# electric or cable steer



## shawnfish (Jun 20, 2011)

whats the difference besides the obvious???


----------



## huntinfool (Jun 20, 2011)

I personally have not heard of an electric steer. I have heard of cables and hydraulic. But not electric. So I am of no help.


----------



## Captain Ahab (Jun 21, 2011)

Do you mean for a trolling motor?


----------



## shawnfish (Jun 21, 2011)

yes...


----------



## FuzzyGrub (Jun 21, 2011)

In general:

Cable Steer:
- Faster Turning
- Foot control only
- Easier to learn/control without looking at the trolling motor head for where it is pointed.
- Prefered by TX bass fishermen
- Bass boats designed to fit this type.
- Easier store / deploy than Power steer.


Power Steer:
- Able to control from other places on the boat than the bow.
- Can be wireless for no cables.
- Can have multi-person control.
- Steering slower, and less precise.
- Auto Pilot or iPilot features a big plus for control. 
- More use with walleye, crappie, and recreational fishermen.
- Transducer mounting more difficult and more prone to cable pinching.
- Lower reliability reports.


See info in: https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=20159


----------



## JFDBasser (Jun 21, 2011)

I would agree with everything FuzzyGrub said above. You really need to look at how your going to use the trolling motor to help decide. If you are fishing around laydowns, docks, standing timber or a lot of other obstructions I would go with cable steer. 

I have cable steer on my Ranger and am putting electric on my small boat for my club. I love the cable steer, its easy to run and you don't have to look at the directional arrow. The only reason I went with electric steer for my small boat is that I plan to take my kids fishing a lot and I like that I can have a long cable for the pedal and sit in the rear of the boat to keep an eye on the kids while I run it.


----------



## shawnfish (Jun 21, 2011)

FuzzyGrub said:


> In general:
> 
> Cable Steer:
> - Faster Turning
> ...




what do you mean by not having to look at the directional arrow on one and having to on another??


----------



## FuzzyGrub (Jun 21, 2011)

shawnfish said:


> what do you mean by not having to look at the directional arrow on one and having to on another??



A cable steer will point to the same place dependinding on the position of the foot lever. You learn it very quickly, and you don't have to look at the head to see which way the motor is pointed. On a power steer there is no referance. It could be in any of 360 degrees. Even if you have a photographic memory, holding the button down for some instantanous moment, it is hard to gauge how far the head will turn.


----------



## shawnfish (Jun 21, 2011)

FuzzyGrub said:


> shawnfish said:
> 
> 
> > what do you mean by not having to look at the directional arrow on one and having to on another??
> ...




so wich type does the head point in the direction the motor will take you? and ''depending on the position of the foot lever?(foot control=foot lever???)


----------



## shawnfish (Jun 21, 2011)

what type of charger should i be using?(how many amps)


----------



## FuzzyGrub (Jun 22, 2011)

shawnfish said:


> so wich type does the head point in the direction the motor will take you?



both


----------



## FuzzyGrub (Jun 22, 2011)

shawnfish said:


> what type of charger should i be using?(how many amps)



I use a Guest 5/10 charger. 10 amps for the trolling motor, 5 amps for starting. For that wheelchair battery, which you indicated was a gel-cell, you will have to make sure the charger is compatable. I don't have experience with gel-cell.


----------



## shawnfish (Jun 23, 2011)

how can i tell if i have a cable steer or electric steer? ive tried contacting minn kota and i might as well be pissing in the wind....also i seen a graph for telling what year mine is by going off the serial# but it made no sense to me? can anyone help? MKJ10994220 is the #. thanks....


----------



## Captain Ahab (Jun 23, 2011)

shawnfish said:


> how can i tell if i have a cable steer or electric steer? ive tried contacting minn kota and i might as well be pissing in the wind....also i seen a graph for telling what year mine is by going off the serial# but it made no sense to me? can anyone help? MKJ10994220 is the #. thanks....





Is there a cable connected to your foot control? Can you foot control turn the TM even if it is not connected to the battery?


Cable steer is a manual mechanical system and electric steer uses electric motors 


*What steering options does MotorGuide offer?

Mechanical Push-Pull steering systems
The Push-Pull steering is a rack and pinion system actuated by the foot pedal back and forth rocking action. When the toe of pedal is pushed down it pulls the cable back.When the heel of pedal is pushed down this pushes the cable.This is the most common steering system and is tournament proven reliable.Requires no adjustments or maintenance.

Mechanical Pull-Pull Systems
The Pull-Pull steering is a set of 2 cables actuated by the foot pedal back and forth rocking action.There is one cable pulled for toe down and one cable pulled for heel down.This steering system is very smooth and considered the "Cadillac" of steering.

Electrical Steering Systems
The electrical steering method utilizes a electronic foot pedal or device that sends signals to a steering motor inside the top housing of the trolling motor .*


----------



## shawnfish (Jun 23, 2011)

Captain Ahab said:


> shawnfish said:
> 
> 
> > how can i tell if i have a cable steer or electric steer? ive tried contacting minn kota and i might as well be pissing in the wind....also i seen a graph for telling what year mine is by going off the serial# but it made no sense to me? can anyone help? MKJ10994220 is the #. thanks....
> ...




thanks for the explanation, i have electric steer....or soon to be had.


----------

