Minn Kota Ultrex vs Lowrance Ghost: Which Trolling Should You Buy?

In this post I’m going to compare the Minn Kota Ultrex and the Lowrance Ghost.

So if you’re looking for a deep comparison of these two popular trolling motors you’ve come to the right place.  

Because in today’s post I’m going to compare the Minn Kota Ultrex  vs. Lawrance Ghost in terms of:

• Features
• Functionality
• Power & Speed
• Customer Support/Warranty
• And lots more

Let’s do this!

Also make sure to check our review of the: Best Bass Boat Trolling Motors for more great information.

Introducing: The Two Competitors

In the blue corner, we have the Minn Kota Ultrex

The Minn Kota Ultrex is the gold standard of trolling motors and has proven itself year after year.

It’s not the only trolling motor that has Power Steering and Spot-Lock but it’s one of the most proven trolling motors that has held up in tough conditions for years.

Boaters get premium features, durability and a trolling motor that has a great track record and has been battle tested.

The Ultrex also has a ton of great features that make it one of the best trolling motors out there, including:

• Steering lock
• Lift assist
• Spot Lock
• Responsive foot pedal
• Digital maximizer
• Autopilot
• Mobile app capability
• Power steering
• I-Pilot linking
• Sonar integration

And in the red corner, we have the Lowrance Ghost

The Ghost is Lowrance’s first product in the trolling motor space. It’s been engineered and built in house and has strived to push boundaries of performance while easily integrated with its sonar products.

The Ghost also has a ton of features that make it direct competitor to Minn Kota and other trolling motor companies, including:

• Silent Operation
• Fastest Top-End Speed
• Total Integration with HDS LIVE, HDS Carbon and Elite Ti²
• Fly-By-Wire Steering
• Plug-and-Play Lowrance sonar
• Configurable Foot-pedal
• Interference Free
• Flexible Installation
• 360° Breakaway Mount
• Easy to Stow and Go

The bottom line is that the Ultrex and Ghost have similar features, but there are some key differences you should be aware of before making a decision on which one to buy.

So it’s time to answer the key question. Which trolling motor is the best overall?

Let’s get started.

Which Trolling Motor Has Better Features and Overall Design

First, let’s talk about which trolling motor has the best features.

Let’s see who came out on top.

I’ve split this section into the following categories:

• Motor
• Foot Pedal
• Sonar
• Other Features

Motor

Both the Ultrex and the Ghost have great motors. In my experience and hearing from other anglers is that the Ultrex is more reliable but the Ghost is more powerful and extremely quiet.

Here are some of the key specs for each trolling motor:

SPECS	Minn Kota Ultrex	Lowrance Ghost
Shaft Length	45″, 52″, 60″	47″
Usage	Freshwater Use Only	Freshwater Use Only
Mounting Location	Bow	Bow
Max Thrust	80 Lbs At 24v, 112 Lbs At 36v	120 Lbs At 36v; 97 Lbs At 24v
Voltage	24v Or 36v	24v Or 36v
Steering	Cable-steer, Electric-steer	Fly-By-Wire Steering
Gps	Internal	Internal

The Lowrance Ghost wins this category. The innovative brushless motor design makes it extremely quiet and a more powerful motor than the Ultrex.

Winner: Ghost

Foot Pedal

The foot pedal on these two trolling motors is very different and to be honest the better foot pedal most likely will depend on personal preference and familiarity.

The Ultrex has cable steering system that is assisted by and electric motor. In other words its like having power steering in your car and allows for a responsive and intuitive food pedal.

The Ghost on the other hand has Fly-By-Wire Steering which gives it the feel of a traditional cable-steer motor, but without the physical cables that ware out over time.

The Ghost foot pedal is buttons are also programmable allowing you to easily drop waypoints or lower/raise your PowerPole.

Winner: Draw

Sonar

The Ghost is comes with an HDI nosecone transducer, this gives you CHIRP sonar and DownScan Imaging already built into the unit.

Those anglers that want to step it up to higher-resolutions can add an optional Active Imaging 3-in-1 nosecone with Lowrance CHIRP, SideScan and DownScan Imaging.

The Ultrex also comes with a transducer built right into the motor, you can get crystal clear Humminbird MEGA Down Imaging and

Built-In MEGA Down Imaging™: With a transducer built right into the motor, you get crystal clear images from your Humminbird electronics.

Anglers can choose from three different sonar options: MEGA Down Imaging, MEGA Down/Side Imaging & Universal Sonar.

Because both trolling motors have built in transducers that give you high-quality images I am going to have to call this one a draw.

Winner: Draw

Other Features

Both of these products are great trolling motors but there are some key difference that you should be aware of before making a decision on which one is better.

Here is a side by side comparison of the different features of each trolling motor:

There are some awesome features in both of these trolling motors and comparing them to find out which one is better was a very tough call.

However, if I had to chose one over the other I would say that the Ghost has the slight edge of the Ultrex. The ability to customize buttons and switch out transducers is pretty awesome.

Winner: Ghost

Which Trolling Motor Has Better Fish Finder Integration?

Next, let’s dive into fish finder compatibly and integration.

It’s important to keep in mind that Hummingbird and Minn Kota are owned by the same company. So as you can imagine, the Ultrex is built to integrate seamlessly with Hummingbird fish finders.

With that being said you can still use your Lowrance Sonar or other fishing finder units with the Ultrex but you’ll miss out on some advanced features such as Spot-Lock, AutoPilot, Cruise Control and Record-A-Track

The same thing can be said about the Ghost and the Lowrance sonar units. The Ghost trolling motor paired with a Lowrance fish finder allows you to plug and play and gives users the ability to steer, adjust speed, set up route navigation and anchor with a touchscreen control

The bottom line is If you don’t have the same brand of fish finder and trolling motor, you’ll miss out on some of the more advantage features.

Winner: It’s a draw

Which Trolling Motor Has Better Customer Service & Warranty?

A huge thing to consider when making any purchase, especially with trolling motors, is what kind of warranty the product has and what kind of customer service you get or should expect.

Let’s first take a look at the different warranties each ones offers:

Minn Kota offers a limited three-year warranty on the entire product and a limited life time warranty on the composite shaft.

Here is more detailed information on the warranty and limitations.

Much like the Ultrex, the Ghost is also backed by a three-year warranty as well as a lifetime warranty on the shaft.

Here is more information about the Lowrance warranty policy:

When it comes to the best warranty both Lowrance and Minn Kota offer the same thing. Making the results of this comparison a push.

As far as customer service, each company is well respected and for the most part provide their customers with excellent customer service.

However, there have been a few instances where this has not been the case for both of these companies.

With all of this being said, you should expect a similar customer experience with both of these products.

Winner: It’s a draw

Which Trolling Motor Is More Durable?

Comparing the Ghost vs. the Ultrex in terms of overall durability and reliability is difficult to quantify.

The Ultrex has been around for years and has been battled tested on boats all over the world. It’s well known for being one of the toughest and reliable trolling motors ever made.

On the other hand, the Ghost is fairly new to the market and hasn’t had a chance to prove itself over an extended period of time. I will say that it has received a lot of positive feedback so far.

Because the Ghost is newer to the market and hasn’t had a chance to prove is durability, I’ve got to give the nod to the Ultrex for being the more durable trolling motor.

Winner: Minn Kota Ultrex

Which Trolling Motor Is More Powerful and Faster?

Speed and power is another thing to consider when deciding on which trolling motor would best fit your boat.

The Ghost is designed to work in either a 24 or 36-volt system with up to 97 and 120 pounds of thrust respectively.

The Ultrex has two different models a 24 volt which give up to 80lbs of thrust and a 36 volt which gives you 112lbs of thrust.

The Ghost wins this speed and power category hands down and is evident in this video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHVontz9LKU

Winner: The Lowrance Ghost

Which Trolling Motor Is The Best Overall Value?

Now it’s time for the question that’s probably on your mind:

“Which trolling motor is going to give me the most bang for my buck?”.

Obviously, this depends A LOT on your style of fishing, what sonar brand you run and what features are most important to you.

For example, if you have Lowrance sonar units on your boat and you want to take advantage of some of the features and integration capability that the Ghost offers it makes sense to go that route.

On the other hand if you prefer Hummingbird fish finder or use another brand than the Minn Kota Ultrex makes a lot more sense.

When it comes to pure value, Minn Kota Ultrex wins. That’s mostly because you get a battle tested, proven trolling motor for a little bit less than the Ghost.

However, I think you would be very happy having either trolling motor on the front of your boat. They are both well worth the investment.

The Ghost gives you more power and some different features but the Ultrex gives you advanced features and a track record of proven reliability.

Minn Kota Ultrex vs. Lowrance Ghost: And The Winner Is

Both the Ultrex and Ghost are fantastic trolling motors and any angler would be happy purchasing either one. But someone had to win in this trolling motor comparison.

So to come up with an overall winner, I took lots of factors into account:

• Features
• Functionality
• Power & Speed
• Support/Warranty
• Value
• Issues
• Sonar integration

But if you had to make me pick ONE trolling motor over the other, I’d have to go with Minn Kota Ultrex

This was a REALLY tough decision to make. I honestly think that you would be happier with either trolling motor.  

And if Lowrance is your sonar brand of choice, I highly recommend the Lowrance Ghost.

But taking a big picture look at features, value, power, speed, track record and customer support, I have crowned the Minn Kota Ultrex as the overall winner here.

However, this was a super tough call and I gave the Ultrex the upper hand mainly due to its track record and history of being a great trolling motor, but the Ghost is a fantastic motor that will only continue to get better.

Now It’s Your Turn

And now it’s time to her your input and experience.

When it comes to the Lowrance Ghost vs. Minn Kota battle, which trolling motor do you prefer?

Are you Minn Kota Ultrex Fan?

Or do you prefer the up and coming Lowrance Ghost?

Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below right now.