All,
Looking for ■■■■■■■■ on both trolling motors. I have heard good things on both. One thing I am struggling to find is a easy release/break away mount to remove the motor from the bow for motor guide. All ■■■■■■■■ is appreciated I am trying to get a trolling motor in the upcoming months.
-B
Hard to go wrong with this mount and a Minn Kota iPilot ST or SP with as much thrust as you can fit battery. Probably the most popular set up for a reason.
http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Products/RTA-17-QUICK-RELEASE-BRACKET/
TexasAngler
22’ Shearwater
I have the iPilot ST with the quick release bracket and it is the bees knees!
I have heard/read where it can be difficult to find places that service MG in some parts of the state.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
OccamsRaiser have you had any issues with the achor feature not holding and drifting on you? Some guys said the MG has a tighter anchor lock and its a quiter motor. I am leaning towards the Minn Kota.
How has the battery life been?
I have the I Pilot and am very happy with it. If the wind and current are in different directions it can be dicey on keeping the anchor lock spot really tight but even still it will usually lock in pretty well after a short while. If conditions are fairly stable the anchor lock will dial in and keep me nicely in one spot. I try to get the boat as near to zero speed as possible before pressing the lock button or else it will try to push the boat back to where I pressed it.
I tried the record and rerun a route function only once. It was pretty breezy and I was in some shallow water with significant chop. It didn’t seem to follow the recorded route very well but the conditions were really tough. Same performance when trying to lock onto a compass heading but again really tough conditions. I do love the ability to control the boat w/ the remote control. The anchor function is really great. I haven’t used my anchor since I got the I Pilot. Sometimes, I still use a stake out pole or my Stiffy to anchor if I’m in really shallow water but that’s not often.
Overall I am very pleased with it.
Chris V (Charleston Marine) on here installed it with the quick release and did a great job.
Hope this helps some.
DF is correct on motorguide service in the Charleston area. It is non existent, I don’t have either of the motors you’re looking at but do have a motorguide I needed to get serviced and nobody really wanted to fix it. Barrier Island shows as a service center on the motorguide website but they aren’t.
quote:
Originally posted by FlickerFisherI have the I Pilot and am very happy with it. If the wind and current are in different directions it can be dicey on keeping the anchor lock spot really tight but even still it will usually lock in pretty well after a short while. If conditions are fairly stable the anchor lock will dial in and keep me nicely in one spot. I try to get the boat as near to zero speed as possible before pressing the lock button or else it will try to push the boat back to where I pressed it.
I tried the record and rerun a route function only once. It was pretty breezy and I was in some shallow water with significant chop. It didn’t seem to follow the recorded route very well but the conditions were really tough. Same performance when trying to lock onto a compass heading but again really tough conditions. I do love the ability to control the boat w/ the remote control. The anchor function is really great. I haven’t used my anchor since I got the I Pilot. Sometimes, I still use a stake out pole or my Stiffy to anchor if I’m in really shallow water but that’s not often.
Overall I am very pleased with it.
Chris V (Charleston Marine) on here installed it with the quick release and did a great job.
Hope this helps some.
Hookem, I agree with all that Flickr said. Spot on.
Hookem, if you’re buying new, I highly recommend the Minn Kota Ulterra 80# thrust with iPilot. I have a Pathfinder 2200 with Ttop and eisenglass. The spot lock holds the boat in as much as a 15mph wind on Lake Murray. The auto deploy/stow is fantastic. Since I’ve put the Ulterra on my boat, I haven’t touched my electric motor. Also, when you are cruising the ICW looking for fish, I typically stand on my Yeti…when I find a school, I don’t have to jump down and deploy the trolling motor…just push the button. I have the salt water model Riptide…don’t think you can go wrong with Minn Kota…
Fishing is a prefectible art…in which nevertheless, no man is perfect – Gifford Pinchot
Key West Sportsman 1720
Ice Blue Pathfinder 2200
“Kemosabe”
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This is all great ■■■■■■■■ guys! Thanks alot I think I am going to go with the Minn Kota… Now I have to figure out the model but that should be easy. I cant wait to get one.
Happy Holidays everyone!
-B
You might also consider if you can get one, with built in side view transducer.
If my i-Pilot died today, I’d have another one ASAP. Would definitely opt for the Ulterra model with auto stow and deploy.
-The size of a fish is directly proportional to the time between when it’s lost and the story is told. - Me
-What’s the best eating fish, you ask? I’ve found that for a lot people, its the ones that they happen to be able to catch, clean, and cook. - My Dad
-Until you have loved a dog, part of your soul remains unawakened. Anatole France (paraphrased)
-RIP my “Puppy Dog” 10/15/2004 - 1/14/2013. I’ll never forget him. What a special friend he was.
-Team Gonna Fish
I have had the I-pilot for about 5 years now, I will echo the other posts in that it is an awesome tool. Especially nice working current, the anchor mode is huge. I can not comment on the Motor Guides. I can comment on the quick release mount. I had an old bass boat with no gas motor that I used on an electric only lake. I switched the I-pilot between the bass boat and the center console more times that I could count. Also a very useful tool.
I have XI5 motor guide and love it. The GPS holds on the spot where my buddies MK has a radius of about 15’. The closest place to get them fixed in is georgetown.
Cant go wrong with the I pilot .
I have the Motorguide Xi5 with Pinpoint GPS 105# thrust saltwater and love it. I went with Motorguide so I could pair with my Lowrance HDS 12 Gen2 Touch with structure scan. It’s a perfect combo and the wireless remote is simple to operate. I have a 22’ Tidewater Carolina Bay with 225 Yamaha and it has plenty enough thrust moving the boat and keeping position in fast current.
Always been a MotorGuide user. Got talked into a Minnkota by builder on current boat. Thinking of selling it and going back to Motorguide
There was a guy named Roger Schlegel in Mt Pleasant that ran Coastal Marine and was a certified Motorguide warranty and service center. Not sure if he is still around. I never needed service on the MG. His number was 843-834-5358
He doesn’t work on them anymore
P-K, if you sell that Minn Kota(if it’s the i-pilot) I might be a player. I’m just trying to find out how to mount the thing on my boat. Have seen a couple with the option but just don’t like how it hangs over the side due to the anchor locker.
2014 Pioneer 197 Sportfish
2012 Malibu Stealth 12 Kayak
“If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there would be a shortage of fishing poles”
Minn-Kota ulterra. You don’t even have to launch your own boat. How nice is that. Better service and they have been doing the auto pilot thing for a long time.