What can I expect from a digital trolling motor?

Currently have a transom mounted Bass Pro Prowler 55 lb motor. Have heard they aren't the best for battery useage- and i do notice i don't seem to get as much out of a size 27 battery while pushing the boat as i'd like. Before I think of investing in a newer digital/variable speed motor - all battery related things being equal - can i reaiistically expect anything close to what is advertised- i.e - up to 5 times as long performance? Thanks!

The advantage comes if you troll at slow speeds. At the highest speed, there's no advantage over a standard motor. If you only use the lowest speed you could possibly get the "5x" performance, although I doubt it's that much.

i have yet to kill my batteries while running my 40 lb.digital.i've actually had them last a 4 day weekend and still not run dry.i don't know about 5 times longer,but a heck of a long time anyways.

I've been using an Endura Max 55 for about a month now, about 6 day trips out on the Mo. River and I've been very pleased at both the strength of this motor in pushing my 14' Lowe jon around in the current and how long the battery lasts. I agree with others regarding the 5X claim but I think that you will see a very noticeable improvement in how long your battery lasts. This coming weekend I'm taking the little boat up to Mark Twain Lake and I'll get a better feel for how the battery lasts without having to deal with a strong current. I'm pretty sure it'll run strong over two full days of fishing. One nice feature on this motor is the battery tester built into the head unit. Seems very accurate.

Thanks guys for the comments. Think i will look for a sale and pick one up!

How long have you had prowler. I bought a Prowler Model 30 a couple of years ago and it ended up faling apart after the third or fourth use. Luckily I only paid about $100 for it. After that I bought Minn Kota endurance model 30 and haven't had any problems with it so far and this summer will mark the second year of owning it.