This Power Pole Move ZR trolling motor review will cover my experience with the performance and function of this trolling motor over the past month.
I'll be sharing my experience and thoughts on installation, accessories, function, and performance.
First I'll start by going over my background and experience with trolling motors. I own and operate my own fishing guide service on Mille Lacs and Big Stone Lakes in Minnesota, Lagoona Guide Service. I spend about 200 days each season on open water, most of which are guide trips. My days on the water typically range between six and fourteen hours. Most of these hours are spent on my trolling motor.
I've owned most of the trolling motors that are on the market, I typically buy a new one each season. In the past I have owned a few Minn Kota Ultrex, Terrova, and Ulterra. I've also owned cable drives such as the Motorguide Tour and Minn Kota Fortrex. My last trolling motor, that I had installed this spring, was a Lowrance Ghost. The only trolling motors I haven't owned are Garmin Force and Kraken.
Installation is pretty similar to others, with a few exceptions. The mounting holes are different, in order to use the existing holes you will need an adapter plate. The charging cradle for the remote, the display screen, and foot pedal, all need to be wired to power. Conveniently they are only power cables, and can be wired to any available power source 12, 24, or 36 volts. The navigation and anchor buttons are separate, and are intended to be mounted to the floor. These extra accessories may add a little to the installation time. For me, the additional time it took was mostly on deciding where to mount the accessories.
The foot pedal and remote are intuitive, ergonomic, easy to use, and quick to get used to. The display screen and audibles indicate what functions are in use, and when they're being adjusted. The real feel pedal makes it easy to line up forward facing sonar. The reverse button on the remote allows instant stops, when fishing with Livescope or Active Target.
The remote also features controls for Power Poles, eliminating the need for extra remotes.
The "spot lock", or anchoring function, is by far the best I've ever used. It is dead accurate, regardless of conditions. It holds better in heavy winds, and it is by far the best in glass calm conditions. When the anchor button is pressed, the motor stops the boat, flawlessly. If you're looking for the best anchor feature, the Move ZR is in a league of its own.
The navigation feature can be set on standard or advanced. Both of which perform the way they should. Nearly all of the trolling motor functions and accessories, including navigation, can be customized with the Power Pole app.
The mounting bracket is low profile and rock solid, the shaft has nearly no flex. This combination seems to help maintain excellent bite in rough water. It's low profile, and rigidity of components, seem to give this motor a longer useable shaft length. These same characteristics also help with noise and vibration.
The Move is almost silent, above and below water. The motor is barely discernible, at the highest power. It turns nearly silently, and the mount is ultra quiet. Even under high power and hard turns, this motor makes very little noise. Vibration is also minimal. When anchored in big waves, other motors struggle to recover after cavitation. The Move doesn't miss a beat, and recovers quickly with minimal vibration.
In heavy weeds, vibration is also minimal. The Move has a way of shedding weeds like no other trolling motor. All while producing nearly no vibration. The crazy part of the Moves performance in weeds is not just in its power, it's also in the ability to shed weeds when on low power. This motor will creep through the thickest weeds, on low power, with nearly no vibration. It's extremely impressive.
The move is the most powerful motor I've used. Previous brushed trolling motors would pull my boat around 2.8 mph. Newer brushless motors would pull around 3.5 mph. The Power Pole Move pulls 3.9 mph.
Power consumption is difficult for me to quantify. Previous brushed trolling motors could drain my batteries in a day. The Move never has. Under similar winds, the anchor feature on a brushed motor could be on 80% power, the Move would be around 40%-50%. The Move is considerably more efficient than a brushed motor.
The Move ZR trolling motor is impressive in every category. I'd recommend it to anyone.
Ryan Kelly
Lagoona Guide Service
www.fishlagoona.com
@fishlagoona
651-769-3142
Excellent review of this trolling motor. Thanks so much for taking the time to provide an unbiased review and relating it to the other brands that I'm considering.
Solid review well done. Thanks
Best review i have seen out of all the moror reviews! Great work. Thanks!
Best review for these trolling motors.
What a great review and everything he speaks of is accurate. I was lucky enough to get a PP Move in May. If I sold my boat, I would take the Move off and keep it for my next boat.
Ryan, great review of your trolling motor. My son-in-law and I went out with you on the 24th or 25th of August, you may remember that it was a very wind day with an occasional wave coming over the bow of the boat while on Spot Lock. We were being tossed around in the boat a bit, but Spot Lock seemed to hold our position very well. We hope to get out with you again some day. Brian
Hey Brian, some of the rough water video clips were from that day. Thanks again!
Very nice review- thanks
Ryan fantastic review ! Then only thing I’d say I’m a little concerned with is having to reach out over my 620 in big waves to pull that head up a little to stow that thing !! If I understood you correctly in that segment. 👍 If working properly I still say you can’t beat a Ulterra in big waves and being an older person. 👍👍
Very nice review. I own one myself and have about the same experiences. My biggest complaint would be the foot pedal though, it has a little play when you push forward or backwards and the plastic on plastic swivel can get sticky and I would prefer it to be smooth. This is only really irritating when I'm focusing on targets with Active Target and it causes me to overshoot the target and not have the ability to zero in as easily. I keep some lithium spray lube on the boat and coat it from time to time to help. Other than this, it's a great motor and I'm really enjoying it.
I haven’t had any trouble yet with the pedal sticking. They play in the pedal is something that I prefer. The motor I had prior to this one was so touchy, that it seemed impossible to keep your foot on the pedal without it steering one way or another. The play allows a window for me to keep on the pedal, without the motor moving. I like it, but that’s just my preference.
Hey Ryan, I started a Power Pole Move Owners Group on Facebook and shared your video, hope you don’t mind.
You did a great job of describing the Move's performance. Even though it is a high priced unit I'm seriously looking at making the change. One thing I can't seem to pick up on video is where the connection point is for the transducer on the motor head. Is there a cable with a connector inside the mount section that bolts to the deck?
I bought it without a transducer.
Thanks and great review! Would you happen to have thoughts on the Minn Kota Riptide Terrova. 36v? TIA
I’ve had the regular Terrovas. They’ve done their job well. I believe the only difference with the Riptides are seals and corrosion resistance.
This is so helpful. I am on a Vexus VX21 equipped with a Ghost. I noticed your prior motor was a Ghost. Any regrets going over to this motor? Does it work well with your Lowrance Electronics? Can you still set waypoints and have it run them? TIA for your response.
No regrets, all positives. I’ve never used the move with my electronics, but I almost never did with the ghost either. Pronav is an app that is supposed to allow the Move to interface with Lowrance.
Hey Ryan, I’ve been looking around but can’t seem to find the answer, does the Move have a constant on feature like the Ghost? Also, are you running the model with the built in transducer in the nosecone?
Move does have a constant feature. It also has autopilot. The autopilot works excellent.
Fantastic .. i dont know if i heard correctly but is the foot pedal wireless? I have a 621 myself thinking of upgrading to this very trolling motor. Thanks
The foot pedal is a wireless communication with the trolling motor. It still needs to be connected to power though. So it does have a power cord. It uses very little electricity, so you could move it around the boat with its long cable, or just connect it to a different power source. I’ve considered wiring it with a cigarette lighter plug, so I could easily move it from the front deck to the rear deck.
Have you had experience with a 63" Garmin kraken? comparisons?
No experience with the garmins.