Minn Kota iPilot

[DoubleD]

Does anyone have any experience with trolling Erie with this type of electric trolling motor? We have an 18' deep V I/O that commands constant attention on the steering wheel otherwise you make a 90 degree turn in 20 seconds using the gas engine. I don't think I could fit an autopilot on the boat and now I am wondering about going electric. I might even be able to barely run the gas engine and use the electric in the front to maintain course. Thoughts?
Thanks!!

[ebijack]

Yep, I run a 36 volt 101lb thrust I-pilot. I use the kicker for thrust and the I-pilot for steering, you could probably get by just using the 36 volt for most of your trolling. I can cross cut the waves and stay in control. Could I get by with a 24v 80lb thrust?... maybe, but I also fish the detroit and st clair rivers and that is not enough power or thrust to last more than a few hours on a windy days. Also with the 36 volt I can power into waves/wind and troll when needed and never worry about running low on battery power. I also run the 60 inch shaft version. I am running a 18 fter also. Any other questions you have?

[DoubleD]

Thanks Tom, I have spoken with you before and if you are sold on it, I am sold on it. I would have to have the 60" shaft but would probably get the 24v 80# model. Our standard battery compartment doesn't have room for another battery... But I will check on the 36v. Now I just need to work on some funding . If not this year, next year.
I also converted my planer boards with your tattle flag system last spring and they worked perfectly. I appreciate your input.
Thanks again.
DoubleD

[ebijack]

Just for your information, my "trolling motor battery compartment" is for only 2 batteries, I solved that by installing my 3 bank charger in there along with one battery, then one battery under each console in those storage areas. Just have to decide if your going to want to troll for a long time and expect the 24v batteries to be fully charged the next day to do it again. If you run the batteries down real low, it takes more than 8 hrs to get them fully charged back up. The 36v 101 60 inch shaft is real heavy, that might be another concern compared to the 24v. In all the years I've run a 36v, I've never ran the batteries down and that includes doing the tourney's I used to do. I always ran out of power when I used 24v doing tourney's.

[Lou]

Does anyone have any experience with trolling Erie with this type of electric trolling motor? We have an 18' deep V I/O that commands constant attention on the steering wheel otherwise you make a 90 degree turn in 20 seconds using the gas engine. I don't think I could fit an autopilot on the boat and now I am wondering about going electric. I might even be able to barely run the gas engine and use the electric in the front to maintain course. Thoughts?
Thanks!!

I have a Bass Cat Pantera Classic. I have a Power Drive V2 with iPilot and a Terrova 80 with iPilot. With a deep v, you really want a bigger motor. Your boat weighs too much, and has too much drag for a 24 volt setup. You should also get BIG batteries. I am talking class 31, don't let anyone talk you down to a 27 because they don't carry class 31 batteries. They give you a LOT more time/power.

With 31's you can fish heavily and even if you forget to charge up, you can often get away with a second long day... When things like wind and current kick in, you are much much less likely to have to throw in the towel because you are out of power. Plus the less the batteries do drain down, the longer they will last, all other things being equal. The ONLY reason to go smaller would be if you just do not have the room for them.

Spot lock should work fine for you, but in strong current or wind near the shore or anything else you do not want to hit you need to keep a close eye on it, the 5 feet they talk about is less than something I personally would bank on. In my experience 20 feet is more reliable. Don't get me wrong, at times it can keep you well locked on, but strong winds, currents etc. can result in some pretty big swings. Some days I think there may be GPS signal issues as there is no current, or wind to speak of, but spot lock is VERY sloppy.

Also, you may want to consider their more advanced system, the iPilot Link. Unfortunately Minn Kota, in my opinion, doesn't have much respect for their customers. If you want to upgrade from an iPilot to the iPilot Link, they charge something like 7 or 8 hundred dollars. In my opinion they could make a tidy profit for $299. In my experience. the only real expense is the software, the hardware costs nearly nothing to manufacture. I realize that they have a finite market, so their costs are not going to be nothing. That said, being good to your customer base has rewards of their own.

I get that they have auto navigation for trolling motors locked down through patens. I also have no issues with them making money. But when I purchase a product and the next year they upgrade it, I see no reason they should not allow a more economical venue for upgrading. This being an opinion is worth every penny you paid for it, but the point being that if you think iPilot Link would be useful, it would seem to make sense to save a little longer rather than paying as much as they are asking for it. Otherwise, you might want to just get a Terrova and later upgrade it. Going from a stock Terrova to the iPilot Link version makes a lot more economic sense than going from the iPilot to the Link...

Best of luck with your trolling motor, I am sorry that I think Minn Lota rant worthy, but the more we know, the better decisions we make.