trolling motors for pontoon boats buying guide

Pontoons are heavier and mount differently than a bass boat -- here's what actually works

More weight to push, and nowhere to clamp a standard mount

A pontoon's flat deck rarely has the thin front lip a transom bracket needs, and its extra weight means most bass-boat thrust levels fall short. These three motors cover the range from mid-size pontoons to full tri-toons.

See the pontoon picks

Quick answer: Our top pick for trolling motors for pontoon boats is the MotorGuide Xi5 Wireless Trolling Motor (Best Overall for Pontoons). If you're looking for best for large pontoons, the Garmin Force Kraken 63" Trolling Motor is a strong alternative.

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Why a pontoon needs different thinking than a bass boat

Reviewed by the TrollCove team · last updated 2026-08-21

Two things make pontoons different from the bass boats most trolling motor guides are written for. First, weight: a loaded pontoon is often 3,000-5,000+ lbs, well above a typical bass boat, and the standard guideline of roughly 2 lbs of thrust per 100 lbs of fully loaded boat weight pushes most pontoons toward 60-100+ lbs of thrust rather than the 30-55 lbs that works on a lighter boat.

Second, mounting: a standard transom-mount bracket needs a mounting surface at least 6" wide and no more than about 1.5" thick, but pontoon decks are usually thicker than that and don't have the thin front lip a bracket clamps onto. Most pontoon owners either use a motor built for a pontoon-specific deck mount, or add a separate deck mount bracket to hold a standard bow-mount motor in a horizontal position without blocking the front gate.

The three motors below are all standard bow-mount motors (not transom-only), which makes them compatible with a pontoon deck mount bracket -- sized here by thrust tier rather than by price alone, since matching thrust to your actual loaded weight matters more on a pontoon than on most other boats.

Size thrust to loaded weight, not boat length alone

A 20 ft pontoon with a light party layout and a 24 ft tri-toon loaded with a full family, cooler, and gear can need very different thrust levels. Use the roughly 2 lbs of thrust per 100 lbs of fully loaded weight guideline, and round up rather than down if you regularly run in wind.

Plan for a deck mount, not a transom clamp

Pontoon decking is almost always too thick for a standard transom bracket, and there's usually no lip in front of the gate to clamp onto. A dedicated deck mount bracket holds the motor horizontally without blocking foot traffic, and works with any bow-mount motor in the shaft-diameter range it's rated for.

Higher thrust means a bigger battery bank

The 100 lb thrust Garmin Force Kraken runs on a 36V system, which means three batteries wired in series instead of the single 12V battery an 80 lb motor uses. Factor that extra weight and cost into the total price before assuming more thrust is automatically the better pick.

Product Best For Price Rating
MotorGuide Xi5 Wireless Trolling Motor Best Overall for Pontoons $1,250 - $1,600 4.6/5
Garmin Force Kraken 63" Trolling Motor Best for Large Pontoons $3,600 - $3,800 4.8/5
Haswing Cayman 24V 80lb Bow Mount Trolling Motor Best Value for Pontoons $650 - $750 4.4/5
Best Overall for Pontoons

MotorGuide Xi5 Wireless Trolling Motor

★★★★★ 4.6

An 80 lb thrust, 24V bow-mount motor with wireless Pinpoint GPS and a wireless foot pedal -- enough thrust for most mid-size pontoons (roughly 20-24 ft) without the size and cost of a full 100+ lb system.

  • 80 lbs of thrust covers most mid-size pontoons without oversizing
  • Wireless foot pedal, no cable running across the pontoon deck
  • Pinpoint GPS anchor mode holds position over structure
  • Still needs a proper deck or bow mount, not a standard transom clamp
  • Less thrust ceiling than the Garmin Force Kraken for very large pontoons
$1,250 - $1,600 View on Amazon
Best for Large Pontoons

Garmin Force Kraken 63" Trolling Motor

★★★★★ 4.8

100 lbs of thrust on a 36V system with true wireless GPS spot-lock -- the extra thrust matters most on full-size tri-toons and heavily loaded pontoons, where the rule of thumb is about 2 lbs of thrust per 100 lbs of fully loaded boat weight.

  • Class-leading 100 lbs of thrust handles a fully loaded 24 ft+ pontoon
  • True wireless GPS spot-lock holds position even with wind pushing the pontoon's large surface area
  • Quietest motor in this comparison at full power
  • Highest price by a wide margin
  • 36V system means a 3-battery bank, more weight and cost than a 12V or 24V setup
$3,600 - $3,800 View on Amazon
Best Value for Pontoons

Haswing Cayman 24V 80lb Bow Mount Trolling Motor

★★★★★ 4.4

An 80 lb thrust, 24V bow-mount motor with wireless foot and handheld remote control, giving pontoon owners enough thrust for a mid-size boat well below what a comparable Minn Kota or MotorGuide system costs.

  • 80 lbs of thrust at a fraction of the Garmin or premium Minn Kota price
  • Wireless foot and handheld remote both included
  • Fresh and saltwater rated
  • Smaller dealer and parts network than Minn Kota or MotorGuide
  • No GPS spot-lock feature
$650 - $750 View on Amazon

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