. Please don't sell your soul.
Point the Motor where you want to go. Hit the North button “N” and then hit the jog button underneath the 4 indicator lights. Set the speed to your liking. Will keep you moving forward in the direction of your choice
The button underneath the 4 indicator lights is not the "jog button". It is the constant on button for the prop. Also the "N" button is not the "North button". It is the AutoPilot button. This info can be found in the Ultrex manual.
Yeah the ultrex is awesome but I'm only 20 and my haswing for 500 bucks has spot lock, and can follow set way points, has foot and remote control as well. Obviously not as strong or precise as the ultrex but I honestly love it
I’m interested in knowing….how is your Haswing doing 3 years from your original post? How often do you use it? Any issues with it? Would you buy again?
I’m still running a Minn kota powerdrive 55lbs unit with remote from approximately 2002(replaced remote control unit once in 2019). I’m thinking about getting another Minn Kota but you have me intrigued.
I'd like to have one but I'm not going to run out and drop 2k on it. I do a lot of vertical fishing in the winter so that would be a great help then but other than that Ehh.
Awesome
wrong about it not helping you catch more fish , by locking on a spot , its less distraction, less fatique, and thus your more focused on fishing instead of holding your foot on pedal, but otherwise, i love your unbiased review, and not sounding like a sponsor robot!, also the newest trolling motor is much more quiet, and it stays headed in direction you last pointed automatically, without having to hit spot lock.
BLat, do you have a video on "BATTERIES" for your boat? If not, would you be willing to do one? Wet Cell, AGM, Lithium....
Michael Kontes AGM. All I know is that I don’t have many issues so I don’t change
How can you go out in public with a beard looking that good? Those whiskers are on point!!!
So in cases where there is no wind or current wouldn’t not using the trolling motor be wiser? I feel it wont hunt so much in a current.
the N button on the ultrex is for lock so if you wanna go in a straight line for forever press the N button then the constant on button.
N Navigation - keeps you headed in the direction where you point your TM head
Great review that the average angler a lot THANKS
Helps alot
Great info B.Lat. I recently did some research to see the differences in Minn Kota trolling motors and this vid is spot on. Two questions thought, does the Fortrex have the anchor/spot lock feature? And is that feature, on either motor, good enough to replace power poles. I wouldn't mind spending a few extra $$ on a trolling motor if it kept me from having to buy power poles too. Thanks B.Lat.
Its not on the fortrex and it won't replace power poles. ultrex is best in wind/current especially in deep water. power poles are best for shallow fishing
Power poles and spot lock is totally different you need both depending on the fishery
got it
Great video Brian! Which batteries do you run on your new Ultrex?
Willie J. Allen Jr. interstates
The "N" button is not the "neutral button" nor the "north heading button" as one person replied. It is the AutoPilot button.
I’m so glad you made this video. I have been wanting one of these for a while now. I have a fortrex on my boat now but it’s starting to show a little wear and I think all the hype about this has made me pay closer attention to it. That was a great unbiased review of the motor. 👍 that being said I will own one when I (HAVE) to replace mine.
Good informative video. Thx for sharing. Signed New Subscriber 👊👍👏
I am not looking Ultrex. I have an issue with my back and I am looking at the Ulterra with that auto launch and retrieve. I believe it might give me a few years on the water before my back is completely shot. Have you had any experience with the Ulterra
The n is to make it go in a straight line
As an design engineer, I think minn Kota should add a hot foot option to the foot pedal.
I just bought a 2018 z18 nitro. It came with the 80 pound thrust maxxum minn kota and am debating on the ultrex. Great video, is there any cheaper minnkota that has the dpot lock.?
Michàel Fester yes the Minnkota terrova
👍
We fish a bunch of tidal rivers with heavy current. That spot lock in the current on the main river is money.
del crow yes it is!
I have ulterra And hate the noise and the spinning in circles. I fish for crappie and i believe it spooks them..
Is it a neutral button or N for Navigation? My Terrova has a navigation feature and I use it a ton. I'm saving for the Ultrex.
Are you going to MLF? Also are you sponsored by Lowrance?
Hey B Lat. What’s your position on Flw and MLF . By the way I love your content. I am a fellow landscaper also can you give me a shot out. Team Perfectcts