"Digital" Trolling Motor Noise ???

[fishrdan]

Has anyone else had problems with the new "digital" trolling motors being noisy, as in a growling noise that increases with speed.

I purchased a MotorGuide Varimax and right off the bat I noticed it was far noisier than my older "speed Coil" trolling motors. After 3 months the TM started making a gawd awful noise so I took it back to BPS and had them order me a MinnKota Traxxis trolling motor. After getting the new Traxxis hooked up,,, it makes the same exact annoying growling noise. At first I thought I was being overly sensitive and looking for a problem, but after mounting my old speed coil TM and new digital TM on the transom right next to each other (aluminum boat), I can hear the digital TM is WAY noisier.

Before ordering the Traxxis I called MinnKota and asked if their digital motors were noisier than the speed coil motors and tech support said they were not noisier. I'm just curious if others have experienced the digital motors being noisy as I find the noise of the digital motors unacceptable as the fish can surely hear me coming from far away.

I'm almost 100% sure it's the digital circuitry (PWM pulses) causing the noise since the noise sounds exactly like a stepper motor being sped up and slowed.

Thanks, Dan

 

[John_S]

Re: "Digital" Trolling Motor Noise ???

I haven't heard much of a difference between my MG Wireless 45 and old transom mount HVT 3700, but have not done a side-by-side comparison.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: "Digital" Trolling Motor Noise ???

Are both motors mounted the same way and are they the same thrust? I have used Minnkota Power Drives for years and my current pontoon has a new PD V2. It is quiet, but it is mounted on a quick release bracket that sits on large well nuts so the mounting is insulated. Metal-to-metal mounts will transfer noise.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: "Digital" Trolling Motor Noise ???

ST, is your PowerDrive mounted to the plywood decking of the toon? If so that's probably why the motor is quite, dampened by the plywood and rubber well nuts.

My TM's are being mounted on an aluminum jon boat that has both sides of the transom sheathed in plywood, top is still metal. In trying to defeat the "digital" (PWM) noise I placed a rubber pad on the transom and a piece of carpet to help insulate the TM mount bracket from the transom which slightly dampened the noise, but not enough to consider it a benefit. The only way I could dampen the noise significantly was to grab the motor's shaft hard with both hands, transferring the vibration to my arms. Worked good, but not too practical as I like to be inside the boat while fishing The digital motors are throwing off a vibration that's being transmitted through the entire hull as I can feel and hear the transom mounted motor running, at the bow.

All 4 (2 old style speed coil and 2 new digital) of my trolling motors are mounted to the transom in the same spot. I have 2- old TM's 40# MinnKota and 43# MotorGuide, and 2 new digital TM's 40# MotorGuide Varimax and 55# MinnKota Traxxis. The old and new TM's were mounted on the transom side-by-side as I was comparing how loud they were and I found the digitals to be very noisy (compared to the speed coil TM's) in the 20-80% thrust range. The 55# Traxxis is just as loud (or quite) as the 40# Varimax from what I remember, didn't have them both at the same time. In the 0-20% and 80-100% range the digitals were OK noise wise, but that's not where they are being run most of the time. At max speed the 55# Traxxis is quieter than the old 40# TM's, drawing me to the conclusion it's not the motor causing the noise, but the PWM power being fed to the motor.

I also have a 70# MotorGuide bow mount TM (speed coil) that is very quite in comparison to the digital motors.

I'm under the impression that the digital TM's will induce noise/vibration into an aluminum hull, if mounted to the hull.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: "Digital" Trolling Motor Noise ???

My quick release plate is mounted to the plywood and with wellnuts.