The short answer
Which trolling motor to buy
Budget pickMinn Kota Endura C2 30$150Jon boats, canoes and the no-gas-motor TWRA and state park lakes.
Best for most Tennessee anglersMotorGuide Xi3 55 lb Freshwater GPS$1,150The same aluminum boats as the PowerDrive; pick by which remote and pedal you prefer.
Top of the rangeMinn Kota Ultrex QUEST 90/115$3,500Fiberglass bass boats and anyone who fishes tournaments or ledges in wind all day.Typical street price, rounded, October 2026. The live price is on Amazon. Affiliate links: buying through them pays this site a small commission at no extra cost to you. The picks are what works on Tennessee water, not what pays most.
Side by side
Trolling Motors compared
Every trolling motor on this page, cheapest first. Tap a model for its own page with the head to head cards and the Tennessee water it suits.
| Model | Typical price | Thrust | Voltage | Shaft | Mount | GPS anchor | Control | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minn Kota Endura C2 30Minn Kota | $150 | 30 lb | 12 V | 30 in | Transom | No | Tiller, 5 fwd / 3 rev | Amazon → |
| Newport NV-Series 55 lbNewport | $250 | 55 lb | 12 V | 36 in | Transom | No | Tiller, 8 speeds, LED battery meter | Amazon → |
| Minn Kota PowerDrive 55 with i-PilotMinn Kota | $1,100 | 55 lb | 12 V | 54 in | Bow, electric steer | i-Pilot Spot-Lock | Wireless remote, Bluetooth | Amazon → |
| MotorGuide Xi3 55 lb Freshwater GPSMotorGuide | $1,150 | 55 lb | 12 V | 54 in | Bow, electric steer | Pinpoint GPS anchor | Wireless remote, foot pedal | Amazon → |
| Garmin Force Kraken 63 inGarmin | $2,500 | 100 lb equivalent, brushless | 24 / 36 V | 63 in | Bow, cable or electric steer | Anchor lock, heading hold | Wireless remote, pedal, ECHOMAP control | Amazon → |
| Minn Kota Ultrex QUEST 90/115Minn Kota | $3,500 | 90 lb at 24 V, 115 lb at 36 V | 24 / 36 V | 45 or 52 in | Bow, electric steer with cable feel | i-Pilot Link Spot-Lock | Pedal, wireless remote, Humminbird link | Amazon → |
Typical street price, rounded, October 2026. The live price is on Amazon.
Affiliate links: buying through them pays this site a small commission at no extra cost to you. The picks are what works on Tennessee water, not what pays most.
Each one
The 6 trolling motors, in detail
Minn Kota Endura C2 30
The transom motor on half the jon boats in Tennessee. Thirty pounds of thrust moves a 12-foot boat or a canoe at fishing speed all day on one battery, and there is nothing on it to break.
- Cheap and simple
- Runs for hours on one battery
Watch for: Not enough thrust for a 16-foot boat in wind.
Newport NV-Series 55 lb
Fifty-five pounds of transom thrust for the price of a tank of gas. The battery meter and the 36-inch shaft suit a 14 to 16 foot aluminum boat, and it is the most popular upgrade from a 30.
- 55 lb for the money
- Battery meter built in
Watch for: Transom mount; no GPS or remote.
Minn Kota PowerDrive 55 with i-Pilot
The cheapest way into spot lock. Press a button on the remote and the boat holds on the ledge, the dock or the brush pile while you fish. Twelve volts means one battery, which keeps the whole upgrade affordable.
- Spot lock on one battery
- Wireless remote included
Watch for: Cable steer feel; 55 lb is the limit for a glass boat.
MotorGuide Xi3 55 lb Freshwater GPS
MotorGuide’s answer to the PowerDrive: Pinpoint GPS anchoring, heading lock and route recording on a quiet bow mount. The foot pedal is included, which Minn Kota charges for.
- Pedal and remote included
- Quiet lower unit
Watch for: Fewer sonar integrations than Minn Kota.
Garmin Force Kraken 63 in
A brushless bow mount that runs on 24 or 36 volts, pulls like a 100-pound motor, and talks to a Garmin fish finder so the sonar is on the trolling motor and the anchor lock is on the screen. Garmin’s answer to the Ultrex.
- Brushless, runs cool and quiet
- Integrates with ECHOMAP and LiveScope
Watch for: The price, and a tall shaft on a small boat.
Minn Kota Ultrex QUEST 90/115
The trolling motor on the tournament boats at Chickamauga and Kentucky Lake. Brushless, dual voltage, power trim, and i-Pilot Link that drops waypoints from a Humminbird HELIX and follows contours on its own.
- Cable steer feel with electric power
- Follows contours from a HELIX
Watch for: Needs a 24 or 36 volt lithium bank to make sense.
How to choose
Choosing a trolling motor for Tennessee water
A trolling motor is what holds you on a ledge at Kentucky Lake in a south wind, or creeps you along a bank at Dale Hollow without the big motor spooking fish. The spread runs from a $150 transom motor for a jon boat to a brushless bow mount with GPS anchoring that costs as much as a used boat.
Thrust first. The rule is 2 pounds of thrust per 100 pounds of loaded boat, so a 16-foot aluminum boat with two people wants 55 pounds and a fiberglass bass boat wants 80 to 112. Tennessee’s big lakes get rough in the afternoon, so round up.
Voltage follows thrust. Up to 55 pounds runs on one 12-volt battery; 80 pounds needs 24 volts and 112 needs 36. That decides how many batteries you carry, which is why the lithium battery comparison on this site exists.
GPS anchoring (Minn Kota i-Pilot, MotorGuide Pinpoint, Garmin’s Force) is the feature that changes a day on Chickamauga or Old Hickory. Press one button and the motor holds the boat on a spot in wind and current while you fish. Once you have used it, you will not go back.
Shaft length depends on bow height. Jon boats and small aluminum boats take 36 to 45 inches; bass boats take 45 to 54; deep V boats and pontoons want 60. Too short and the prop comes out of the water in a chop.
Every trolling motor here was picked for Tennessee water first and price second.
Where you’d use it
Tennessee water where a trolling motor earns its keep
Each page lists every public access point, the fish that swim there and the live conditions.
More gear compared
Other gear compared for Tennessee
Common questions
Trolling Motors questions from Tennessee anglers
How much thrust do I need?
About 2 pounds of thrust per 100 pounds of boat, motor, fuel and people. A loaded 16-foot aluminum boat wants 55 pounds; a bass boat wants 80 or more. Add a step if you fish Kentucky Lake or Chickamauga, which get rough.
Is spot lock worth the money?
On a reservoir, yes. Holding on a ledge, a bridge piling or a brush pile in wind is most of what a trolling motor does on Tennessee lakes, and GPS anchoring does it without touching the pedal.
Can I run a 24 volt motor on one battery?
No. A 24 volt motor needs two 12 volt batteries in series, or one 24 volt lithium. Match the batteries to the motor before buying either.
Transom or bow mount?
Bow mount for control, because pulling the boat is steadier than pushing it. Transom mounts are cheaper, simpler and the right answer for a jon boat, canoe or kayak.
Are trolling motors allowed on Tennessee lakes with motor restrictions?
Yes. Electric motors are allowed on the no-gas-motor lakes, including the TWRA family fishing lakes and most state park lakes, which is a reason to own one.
What is the difference between the cheapest and the most expensive trolling motor here?
$3,350. The Minn Kota Endura C2 30 (thrust: 30 lb) the transom motor on half the jon boats in tennessee. The Minn Kota Ultrex QUEST 90/115 (thrust: 90 lb at 24 V, 115 lb at 36 V) the trolling motor on the tournament boats at chickamauga and kentucky lake. Thrust first.
Which trolling motor brand is best?
This page has Garmin, Minn Kota, MotorGuide, Newport. Minn Kota makes the top of the range here and Minn Kota the budget pick; the brand matters less than the spec table above, where the rows that differ are the ones to decide on.
What does a good trolling motor cost?
The 6 here run from $150 (Minn Kota Endura C2 30) to $3,500 (Minn Kota Ultrex QUEST 90/115). MotorGuide Xi3 55 lb Freshwater GPS at $1,150 is the one that suits most Tennessee anglers. Prices are typical street prices; the live price is on Amazon.
Are these affiliate links?
Yes. Each link goes to Amazon with this site’s tag and pays a small commission at no cost to you. The picks are what works on Tennessee water.
Can I buy locally instead?
Yes. Bass Pro in Memphis, Nashville, Kodak and Chattanooga and the marinas on the big lakes stock most of this; every county page on this site lists the shops with directions.
How were these trolling motors chosen?
6 models that cover the range from the budget option to what the guides and tournament boats run, each one a product that has been on the market long enough to have a track record on Tennessee water. Shaft length depends on bow height.
How often are prices updated?
The figures on this page are typical street prices, rounded. When the live price feed is on, every price on the page is refreshed from Amazon every two weeks and the date shows next to it; either way the buy button opens the current listing.
Keep going
More Tennessee water, and who fishes it
Every guide and charter on this site is listed by the water they run, so you can call the captain direct. Licences, limits and the state record list are one click away too.