Looking for feedback specifically from Ulterra owners, would you purchase one again?
I’ve owned a Terrova for years and like its simplicity, but the idea of auto stow/deploy sounds nice…
My main focus is reliability, thats what scares me about the Ulterra and all of its extra moving parts.
The only down side for the ulterra is if the voltage gets below a certain point the motor will not stow, thus having to manually get it back in with some tools.
Not exactly the funnest thing to do if you are in any kind of rough water.
I purchase a new Ulterra this spring and have been happy with it. I had a Terrova before. If I had to make the decision again today I would do the Ulterra again. The version of Ulterra I have will stop running the prop with enough voltage to allow it to stow. I got to see firsthand when I ran out of batteries because the outlet on the dock at the place we stayed was bad and didn’t charge the batteries overnight.
If you are patient & diligent in respect to the “don’t do this” scenario, I really love the ultera and refer to it as “old guy certified” !
This years models were excellent but not perfect. The terrova is certainly more predictably reliable but I truly value the convenience side that Ultera offers.
The only down side for the ulterra is if the voltage gets below a certain point the motor will not stow, thus having to manually get it back in with some tools.
Not exactly the funnest thing to do if you are in any kind of rough water.
That’s got to be some real low voltage. I too have ran batteries real real low and motors always gone up.
I hate spendy electronics, fancy gadgets, expensive rods, lists goes on. I’ve had the pleasure of captaining others boats this year fairly extensively with their ulterras and think they are the cats @$$. If you can afford it, do it. If you’re older and not that good on your feet anymore, one could almost argue it’s a necessity if you like to fish bigger waves.
I’m on the 2nd year of my ulterra (72″ shaft, 36V, Ipilot), probably 200-250 hours of total use and have not had any issues. I was in the same boat and didn’t think I wanted to deal with the auto stow/deploy potentially giving me fits but a buddy talked me into it as he also has had very good luck with his. Yes i would buy it again.
I love being able to have the motor deploying as I’m grabbing a fishing rod, etc. the trim feature is really nice too. When the water gets rough i just hit the button and trim it down a bit.
I would compare how i feel about the auto stow/deploy feature to how I feel about heated seats. I used to think heated seats were dumb and everyone that had them were wimps until I got them, now i won’t be without them. I feel the same way about the auto stow/deploy.
The only down side for the ulterra is if the voltage gets below a certain point the motor will not stow, thus having to manually get it back in with some tools.
Not exactly the funnest thing to do if you are in any kind of rough water.
Not true the Ulterra has a built in safety if voltage gets to low it shuts down and beeps at you tells you F you and none of the controls will work except stow, with enough voltage to stow the motor.
As an Ulterra owner myself, my biggest piece of advice is to buy a little longer shaft than your old motor. The deploy/stow motor is big enough that it takes up about 6” of shaft that the old motor didn’t. Very happy with my motor.
All the support comments are spot on. So nice to pull up to a location and if you have a network while still in your seat use depth finder to deploy. Then if i-pilot link just select go to waypoint. Open your beer or grab your rod and let the motor do all the work. I have a 620 and in big waves always out of the water. I had considered the longer shaft but dealer talked me out of if.
Joe,
They are awesome motors and many people have excellent reviews with them. The only problems that seem to come up are for the guy’s fishing in below freezing weather. Many guys are keeping their old terrovas for backup and use them when the late season hits.
I can give you a few more details if you pm me.
Steve
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