MX2025 Change from Minnkota to Motorguide Xi5

I currently have a 36v 101 MK Terrova iPilot mounted on a slider plate which came with my Skeeter. I’m considering changing over to the 36v 105 Xi5 and setting up a gateway to my Lowrance Gen 2 touch units which may be a whole different topic regarding networking, function etc.

My questions are:

Has anyone made this change on their Skeeter and did you run into any issues?

Will I need to drill holes in the top plate to match the holes in the Xi5 for mounting? This assumes the existing sliding plates can be separated.

The structure of the Xi5 has that drop on the front, does this hit the hull if using the existing slider plate when slid back in the stowed position?

If I need to remove the existing slider plate, how did others mount their Xi5? Has any one mounted directly to the hull without a plate? I prefer using this sliding plate as I like being able to slide the motor back out of the way.

Is this plate unique to Skeeter and needed to avoid hitting the motor on docks, trailer winches etc.?

Will this change cause any changes to the fit of my Skeeter travel cover? As I recall, there is plenty of loose fit over the front of the bow before ratcheting the cover so this may not be a concern.

Any responses are appreciated. Thanks!

Talk to the boys at SBC. They will be able to answer all your questions.

Sounds easier to add a bird to the dash

David Blais wrote:

Sounds easier to add a bird to the dash

Probably…

I made the same change to my WX2190. Its been a while since I did it so I dont remember the exact details, but the existing Minn Kota mounting bracket works with slight mods. I believe I had to drill out the holes where the Xi5 bolts to the mounting plate just slightly to get the bolts to line up. The sliding aspect of the bracket no longer works like it does with the Terrova due to the reason that you mentioned. It works fine with it left in the extended position. I think the only other thing I did was drill and tap a hole on the back side of the bracket and put a bolt in it to keep it from rattling. My cover fits fine still. The motor does stick out a bit so there is the risk of hitting something if you are not careful.
I think this is a better option than removing the Minn Kota bracket and drilling new holes in your boat for the Xi5 bracket. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

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hookinupwalleye wrote:

The sliding aspect of the bracket no longer works like it does with the Terrova due to the reason that you mentioned. It works fine with it left in the extended position.

This is pure speculation on my part but; Would it be an option to also add a spacer between the boat and the bracket assembly? Raising the whole thing up enough to clear the “drop down” and thus allowing it to slide as originally intended? Just a thought.

Huntindave wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>hookinupwalleye wrote:</div>
The sliding aspect of the bracket no longer works like it does with the Terrova due to the reason that you mentioned. It works fine with it left in the extended position.

This is pure speculation on my part but; Would it be an option to also add a spacer between the boat and the bracket assembly? Raising the whole thing up enough to clear the “drop down” and thus allowing it to slide as originally intended? Just a thought.

Take a look at this post on WC.

http://www.walleyecentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4520217&postcount=12

HRG

Thank you for your input. Greatly appreciated! This weekend I’m going to try this system hands on to find out if this is worth the change over or not.

I ran the Xi5 on my 2190 last year and I did not use the slide plate. Never had issue with coming close to the roller when loading and unloading the boat. Way better to switch then install a bird

I did install the quick release bracket from motorguide as well.

skeeter20 wrote:

I ran the Xi5 on my 2190 last year and I did not use the slide plate. Never had issue with coming close to the roller when loading and unloading the boat. Way better to switch then install a bird

I did install the quick release bracket from motorguide as well.

Thanks Skeeter 20. Running a friend’s Xi5 with the gateway last weekend was outstanding. It was so good I’ll be expanding my NMEA network, adding another HDS unit and I ordered an Xi5 Monday night. Glad I didn’t go with birds and link as I did consider that option. Looks like I will have a 36v, 101 Terrova iPilot for sale once my new motor arrives.

After receiving my backordered Xi5 and making time to rig everything I went out yesterday and everything worked great. Thanks to all for input received! I decided to mount the Xi5 directly into the deck, obviously solid. However, my boat has the bow rails which forced me to put the head of the motor outside the rail and add a Ram “claw” is a stabilizer/support (thanks Skeeter 20). Otherwise, the motor head was hitting the rail. The cover still fits. I now have NMEA to all graphs. Very happy with performance and function of the Xi5, and can’t wait to put it through the paces of fishing!

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