I am hoping to get sone info from those of you who have owned the older generation terrova ipilot (gen 1?) and the more recent flawed terrova ipilot (gen 2?).
I’m ver unhappy with my spot lock function and am looking to potentially downgrade with a used terrova to get better spot lock function without buying a new unit.
Thoughts?
I had Gen 1 terrova with Ipilot I was happy with spot lock feature used it every trip. After a couple happy years the gps went out and I had to replace the I pilot with the current version. I was livid of how horrible spot lock worked. Took it back to dealer and made them call Minnkota they said its still working according to there specifications. It would over correct by 30 to 50 foot then tried to correct by accelerating to full speed momentarily almost throwing you from boat. I gave it one more weekend and went back to cable drive as it was better to run manually than use the pos ipilot. very disappointed couldn’t pay me to try one again.
I have a Gen 1 that I am extremely happy with. The spot lock is not spot on but it does what I want it to do, hold the boat in an area while I tend to fish, change lures, grab a drink etc….
I am considering selling it to upgrade to an Ultrex.
I bought it new in the box at the end of the 15 season so it is really only 1.5 seasons old. Stored in my basement own the offseason. I have never once used the foot control
It is in mint condition 36v 101 pub thrust, 60″ shaft with Link.
When did they switch to the gen. 2 (worse system)?
I had the gen.1 Terrova and it worked great. Got the gen 2, it was all over the place. Traded my boat in 2015, got a new 2015 Ulterra on the new boat. It was even worse than the second Terrova. Dealer sent it back to Minn Kota and they sent it back saying it worked fine. After the third repair it still didn’t work. Everything but the spot lock worked fine. After talking to Minn Kota in Febuary they finally agreed it didn’t, couldn’t and wouldn’t ever work right and I now have a new 2017 Blue Tooth Ulterra. It works perfect so far. The spot lock works so good that I put the anchor and anchor rope away. They should all work like this one out of the box. Glad I got this resolved before the warranty runs out in June. Wish they would have extended the warranty but at least I got it working.
I am mostly satisfied with my Gen 1 Terrova I-Pilot. Its not perfect, but I never had those expectations. The spot lock can get confused under certain conditions. I fish the Mississippi mostly. If the wind and current are coming from opposite directions, it gets all messed up. Wind and current from the same or similar directions and it can be nearly perfect. Fished the river a couple times this spring where wind and current were in harmony. The first time I would have swore I had the anchor out. The second trip it kept me on target 95% of the time. Had a couple occasions where it decided to drift about 20 ft downstream before getting with the program. Fortunately, I never had to intervene. Last Friday I was out with winds and current in opposition. Tried it and turned it off. Wasn’t going to cooperate in those conditions.
I use autopilot and cruise control frequently. Autopilot works pretty good. It has a tendency to drift off course to the left, so I have to occasionally bump it right to get back on course. Cruise control works kind of like spot lock. In favorable conditions it rocks. Opposite forces on the boat and gusty winds give it fits.
Routing sucks. I can plot a route and try to run it. It overshoots turns and then over corrects…constantly. I don’t use it. Wish it worked better because it would be very useful.
I have no experience at all with Gen 2 or the current BT models, other than I have heard Gen 2 sucks and BT is a big improvement.
I’m experiencing all the same issues as everyone else I’m just wondering what my most cost effective options are. I’m also experiencing remote issues where it doesn’t have much range and won’t even send a signal through my finger.
I’m really considering buying a 101 terrova ipilot to replace my 2014 112 terrova ipilot.
Are there any other differences I should be aware of. Remote? Features? Etc… am I sacrificing anything?
Technology that works like crap is still crap.
are the newer ones any better yet? or does a person have to get a top of the line model so it may work like its supposed to.
I need a new bow mount as I currently only have a power drive V1 I added the co-pilot but now my foot pedal stopped working. I dont even have Auto-Pilot right now…
by gen 2 are you talking about the new blue tooth models?
I have one of the 2017 blue tooth terrovas and it works great!
by gen 2 are you talking about the new blue tooth models?
I have one of the 2017 blue tooth terrovas and it works great!
Yours is a 3rd generation.
thanks, I guess that is a good thing.
are the newer ones any better yet? or does a person have to get a top of the line model so it may work like its supposed to.
I need a new bow mount as I currently only have a power drive V1 I added the co-pilot but now my foot pedal stopped working. I dont even have Auto-Pilot right now…
The gen 3 are worth it. Even the bad Terrovas were better thank the best Power Drives. All the 2017 Power Drive, Terrova, Ulterra, Ultrex have the blue tooth. If your upgrading from from an old Power Drive you have more than got your money back.
Having been inthe same boat as the original poster. (Pun) iPad a gen 1 IPilot that was stellar and upgraded to a Link in 2012. After fighting with it till now with a terrible spot lock, I bought a used Gen 1 IPilot. Traded them out last trip, but didn’t have any wind to compare,but it just plain acted like it was going to behave, and not be so spastic as the the Link. Spot lock is really the only thing I use in the winter, but in the spring and summer I do like the FTC mode, so therefore, I am keeping both systems and not upgrading to a Gen 3. And,saving some coin..
I have a gen 1 and am happy with it. When wind and or current is strong I leave the big motor down to act as a rudder and lessen large corrections. Sure beats dropping and pulling anchor like the old days plus it remembers where I caught that nice walleye yesterday. Even if not perfect it will keep you from floating away while landing a fish, getting bait, etc.
Does anybody have the gen1 i-Pilot for Terrova part #? I think they were the 2010 model year and earlier (I believe the gen2 i-Pilot with the newer remote and added memory came out in 2011)
I just purchased a new i-pilot for my Powerdrive V2. Are there known issues with this one as well?
I’ve been very impressed with my 2017 Terrova. Holds much tighter to a spot than the older ones I’ve experienced. Granted I’ve only got a couple months in on it….
The new i-Pilot and i-Pilot link with bluetooth is the best spotlock available, those of us with the older gen2 design (spotlock all over the place) are looking for a cheaper alternative vs taking a huge loss and selling our current setup and upgrading to the bluetooth series…
I have the Terrova I-Pilot link that was installed by dealer on my new Alumacraft in June of 2016 The spot lock works flawlessly. I have yet to drop an anchor since I got the new boat. I guess I got lucky and got a good one.
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