Garmin has announced the new Force Kraken bow-mount electric trolling motors. These are engineered for the rigors of saltwater fishing with pivot-style mounts, durable marine-grade components, brushless motors and longer shaft lengths for today’s big bay boats and offshore center consoles fishing machines. They also feature a variety of remote control choices, GPS guidance, advanced anchor lock, and voltage options that make the new motors user-friendly.
“We are excited to build on the success of our Force trolling motor and bring new mounting options and features to even more anglers in both the saltwater and inland markets,” says Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. “From power and durability to integration and innovation, Kraken has everything anglers want and need from their trolling motor and more.”
Benefits of Brushless Motors
Kraken’s brushless motor will run on either 24 or 36 volts. It uses a high-efficiency propeller to produce 100 pounds of thrust on a 36-volt system, or 80 pounds on a 24-volt system. At the same time, the Kraken’s brushless technology is extremely efficient and whisper quiet so anglers can fish longer and avoid spooking fish, according to Garmin.
Utilizing multi-band GPS signal reception and integrated AHRS (attitude and heading reference system) for heading hold, Kraken delivers precise boat positioning. In calm conditions, the Kraken can decelerate the motor when it’s within approximately one meter of the user-selected location. And in rough conditions, Kraken will apply more aggressive motor speed for improved performance on larger boats.
Multiple Control Choices
Wireless integration with Garmin chartplotters allows anglers to create routes, patterns and tracks for the trolling motor to follow, and a new illuminated arrow on the trolling motor head allows anglers to confirm the boat’s heading at a glance.
A wireless handheld remote permits navigation from anywhere in the boat. The floating, waterproof remote can control the Kraken’s virtual anchor lock, autopilot functionality, heading hold and point-and-go gesture steering. With a compatible Garmin smartwatch such as the Garmin quatix 7 series, anglers can control Kraken’s steering, anchor lock and more, right from their wrists.
Sonar Integration
Select Kraken models include a built-in GT56UHD all-in-one transducer with Ultra High-Definition ClearVu and SideVu scanning sonar along with chirp traditional sonar. Additional Garmin transducers can be added, and Kraken’s brushless motor technology allows for clear returns with extremely low levels of unwanted noise from electrical and mechanical interference.
Anglers can for the first time install forward-facing sonar such as LiveScope on a pivot-style trolling motor by conveniently routing the transducer cable inside the trolling motor shaft thanks to Kraken’s new LiveScope cable management system to keep the LiveScope cable safe from damage during stow or deploy and deck space free of clutter.
Saltwater Worthy
Kraken is engineered and built to withstand the rigors of marine fishing conditions with a sturdy composite shaft and components featuring advanced corrosion protection. It’s backed by a three-year limited warranty and a lifetime limited warranty on the shaft. The propeller is designed with a thinner leading edge to reduce resistance and maximize thrust, while the trailing edge is engineered to decrease aeration of the water that can cause cavitation and interfere with thrust.
Expected to be available in October 2023, Kraken will be offered in white in 63-, 75- and 90-inch shaft lengths, or black in 63- and 75-inch lengths. Both black Kraken models are sold with a GT56UHD transducer. Suggested retail prices range from $3,699.99 to $4,299.99. For more information, visit garmin.com/force.
