Bow mount trolling motors are most favored and apt for committed fishers with medium and large boats. One of its most notable and distinct features is that it provides much better control over the ship than an outboard motorboat. That is due to the difference in both the engines’ working. Bow mount trolling motors pull a boat instead of the outboard motorboat, which pushes it from behind, steering and controlling the boat much more comfortably and precisely with a bow mount trolling motors.
So, when it comes down to maneuverability and precision – Bow mount trolling motor is your go-to option. Moreover, bow mount motors offer a wider variety of control options such as foot, wireless remote, hand, and more features than a transom mount motor.
Remember to check how much thrust a bow mount trolling motor is offering about your boat before purchasing. A general rule of thumb is 2lbs of thrust for every 100lbs of a fully occupied boat weight(people onboard and gear included).
If elements such as wind or current are major factors in your region, you might need a little extra thrust. As for the battery, you’ll require one battery for every 12 volts in your trolling system. Point to note, bow mount motors could be harder to install, and they take up more deck space than transom mount motors.
Bow Mount Trolling Motors 2021
★ Top Pick | Product | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Attwood X3-45FW-36 MotorGuide X3 Bow Mount 36-InchSee Details | Check Price | 4.9 |
 | MotorGuide X3 Bow Mount Foot-ControlSee Details | Check Price | 4.8 |
 | Motorguide Xi5 Wireless Bow-Mount Trolling MotorSee Details | Check Price | 4.6 |
 | Minn Kota Ulterra Freshwater Bow-Mount Trolling MotorSee Details | Check Price | 4.6 |
 | Minn Kota Riptide Ulterra Saltwater Bow-Mount Trolling MotorSee Details | Check Price | 4.5 |
Attwood X3-45FW-36 MotorGuide X3 Bow Mount 36-Inch
This bow mount motor is highly recognized for its distinct features and characteristics. One of its distinctive features is its VRS technology that is patented and allows fishermen to position their boat even in rough sea accurately and in challenging conditions. The models come with a foot-controlled unit with a directional speed and control. It is built with a sturdy aluminum frame and stainless steel for reliable and dependable performance. It stays super quiet in the water, given its composite precision locking pins as well as composite bushing placed in critical areas.
Features:
- Provides for Speed control: 5-speed, digital variable.
- Easy to stow and deploy mount.
- Responsive Cable steer which provides for instant response to commands.
- Built with solid aluminum mounts and stainless-steel bushings in a critical area prone to wear.
- Available in different thrust power as well as shaft lengths.
- Easy to install.
- The motor remains quiet while in use.
- Reliable build materials for prolonged product life and dependence.
- Limited to freshwater usage only.
MotorGuide X3 Bow Mount Foot-Control 940200070
This model by MotorGuide comes with a 5-speed digital variance. On top of it, its VRS technology lets fishers accurately position their boat in rough situations such as in windy, turbulent waters. To keep you focused on fishing, it comes with a foot control unit to keep your hands free.
The built material, sturdy aircraft-grade aluminum, and stainless steel frame are utilized for dependable and reliable performance. Even with all that, it’s noise-free while in use because of its composite precision locking pins and composite bushing placed in critical areas.
Features:
- Crafted with solid aluminum and stainless-steel frame.
- Responsive Cable steer which provides for instant response to commands.
- Provides for speed control in different speed variance.
- Comes with VRS technology
- Available in different thrust powers and shaft lengths.
- Precise response for steering.
- Available with foot control pedal.
- Manufactured for reliability and prolonged product life.
- The length of the power cord is a bit shorter.
Motorguide Xi5 Wireless Bow-Mount Trolling Motor
Motorguide makers launched the all-new Xi5 trolling motor without wires. The Xi5 achieved a significant milestone in its history. An excellent result of the significant R&D investment in designing an overall focus, best in class engineering and manufacturing trolling motors. The Xi5 is launched to exceed the hopes of new-age customers. It is created, engineered to be dependable every single day and powerful over a long day.
The new Xi5 has out of the wireless box capacity; you can command exact motor and steering control from any boat angle. A foot pedal without wire is standard in freshwater models, and in saltwater units, a handheld remote is standard. It is noise-free and super smooth.
It has pinpoint GPS, which is the industry’s most perfect GPS, which handles a stronghold on your anchor point and three times precision control.
- Motorguide motors are engineered to be dependable to run on waters every day, and it is quite powerful for a long day.
- Best in class, most perfect GPS in the motor industry.
- Despite being a powerful motor, it is quiet and very smooth.
- Electronic steering is sometimes not functioning well.
Minn Kota Ulterra Freshwater Bow-Mount Trolling Motor
Minn Kota Ulterra gets started with just a single touch push button and provides comfortable control through the i-pilot remote, included, or foot pedal. Just put Ulterra up or down position at the push of a button to adjust for a suitable fishing spot. Designed for all sorts of freshwater boats is quite powerful. It provides optimal sonar performance to support you in finding fish; the built-in universal sonar 2 makes your sensor and cables safer and covered. It runs all through the propeller shaft with guarded connectors.
Features: 60 inches shaft in length, 80 pounds of thrust(24 volts), sensor, cable wires, and a GPS to navigate the boat.
Fantastically designed so that You have to connect the Bluetooth enabled i-pilot to your android device, to give prompt commands for controlling speed, steering, spot lock, and autopilot, you are done.
- This motor is designed for all kinds of freshwater boats.
- The best feature of the Ultrex motor is a built-in transducer with mega down imaging(DI), due to that, it delivers a clear picture in water to 15 feet down so that you can identify fish among other species.
- Ulterra motor uses quite an advanced foot pedal so that you can be there on the boat all day without touching your motor.
- Ultrerra motor is expensive.
Minn Kota Riptide Ulterra Saltwater Bow-Mount Trolling Motor
Minn Kota trolling motor is fast in steering and is accompanied by an automatic boat control, powered by GPS. The motor is backed up by a higher-end power steering foot pedal designed for day-long comfort and perfect control. This model comes with an additional feature called spot lock button; you don’t have to move an inch and press the foot pedal spot lock button if you find a right fishing spot, and the boat will be stock-still in the water. Even if you lift off your foot from the pedal, the motor head be there as it is the way you left it, there is no need to recoil or readjust.
This motor is specially designed for freshwaters and is cable steered, bow-mounted that works well with all kinds of freshwater boats. The striking feature of this motor is that you can use the GPS technology to find a fishing point, and along with this, you can spot lock, retrace and record paths, control speed, and auto-pilot the boat with the autopilot system. This system allows controls of the motor with a touchscreen remote or from a virtual remote.
The i-pilot link system is a consolidated meter that provides you an immediate reading on the motor’s battery life. It is also aided with in-built transducer with a virtual hummingbird mega down imaging system that projects a clean coverage up to 125 feet below your boat. You can easily differentiate fish from its body outline and aim at individual species too.
The motor also features a composite shaft, which is so solid, not breakable at all. This motor provides a thrust of 24 volts, and it has got a multi-use function foot pedal, sensor, mounting and cable wires, and i- pilot link GPS.
- Ulterra features auto stow, and power trim makes it the most effortless motor to go in the water.
- Ulterra’s most attractive feature is spot lock, which provides exact GPS anchoring.
- Its speed digital maximizer helps you stay longer for productive fishing on a low battery charge.
- Its speed digital maximizer helps you stay longer for productive fishing on a low battery charge.
- Sometimes motor gets stuck in the water.
Conclusion
Bow mount trolling motors are most favored amongst the fishermen with medium and large size boats. The distinctive feature of bow mount is that these offer more control over the boat than the transom mount motors. Steering the boat is much smoother and is pretty precise with these kinds of motors. If you are fishermen and always on the go, the bow mount motor is just apt for you. Moreover, these motors offer a wide range of exceptional features like hand and foot control, wireless remote control, etc. Bow mount motors appear very appealing but are costlier than their counterparts.
The other downside of the bow mount motors is that these are a bit difficult to install and require more room. You will need a flat deck and more deck space to install a bow mount motor on the boat’s front side. In a nutshell, the advantages of the bow mount motor outweigh the transom mount ones. For instance, the bow mount motor’s precision in overall boat control, more features, more remote controlling options, attractive looks, etc.
However, it is expensive. Given above are recommendations for some of the best rated and reviewed bow mount motors for your reference. You might want to sneak out some time to explore these. Out of all highly recommended bow mount motors are Attwood X3-45FW-36 MotorGuide X3 Bow Mount 36-Inch, MotorGuide X3 Bow Mount Foot-Control 940200070, Minn Kota Ulterra, and Minn Kota Trolling Motor. We bet one of these motors will give you some of the best joyous fishing experiences.
