Newport Vessels NV-Series 36lb Thrust Saltwater Transom Mounted Trolling Electric Trolling Motor w/LED Battery Indicator & 30"" Shaft (23M1000205)

I purchased the 55# thrust trolling motor and use it in salt water. The motor casing started to rust so I called the Newport Vessels company and asked them about it. They had me email them pictures of it and a copy of the receipt showing when I purchased it. In a couple days they called me back and said that they were going to send me a New 55# thrust rolling motor. They figured something must had gone wrong when mine was manufactured. I received the new one a few days later via FedEx, no charge. It is nice to know that they stand behind their product when one fails to hold up. Excellent customer service. 5 STARS!

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  We are enjoying this motor so far and it will carry a small boat at around 5mph and has a good duration on battery power. I will give it 5 stars after we see how it holds up after being exposed to salt water for a few years but so far so good. I saw a few reviews describe this motor as 'loud' and that prompted me to write this review as our motor has been very quiet and even at full speed hardly makes a sound. I'm linking a video so you can get an idea of what the speed and sound feels like. So far this has been great but I will try to remember to update after we have had it for a year.

I think that these posts adequately describe the function of the motor. I wanted to add that I've got this on a 23 foot sailboat: it's great for getting out of and into the slip without fighting with a gas motor. I wouldn't recommend it as your only propulsion on a small yacht: it has trouble fighting a 7 knot headwind and of course your battery will only last so long.Also, in the newest version of this motor the manufacturer fixed the "clicks" issue: in the old version the throttle didn't "click" at the various power levels. The dial on your cooktop "clicks" into low, medium, high, etc., but this throttle didn't give any feedback like this. It was especially difficult to know when you had turned off the motor without looking down at the propeller because you couldn't tell by feeling the throttle when you had turned the it to zero. In the new version, each level of the throttle has a distinct "click".

Good motor, it's strong enough to push my 8ft rib with two people and some freight (appx 500lbs) easily, although obviously not enough to plane it out, it's fairly quick and lots of torque on all settings in the ocean. It's nice that it's silent, makes for a fun cruise with a good conversation. It's also capable of slowly pushing my 6000lb 25ft hard top cruiser on the highest setting in calm conditions around an anchorage (that was not my intended purpose).In my 8ft RIB tender (which weighs about 150lbs empty), Ive used two Optima BlueTop D31M batteries (75Ahx2=150Ah), and I've yet to run out of power even after a full long weekend of use to get from boat to beach, cruise a couple hundred feet here and there to pick up crab traps etc. However, with two low quality car sized over the counter les schwab deep-cycle batteries it killed them within a couple of hours (so don't do that crap).I now switched to using a single Sealed AGM 100Ah battery, UPG UB121000 (Universal Power Group/Universal Battery) and that's a very cost effective and decent battery to use. Fits in a battery box, lasts a while, cost per Amp-Hour is good, has a handle, weighs about 60lbs but not that bad).I'm planning to get two flexible 50w solar panels and a pwm controller inside the battery box, hooked up to it all the time when I'm at an anchorage so I never have to use my boats solar plant to charge it, it'll be charging all the time. I also tried using my spare UB4D 200Ah battery with this motor, and it ran literally forever, I never got that big battery to drain but I won't do that again since that battery is 150lbs and lifting it into the tender was a mission but still no harder then installing a mercury 15hp kicker by hand.Four stars because I've only used it a few times this year, but will make it 5 stars if it lasts two seasons without failing. Hope this helps.

I am very impressed with the quality of the motor and it's ease of use & set up. I purchased an Intex Excursion 5 and bought a motor mount & this motor to put on that boat since it only has a 1.5HP rating. From what I understand this motor equals to about 1HP. I took it our recently on my first boats Maiden Voyage and paired the motor with a Wal-Mart 29DC Marine Battery. At full speed It pushed my boat a smooth 7 to 8 MPH on a slightly windy day. For almost 3 hours. The Battery Charge Indicator works well & adjusting the motor height & position was also simple.Very satisfied with this and I highly recommend it. It's much cheaper than a 50 LBS Min Kotta and works just as well if not better...

Put this in the transom of 16 foot aluminum boat which already has an old 36lbs minnkota bow mount motor. Boat and people about 900lbs. The Newport barely moved the boat in a calm lake and it struggled at high speed. It was very noisy compared to old minnkota 36lbs. It seems it's overrated at 36lbs for salt water just to hook you to buy it. Stick with minnkota. I have a 30lb Ozark trail and 2 other 30lb minnkotas. I have put the Ozar trail 30lb on Ascend A10 kayak and it pulls kayak at same speed as this Newport vessel pulls boat (about 4mph). Kayak weights 60lbs. Very dissappointed at the thrust of this motor. Using a small battery but was expecting more thrust since it's a 36lbs rating. Chinese made?

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  -update- two years later this motor is going strong. Just uploaded a video of it after 2 years. We use it probably a dozen days each year on our small raft.-original review- We got this motor the other day and tested it out. I don't have anything to compare it to, but it seems good to me. It has all the features advertised - the motor housing is metal. We will see how it performs longer term and I will revise this review if needed. Some initial observations:- Good thrust, moves our boat around really well- It comes with a circuit breaker but no switch - so there's no way to kill the motor other than yanking the connection off the battery. I installed an inline switch.- The mount bracket is plastic and I worry it might break- There are a number of plastic parts that I worry about, but the most important ones are metal or some kind of composite

It is really too early for me to review this item with any certainty but I will say this. It was delivered on time if not early, the price was fair and having now used it a few hours since the purchase to propel a canoe and it ran flawlessly. That being said I must say that by no fault of the product it is a little bulky and powerful for my 17 foot Grumman canoe, I should have gone with my first instinct and bought the 24 inch shaft 36 LB thrust model. The lowest speed setting on the 55 lb model it a little fast for my set up and there was no need for the 30 inch shaft, I was just trying to get something that would work for both the canoe and a small aluminium boat. They are two different applications so you end up with a compromise. If you are fine with that great but in my case I am going to buy the short shaft 36 LB model as well. There were a few things I did believe were manufacturer shortfalls. The length of the power cord I thought it was very limiting as to battery placement, sure you can buy or make an extension but two or three extra stock feet would not hurt. The other thing that I found annoying if nothing else was the fact that I purchased a Newport Vessels battery box at the same time and the charge indicators on the motor and the battery box don’t agree with each other and give you that who do I trust feeling.....No big deal but none the less annoying.Chris

I used the motor on a 12 foot aluminum boat on a lake. First trip out and the motor pushed the boat fine, however the forward gears do not work as advertised. 1st and 2nd work, then 3rd goes slower than 2nd. Fourth gear is no change from 3rd and then shifting to 5th the boat rockets away. Not very good when your trying to maintain a steady speed trolling or have to make a move at a moments notice. On the plus side the reverse gears work well and the battery lasts for quite awhile.

Great motor. It moved two 200+ lb guys in a 10 ft zodiac (wooden floor and transom) really well through the water. Went for about 3 hrs trolling in moderate breeze. Had about 1/3 of the 115 amp hr deep cycle battery left.Very happy with it, especially like the 3-blade prop on this 46 lb thrust motor.I'd have given it 5 stars if it had a voltage meter instead of the 5-LED light indicator.I also really liked the shorter shaft instead of the longer ones, was able to comfortable steer sitting or standing.I used to have a 46 lb thrust Minn Kota and like this one better.Overall very pleased.

After owning many Honda, Yamaha Suzuki etc. small outboards, this is a refreshing change. It doesn't scare the wildlife as much either, or tick off the neighbours. I am looking forward to seeing how it holds up over the long term as I live aboard and probably use it more than most. Time will tell. I only wish it was more waterproof as it will need a plastic bag over it in a heavy rain or taking spray to keep water out of the innards via the handle. I don't think this would be particularly hard to rectify and if it put the price up a few dollars, well worth it. A slight design change and an O-ring should do it. These should be rain proof in my humble opinion. That said, I like the outboard and will make a cover for it.