Factory discussion package | Australian partnership proposal
Build a trusted first-tier brand through North Queensland field evidence, community credibility and locally supported serviceability.
Australia offers a substantial recreational boating population and demand for electric trolling motors. Our opportunity is not simply to place another imported product on a shelf: it is to establish a brand that customers trust, with Australian repairs, parts and engineering feedback.
The 12V 65 lb test motor demonstrated 3.30 km/h on our 5 m boat; our normally operated 24V benchmark at setting 8 demonstrated 3.38 km/h. Both measured approximately 663 W at those operating points. This establishes a practical application benchmark, not a certified thrust rating for every hull. Market research should segment boat lengths, existing installations, motor age, new installation potential, and service demand. Every installed electric motor older than three years is a possible replacement prospect—not a guaranteed buyer.
Present boat registrations by length, fitted motor share, 3+ year installed fleet, new installations, replacement conversion and parts/retrofit opportunity separately. Do not treat all registered boats as prospective buyers. The quantitative proposal below uses known workshop demand and agreed planning milestones without inventing national fleet estimates.
Australian electric motor brands face an entrenched reputation hierarchy. Features and price alone do not create credibility. Nobody wants to buy a second-tier motor. In Australia, you’re either first tier or you’re third tier.
Peter services approximately 1,000 electric motors each year in demanding North Queensland conditions and replaces more than 250 Minn Kota steering boxes annually. We have physically disassembled, tested and modified the product to remove foreseeable failure points. We are part of the northern barramundi fishing community; fishing and boating brands actively seek relationships with this community. It is not an industry we are trying to gain access to.
The measured speed and battery-side electrical data below establish our tested 12V motor’s practical replacement capability for the way we use our current 24V motor. The existing 12V motor already performs this role; the R&D changes target reliability, serviceability and prevention of future warranty replacements.
Motor A setting 10: 3.30 km/h at ~663 W. Motor B setting 8: 3.38 km/h at ~663 W. Motor A attained 97.6% of the speed at essentially the same measured battery-side power. The Minn Kota is normally capped at setting 8 to avoid brush wear.
| Setting | A km/h | B km/h | A (A) | B (A) | A (W) | B (W) | A @24V (A) | B @24V (A) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 3.3 | 3.86 | 52.78 | 43.5 | 663 | 1135 | 27.63 | 47.29 |
| 9 | 3.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | 3 | 3.38 | 37.01 | 25.3 | 471 | 663 | 19.63 | 27.63 |
| 7 | 2.7 | 3.06 | 25.53 | 18.4 | 329 | 484 | 13.71 | 20.17 |
| 6 | 2.4 | 2.57 | 17.26 | 12.8 | 225 | 337 | 9.38 | 14.04 |
| 5 | 2.1 | 2.41 | 11.48 | 8.4 | 150 | 222 | 6.25 | 9.25 |
| 4 | — | 2.25 | — | 4.9 | — | 129 | — | 5.38 |
| 3 | 1.5 | 1.61 | 2.19 | 2.7 | 29 | 71 | 1.21 | 2.96 |
Motor A manufacturer is intentionally withheld. This is observed on-water performance, not controlled laboratory thrust certification. Equivalent 24V current is battery-side power divided by 24; it is not measured current from a DC-DC converter.
A locally trained, service-capable dealer network should support component-level repairs when customers arrive. Dealers can offer trade-ins, rebuild suitable used motors using MakoShark replacement parts and sell reconditioned motors. The second-hand resale benefit belongs to the dealer. MakoShark receives ongoing parts demand and field intelligence; Australian customers receive support without unnecessary whole-unit replacement.
We will not enter the Australian market with the motor in its current factory assembly condition. Every mandatory engineering correction in The Spirit of Craftsmanship must be incorporated into an acceptable production design. We are asking the factory to rebuild the R&D-modified motor and agree the corrected production configuration.
“You can try by yourself and you will fail, or we can establish trust and make this succeed”
Thirteen documented engineering findings: preserve what is exceptional; correct what creates failure or prevents fast component-level servicing. The Spirit of Craftsmanship brings pride, care, ingenuity, dedication and personal responsibility to the quality of what we manufacture.
The main power connectors routed down the shaft into the motor housing are the best we have encountered on an electric motor. Retain their design and production quality.
The two enclosures are effectively joined by an uninterrupted cable. Grommets were cut, pushed into position and covered with black sealing compound. Circuit-board protection is excellent and must be retained. Install a proper sealed cable exit and an Amphenol-type detachable inline connector, consistent with other modular components. Every individually serviceable assembly must be removable in two minutes without cutting cables or disturbing unrelated assemblies. Steering-box replacements occur about three times as often as mainboard replacements in our experience.
The original plastic-type bush was too thin and broke apart during removal. We fitted a larger, substantially stronger bush. Use suitable material and adequate wall thickness; do not economise on this inexpensive, failure-critical component.
The perimeter O-ring and individual screw O-rings form the best sealing arrangement we have seen. Some seals showed damage from assembly or compression in their seats. Retain the system, install seals carefully and supply complete replacement seal kits. One screw is different: a flat casing seat and brass compression washer between painted aluminium and stainless washer instead of a recessed O-ring. Why is it different? Why no recess? Can it use the same O-ring arrangement? The brass-to-aluminium contact is also a potential marine corrosion point.
The gears, sleeves, output adapter and bearings are exceptional. The steering box is remarkably quiet. Preserve this internal design and its manufacturing quality. Silent operation of the entire motor—not only steering—is the defining Australian product proposition.
Peter’s workshop replaces more than 250 Minn Kota steering boxes per year. Investigate an alternative output adapter (and any required mounting/control compatibility) allowing the existing silent MakoShark gearbox to retrofit those motors. Preserve the silent internal drive. This represents an immediate workshop demand pool, not an assured order volume.
After only one month of use, stainless fasteners were already becoming tight in aluminium threads. Apply Tef-Gel or a compatible marine anti-corrosion/anti-seize compound to all threads during assembly; keep it compatible with seals and specified fastening practice.
The aluminium mainboard case was fixed flush against an anodised aluminium baseplate, with dabs of compound and corner screws. This traps salt and prevents proper washdown. We manufactured 2 mm plastic spacers to separate these surfaces. Incorporate the spacers, maintain the washdown gap and protect the mounting fasteners.
The steering box cable rubs against the vertical edge of the baseplate during deployment/retrieval. Mechanical failure occurred in fewer than 50 deployments. Change the route or contact geometry to eliminate damaging contact throughout the full movement; prevent pinching and maintain service access.
The moulded motor-head attachment hole is 2 mm larger in diameter than the main tube. Tightening the stainless fastener distorted and fractured the plastic attachment. Correct the bore-to-tube fit so the fastener secures rather than deforms the moulding; retain removable assembly.
We fitted a rubber bump stop on a sleeved bolt. It maintains positive pressure between the steering-box cutout and locking pin, removing locking-pin bounce and the resulting noise. It also prevents the motor dropping when the foot pedal releases the pin. Copy the tested R&D arrangement.
Excellent components are undermined by untidy application of sealing compound, cut grommets, and poor finishing at the shaft-to-housing joint. Correct fit and assembly rather than covering defects with blobs of compound. Final inspection must reflect first-tier workmanship.
Three R&D changes are shown by user-added blue numbers in the annotated photograph: (1) new brass main pivot bush; (2) pivot shaft extended only enough to accommodate an external retaining circlip; (3) circlip positioned outside the main frame. The original internal circlip was needlessly difficult to service.
“If MakoShark wants to remain a third-tier motor manufacturer, keep leaving blobs of sealing compound everywhere and covering poor assembly with goop. If MakoShark wants to become a first-tier brand, take pride in assembly. We will not bring a third-tier assembled product into the Australian market. The engineering deserves better, and our customers will expect better.”
What should both businesses regard as good after two years and five years?
“In two years, Australian fishermen know who MakoShark is. In five years, they know why they trust it.”
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