Known worldwide for introducing products that change the landscape of fishing, Minn Kota announces its toughest, most durable bow-mount trolling motor to date – Fortrex.  Fortrex combines unparalleled ruggedness with precision engineering to give anglers a motor that will perform in the most extreme conditions, day after day, year after year.

Fortrex’s most visible trait is its new Mono Arm.  The arm’s design incorporates fewer moving parts, and has a single main hinge point that has a surface area 20 times larger than conventional designs.  In addition, all metal-on-metal interfaces are isolated with composite bushings.  This results in greatly reduced wear, extended motor life and virtually silent operation.

Extruded from marine-grade anodized aluminum, the Mono Arm’s structural beam is lighter yet stronger, providing tighter tolerances and reducing twisting and racking by 75 percent.

The Mono-Arm also employs Minn Kota’s exclusive Counter Tension Stabilizer (CTS) technology featuring an integrated spring arm that applies force in both the stowed and deployed positions - reducing steering torque, eliminating motor play and fish-spooking noise.

“With Fortrex we set out to make the toughest, quietest trolling motor ever and we have done just that,” said Joe Brown, senior brand manager for Minn Kota.  “The innovative mount design, elimination of metal-to-metal contact points, and use of exotic composite materials, all improve ruggedness and reduce motor wear and noise.  This all adds up to a motor that will deliver years of trouble-free use and ultra quiet operation.

"With the addition of Minn Kota’s exclusive Lift-Assist feature, stowing and deploying Fortrex is significantly easier than standard trolling motors.  Lift-Assist, a gas-charged spring integrated into the mount, reduces the effort required to lift the motor in and out of the water by 50 percent.

Fortrex also comes with a new twist on Minn Kota’s patented Bowguard 360º.  Not only does it “breakaway” on impact protecting the trolling motor and boat, it now features a new, updated design that allows for easy removal of the motor from the mount for security and storage.

Contributing to Fortrex’s durability is its new motor head.  The hybrid composite material construction provides a 500 percent improvement in impact resistance.

Another feature is the new directional indicator-arrow.  Raised from the motor head, the illuminated arrow is easy to see at any time of day.

Fortrex’s innovative foot pedal is ergonomically engineered to fight foot fatigue and keep anglers “wired to the water” with ultra-responsive cable-steering.  The pedal’s new non-slip speed dial delivers precision control.

The contemporary pull handle on Fortrex is ergonomically designed and constructed of non-marring soft rubber, featuring a new abrasion resistant rope designed for a lifetime of trouble-free use.

Optional on all models of Fortrex is Minn Kota’s popular Universal Sonar 2 system that integrates the fishfinder transducer into the lower unit while all wiring is housed entirely in the shaft.  US2 has dual beam capability and is compatible with Humminbird DualBeam PLUS and select Lowrance and Garmin models.

Fortrex models will be available to consumers in the Fall of 2008 with either 80 or 101 pounds of thrust, and shaft lengths of 45, 52 or 62 inches.  Suggested retail prices range from $1,119.99 to $1,369.99.  Fortrex models will be visible on our website in January 2009.

The Marine Electronics Group of Johnson Outdoors Inc. consists of the Minn Kota, Humminbird and Cannon brands.  Minn Kota is the world’s leading manufacturer of electric trolling motors, as well as offers a complete line of battery chargers, Trim Tabs and marine accessories.  Trolling motors include Terrova, PowerDrive V2, Fortrex, Maxxum, Edge, Vantage, Vector 3X, Traxxis, Endura, Riptide, Riptide SF, Riptide ST, Riptide SP, Engine Mount, E-Drive and Trim-N-Troll models.  Humminbird is a leading innovator and manufacturer of fishfinders, fishfinder/GPS combo units, chartplotters, marine radios and digital depth gauges.  Products in the Humminbird line include 1100 Series, 900 Series , 700 Series, Matrix Series, 500 Series , 300 Series, Fishin’ Buddy , PiranhaMax , SmartCast  and ICE Series.  Cannon is the leader in controlled-depth fishing and includes a full line of downrigger products and accessories.  Downriggers include Digi-Troll, Magnum, Uni-Troll, Easi-Troll, Lake-Troll and Mini-Troll. 

Key Features of the New Minn Kota Fortrex

• Mono Arm Design (eliminates motor play, reduces steering torque, twisting and racking, provides tighter tolerances, stays quiet for life-of-trolling motor)
• Single main hinge point
• Extruded Marine-grade aluminum structural beam design
• Composite bushings on all metal-to-metal interfaces
• Counter Tension Stabilizer Technology (CTS) featuring integrated spring arm
• Lift-Assist with gas-charged spring
• Reduces effort to stow and deploy motor by 50 percent
• New motor head made of a hybrid composite material
• 500 percent increased impact resistance
• Directional arrow is raised and illuminated for easy direction indication
• Bowguard 360
• Breaks away at impact and resets automatically
• Updated design allows for motor removal
• Redesigned foot pedal
• Ergonomically designed to fight foot fatigue
• Provides ultra-responsive steering
• Non-slip speed dial for precision control
• Redesigned pull handle
• Constructed of non-marring soft rubber
• New abrasion resistant rope
• Optional Universal Sonar 2
• Integrates fishfinder transducer into lower unit and wires into the shaft
• Dual beam capability
• Indestructible Composite Shaft – guaranteed for life
• Cable Steering for responsive boat control
• Digital Maximizer – delivers up five times longer run time on a single battery charge
• Weedless Wedge 2 Prop
• 3-Year Warranty
• Available with either 80 or 101 pounds of thrust and shaft lengths of 45, 52 or 62 inches
• Suggested Retail Prices range from $1,119.99 to $1,369.99