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I have a 03' 74lb. thrust Riptide. The paint on the motor started flaking off approx. 1 year after purchasing it new from Bass Pro. Now almost every bit of the white paint has come off. The motor has been washed down after every trip and stored out of the sun. Has anyone else had this issue and if so is there a solution? Also discovered this weekend that there is no longer any speed adjustment on the hand control it goes from off to 100%. Tried to contact Minn Kota several times via e-mail and got no response. The motor is out of warranty of course. For the cost of this motor I really expected more life out of it. Any feedback?

I had the same thing happen to the paint on the last Minn Kota RT74 I had. Of course most of it was caused by me running over oyster bars. Mine looked like hell but it ran great. I tried to repaint it with appliance paint but never really got it to stick. I finally beat it to a pulp, had it rebuilt, and it again ran like a top. I have since sold it and the new owner is using the hell of it.

I have the RT 80 now and no issues yet. I believe they are great motors.

Your problem with the variable speed is an easy, cheap fix for most authorized Minn Kota repair shops. The best one I've used is Larry's Quik Stop in Moultrie 229-985-1488

U can order new parts online...a new casing and shaft will run about $30....probably need a new rheostat for the control issue or clean it

Thanks guys. Birddog when you replaced the old one did you go with the one that has the lift assit feature by any chance?

No, just the plain latch and door RT 80. I always try to keep it simple.

Once the paint comes off, the bare alum eventually turns white again. Patience grasshopper.

Where is a good place for Minn Kota Parts?

I have ordered them directly from Johnson Outdoors who owns Minn Kota and I have ordered them from...

http://secure.northlandmarine.com/MinnKotaQuickRef.htm