Autopilot Trolling Motor?? 2024

MikeOGNR reply :

Has anyone used the trolling motor that you set on autopilot and no matter what way the wind blows you it will always adjust on course??? Thinking about buying this next year for my boat

S Hovanec reply :

I've had one on my boat since 2005 and one on the boat prior to that. Next motor will be one with the I-Pilot. The spot-lock feature will be fantastic for the off-shore fishing I do.

00 mod reply :

One of the best investments made on my boat!

Jeff

scrutch reply :

I have one and I would NEVER go back to cable steer. There are so many awesome features that I use every time out. Basically you have a remote control boat. Think of all the things you can do...

Spotlock... wind, current, it doesn't matter, you're staying put.

Autopilot... Set the course and speed and it will keep that heading no matter the wind or current.

Find a spot in the middle of the lake you want to fish? Hit the Spotlock upwind of the spot, wait for the wind to turn the boat and go to the back of the boat and fish.

Need to go back to the truck for something on a windy day? Drop yourself off at the dock, use the remote to drive the boat out a hundred feet or so, hit Spotlock, and go to the truck. When you return, drive your boat to the dock and pick yourself up.

Buy one with ipilot. You won't be sorry.

Long Mike reply :

I agree with everything said above. The iPilot is one of the best investments you can make for your boat. Cable-steer will soon be a thing of the past. The iPilot simply has too many advantages over the old technology.

WIBassMan reply :

Sorry a noob here but can iPilot be added to any Minn Kota motor or only specific ones? Looking for a trolling motor and if this thing is truly autopilot I would like to get something that either comes with it or that it can be added to at a later date.

MikeOGNR reply :

Yes I was also wondering that?? To see I'f you could add I pilot to a minn kota because I have a 55lb thrust one

win222 reply :

No, it cant be added to all models, only certain electric steer models, its impossible to add to a cable steer model.

Also if your in the market for an I-pilot, I would wait until December, see this link for the newest model:

http://www.minnkotamotors.com/ipilotlink/

Apparently you can set way points on your locator, and set the trolling motor to go to them, or spot lock on them

S Hovanec reply :

On 8/15/2012 at 10:59 AM, win222 said:

Apparently you can set way points on your locator, and set the trolling motor to go to them, or spot lock on them

Great feature if you have a 'bird. Hopefully they'll offer it for other brands eventually.

Gotfishyfingers? reply :

I have a minn kota terrova w/ i pilot. the control board for the i pilot went bad on mine (3 yrs old). In fact i'm waiting waiting for it to be delivered now. Should of been here yesterday lol. I do like the feature but for me in real windy days with an aluminum boat, it does not work well at slow speeds (which is what u need). Just my opinion. I usually fish okeechobee which can get pretty rough. I will say if it's calm and i'm going down a shore line, it works great. It's kinda cool watching it keep its' course or make a u-turn and follow the same path.

WIBassMan reply :

On 8/15/2012 at 10:59 AM, win222 said:

No, it cant be added to all models, only certain electric steer models, its impossible to add to a cable steer model.

Also if your in the market for an I-pilot, I would wait until December, see this link for the newest model:

http://www.minnkotam...com/ipilotlink/

Apparently you can set way points on your locator, and set the trolling motor to go to them, or spot lock on them

Too bad it'll only work for the 700 series and above. I just bought a 597 and setting the waypoints won't work using that finder.

BassnChris reply :

Everything I read online says the electric steer is not a good bass boat trolling motor......due to slow response in turning........and that could be bad in close to docks, stumps and what not. That is the only common thread/complaint I see in reading forums across the internet. People that own them say they would never own anything else and that they are perfect for the type of fishing they do....but most do not state what type of fishing they do.

Now Long Mike was kind enough to give me a demonstration with his boat and Terrova in the driveway. It seemed to me that it responded pretty quickly and turned a pretty fast speed. Maybe not as fast as my old rack and pinion motorguide when I do the panic stomp on the pedal to change direction to avoid collision with an object but not far behind.

Also, does anyone have a transducer mounted on thier electric steer TM? I have not seen a good way to run the transducer cable up from the motor since the Terrova has to have the shaft free to slide back up through turning motor for storage. I know you can get the motor with built in transducer......but I may not be able to afford that or worry about what I would do if the built in unit failed.

Thought maybe I could get some others to chime in that have these electric steer trolling motors and tell me if they feel the newer electric steers are up to the task of in close quarters bass boat control or should I stick with the cable steer, and how they mounted a TM transducer.

I fully see the pros in open water.......I just have to be sure I make the right decision because I only get one shot.....then I either have to live with my mistake or lose money trading or selling it to get a cable steer.

I have really narrowed it down to Motorguide TR-75, TR-82 or the Terrova 80#.

I convince myself oneway then the other.

Thanks

jhoffman reply :

You can afford it, you put a $1000 depth finder on your boat

BassnChris reply :

Guilty as charged.

But, one I do I will not be able to buy another if turns out I should gotten the cable steer.

I really stress over decisions like this. I have been fretting over the fish finder decision for 2 months.

Wayne P. reply :

Another thing with the Humminbird/iPilot link coming up of you have Lakemaster coverage where you fish, you can have the motor follow a contour line on your graph mapping with the new Lakemaster version. That would be a good feature for trash fishing like crappie or walleyes.

Al Wolbach reply :

On 12/30/2012 at 7:02 AM, ChipsXJ said:

Everything I read online says the electric steer is not a good bass boat trolling motor......due to slow response in turning........and that could be bad in close to docks, stumps and what not. That is the only common thread/complaint I see in reading forums across the internet. People that own them say they would never own anything else and that they are perfect for the type of fishing they do....but most do not state what type of fishing they do.

Now Long Mike was kind enough to give me a demonstration with his boat and Terrova in the driveway. It seemed to me that it responded pretty quickly and turned a pretty fast speed. Maybe not as fast as my old rack and pinion motorguide when I do the panic stomp on the pedal to change direction to avoid collision with an object but not far behind.

Also, does anyone have a transducer mounted on thier electric steer TM? I have not seen a good way to run the transducer cable up from the motor since the Terrova has to have the shaft free to slide back up through turning motor for storage. I know you can get the motor with built in transducer......but I may not be able to afford that or worry about what I would do if the built in unit failed.

Thought maybe I could get some others to chime in that have these electric steer trolling motors and tell me if they feel the newer electric steers are up to the task of in close quarters bass boat control or should I stick with the cable steer, and how they mounted a TM transducer.

I fully see the pros in open water.......I just have to be sure I make the right decision because I only get one shot.....then I either have to live with my mistake or lose money trading or selling it to get a cable steer.

I have really narrowed it down to Motorguide TR-75, TR-82 or the Terrova 80#.

I convince myself oneway then the other.

Thanks

I have fished electric drive motors and cable steer and it depends on what lakes you fish. Open water the electric steer are the cats mewow, they are great for this type fishing.

Take that electric steer to Santee-Cooper, Okeechobee or any lake that you flip/pitch a great deal, that requires quick motions because of wind, waves and tight cover they are a pain. That electric steer can't see nor react to that stump, rock or limb of a lay-down you just spotted a second before impact.

There is a reason you don't see the electric steer motors on the boats of professional bass fishermen. However you see them routinely on the boats of the professional walleye fishermen. Great for open water, not so great for close quarters combat of flipping and pitching or sight fishing.......So it just depends on your style of fishing and where you fish.............Al

einsteins reply :

you can run transducer cables from HB units down the groove in the Terrova shaft. I did this with mine and it worked perfect.

There are a number of tutorials on how to do this on the web, it is super easy.

i love my Terrova i-pilot and highly recomend it!

good luck

einsteins

Shewillbemine reply :

One of the features iPilot has (and I've used) is the Record Track option. This is when you can record up to 2 miles worth of GPS coordinates (a track) on your trolling motor.

So imagine this:

You're practicing for a tournament one day or just want to cover an entire shoreline for flippin'. So you begin recording a track and fish the shoreline as you normally would.

When you come back the following day (or any other day), you can tell the iPilot to navigate your boat through the same track FORWARDS or BACKWARDS and you've got a day of shoreline fishing without touching controls for the time being.

I'd say that's pretty darn useful (and it is, since I've used it).

BassnChris reply :

This youtube video makes it look like it will stand up ok to the rigors of bass fishing.

slonezp reply :

I've got a Powerdrive V2 ipilot with the universal sonar. I can operate the remote control by feel. I don't need to look at it to know what I'm doing. The response is slower than that of cable steer but if you get used to it it shouldn't be a problem. The MK shaft is indestructable, so if you hit something because you're slow on the draw, damage should be minimal at most.

fish-fighting-illini reply :

I've got a MK Powerdrive V2 & hate it. I don't have I-pilot but I cannot see it making up enough difference for normal bank type of bass fishing.

My motor is very touchy to operate, you are constantly on & off the pedal either side of the pedal & it is difficult to do with one foot w/o going on & off the thrust. Even in "maintained" on mode it is very difficult just to keep traveling straight.

In addition my foot pedal is very touchy if any water even in a very light rain.

If my motor gets in any kind of weeds it locks up in & quits no matter how fast I shut it off. This is on a 55# on a 14' john boat.

I bought mine mainly for longer battery life which I see no evidence of whatsoever!

I will never ever own an electric steer again if i can help it!

My buddy hates it as we'll & many reviews I've read share the same sentiments.

I could be wrong but I don't see cable steers ever going away.

Just my .02

FFI

ww2farmer reply :

I have a buddy who has the Minn Kota with autopilot. After using cable steer on my boat I find it hard to adjust to the electric steer, so much so that when he offers me the front of the boat I decline. At least on the inland lakes around here where I am trying to follow grass lines or manuver around docks up shallow. Out on Erie tho, it was great for keeping us locked on waypoints inthe wind out in deep water in the middle of no where.

slonezp reply :

On 1/1/2013 at 1:06 PM, fish-fighting-illini said:
I've got a MK Powerdrive V2 & hate it. I don't have I-pilot but I cannot see it making up enough difference for normal bank type of bass fishing. My motor is very touchy to operate, you are constantly on & off the pedal either side of the pedal & it is difficult to do with one foot w/o going on & off the thrust. Even in "maintained" on mode it is very difficult just to keep traveling straight. In addition my foot pedal is very touchy if any water even in a very light rain. If my motor gets in any kind of weeds it locks up in & quits no matter how fast I shut it off. This is on a 55# on a 14' john boat. I bought mine mainly for longer battery life which I see no evidence of whatsoever! I will never ever own an electric steer again if i can help it! My buddy hates it as we'll & many reviews I've read share the same sentiments. I could be wrong but I don't see cable steers ever going away. Just my .02 FFI

The powerdrive foot control is the worst control ever invented. It's a dream with the hand control

Al Wolbach reply :

That utube video would make a good Motorguide comercial..............Al

mc6524 reply :

Just remember that you have to get one with a built in sensor and you cannot add any side imaging because the shaft can rotate 360 degrees and you cannot have a cable secured to the shaft.

00 mod reply :

On 1/2/2013 at 7:11 AM, mc6524 said:
Just remember that you have to get one with a built in sensor and you cannot add any side imaging because the shaft can rotate 360 degrees and you cannot have a cable secured to the shaft.

There are ways to mount side imaging on one. Just not as easy as a cable stear. I wouldnt sell mine for $500 more than I paid for it. I like it that much.

Jeff

mc6524 reply :

You cannot mount a side imaging unit on this trolling motor. You would have to mount it on the transom usually 18+ feet behind you...

mudkart reply :

On 1/2/2013 at 11:55 AM, mc6524 said:
You cannot mount a side imaging unit on this trolling motor. You would have to mount it on the transom usually 18+ feet behind you...

This guy did. Look at pics 118-126.

http://imageevent.com/okoboji_images/hummingbirdsideimaging?n=0&z=2&c=4&x=0&m=24&w=0&p=0

I've seen others do pretty much the same on other forums.

mc6524 reply :

The I-pilot can turn 360 degrees in the auto mode. If you mount any transducer on the lower unit and it pivots 360 degrees it will put tension ant the cable and break it

00 mod reply :

And while it can turn 360, there are still ways to do it. Multiple ways in fact.

Jeff

einsteins reply :

My terrova has the transducers cable run down the groove in the shaft.

When on spotlock my unit has spun around 2 and a half times and it didn't bother a thing.

After you run the cable up the shaft to the top of the unit you then feed the cable down the center of the coiled power cord and then to your unit.

I know the humming bird cable fits in the groove of the terrova shaft but not sure about the Lowrance cables.

Trust me...its super clean and works fantastic.

Einsteins

Under the Radar reply :

On 1/2/2013 at 11:55 AM, mc6524 said:
You cannot mount a side imaging unit on this trolling motor. You would have to mount it on the transom usually 18+ feet behind you...

Most nay sayers have no experience using said equipment, (what ever it is).

That being said. Last year I mounted 2 HB SI units on my boat. And the MK Terrova iPilot 80# replacing the MK Edge 40# that came on the boat. I'm not the greatest mechanic in the world, but a buddy & I did the installs after I did the research for installations. No one item took more than a couple of hours to install. They all have worked flawlessly for the last year.

Do your research, then decide what unit you want.

I guess if I had to make a decision to get only one, the Terrova iPilot or SI, I'd probably have to go with the iPilot (tho I love my SI units) the iPilot is like having a chauffeur on the boat, leaving me more time to concentrate on my fishing.

Does Lowrance make good units? sure. Do they have dis-satisfied customers? sure

Does Motorguide make good TM's sure. Do they have dis-satisfied customers? sure

What company today doesn't.

Just sayin' don't knock it til you've tried it and if you have problems, get with customer service and work it out before you start badmouthing. There is such a wealth of information to be found online today, these forums are one of my daily reads. Guys like Wayne P are such a wealth of info and willing to share their knowledge. Thanks Wayne.

OK, rant over.

Happy New Year Everyone.

BassinB reply :

That YouTube video is awful...I've fished behind a terrova quite a bit and although autopilot is nice I wouldn't trade it for my maxxum. I can navigate through trees much smoother and quieter than in the video.

scrutch reply :

On 1/18/2013 at 12:11 AM, BassinB said:

That YouTube video is awful...I've fished behind a terrova quite a bit and although autopilot is nice I wouldn't trade it for my maxxum. I can navigate through trees much smoother and quieter than in the video.

Doug Vahrenberg is a Humminbird guru but he clearly hasn't mastered the art of the Terrova yet. I've had mine for three years and there are many more tricks and tips than what's shown in that video. The biggest that caught my eye was he didn't use the autopilot feature to choose a heading and stay on it. I fish a lake exactly like the one in the video and I typically "pick my line" through the trees and hit autopilot and motor right through with a tenth of course corrections that he made.

I've fished in wind that nobody with a cable steer could hang with. The Spotlock is priceless. Period. I fished a bridge in a steady 15-20 mph wind on Guntersville last year that would have been nearly impossible with a cable steer. I set the Spotlock and forgot about it and just fished. There was no work to it. I pushed a button. We pulled several fish from that bridge that day. (and broke a few crankbaits!)

If you still can't make up your mind, come fish with me someday and use my Terrova. Unlike Jeff (00mod), I would take $500 more than I paid for mine. But I'd have $500 in my pocket and a brand new Terrova iPilot on my boat the NEXT DAY!

00 mod reply :

Yea, but mine was more of a PITA to mount than yours I bet!

Jeff

Brian Needham reply :

doug's video was made on his 2nd trip on the water with the terrova, I think he states that......as with all new products there is a learning curve, he states that too I believe. so in context of only using the terrova 1 other time, the video more than shows it is doable, IMO.

00Mod, how did you mount your SI on your terrova....I am mounting mine this week. I guess I will just do the "down the notch" install, unless other anyone has a better idea.

00 mod reply :

On 1/23/2013 at 8:13 AM, Brian Needham said:
doug's video was made on his 2nd trip on the water with the terrova, I think he states that......as with all new products there is a learning curve, he states that too I believe. so in context of only using the terrova 1 other time, the video more than shows it is doable, IMO.

00Mod, how did you mount your SI on your terrova....I am mounting mine this week. I guess I will just do the "down the notch" install, unless other anyone has a better idea.

No SI on trolling motor yet. But PM Wayne P. He told me how to do it. I am about to do it though!

Jeff

Brian Needham reply :

Jeff you talk about a PITA your install is . I got a challenge myself going on, LOL......since the Terrvoa sticks out so far and I didn't like that , or where I was going to have to put it. I waiting for a sliding mount to come in, then should be good.

Long Mike reply :

A sliding mount? Is that a new Minn Kota product?

BTW, I agree that the video was awful in most respects. Rather than use the foot pedal, I use the hand-held remote. The directional response is instantaneous, as is the speed. I fish a lot of lakes with submerged timber and have never had a problem navigating through it. The Terrova with the iPilot is the best investment I have ever made. I will NEVER go back to cable-steer. As I said earlier, cable-steer will become a relic in the not too distant future.

Brian Needham reply :

actually I guess skeeter makes it , there has been some discussion about it on other forums.... PM me for where I odered it ........it is 20 inches long, and slides forward 7 inches.....the way I figure it, you can mount it totally inside the boat and the slide will provide the necessary clearance while deployed

Brian Needham reply :

http://youtu.be/IL5YpCRNx-0

Long Mike reply :

Dagnabit, Shucks and Gadzooks! I wish I had known about this when I bought my Terrova. Gonna have to do some research to see if I can retrofit it to my boat. Either way, thanks for the info Brian.

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Autopilot Trolling Motor?? 2024

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