Minn Kota Vantage manual

[Hot Runr Guy]

Would somebody be willing to scan and email me, or copy and snailmail, the pages from a Vantage owners manual that explain the controls and operation? While Smoke and I were at Cabelas/Rogers yesterday, I was looking at the display unit, and I'll be danged if I can understand the on/off & forward/reverse controls. Sure, the up/down buttons are obvious, and I see a rotary switch (on/off variable speed?), but I noticed a button at the very end of the tiller handle (not sure what that does), and can't seem to locate a "reverse" switch, other than spinning the lower unit around.
Thanks, HRG

[stcriox]

HRG,

I don't have my manual, but I can give you a rundown on the Vantage. The little button on the front of the tiller handle is the power. The dial with the numbers (sorry if this sounds obvious) is your thrust control. You are right, the way to change from forward to reverse is to lift up on the head and turn the control dial forward or backward depending on which direction you would like to go.

FYI: They are slick motors, but if you get one, remember to trim it up before "hammering" your outboard. Sounds stupid, but I know of many Vantages on the bottom of Pelican, Gull, and other lakes in the Brainerd area. The breakaway bracket does work!!

There is a guy up here in Brainerd (Jim Wentworth of Fish Lectronics) who installs a kill switch from the Vantage to the outboard which does not allow the outboard to start if the Vantage is deployed.

Hope this helps. You do your share of helping others on this site. I will continue to look for my manual, but I can't make any promises.

[Hot Runr Guy]

StCroix,
Thanks, you took the mystery out of it. I'm used to various Minn Kota TM's, that have the ability to reverse, or back-up, electrically. Here's my dilemma. My brothers and I do a lot of shoreline casting, so we are constantly "nosing" the boat on shore, to retrieve them $7 Rapalas from the trees. Tends to get shallow and rocky, so once we get the lure back, it's time to back 'er out of there! Obviously, I don't want to rotate the lower end of the Vantage, and put the prop deeper in to the shrapnel down there.
Jeez, a 1 buck "reverse" switch on a $1200 motor would be kinda useful, don't 'ya think?
Appreciate the explanation.
HRG

[38bill]

The Vantage has multiplied steering so all you have to do is move the tiller a small amount and the motor turns 180 deg to reverse travel direction. The steering will actually will go past 180 deg to the left or right. The only time you would reverse the motor head is if you want to run full time forward or full time backwards.

[stcriox]

HRG,

I forgot to tell you, but you can adjust the height of the motor by pushing up and then taking your finger off of the button. The motor will not go all the way up unless you keep your finger on the up button, then it reaches the stow height and automatically stops. That may help with your dilemma in that you can bring the motor up as you get shallower. And, like the other post, the motor has 180 degree steering which allows you to manuever quickly.

[SlimTastic]

Vector is the same way...no reverse...just turn the handle to reverse the motor...

[Hot Runr Guy]

Originally Posted by SlimTastic

Vector is the same way...no reverse...just turn the handle to reverse the motor...

My 65# Vector non-3X model has 5-forward, 3-reverse speeds. Which model do you have?
HRG

[Burr]

HRG, the Vantage is 4:1 steering, where the Vector is 3:1. It's not inconvenient at all to move the handle so the head is facing the other way. For extended periods of operation, the motor can be rotated so the handle is straight when going forward, or straight when going backward.

I can dig up my manual if you still want it, but it will take a day or two. Gotta run to mpls tonight, which make tomorrow night an early to bed evening.

[Hot Runr Guy]

Thanks to all that responded. I've got a copy of the manual in my grubby mitts.
HRG

[SlimTastic]

HRG-

I've got the new 80lb model...3x steering...but only forward speeds