Who has an I-pilot?? I want to hear from you.

[bolivier]

Thinking about getting an I-pilot trolling motor. Well, the terrova specifically. Just wanted to hear what you guys think of yours.

Brent

 

[natedogg3991]

Re: Who has an I-pilot?? I want to hear from you.

I have the Terrova I-pilot 55# 54". I have only had it for a few weeks but I really like it. The electronic anchor as well as the auto pilot work really well. I have not used the foot pedal since you can do more with the remote, but it is nice to know that you can use both if you want. The spot lock worked well in the wind, when out fishing for pan fish with the kids. I was originally looking at getting the V2 and buying the remote but with the V2 you cannot use both the pedal and remote. I have not used the built in sonar yet but hope to try it this weekend.

 

[cjjjdeck]

Re: Who has an I-pilot?? I want to hear from you.

I have the Terrova 80/US2/i-Pilot 60? shaft. I mounted this unit on a MKA-32 quick release bracket on the bow of my boat.

I absolutely agree with natedogg. The most important feature the i-Pilot gives you is more time to ?FISH?, and less time constantly ?navigating?. I had a foot pedal Motorguide on my previous boat which I thought was great, until I got the Terrova. It?s worth the money just for the spot lock/anchoring feature. My model is a couple of years old and only able to record a few tracks, the new model has the ability to record more (I think it?s up to 6 now). If you are going to actually troll, you can?t beat the cruise control and Auto-Pilot which compensates for wind gusts and wave activity to keep your speed and direction steady. I too only use the remote (I keep extra batteries on board for it).

I know this technology is not cheap, but I never realized how much I was constantly maneuvering the boat. I have never regretted putting down the cash for this unit.

There is one way you might be able to save a bit on this unit if you?re adventurous. If there?s a Cabelas near you, try the Bargain Cave, that?s where I got mine (frankly, I couldn?t believe they had the exact unit I wanted, I think it might have been "meant to be"). The i-Pilot/GPS didn?t function when I had the unit installed. But one call to Minn Kota?s great customer service had a new i-Pilot module in my hands pretty quick. After a easy removal/install, the new module did the trick and I saved $450.00 off the regular price.

If you find any way to swing it, go for it!

 

[natedogg3991]

Re: Who has an I-pilot?? I want to hear from you.

There are a lot of features there and I have not used them all but as cjjjdeck said the new one's can hold up to 6 tracks as well as remember 6 spots. The features makes it a lot easier for me to fish by myself or with the kids since I do not have to constantly worry about the trolling motor and where we are going.
I would also highly recommend what ever you purchase that for 50.00 the quick removal plate is a good investment. I purchased this and it made the install much easier. It makes it much nicer to remove and reinstall, specially if you are going to cover your boat. The one I have is the MKA-16-02 Quick Release Bracket. If you purchase this one with the Terrova there are some spacers that come with it that you have to use to allow it to slide on all the way.

 

[gagjag]

Re: Who has an I-pilot?? I want to hear from you.

I have the V2 55lb thrust bowmount on my aluminum 19.5' Bluefin fish/ski I/O. It's the best thing since beer! I'm using 2 6V Trojan deep cycle 250Ah batteries wired in series to give 12V. I took out the old under seat cooler in the bow and built a battery box to hold the 2 monsters in line. I can troll for 8 hours straight and only use 40%. The 6 tracks and 6 spots are fantastic, as well as the anchor feature. You can set your trolling speed and direction and sit back and concentrate on the fishing. I don't have the quick release bracket, but my boat goes in at the beginning of July and sits at the dock till the end of August, so there's no need to remove it.