N300-24V 160LB Brushless Electric Boat Trolling Motor Large Thrust Saltwater (160 Pound, 36" Shaft)

Simply AWESOME!!! First off, I NEVER write reviews, but rely on them. So when I was looking for a more powerful trolling motor, I was bummed when I came across this with no reviews. I scoured the Interweb and found NOTHING on this model. So, sight unseen, I ordered it. It shipped from China, and arrived 2 weeks ahead of schedule, which just happened to be the first GORGEOUS weekend here in Indiana. Yesterday, 4/16/2016, we took this out for it's maiden voyage. I have a 12ft Alumacraft Jon boat, and live on the White River. The river is high and current is strong right now from all the recent rains. A friend stopped by so it was 3 adults on the boat.The instructions are simple enough, and came with a spare 3 blade prop and sheer pin and crossover cable! I have it running on 2 new 12 volt Marine batteries in series. The first thing you will notice about the motor is the weight. My LORD is it heavy! It states in the manual that (my model, the 3.0 160 pound thrust) will push a 3 ton sailboat at 11kmp for 2 hours. So off we went, cooler stocked full of booze and jams a blasting!We went up river for 3 straight hours. We have NEVER gone NEAR that far before, because we used to use two 55 pound Minn Kota Endura trolling motors with each connected to their own battery and it just didn't have the power to get through the narrow, strong currents that dot the river. This thing PLOWED through it like we were on wheels! It was truly jaw dropping with each of us displaying ear to ear grins.I'm sure we were going a steady 5 to 7 mph going UPSTREAM in a strong current with 3 of us, and an easy 12 to 15 mph down stream. But honestly what you will notice is the POWER. It's just amazing! I ran it honestly about 1/2 throttle most of the way and it was perfect. It displays the voltage currently using on the motor. It also has built in protective designs. If the batteries run to low it will not allow you to run full speed to prevent from draining the batteries (so you can get your butt home!). It also has protection from over heating and if you hook up the cables wrong. It simply won't run. The controls are easy and comfortable. After we returned to our backyard after 4 hours and SEVERAL cocktails, I hooked up my battery chargers and the were each still above 60 percent!! So you will have NO problem being out all day in a setup like mine.At some point I will try to take pictures and a video and try posting it here. I know what most people are thinking, and I was one of them as well, MAN! That's a LOT of money for a darn trolling motor! But here's the thing. This is basically all we do in the summer, and have gone through 5 trolling motors in six years (most warrantied exchanges). We were also tired of never getting places others can with a gas motor. So now we are a SET! Without the loud noise, maintenance and stink of a gas motor. I'm not knocking those that have gas motors, it's just not our thing. We like to just cruise, bake in the sun and party and listen to music. Which by the way, check out the Nyne bass blue tooth speaker. It's LOUD and the bass is crazy! We ROCK this river and you can hear the tunes from 5 houses away easy!It's going to be a GREAT SUMMER with our setup. I HIGHLY recommend this product. It truly is worth every CENT!!*******UPDATE*********** We ran into issues with this. They sent replacement parts (multiple times) with instructions. Nobody in the US is trained on this. So good luck working on it!! Took us 3 hours to replace the shaft, and both times they sent a "new" one they were bent. Then the offered us a complete "new " motor for $400. We took the offer, and of COURSE, it showed up LITERALLY hanging out of the bottom of the box. Naturally, the damn thing didn't work. Sent them pictures of how it arrived, and now all of a sudden, they can't "view" our pictures. Really?!? You saw all our other pictures we sent you just fine! I'm in contact with the BBB, and Amazon has been ZERO help whatsoever. All they do is redirect you to them, which is China. SO FRUSTRATED you can't believe. DO NOT BUY THIS!!! GO ELSEWHERE!!