I-Pilot

Thinking about upgrading the trolling motor this year before the trip to LOTW. After fishing with 20 miles of open water behind us with a 55lb 12 volt powerdrive last year me and the old man think its time for an upgrade. I have all but bought the new 80lb 24volt terrova with a I-pilot. But I’m looking for some advice from the guys that fish LOW before i buy one. The I-pilot seems like an awesome deal and can see where it would come in real handy. The spot lock feature sounds like it would pay for itself. Hook into a muskie and put the spot lock on and don't have to worry about maneuvering the boat out of the rocks. Any thoughts on both the terrova and the I-pilot? Thank you guys for the help.

If fishing LOTW is your primary concern, then you may want to think about a Fortex or a Maxxum. The reason I say this is that many times, whether fishing up in the boulders, or working a shoreline in heavy wind you often need to do a 180* power reverse to avoid beaching on granite. The electrics are very nice for fishing bigger, less erratic structure like long weed beds where all you have to do is follow an edge, but the turning speed on them doesn't compare to cable drive.

I'm certainly not saying that the electric pedals won't work up there, just that after running one of them on several occassions, I'll stick with the cable control. I'm sure the spot lock feature would be great for running the boat out into the open when you have a fish on, but the rest of the time there aren't too many straight runs up there for it to be a factor.

The Fortex/Maxxum motors certainly don't have all the cool features that the Power Drive/Terrova motors do, but they don't have a lot of the problems either. I know I have seen more electric drive t.m.s lay down in the middle of a week of fishing than I have the cable drives.

Also it is no coincidence that Frank, DougJ, and DickP, to name a few, all have a Maxxum/Fortex on the front of their boats.

If you are used to the eletric foot pedals then it may be more of a headache to learn a new pedal, not to mention the cable pedals are much taller and cause more strain on your body by being on one foot more often. You might also have different priorities with where you fish most often and the Terrova would be better suited to them, but that is my opinion on fishing LOTW and t.m. choices.

Ryan

My two cents worth,
I have used every type of electric trolling motor known to man in my fishing days. The last few years I have used a minnkota power drive with co-pilot and have a holder on every rod and a extra copilot for them also. I would never go back to a cable drive again. I do not have any more trouble getting in shallow than I did before and actually find it easier as I can lift the motor straight up for shallow running. You can have the pedal hooked up with the copilot so you can use either in case of emergency. I would agree that cables are less troublesome, but if you fish at the Angle,Mac repairs Minnkotas and has pretty good parts supply. My next motor will be a Terriova w/ ipilot and copilot. My Older powerdrive just keeps going for know.
Good fishin
Won't be long now

Anglefisherman, I agree with everything you say about the usefulness of the power drive. I have tried using several cable drives and eventhough they work fine, I still want to use the other. Last year I made the move and purchased the Terrova with all the goodies. I was more than pleased with my purchase and figured that this might be my last one. You know what happened. I-PILOT!! I am installing one on my Terrova this spring and if if does what it advertises, WOW. That is if I install it correctly. Can you imagine pushing a button and the I-Pilot holds that location so all you have to do fish from anywhere in the boat. Sweet. How about making a run pulling a spinner with a bottom bouncer and leaving a trail as you follow the contour, push a button and the I-Pilot follows your trail on the return. Double Sweet. I wonder if it will put bait on my hook or hand me a pop from the cooler. Upgrades to follow no doubt.

Keep us informed on the i-pilot. I will be ready for a ubgrade soon and if that i-pilot works like they say it will be great. I don't think I would use the follow the track very much but the hold the spot would be great for several things. I just wonder how close it will hold you? They claim five ft diameter but I have my doubts. Melting pretty good at the Angle this weekend. The frost is still holding up the road for now but if the weather stays like it is it will start to go too. Hello spring!!

Another question i would have concerning the I-pilot is, the controller for the i-pilot has co-pilot controls on it, however it doesn't look near as handy as the co-pilot remotes for your rods. It would make sense that your remotes for your rods should work also when the i-pilot is installed but does anyone know for sure that this is true?

If you have a Terrova or Riptide ST, the I-Pilot will override all CoPilot functionality. CoPilot remotes will not function with I-Pilot. You actually remove the AutoPilot control board from the Minnkota. The foot pedal still functions if I-Pilot is installed correctly.

If you have a Power Drive V2 or Riptide SP, you must remove the Auto Pilot and CoPilot. This is a more complex operation than on the Terrova. Once I-Pilot is installed the foot pedal cannot be used again.

This does not sound good. So what your saying is once the i-pilot is installed you have to use that controller? Do they make one that fits on your fishing rods? From the pictures it looks like the pilot controller goes around your neck or something. I really like my co- pilot remotes on my rods and would have to skip i-pilot if I can't use them. I suppose Minkota will come out with a different remote for th pilot that mounts on your rods. There goes another 400 bucks for remotes! Its hard to keep up with things when technology changes every year or sooner.
Thanks for the info.

Sorry to be the one to disagree, but I think it's all a matter of preference. I've been running a power drive w/auto pilot and co-pilot up there for the last 3 years on a new boat I bought in 06 and HATE it. I've had it into the shop at least 4 times with various problems and am on my 3rd foot pedal. I have a Maxxum in my 02 boat down here (in AZ) and it's never needed a thing.
I like the co-pilot, but rarely use it. I find it more of a novelty than anything else. I do use the auto pilot. It does help hold the line when I'm in moderate wind, but can't hold it the stong stuff. My 3 biggest problems with the new digital units. Typically they're a pain to stow and deploy. My back is killing me by about 4 PM. 2nd, I am in way more in control with the belt drives. They seam to hold their line better and turn more precisely. 3rd, I typically take other people with me when I fish. To me, It's always better to have the bow slightly pointed away from the shore (or structure) you're casting to. It gives the guy in the back of the boat a more desired angle to throw to. I feel both the auto pilot and the new i-pilot take that away from your partner.
Sorry guys, just my 2 cents worth, but I'm going back to the belt drive up there.
Jimmy

One things for sure, they make enough models and different brands to suit everyones needs. I wonder what they will come up with next?