If a Minn Kota doesn’t have numerous features, is it even a Minn Kota? From fish finders to smartphone control, the all-rounder Minn Kota has taken care of it all. However, the most exceptional feature of the Minn Kota, which has massively increased its popularity, is the Digital Maximizer. The Minn Kota Digital Maximizer has an amazing battery life, so now you can stay in the waters for longer hours on a single charge; due to this excellent feature, customers have been particularly interested in purchasing a Minn Kota.
As an avid fisherman, you would definitely want the best equipment for boating. Suppose you are one individual who has a genuine interest in fishing. In that case, you’d be interested in a Minn Kota for sure, and their recent advancements in their trolling motors might have gotten you thinking to buy one with a digital maximizer.
Coming to the point now…
What Is a Digital Maximizer?
This technology reduces the heat on trolling motor, provides high power, and increases battery life greatly. Minn Kota claims that their maximizer will make your boat last five times longer by charging it once.
How Does It Work?
It is attached to trolling motors to provide them with a huge amount of power and increase their battery life. The best part about them is that you get the power no matter at what speed you’re boating. Motors will digital maximizers are great options for fishers and boat riders.
It increases power supply because it has a pulse width modulation which provides voltage pulses at increasing rates. This digital control has the ability to provide greater power even when you’re boating at lower speeds. If you have a trolling motor with a digital maximizer, you could row it at slow speeds as that causes an increase in battery life.
Is It Worth Purchasing?
Are you a fisherman who loves going out multiple times on their trolling motor on a hunt for fish? If so, then it is imperative for you to get a digital maximizer integrated into your motor. That is because you would want your motor to generate lesser heat, and the typical multi-turn and analog voltage control motors generate scorching calefaction, so you must switch to a motor with a maximizer!
When you embark on your journey on Minna Kota Motor with Digital Maximiser, you can stay for longer hours, making your experience remarkable!
A cherry on top is that the maximizer will only draw minimal power to run the motor since it works to save energy, and your boat can be out on the waters for long durations, and that too on a single charge!
It sounds like a steal, doesn’t it?
However, it is to be noted that digital maximizers cause zero energy waste, and that is because they won’t draw any power when you are moving at slow speeds. Still, the maximizer won’t really be effective (bummer!)
Are The Digital Maximisers Really Worth Buying?
Digital Maximisers aren’t always effective as they are claimed to be. This major drawback makes the customers back off from getting it installed in their motors.
If you are moving the motor at high speed, a digital maximizer won’t be effective. The digital maximizer will work like any other ordinary speed coil motor at higher speeds.
But it’s not the case that they aren’t always inefficient. They are highly effective at slower speeds; thus, it could be a good idea to get them if you frequently go on fishing. Fishing requires lesser speeds, and it is unlikely that you will be fully throttling in the sea while fishing!
However, they do not have five times more running time as claimed by Minn Kota. An experiment was conducted that compared a Minn Kota Endura (without a digital maximizer) with a Minn Kota Endura C2 (with a digital maximizer). When both of them were trolled at the same speeds, it was observed that Minn Kota Endura C2 lasted longer, double the time only. Thus, the claim that the motor with a digital maximizer lasts 5x longer than the traditional motors was negated. However, there are other environmental factors to consider, such as weather conditions, and it is possible that some Minn Kota would last 5x longer.
Thus, we would suggest that if you are a recreational boater who goes out once in a while and maxes out the speed of your boat, the digital maximizer won’t really benefit you a lot. However, you will still enjoy the perk of having a long battery life and less battery utilization.
Some of the best Minn Kota motors that have a digital maximizer integrated are mentioned below.
1. Minn Kota Traxxis
Minn Kota TRAXXIS 55 36" Shaft 12V
An advanced version of the Endura, Traxxis has a one-handed stow feature that will flip up the motor. It also has a tiller that can be adjusted and rotated in any direction.
2. Minn Kota Powerdrive
Minn Kota 1358733 PowerDrive Freshwater Electric-Steer Bow-Mount Trolling Motor
$899.99 in stock
This bow mount motor has a foot pedal that makes steering convenient for you while you are trolling the boat.
3. Minn Kota Ultrex
Minn Kota 1368810 Ultrex Freshwater Cable & Electric-Steer Bow-Mount Motor
This is the most advanced and uber tech bow mount motor. One of its coolest features is the iPilot which gives automated steering directions to the fisherman. It has other advanced features too.
4. Minn Kota Endura Max
Minn Kota Endura Max in Shaft Thrust Trans MNT
This motor is simple yet very popular among customers. The plus point is that it won’t cost you an arm and a leg. This happens to be an advancement of the Minn Kota Endura C2, which is also highly popular in the market.
5. Minn Kota Riptide
Minn Kota Endura Max in Shaft Thrust Trans MNT
This saltwater motor is the most basic water motor you’ll find. The only feature it has is the digital maximizer, and you could add a swiveling tiller optionally.
6. Minn Kota Riptide Terrova
Minn Kota Terrova (1363740 Riptide) Saltwater Trolling Motor
This saltwater motor also has the cool iPilot feature activated. Since it has a digital maximizer integrated as well, that maximizer works well with the iPilot! The amazing combination of maximizer and iPilot makes the Riptide very high in demand. It comes at a good cost, making it a good value bow mount motor.
Buying Guide
When buying a Minn Kota motor, you should know what features best suit your needs. Do you need a motor with a Digital Maximiser? Is having iPilot installed a necessity for you? Do you prefer one with a universal sonar? Below, we have mentioned the most popular features in a Minn Kota motor and their descriptions.
Universal Sonar
This keeps the wire and transducer free of contact with the motor shaft. The Universal Sonar is great for protecting the internal hardware of the motor.
Digital Maximiser
This has the uber-cool ability to conserve energy since it draws as much power as required.
iPilot
It retraces paths, controls the steering, keeps track of fishing spots saturated with fishes, and does other really exceptional stuff. And guess what? iPilot controls all of this with a wireless remote only!
FAQs
Q) How do digital maximizers work?
Ans. The digital maximizers that are installed in Minn Kota motors work differently. The maximizers produce PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), which performs an essential function of controlling the variable speed. The PWM is an added feature in the Minn Kota motors to control the speed, and the traditional coil motors worked without PWM as they had a set number of speed coils.
Q) What is the purpose of Bluetooth on a Minn Kota trolling motor?
Ans. Bluetooth is used in a heading sensor that senses the boat’s direction of motion and then signals the trolling motor to activate the Spot-Lock Jog feature (this lets the boat move in the Spock-Lock area for a distance of 5 feet.
Q) Can my phone be paired with a Minn Kota trolling motor?
Ans. Yes, the only requirement is that you should have an IOS or an Android device available.
Q) How do I pair my phone with a Minn Kota trolling motor?
Ans. There are some very basic steps you need to follow. First, you have to download the Minn Kota iPilot or iPilot link app on your phone. Open it, go to your phone’s Bluetooth settings and pair it with the Minn Kota trolling motor.
Q) What is the use of an AutoPilot on a Minn Kota trolling motor?
Ans. The AutoPilot exploits a top-notch compass system that adjusts according to the direction of your boat, and it keeps your boat moving automatically in the same direction.
Last updated: 21/10/2022
