looking to update my electric trolling motor and I see some neat features on the Min-Kota with I pilot remote such as track back and gps. I am curious if anyone has suggestions or dislikes about it. Also they are expensive so if you know of a less expensive place to get one then let me know.
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I purchased the 24V 80lb thrust Terrova I-Pilot with a 60" shaft for the new sled last fall. Very nice motor! The back track and gps is a very nice feature (when theres no wind). The only beef I have with it is the size of the I-pilot remote. Its quite a bit larger than my old co-pilot, but thats the price you pay for gps and back track.
I ended up shopping around and buying it on Amazon. Saved $100 (compared to Bass Pro and Cabelas) and the seller provided free shipping.
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Thanks Phantom
Is it true that the battery optimizer helps on the battery? Is there advantage other than more power to go 24 volt?
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I like mine most of the time. The anchor feature works if the wind isnt gusting. The gps feature works well. I like that I can set speed and direction and hold course pretty well even with a cross wind.
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I heard the optimizer is supposed to work really weel. I have no data to support that.
Going with 24V also gives you a longer battery life. I run mine pretty hard bowfishing so its nice to have that extended life for a whole day of fishing.
How big of a boat are you running? Depending on the size it may or may not be worth it to go to 24V.
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Im running the 24v with an 18 1/2' bowrider. My old one was 12v. Big difference. If you try to fish cj in the wind. With it whitecapping good, I can troll effortlesly.
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I have a 22.5' boat and the 24v does really well for me even with a bigger boat. I bought one right when they came out a couple of years ago as my MotorGuide had taken a dump on me. It has been much better than the MotorGuide in terms of lasting all day. I really like the GPS features such as the anchor but I would agree the wind has to be minimal for that. The tracking seems good and I don't mind the bigger remote. It has a nice digital screen on it which I like and it also floats. I shopped all around and also found mine on Amazon for quite a bit less than Cabelas or anywhere else.
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Just bought a Terrova 80 with Ipilot, taking it out for the first time will let you know how it goes.
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Unless im bass fishing, I usually control mine with the hand held remote..
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OK Love it!!! All day at Strike fighting the wind used 1/4 of the batterys, Also LOVE the spot lock it is the bomb.
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How big is your boat? I was thinking about getting one for the spot lock and jigging for macks but not sure quite yet.
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[quote outdoorsman1]How big is your boat? I was thinking about getting one for the spot lock and jigging for macks but not sure quite yet.
My boat is a 17' aluminum bass boat, and this motor rocks!!! I wanted one for quite awhile but was not sure, I would buy this again tomorrow, best purchase I have made in years....
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Cool, I have been looking at them. Think the on board charger is also the way to go, 15amp per bank, circut breaker, good deep cycle batteries.
What about batteries? What is a good quality deep cycle battery that isn't 200 bucks?
I've wondered about one in a size that would work on my pontoon boat, as well as my 15 foot bi-hull boat. Anybody got advice about that, or a link I could look at?
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Just google trollingmoters.net that is a good one!
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