Urban made a post a while back about the Minn Kota Power Drive foot pedal, and how much they suck when it comes to not lasting very long and constantly breaking. I was a victim of the pedal once again this weekend, my third pedal break down.

I attached some pics of what happened this time... There is a button underneath the 'on/off' part of the pedal that simply turns the power on and off. The board is sealed around that button with some kind of epoxy or whatever. The area around the button cracked and water got inside the board, which is basically shorting out that button causing it not to work. The mom/con switch, speed, and turning all still work but no more on/off. What a poorly designed product :( and such a shame because the pedals are so easy to use

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/4801-foot_pedal.jpg

zoomed in view
http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/4802-foot_pedal_zoom.jpg

Attachment #1, (.jpg file)
Attachment #2, (.jpg file)

Definitely don't want this to be a MinnKota vs. Motorguide post...

The thing with the MotorGuide I have is, I carry replacement switches...they are modular and can removed and replaced on the water. Spares are about $10-15...

I have changed out the switches while on the water now, twice...once in a tournament.

Interesting that the MinnKota switches aren't modular and can't easily be replaced if it goes out...looks like a whole mother/circuit board with have to be replaced...

Yeah, you either have to get a new board or an entire new pedal. If I remember right, new boards are $40, new pedals are $60. This time around I'm going to see about getting it replaced under warranty. The pedal is 10.5 months old and its a 1 year warranty. We'll see what happens.

Keep us posted. I have a powerdrive aswell and I am very intrested if they cover the pedal under warranty

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have-yous

I called Minn Kota. They said to send it in with a copy of the reciept, a problem description and a return address. We'll see what happens.

Being the crafty person I am, I came up with the grand idea of taking my PowerDrive pedal apart and fixing it while on the water. With my partners brand new shiny multi-tool in hand (with him busting my b****) I went to work. Well, I dont know what on earth I was thinking, but the pedal completely blew up in my face. When the smoke cleared, the pedal was trashed and I had black smoke all over my face and arms. This sent my partner into a laughing fit; once I was no longer in shock the first thing I told my partner was that his nifty multi-tool was now sitting in 50 feet of water. He stopped laughing.

Point is dont mess with the pedal unless you disconnect the power source first! Doh!

First time my pedal went out about 5 years ago, I touched it inadvertantely with a pair of pliers and fried the entire board. No black smoke at least, just a loud popping noise. Lesson learned!