Terrova I-pilot how good or bad is it

**minnowtime** · 03-28-2012, 01:01 PM

Best way to run cable is to drill a hole in web just above the motor and anchor cable with ziptie to keep cable away from propeller. Next drill a hole in lantch handle close to shaft to run cable thru this keeps cable from getting cought when deploy or stowing. Also keeps cable from wraping around shaft too much. Next anchor cable aboue depth clamp with ziptie no need to run cable thru trolling motor cable can cut down on electrical enterferance.

I had I-pilot and sold it. I like the PD-2 electric stearing that can use any where in boat.

**jigflinger** · 03-28-2012, 06:48 PM

OK, Mr. Bill, here goes. I don't have a pic but there is one on here to illustrate. It's in the sticky: Terrova Sonar Transducer Mount. Post #38. Picture #7. Notice where the cable turns and goes into the notch in the shaft. He has a cable tie there. But if the motor is brought to the stow position with any force the motor will contact the steering unit. A little added protection in this area for the cable will prevent a crushed cable. I have seen cables that have been crushed this way. Hope this helps.

**Stymie** · 03-28-2012, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by sportsman223

I am thinking on up grading to one. Is it worth it? Does the spot lock work ?
I looked at the review, but there are some naysayers just trying to make sure it is not cheap
and my old powerdrive still works good. The spot lock sounds like it would be great if it works as they say
Thanks in advance

When I bought mine, I had visions of sitting on brush anchorless while night fishing. I knew there would be a drift, but thought I would have a gentle move back to my spot. I don't get this result on my boat. On my boat, while the motor ramps up to move me back to position, the boat keeps drifting further away. the motor speed ramps up more until it gets me moving in the right direction, but at that point, it is set too fast and I overshoot the spot before it tries to slow down or turn around and get me back. End result, my lines are horizontal as I'm speeding back to the spot and no fish.

I think if you are casting, it is ok, but it doesn't work for me trying to sit on brush. I'm back to anchors when fishing at night.

It does come in handy keeping me from beaching myself whenever I have to untangle a mess though.

With that said, do I recommend the Ipilot...heck yeah. Spot lock doesn't do what i envisioned, but the pluses far outweigh the minuses.

**Mumpy** · 03-28-2012, 08:15 PM

I want someone to explain this "Software" that keeps the spot lock from turning 360 Degrees. That's a new one to me. I was in high winds on West Point this past Saturday and my iPilot constantly was turning 540 Degrees to a point where I thought my cables were going to snap. I called the Dealership while ON the water and they contacted their Minn Kota guys who didn't mention ANYTHING about Software to prevent this.

So please explain this to me.

Thank you

**Corker** · 03-29-2012, 06:46 AM

Sportsman- You're actually talking about three decisions:iPilot, Terrova, or both. If you have a PD2, you could add iP without buying a new motor. Likewise, you could get a Terrova w/o iP.

The 3 options are listed in the order of their cost. By asking the question, you're saying that the cost is doable. By focussing on SpotLock, you're probably telling us that you're a spider rigger, dock shooter, BP jigger, or you drift corks. (If your favorite crappie fishing technique is towing cranks or longline trolling, you would have asked about Track Record/Playback, CruiseControl, and Autopilot.)

Terrova is a tough well-built motor. Tomorrow will be my TM's 169th trip. It is a 24v, 80# Terrova w/ iP. Most of my trips (up to 12 miles per day) are TMO lakes, so my motor works hard from pre-dawn until dark. The MK warranty has replaced the rubber cover on the remote (several times) and I replaced one of the plastic side panels (carelessly ran it under the edge of a dock), but It has never been in the shop for repair and has required no maintenance. You will never regret buying a Terrova.

iPilot is a bundle of GPS-enabled controls. SpotLock, in particular, highlights the inherent inaccuracy of GPS. If you search the threads, you'll find many discussions of the "problem" of excessive drift. Unless I've missed something, the GPS used in iP does NOT have WAAS capability. That means that a "spot" is actually a circle with a diameter that can be several boat lengths. GPS precision varies from place to place and time to time, so the circle can be even larger. Weather conditions and cover (trees, bridges, and anything else between your boat and the position satellites) can degrade precision or shut down service entirely. Add all this together and you can see why SL will never be the perfect answer for precision BP jigging, dock shooting, or tight places. Nevertheless, there are times when spider-riggers and cork drifters LOVE it! All things considered, you will never regret buying iP.

If I had it to do all over again, would I buy a Terrova w/ iPilot? I've already done it! Recognizing the number of service hours on my TM, I bought a replacement at the end of last year when merchants were offering great prices to clear out the old models before the "new and improved" iP2 was released. It's sitting there in the floor ready to go whenever my old motor hiccups or I decide to retire it to back-up status!

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