Trolling Motor Opinions

[Bossman]

Hello all..I'm in the market for a trolling motor...My specs are pretty basic..2001 SmokerCraft Stinger 16' Alum with 50hp Merc...I'm looking at the MinnKota Powerdrive 55lb 12v..I-Pilot version...Man they do not give these away and I cannot find any used "yet" with the I-pilot feature..

http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Products/NEW-POWERDRIVE-55-LB-54-INCH-SHAFT-i-PILOT/

For those of you that have the I-pilot with the Spot Lock feature do you LOVE it? I mean, I think I need to love it in order to drop this $$...Reading the technology on this motor I think I really would...

As always, thanks in advance for any feedback..

 

[dakotaeye29]

Between the spot lock, heading lock, and record features I think they are worth it. It makes fishing with kids in the boat less of a pain.

 

[JCNodak]

I have the 2016 model Terrova with the "old" spot lock and it is safe to say that I do not love it. Seems to be all over the place. The GPS does not kick in until you are well off the spot, then it speeds you back and often past the point you locked on and then the dance begins. They came out with an upgraded spot lock this year but of course it is not backward compatible. I would just recommend that you get the most recent autopilot/spot lock before you purchase.

 

[Brian J]

I have the XI5 from motorguide. I'm extremely happy with it.

 

[westwolfone]

I have had a Terrova 80 with Autopilot for the last 2 years. I have buyers' remorse over not getting the link feature.

As others said the spot lock isn't great, but I like everything else about the motor and have had no problems with it.

FWIW I would go 24 volt and get the 72" shaft.

 

[Allen]

I am guessing a 6ft shaft on a 16 ft boat is not necessary, especially since I once had a 16 ft Smokercraft and wouldn't want to be out in waves that require a 6 ft shaft.

The spotlock is good if the wind isn't howling. The older models struggled with it in high winds, mine did anyway. Otherwise, the Ipilot is pretty nifty on big water and trolling long shorelines. The 24V, while always better than a 12V, is probably not easy in your boat either as I'm guessing the trolling battery storage is for a single 12V battery.

Not sure what the cost is for what you seek, but I liked the Ipilot enough to just recently buy another (upgrade) for my boat.

 

[espringers]

i think you will want more than 55 lbs. it sucks not being able to get it up to the proper speed when its windy and you are down to half battery. if you have room, get a 24 volt and a 70lb. you will be glad you did.

 

[Bossman]

Great feedback...I was also looking at that, that is going 24v system..I have the room for the conversion but man from what I read and the research I have done the one I shared the link with appeared sufficient..My boat weight is about 650lbs(dry) and fully loaded is way within MinnKota's recommendation to stay with 12v....Something to consider though and good feedback...Trust me I know the old saying "do it right the first time" so I by all means do not want to be under powered but 55lbs 12v with this boat I was "hoping" would work

 

[RustyTackleBox]

for what it's worth, I agree with most of the previous comments, especially the "older" spot lock on the minnkota, in a light breeze it works great if you point the nose into the wind, in a stiff wind get a real anchor, bigger and more power is better, for a 16' boat I would think the 24v terrova 80lb would be about perfect and you should be able to troll all day with that and at full throttle you might hit 3-3.5 mph, also the link is worth the upgrade if you have a compatable humminbird graph... imo if you are running anything other than a humminbird graph get a xi5 from motorguide, it'll do all the same stuff as the minnkota, cost a little less, and the spot lock is 100x better, dual gps in the head which is what the new minnkotas have.

 

[SupressYourself]

i think you will want more than 55 lbs. it sucks not being able to get it up to the proper speed when its windy and you are down to half battery. if you have room, get a 24 volt and a 70lb. you will be glad you did.

I second this. You will not be sorry by going to 24 volt. My 17ft Tracker came with a 55# 12 volt and I almost got wedged into shore a few times when the wind came up and the motor couldn't move the boat against the wind. Went to 80# 24 volt Terrova, and I'm very happy. Spot lock has been good enough for me. It fluctuates, but usually I'm trying to work an area, and not exactly the same spot, so it's sufficient.

 

[martinslanding]

i think you will want more than 55 lbs. it sucks not being able to get it up to the proper speed when its windy and you are down to half battery. if you have room, get a 24 volt and a 70lb. you will be glad you did.

^^^^this^^^^^ I am not sure how much battery life you'd get out of a 12v with all the new added electronic features of the ipilot...I know the old ones without spot lock and GPS didn't last very long...if you only go on short fishing outings on calm lakes then the 12v should work...but wind, waves and extended outings I would recommend the 24v system

 

[svnmag]

I find trolling motors attractive, eco-friendly and effective. I believe more color varieties should be available.

 

[ranger150]

I use the I Pilot a lot. Really like it. Push the anchor button twice. That will lock in the gps/spot lock right away. A 24V is a must. Don't forget the 3 bank on board battery charger. Like you stated. Do it right the first time!

 

[Captain Ahab]

The new Ulterra with improved spot-lock and "jog" feature is on my list.

 

[wslayer]

The track record is what I really like. After you make your first pass, you can push start and takes you back on same exact path. Don't even really need to pay attention to the steering part. Gives you time to re-tie or whatever. Spotlock little iffy?

 

[roosterfish]

24v is a must!! extra power when needed and you will not kill it in a day with your boat. brand wise i agree with rusty.

 

[espringers]

I also support the motor guide suggestion if you dont have bird electronics. It sounds like the xi5 has none of the common problem you here about with minnkota. My next one will be a motorguide for sure.

 

[Putz ND]

I ran the ulterra last year and it was absolute junk. Spot lock was merely a suggestion on which direction you were going to drift. Tournament partner runs the xi5 and it is vastly superior to the minnkota. Also, the automatic trim/deploy feature went to hell within 6 weeks of use. The new ulterex looks legit- especially if they have their software figured out. I will never own another ulterra!

 

[VDAWG]

I have a 12v 55lbs thrust on my 16.5ft aluminum. I really wish I had a 24v w a bit more thrust. It seems I have to have it maxed out to compete with any wind. A few short hours later and no more trolling motor juice....

 

[REY_off]

I'll echo most of what the others have said. Used to have a 12v 55 lb thrust in a 17 ft smokercraft. Had 2 batteries in parallel to get the run time out of it. Currently running 80lb thrust terrova with I pilot. The remote of the I pilot has some nice features (speed, prop speed, compass). Havent used the record feature much yet. Try and use the spot lock, but when the wind blows it pisses me off more than it makes my life easier.

As far as the anchor/spot lock feature goes, my experience is this. I fished in a boat with a I-pilot Terrova and another buddy was right next to us with his Motorguide XI5. We were tucked into a tight spot with some pretty good current and some dead heads. It was night and day difference. The guys with the XI-5 were bullshitting and having fun. We were cussing and and fighting the trolling motor. We actually gave up with spot lock and took turns running the Terrova manually. They also caught more fish because they kept there lines in the target zone and we couldnt.

For the price, I would take my chances with the XI-5. The only thing I think they could do better is the remote. But, if you end up linking it to your graph, that would be a mute point.