Garmin FORCE Owner’s Manual
FORCE® TROLLING MOTOR
Owner’s Manual
© 2019 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries
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and supplemental information concerning the use of this product.
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Table of Contents
Getting Started............................................................... 1
Deploying the Motor from the Stowed Position.......................... 1
Adjusting the Depth of the Trolling Motor................................... 1
Stowing the Motor from the Deployed Position.......................... 1
Securing the Safety Strap........................................................... 1
Trolling Motor Display Panel....................................................... 2
Status Indicator...................................................................... 2
Calibrating the Trolling Motor......................................................2
Setting the Bow Offset................................................................ 2
Connecting to a Chartplotter....................................................... 2
Remote Control...............................................................3
Installing Batteries...................................................................... 3
Attaching a Lanyard.................................................................... 3
Remote Control Keys..................................................................3
Remote Control Screen.............................................................. 4
Navigating the Menu................................................................... 4
Calibrating the Remote Control.................................................. 4
Pairing the Remote Control........................................................ 4
Foot Pedal....................................................................... 4
Installing Batteries...................................................................... 4
Pairing the Foot Pedal................................................................ 5
Status Indicator........................................................................... 5
Disabling the Heading Hold Function on the Foot Pedal............ 5
Operation........................................................................ 5
Turning the Propeller On and Off............................................... 5
Adjusting the Speed of the Motor.......................................... 5
Maintaining Your Speed.........................................................5
Operating the Propeller When Partially Deployed................. 6
Steering...................................................................................... 6
Steering the Trolling Motor Manually..................................... 6
Maintaining Your Heading......................................................6
Holding Your Position............................................................ 6
Gesture Controls.................................................................... 6
Waypoints................................................................................... 7
Creating a Waypoint.............................................................. 7
Navigating to a Waypoint....................................................... 7
Viewing Waypoint Details...................................................... 7
Editing a Waypoint Name...................................................... 7
Deleting a Waypoint............................................................... 7
Routes........................................................................................ 7
Navigating a Route................................................................ 7
Viewing Route Details............................................................ 7
Editing a Route Name............................................................ 7
Deleting a Route.................................................................... 7
Tracks......................................................................................... 7
Saving the Active Track......................................................... 8
Clearing the Active Track....................................................... 8
Navigating to the Start of the Active Track.............................8
Navigating a Saved Track...................................................... 8
Viewing Saved Track Details................................................. 8
Editing a Saved Track Name................................................. 8
Deleting a Saved Track..........................................................8
Navigating................................................................................... 8
Pausing and Resuming Navigation........................................ 8
Stopping Navigation............................................................... 8
Settings........................................................................... 8
Trolling Motor Settings................................................................ 8
Wireless Network Settings..................................................... 9
Remote Control Settings.............................................................9
Backlight Settings.................................................................. 9
Maintenance Needs and Schedule............................... 9
Motor Information........................................................... 9
Getting Started with the ActiveCaptain App
Updating Software with the ActiveCaptain App..................... 9
Stowed Dimensions.................................................................. 10
Deployed Dimensions............................................................... 10
Registering Your Device........................................................... 10
Contacting Garmin Support...................................................... 10
............................... 9
Specifications............................................................... 10
Trolling Motor............................................................................ 10
Motor Thrust and Current-Draw Information........................ 11
Remote Control.........................................................................11
Foot Pedal................................................................................ 11
Index.............................................................................. 12
Table of Contents i
Getting Started
WARNING
Do not run the motor when the propeller is out of the water.
Contact with the rotating propeller may result in severe injury.
Do not use the motor in areas where you or other people in the
water may come into contact with the rotating propeller.
You are responsible for the safe and prudent operation of your
vessel. The autopilot features on the trolling motor are tools that
enhance your capability to operate your boat. They do not
relieve you of the responsibility of safely operating your boat.
Avoid navigational hazards and never leave the motor controls
unattended.
Learn to operate the autopilot features on calm and hazard-free
open water.
Use caution when operating the trolling motor near hazards in
the water, such as trees, shallow rocks, docks, pilings, and other
boats.
Always disconnect the motor from the battery before cleaning or
servicing the propeller to avoid injury.
CAUTION
Always keep the remote control on your person when using the
trolling motor. If the operation of the trolling motor needs to be
changed or stopped at any time, you can press on the remote
control, press on the foot pedal, or press on the mount to stop
the propeller.
When using the autopilot features, be prepared for sudden
stops, acceleration, and turns.
When stowing or deploying the motor, be aware of the risk of
entrapment or pinching from moving parts, which can result in
injury.
When stowing or deploying the motor, be aware of slick surfaces
around the motor. Slipping when stowing or deploying the motor
may result in injury.
NOTICE
You are required to secure the safety strap when stowing the
trolling motor. Failure to secure the trolling motor in the stowed
position using the safety strap may result in unexpected
deployment, damaging the boat and trolling motor.
NOTE: You should be prepared for the motor to slide down
when you loosen the collar.
Raise or lower the depth of the trolling motor.
3
NOTICE
Do not set the motor depth so low that it compresses the
coiled cable. When the coiled cable is compressed, it will be
damaged by friction as the motor steers, and may cause
unexpected movement when using the anchor lock feature.
Tighten the collar at the base of the steering system housing.
4
Select an action:
5
• If you are deploying the trolling motor, move the motor to
the fully deployed position to check the depth.
• If you are stowing the trolling motor, move the motor to the
stowed position to check the depth (Stowing the Motor
from the Deployed Position, page 1).
Repeat this procedure if necessary to set the correct depth
6
for the deployed or stowed position.
Stowing the Motor from the Deployed Position
NOTICE
You must allow the drive motor to stop rotating completely to
one side before moving it to the stowed position. If the motor is
still rotating to one side when you move it to the stowed position,
it may damage the steering system.
Pull the pull-cable up until it stops to release the latch, and
1
continue to hold it tight.
Lift the pull-cable up and backward to lift and lower the motor
2
slowly into the stowed position.
NOTICE
You must adjust the depth of the trolling motor so it rests
solidly on the rails of mount base in the stowed position
(Adjusting the Depth of the Trolling Motor, page 1). If the
depth is adjusted too shallow, it may press on the gas spring.
If the depth is adjusted too deep, it may hang off the end of
the mount base. Stowing the motor with the depth adjusted
either too deep or too shallow will damage the motor.
Deploying the Motor from the Stowed Position
Disengage the safety strap.
1
Pull the pull-cable back until it stops to release the latch, and
2
continue to hold it tight.
Lift the motor up and forward using the pull-cable, then lower
3
it slowly into the deployed position.
If necessary, push down on the mount arm to lock the motor
4
in the deployed position.
Adjusting the Depth of the Trolling Motor
Move the motor so that it stops halfway between the stowed
1
and deployed positions.
Loosen the collar at the base of the steering system housing.
2
Getting Started 1
If necessary, push down on the steering system housing to
3
lock it in the stowed position.
Secure the safety strap (Securing the Safety Strap,
4
page 1).
Securing the Safety Strap
NOTICE
You are required to secure the safety strap when stowing the
trolling motor. Failure to secure the trolling motor in the stowed
position using the safety strap may result in unexpected
deployment, damaging the boat and trolling motor.
The safety strap holds the motor securely to the base in the
stowed position and prevents unintended deployment.
With the motor in the stowed position, lift the long end of the
1
strap over the top of the motor.
Feed the end of the strap through the buckle on the other
2
end of the strap.
Pull the strap through the buckle until it holds the motor
3
securely to the mount.
Pull the strap away from the buckle, and push down to fasten
4
it to the other side of the strap.
Trolling Motor Display Panel
The display panel on the trolling motor mount shows important
information at a glance.
NOTE: The backlight on the display panel reacts to the ambient
light, and dims automatically at night.
Illuminates when heading hold is on (Maintaining Your
Heading hold
status
Anchor lock
status
Heading, page 6).
Illuminates when anchor lock is on (Holding Your
Position, page 6).
Status Indicator
The LED indicates the motor status.
Green Normal operation
Red Solid: system booting
Blinking: system error
Blue Pairing mode
Yellow Recovery mode (for software updates and recovery
procedures)
Calibrating the Trolling Motor
You must calibrate the compass in the trolling motor before you
can use the autopilot features. For the best results, you should
calibrate the motor on a day with little or no wind on calm water.
You can repeat the calibration process if the autopilot features
are not performing as expected.
Drive the boat to an open area of calm water and stop
1
moving.
The boat must be stationary to begin the calibration process.
Make sure the trolling motor is deployed (Deploying the
2
Motor from the Stowed Position, page 1).
On the remote control, select > Settings > Trolling Motor
3
> Calibrate > Compass.
Using the foot pedal or outboard motor to steer, follow the on-
4
screen instructions.
Speed
Trolling motor
battery status
GPS signal
status
Motor status
Power
Propeller
status
Shows the motor speed level (Adjusting the Speed of
the Motor, page 5).
Green: the motor battery voltage is good.
Yellow: the motor battery voltage is low.
Red: the motor battery voltage is critically low.
Green: the motor has a good GPS signal.
Yellow: the motor has a poor GPS signal.
Red: the motor does not have a GPS signal.
Green: the motor is operating normally.
Red (solid): the motor software is starting up.
Red (blinking): there is a system error.
Blue: the motor is in pairing mode.
Yellow: the motor is in recovery mode (for software
updates and recovery procedures).
Hold to turn the motor off.
NOTE: By default, the trolling motor turns on
automatically when it receives power. It is not
necessary to push this button to turn it on. This can be
changed in the settings (Trolling Motor Settings,
page 8).
The trolling motor turns off automatically when it is in
the stowed position for two hours.
When the propeller is turning, press to stop the
propeller.
Press three times to enter pairing mode.
Illuminates when the propeller is on (Turning the
Propeller On and Off, page 5).
Setting the Bow Offset
Based on the installation angle, the trolling motor may not align
with the center line of your boat. For the best results, you should
set the bow offset.
Using the remote control, adjust the angle of the trolling
1
motor so it aligns with the center line of your boat ,
pointing straight forward.
On the remote control, select > Settings > Trolling Motor
2
> Calibrate > Bow Offset.
Repeat this procedure if necessary.
3
Connecting to a Chartplotter
Your compatible Garmin® chartplotter must have the latest
software version installed before you can connect the trolling
motor.
2 Getting Started
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