Photo Credit: Rod Wynn
The trolling motor industry has made significant strides and there are some great options if you're looking to upgrade, but there is one feature on the new Lowrance Ghost that makes it the clear number one option! I am on the Lowrance team, but what I'm going to talk about is an indisputable advantage over the others.
Before we talk about what sets the Lowrance Ghost a part from the other trolling motors out there; let's talk about some of the other awesome features.
Brushless Motor
Aside from being significantly quieter, it also draws less power
Fly-by-Wire Steering
It took a few minutes to get the hang of how the pedal responds (which is a lot easier than the one I was using). Once you get the hang of it, it's so smooth.
Interchangeable Nosecone Transducer
The ability to upgrade to the most current transducer in a plug and play way is really forward thinking!
Stow & Deploy
Easier to deploy and stow than any other trolling motor, Ghost has a dual-action gas spring to help push the trolling motor off the deck to deploy. It also cushions the motor and auto aligns itself when stowing to lie flat on the mount. This feature saves your back at the end of the day!
360-Degree Breakaway Mount
The 360-degree breakaway mount is designed to take the brunt of any impacts and will automatically realign itself once clear of impacted structure. An integrated stabilizer bar reduces bouncing when on plane in rough water. Accidents happen and we've all either come close or have smashed into a rock or stump that came out of nowhere. Knowing that I'm not going to snap the shaft is a big deal for me.
Programmable Foot Pedal
I love having the ability to program the buttons on my foot pedal to control my Power Poles and waypoints! The flip switch is another great feature if you're accustom to using hitting the switch on the right or left side.
Full integration with Lowrance HDS LIVE, HDS Carbon and Elite Ti² displays
The ability to create a course, adjust the speed, etc. all from your graphs is awesome!
What is the one feature that set's the Lowrance Ghost apart?
It's the ability to switch from 36v system to a 24v system and visa versa! But why is this a big/huge deal?
The 4 most common boat related issues that happen while in a tournament or just fun fishing are: blown motor, damaged lower unit, broken prop blade, and dead batteries. The Ghost can't help with three of the four I just mentioned, but with a simple reprogram you can go from a 36v system to a 24v system in less than 20 mins and you're back fishing. I haven't heard anyone really talk about how amazing this feature is! Most cases, if your TM batteries die it's most likely one battery that died or one bank on your charger that went out and didn't charge one battery. This feature could mean walking away with a trophy, a W, and cash or a last place finish!
I just put this feature to use!
Here's something that just happened to me so I truly know how big of a deal this is. 1st, let me show you my setup 3 12v 50Ah Lithium Hub Ionic Batteries
The last tournament I fished was the Wild West Bass Trail Pro-Am at New Melones and after a tough day one; I brushed it off, retied everything, plugged in the boat, ate dinner, and crashed out. In the morning, I seen all green lights on the Minn Kota Precision 460pc and went out and had a better day 2. A week went by and I was out to the Delta in the the next day, so I went to charge the batteries when I noticed I had a flashing light that later turned into a red/dead battery light on one of the banks/batteries. My batteries (Lithium Hub Ionic Battery) are only 4ish months old so I assumed it was the battery. Called the company and they said it's highly unlikely it's the battery and more likely it's the charger, but without questioning it further they sent me a new battery and a return slip (AWESOME customer service and my next article will be on them). After some more trouble shooting it was, as they thought, the charger. One bank died and therefore I ran that one battery all they down. When you run a lithium battery all the way down it goes into sleep mode and you have to "wake it up".
With any other trolling motor, I would have been stuck waiting for a new charger (warranty, it's just over 2 years old). Instead, this is what I did:
It took me a whopping 15 minutes to switch from a 36v system to a 24v system and I was ready to fish in the morning!Side note, I fished from 6:30AM to 5:00PM on the Delta (tidal water) and only used 49% of my batteries juice, way better than I anticipated (24v systems draw more power than 36v sytems).
I'm telling you guys, this one feature is a ....I know you all hate this term, but I have to use it here.... GAME CHANGER! Is the Lowrance Ghost the perfect trolling motor? No, but it's pretty close! I'm here at answer any questions you guys might have so feel free to message me on Mike Malinao Outdoors Facebook.
Heads up, my next article will be lithium batteries and if they're right for you. Spoiler alert, I'm working on getting a discount code (M3Outdoors5) for my readers!
#lowrance #lowranceghost #trollingmotor #ultrex #minnkotaultrex #garminforce #motorguide #motorguidetourpro #36v #24v
**Edit, just learned the Garmin Force TM also has the ability to go from 36v to 24v**
