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Setup is a Minn Kota RT 55/ST/i-pilot-54'' model#1363704 on an older 18ft Hydrasport. The trolling motor has worked flawlessly, but on yesterday's sunset cruise It would not turn on once deployed. I guessed the plug at the front of the boat was the issue, but it would not do anything when I plugged it into an extension cord at home either. I have not been able to find a good YT video that tackles this problem and am hoping you guys have a solution other than dragging it into a repair shop. If that is my path, who do you use in the Crawfordville area? I am new to town. I do not think it is under warranty bc I am the second owner.

TIA, Michael

TM Repair Center
1475 Capital Cir NW, Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 264-8080

Great people, have helped me out BIG TIME a few times in the past.

I've had trolling motor issues, too. Consider checking whether your batteries are holding a charge and whether your charger is working. I replaced my trolling motor batteries thinking that they would no longer hold a charge after 3 years. (Regular batteries probably are near the end of their useful life at 3 years old.) However, the real problem was that I had been plugging my battery charger into a dead outlet. Now, I routinely check that the little red light on my charger turns on when I connect the charger to a power outlet.

I think that it is also worthwhile to ensure that the plug for your trolling motor and its outlet on the boat are free of corrosion. Consider coating the connections with dielectric grease as well.

One other thing, pop the cover off of the base of the trolling motor, which should be easy to do, and look for obvious problems.

When you give up on trying to fix the trolling motor yourself, I recommend TM Repair Center 1475 Capital Circle NW, Tallahassee, FL 32303, (850) 264-8080. TM Repair Center does good work quickly.

There might and should be a breaker between your battery and trolling motor. Could be tripped.

Thanks Guys. I have tried multiple power sources and took it apart as far as i'm comfortable with and could not find anything obvious. I'll be dropping it off at TM Repair in Tallahassee this afternoon. Fingers crossed it isn't anything serious!

I may be misunderstanding but did you say you plugged the unit into a receptacle using a drop cord at home? I may just be misinterpreting but the motor should be 24 vdc and the outlet is 120 vac. If you did this you probably have toast for windings. If not switches, fuses and corrosion are the biggest possible culprits. Best of luck hope you get it resolved.

Big Tim wrote: ↑April 20th, 2021, 12:06 pm I may be misunderstanding but did you say you plugged the unit into a receptacle using a drop cord at home?

I read it the same way but was afraid to ask. If he connected a 12VDC motor to 120AC I hope for his sake there's a breaker inline otherwise, he's now got a spare anchor

Most likely the receptacle at home hooks to his on board charger. That's the way mine is set up. Even if the batteries are dead, the motor will work when the on board charger is plugged in to the wall.

- Steve Stinson