Kipawa Trolling Motor Propeller Review

TinBoats member RiverBottomOutdoors did a review of the Kipawa trolling motor propeller he purchased. This is a real review and not a paid endorsement. So remember, this is his opinion and findings. I literally cut and paste what he wrote on the forum which can be found here.

I recently replaced my POS Motorguide 24V 75# Varimax with a Minn Kota 24V 80# Maxxum. The build quality of the Minn Kota vs Motorguide is night and day. NIGHT AND DAY. I will never again in my lifetime purchase a Motorguide. The Minn Kota makes the Motorguide look like a cheap plastic toy. But…..the Minn Kota prop selection is pitiful.

The Minn Kota came with a stock 2-blade weedless propeller that severely lacked the torque and speed that you would expect from a $1000 80# trolling motor. I was highly disappointed with the performance. While bowfishing I was running the motor at nearly 100% all day and still did not get the speed I expected from this motor. Running the motor at such high speeds caused my batteries to drain quickly, caused excessive TM vibration, and excessive prop noise. Quick turns were impossible with the lack of torque produced by the 2-blade. I knew from the beginning that I would lose torque with a 2-blade but did not expect it to be an absolute dog. I also knew I needed a 3-blade prop, unfortunately, Minn Kota does not offer a 3-blade prop. I began searching the net looking for solutions. I thought about trying to fit my 3-blade Machete prop from my Motorguide onto the Minn Kota, but then I stumbled across Kipawa Propellers. I researched and then called to confirm the model prop for my new TM then placed an order on Amazon.

Here is what I’ve found after a couple of uses:
-Was running 2-blade at 100% throttle nearly all day. Now running Kipawa at 25% to %50 for the same performance. Yes…it was that drastic. I couldn’t believe it.
-More than doubled battery life
-Lots of torque. Turn the throttle and she moves. Quickly gets up to speed.
-Extremely quiet. Because the prop can turn slower at the same boat speed it is super quiet.
-Tough. The prop feels bulletproof.

Cons:
Unfortunately, Minn Kota has stated that using this aftermarket prop will void your warranty. The increased pitch of the prop causes a very slight increase in the amperage. If my motor needs servicing I will just put the stock prop back on. In my opinion, I was forced to buy this prop to get the performance I expect out of this $1000 trolling motor and Minn Kota is doing a disservice to their customers by not addressing the severe lack of performance. In all honesty, I felt somewhat cheated out of my money when I took the motor out for its first run.

I am extremely satisfied with the Kipawa prop and extremely disappointed that Minn Kota has not figured out that they need to offer something better

LINK: Kipawa Propellers

I want to thank Jonah for letting me put this on the homepage for the visitors.