Thought I’d open a can of worms here but here’s my opinion. I have a Terrova 80# with I-Pilot on the bow, and a 80# Vector 3X on the transom. Add to that a T8, just for those nasty current times.
The Terrova is an awesome motor on the bow, period ! The I-Pilot is a fantastic feature, allows repeating a track, spot lock for electronic anchoring, auto-pilot…all of that is awesome for most conditions, including drift control. HOWEVER, it is not the cat’s meow for everything. The transom motor kicks butt for bumper boat conditions because it allows for instantaneous direction change and thrust change in one single motion, whereas the delays in finding the buttons on the I-Pilot remote, pressing them, waiting for the electric motor to turn, all take time..time which you don’t have in heavy current and bumper boat conditions (as on Pool 4 in Winter). Add to that gloves…the enemy of remote controls but just fine for a transom tiller motor. I think you need both, it’s the best of both worlds, for the moment. It will narrow down to 1 choice, for tiller boats like your new one, once Minnkota adds I-Pilot to the transom motor. It would be easy to do, must be a marketing decision for now.
