09-16-2016, 10:24 PM
The following is a post I made in response to a similar question last spring:
I had a Minnkota I-Pilot for a couple of years. I sold it when the Xi5 came out. The I-Pilot was good, but I love the Xi5. I have been using an Xi5 connected to my Lowrance Gen2 Touch 9 for over a year.
Pros:
Quieter running.
Better tracking.
The spot lock has much less wander.
Spot lock jog. This one feature makes the Xi5 worth it. While spot locked you can jog 5' in any direction by pressing one of the arrow keys on the remote control. Want to move 20' to the Left? Press the left arrow key 4 times. Once you use this feature you will wonder how you ever got along without it.
Track navigation. I can create a track out of a series of points defined on the touch screen of the Lowrance and then the Xi5 will follow the track. Or I can let the Lowrance create predefined curves. For example I can tell it to do "S" curves or zigzags for the the next mile.
Rock solid GPS. The Xi5 has 2 GPS receivers, one in the head and one in the base. The result is much better location data. My I-Pilot would loose its mind a couple of times during the day and try to throw me overboard. The Xi5 is rock solid all day.
Cons:
The remote control pendant does not have a display like the I-Pilot. If you connect the Xi5 to a Lowrance Gen2 or Gen3, the Xi5 info is displayed on the screen.
No remote control stow and deploy. I would love to have this feature, but it is not a deal breaker for me.
Conclusion:
It lets me control my boat in ways I have never been able to before. And with better boat control I catch more fish.
[signature]
I had a Minnkota I-Pilot for a couple of years. I sold it when the Xi5 came out. The I-Pilot was good, but I love the Xi5. I have been using an Xi5 connected to my Lowrance Gen2 Touch 9 for over a year.
Pros:
Quieter running.
Better tracking.
The spot lock has much less wander.
Spot lock jog. This one feature makes the Xi5 worth it. While spot locked you can jog 5' in any direction by pressing one of the arrow keys on the remote control. Want to move 20' to the Left? Press the left arrow key 4 times. Once you use this feature you will wonder how you ever got along without it.
Track navigation. I can create a track out of a series of points defined on the touch screen of the Lowrance and then the Xi5 will follow the track. Or I can let the Lowrance create predefined curves. For example I can tell it to do "S" curves or zigzags for the the next mile.
Rock solid GPS. The Xi5 has 2 GPS receivers, one in the head and one in the base. The result is much better location data. My I-Pilot would loose its mind a couple of times during the day and try to throw me overboard. The Xi5 is rock solid all day.
Cons:
The remote control pendant does not have a display like the I-Pilot. If you connect the Xi5 to a Lowrance Gen2 or Gen3, the Xi5 info is displayed on the screen.
No remote control stow and deploy. I would love to have this feature, but it is not a deal breaker for me.
Conclusion:
It lets me control my boat in ways I have never been able to before. And with better boat control I catch more fish.
[signature]