New MinnKota i-Pilot field test data available

Just in time for the holidays, several retailers are starting to stock the new MinnKota i-Pilot GPS-based trolling motor accessories. Be sure to get your order in soon, so that you’ll be ready to use yours as soon as the weather breaks.

Mississippi River walleye anglers will appreciate my most recent set of i-Pilot field test data. IDO member Mark Steffes and I had a chance to use i-Pilot to help us put walleyes and saugers in the boat just a few days ago, and a description of how we fished and used i-Pilot to our advantage can be found at the link below:

MinnKota’s i-Pilot in challenging boat control situations

Mine was ordered yesterday, est delivery time 12/15. Too bad I will have a Terrova autopilot laying in the box once I install this unit. Your entire discussion and evaluation of the unit is tremendous Jason, thanks for taking time to give us such an in-depth overview….hhmmm…I guess an ido on IDO is a good thing

Jason
I have a question on the I-pilot spot lock. If you have your bow pointed into the wind or current on a spot with spot lock, will it hover over the spot, or circle the spot?
TIA

i-Pilot will perform automatic prop speed/direction corrections to keep the i-Pilot’s GPS receiver within a 5-foot circle of the locked spot.

Check out this instructional piece on using i-Pilot in a 20-25 mph wind:

i-Pilot’s Spot Lock feature

i-Pilot will not anticipate wind or current. It will engage the motor as necessary to return to the locked spot, and then it will turn the motor off. If you are pushed out of the 5-foot circle, the motor will get turned on and controlled again, until you return to the 5-foot circle.

Hope that helps!

SO is it safe to say that in a stiff wind/current the motor never shuts off,Just dials the prop speed down to try to hover over the 5 ft circle or does it always shut down, drift off spot,start,regain position,shut off??

Thanks again

From what I read on Minn Kota’s website the ipilot includes the autopilot copilot functionaliy correct? So if I were going to get a new Terrova 80 I would just need the trolling motor and the ipilot system to have all of the functionality? That would be great I was planning on having to but all 3.

i-Pilot includes two Autopilot features: the traditional compass-based autopilot, and a new GPS-based “advanced” autopilot.

If you have an autopilot in an existing Terrova or PowerDrive V2, you will end up removing it when you install i-Pilot.

If you are buying a new trolling motor, MinnKota will offer 5 new models with i-Pilot pre-installed:

Terrova 101 with i-Pilot and US2
Terrova 80 with i-Pilot and US2
PowerDriveV2 70 with i-Pilot, either with or without US2
PowerDrive 55 with i-Pilot

That’s great. I was under the impression it was an add-on only. One more question for you. I have an old ’85 Tyee 18.5 ft tank. Do you think the v2 70 lb would work or do you think the Terrova 80 or 101. I have been fishing pool 4 much more recently so I want to be able to have enough for the river in the spring. I read the buyers guide on Cabela’s website whic gave a formula involving boat weight but I have no idea how much my boat weights.

You can never have too much power in your bowmount.

If I didn’t fish rivers, I’d probably be able to get by with a 24V model. However, given my style of fishing and favorite waters, I don’t see myself running anything less than a 101.

The Terrova, while more $$ upfront, is the better investment (IMHO). Terrova’s foot pedal retains full functionality with the i-Pilot, while all PowerDrive V2 motor control must be done with the i-Pilot remote. Terrova’s easy stow and deploy is also much easier on the back than the PowerDrive’s system.

If you go with the 101, remember you need a spot for 3 battery’s it is 36 volt!

Jason
SO is it safe to say that in a stiff wind/current the motor never shuts off,Just dials the prop speed down to try to hover over the 5 ft circle or does it always shut down, drift off spot,start,regain position,shut off??

Thanks again

Enough Said. I was planing on having to save the extra 400 + the 1300 for the 80. The 101 at 1500 still saves me money in the end. Thanks Jason.

Quote:

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SO is it safe to say that in a stiff wind/current the motor never shuts off,Just dials the prop speed down to try to hover over the 5 ft circle or does it always shut down, drift off spot,start,regain position,shut off

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No, it’s not safe to say that. I’ve had instances where the motor stays on essentially all the time, and other instances where it turns itself on and off. My guess, and this is only a guess, is that the motor will tend to turn itself off and back on when current and/or wind is minimal, but stay on more consistently when working against consistent flow, wind, or waves.

I noticed in looking at i-Pilot at the store that the remote beeps when you press a button. I understand that it is a helpful feature, just wondering if you can turn beeps off?

Thanks,
KT