Minn Kota Motors is an American company that started in 1934, and it is now part of the Johnson Outdoors family of companies. Minn Kota specializes in boat motors, batteries and accessories, and it produced the Minn Kota Edge 40 and 40 HC series of trolling motors. You can purchase Minn Kota products from authorized dealers throughout the United States and Canada.
Trolling
The Minn Kota Edge motors are a type of trolling motor, and a trolling motor usually sits on the bow or stern of your boat, halfway into the water. All the components of this motor are contained within a single unit, including the propeller, electric motor and controls. You can lift a trolling motor from the water when you are using the main engine to reduce overall drag. You use this motor as a backup motor or when you are fishing. You can attach it to different types of boats, including inflatable boats.
Thrust
All Minn Kota Edge motors are available in 40, 45, 55 and 70 pound thrust (T) levels, which helps propel the boat forward. These motors come with either a Weedless Wedge 2 or Weedless Wedge propeller system. These systems help you navigate through weeds by pushing them away from the motor, ensuring that the motor won’t get clogged.
Features
These motors come with a hand control or cable steer operating system. The hand control feature uses the Tilt Twist Tiller, which uses a grip for controlling the movement and speed of the motor. The cable steer employ pull-pull cables, which employs cables to control speed and navigation. These motors feature a Latch and Door mount system, which makes it easy for you to take off the motor when you are not using it.
Specs
The Edge 40 is a cable steer type motor, and it operates on a 12 Volt (V) power system. The shaft lengths are available in 36 inch, 45 inch and 50 inch long models. The Edge 40 HC is a Tilt Twist Tiller type of motor, and it features at 45 inch shaft. It uses a 12 V power source. As of 2011, the Edge motors cost between $240 and $600.
Considerations
When purchasing a motor, think about your needs. You need to think about the type of waters that you will be traversing. If you need a lot of power, then a trolling motor probably will not work for you. Think about how far out you are going and what type of environments you will be traversing. In rough seas, a trolling motor won’t give you a lot of power, and it may possibly leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere. Generally, these types of motors are for fresh water environments. If you are heading out into the ocean or similar types of marine environments, call the company before purchasing the motor. If it is not designated for salt water, do not take your motor out into these environments. You could ruin it if it cannot withstand saltwater.
Misty Faucheux - Misty Faucheux has been a freelance writer for over 10 years, and she has written for both online and offline publications, including ...
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