Minn Kota PowerDrive 55 i-Pilot Bluetooth Trolling Motor 12V

The Minn Kota PowerDrive 55 Trolling Motor with i-Pilot and Bluetooth (model 1358744) is the smart electric-steer freshwater bow-mount trolling motor that brings the GPS spot-lock and AutoPilot features of the higher-end Terrova and Ultrex motors down to a more cost-effective package. 12 volts, 55 pounds of thrust, 54-inch indestructible composite shaft, the Deploy-Assist Lever for easy one-hand stow and deploy, electric-steer (no foot pedal cables to maintain), and the i-Pilot GPS trolling system with Bluetooth so you can control everything from the included remote or from the i-Pilot Link mobile app on your phone. The right trolling motor for bass and walleye boats in the 14 to 18 foot range running a single battery 12V system.

What this motor is for. Smaller bass boats, walleye rigs, panfish boats, and any freshwater boat where 55 pounds of thrust is enough power to position the boat and 12 volts of battery is the practical choice (one battery instead of two or three for higher-voltage motors). Most boats in the under-18-foot freshwater class fit this profile. For boats over 18 feet or for boats that need to hold position against serious wind and current, step up to the 70-pound Terrova on 24V or the 80-pound Terrova / Ulterra. For most freshwater fishing under 18 feet, the PowerDrive 55 is the right size.

i-Pilot is the GPS trolling system that has changed how serious anglers fish. Two headline features. Spot-Lock holds the boat over a specific GPS coordinate using thrust vector corrections to fight wind and current. Press the Spot-Lock button on the included wireless remote and the boat stays put while you fish. AutoPilot holds the boat on a chosen heading: point the motor in the direction you want to go, hit AutoPilot, and the motor maintains that heading automatically against drift from wind or current. Both features change how productively you can fish from the bow.

Bluetooth pairing is the modern upgrade in this generation of i-Pilot. Bluetooth lets the trolling motor system pair with your smartphone via the i-Pilot Link app, which gives you software updates over the air (no special programming hardware required), virtual remote control from the phone (so you can run the motor from anywhere on the boat without picking up the physical remote), and access to system diagnostics and settings. Pair multiple remotes simultaneously: the included physical remote plus the smartphone virtual remote, both controlling the same motor without conflict.

Deploy-Assist Lever is the small feature that owners notice every time they use the motor. Older PowerDrive motors required a two-handed lift to deploy and stow the motor, which was awkward when standing on the front deck and inconvenient enough that some owners just left the motor permanently deployed. The Deploy-Assist Lever uses a spring-assist mechanism that lets you deploy or stow with one hand by depressing the lever. Faster, easier, less awkward, and the result is that you actually use the stow function for trailering and storage instead of skipping it.

Electric steer (no foot pedal cables) is the other PowerDrive design feature. Older bow-mount trolling motors used cable-steer foot pedals where the foot pedal mechanically connects to the motor head via stainless cables. Cables wear, stretch, and need periodic adjustment. Electric steer eliminates the cables: the foot pedal (sold separately) sends an electric signal to the motor head, and the motor steers itself. Less maintenance, smoother steering, and the option to skip the foot pedal entirely and run from the wireless remote alone.

The 54-inch indestructible composite shaft is the right shaft length for most bass and walleye boats. Long enough to keep the prop fully submerged in chop, short enough to clear most bridges and shallow trailer-launched waters. The composite material is the lifetime-guaranteed shaft that flexes and recovers without bending, cracking, or losing alignment when you hit submerged objects. Strike a stump or rock at speed and the shaft flexes, the motor kicks back, and you keep fishing.

The Weedless Wedge 2 propeller (MKP-32) included with this motor is the right prop for trolling through grass, weed beds, and floating debris that fouls regular props. The swept-back flared blades push debris away from the prop hub instead of catching it, which means you can troll through cover that would stop a lesser prop. For freshwater anglers fishing southern grass lakes, milfoil-heavy northern lakes, and any other vegetation-heavy water, this prop genuinely matters.

Digital Maximizer technology is the variable-speed power management that gives you up to five times longer runtime on a single battery charge compared to fixed-speed motors. Instead of running at full motor power and pulse-width-modulating to slow down, Digital Maximizer actually delivers only as much current to the motor as the speed setting requires. The result is dramatic battery savings, especially at low and medium throttle settings, where typical fishing actually happens.

Push-to-test battery meter on the motor head is the small feature that prevents the wrong-battery-discovery moment. Press the button before you leave the dock and the LED bar shows the battery state. No more launching the boat and finding out at the second productive spot that you have an hour of trolling left. For 12V trolling motors, a single high-quality Group 27 or Group 31 deep-cycle battery is the typical setup, with a 12V LiFePO4 lithium battery as the modern upgrade for more usable runtime in less weight.

50-amp current draw at full speed determines battery sizing and circuit protection. Wire from the battery to the motor with appropriately sized marine cable (typically 8 AWG for short runs, 6 AWG for longer runs) with proper fusing at the battery end. The included plug connector mates with the standard Minn Kota 12V trolling motor receptacle (sold separately if you don't already have one wired up).

What this motor isn't. It is not a saltwater motor (this is the freshwater PowerDrive. for saltwater use the Riptide PowerDrive variant has the corrosion protection that this motor lacks). It is not a foot-control / cable-steer motor (that's the Edge series). It is not auto-deploy and auto-stow (that's the Ulterra series, which adds the auto-deploy mechanism for the highest convenience but costs more). It is not a 70 or 80-pound thrust motor (this is the 55-pound class for smaller boats. the higher-thrust models are the Terrova and Ulterra at 70, 80, 101, or 112 pounds).

2-Year Limited Minn Kota warranty on the motor with lifetime composite shaft warranty. Same-day shipping before 3 PM ET on in-stock units.