Motorguide Xi5 or Min Kota I pilot

I have been reading up on these trolling motors and it sounds as if Motorguide is taking care of some of the issues with the i pilot. Looking for anyone that has used the Xi5 for honest opinions. I know many love the Terrova Minn kota. I also herd the 80 lbs thrust when using the anchor option can throw you out of the boat if you are not careful because it really moves fast when it gets back on the spot and has a tendency to drift off a ways before it quickly speeds up back to its spot. Does anyone know the real differences yet? How much does the 55 lbs 12v thrust compare to the 80 lbs 24 v? Does it make a big difference when fishing in wind? If so how often do you really use the power on the water? Sorry guys I know its a lot of questions but if you have not already researched this I am sure you will soon........Thoughts?:scratchhead:scratchhead

Any day fishing is better then a good day at work :fish

I had the 55# now I have the 80# and I love it

The Minnkota I pilot does rev up too high on spot lock to suit me. If you fish small brushpiles and such in shallow water it washes the fish off your spot. I think they would be good for deep water and trolling, just not my type of fishing.

So how often is an 80 lbs of thrust power utilized over 55. Everyone talks about how much better the 24v 80s are. Just need to know if I should rework my battery department and add another for the 80. And I have 8 gauge wire which some say they have used but other recommendations say 4 gauge. :scratchhead( too the battery)

The 24v TM's run much longer than the 12's on a per charge basis. I very seldom run my 80lb Terrova faster than 21/2 when spider rigging (depending on the wind), but I run it 1.5-2mph when pulling cranks. Gotta have a 24v for that. Good batteries are a must also.

That being said, if it ain't broke, Don't fix it!!!!!

If I was setting up a new one it be 24v. Pulling cranks will kill a 12v battery. If you are just fish and light trolling 12v will do good. I have seen a skier behind Nimrod 24v :biggrin

I gave a pretty detailed review of my 55lb Xi5 on the Xi5 Motorguide thread. It doesn't seem to have the issues the I pilot does after my first use. I feel as though the 55lb motor is the right size for my boat... 17.5 foot aluminum bass boat. I don't pull crankbaits though, If I did I would go with the bigger 80lb. But the 55lb held spot on and was very easy at correcting its self. It seems to power up on low to correct then speed up as necessary instead of powering up on high to correct on anchor mode. This was after one use in 15mph winds. Can't say about any other conditions, such as no wind. Anything over 20mph may be a problem with 55lb it seemed as I was blown back about a boats length when some very strong gusts came up, but it creeped up back into position without the motor kicking into high.

I have the 55 terrova,
The only problem I see is that later in the day, if the motor goes to high, it will lost GPS lock.
This happens if the voltage at the motor falls below 11.5 volts.
I moved my battery to front and that helped.

I have a 17 foot V bottom and there are times in the wind I thing the 80 would help
From reading, the 24 volt system does not have the GPS unlock problem or maybe I should add another batt.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WE16

I have the 55 terrova,
The only problem I see is that later in the day, if the motor goes to high, it will lost GPS lock.
This happens if the voltage at the motor falls below 11.5 volts.
I moved my battery to front and that helped.

I have a 17 foot V bottom and there are times in the wind I thing the 80 would help
From reading, the 24 volt system does not have the GPS unlock problem or maybe I should add another batt.

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I run 2 batteries on my 55. I have only had that problem 1 time and that was after pulling cranks for about 4. Hr's. Normally I run my 4 stroke and just use the troller to steer with. I have run a friends boat that is reall close to mine, with a 24. What I found was I can run mine slower with the 55 than the 70 set on slowest speed. Big plus to me when spider rigging. Which I do most of the time.

I run my Xi5 on 2 27 batteries and after a whole 8 hr day in the wind on anchor mode the battery level indicator was still almost all the way up. Another battery would solve your problem for sure I think. Somehow the way electricity works, I read that 2 batteries will actually increase the usable time by 3x instead of 2 like one would think also.

I'm pretty sure this is correct... He went into great detail explaining how the 2 batteries would make a 12v system last 3x longer and said he was an electrical engineer.... But couldn't prove that myself.

And a 24 volt system will last longer than 2 12 volt batteries.

The Xi5 Motorguides have 2 gps receivers... One in the mount and one in the top of the trolling motor. If I were looking to buy a bigger motor after my good results with the xi5, I'd consider it. Especially if you run Lowrance electronics as they will soon link to the Xi5's....But you may want to wait until I get out a few more times and post more reviews. Is is very easy to correct its self though. Doesn't power up on high to do it. It powers up on low and speeds up if necessary. It kept the boat perfectly straight into the wind and no whipping of the back of the boat like an acchor rope.

Only time I've nearly been slung out of the boat with the terrova is when I bent over and pinched the rabbit button and the turn button between my belly and leg. Weight loss will cure most of that problem. Moving at a slower speed or into the wind before you spot lock makes things much smoother. Nimrod is correct. Even with fish 10ft down, I don't use spot lock for vertical jigging. I imagine that motor guide makes a good unit as well. I don't own stock in any of the 2 companies, so have no preference in what you buy and just because I own a certain brand doesn't make it the best, however the two Terrovas I own have worked well for us. If someone would like to give me a Motor Guide, I would love to give a non partisan opinion on the different brands. I haven't run the 24 volt cranking, but the 55 on a 542 War Eagle easily runs all day long on a Walmart group 27 deep cycle while cranking. I even ran the 55 on the 1860 boat. I don't think it would have cranked all day, but a few hours was fine. Spider rigging all day in the 1860 was no problem even with one battery.

Good luck. Hope you find the perfect motor for you.

Similar to him I've only used the Xi5. I've never seen a Terrova used, wasn't comparing the two.... But I wouldn't hold too much stock in what I say yet. I've only had it out once. My opinion may very well change. But I hope not... I really don't think it on anchor mode would scare the crappie as much as I did with my cable steer, turning it off and on all the time, since the motor is running all the time, and the boat is staying more stationary, and the motor kicking off and on is supposed to scare them more than using it constant, like every other opinion of mine, I am repeating what I've heard and read from fellow fishermen, but not anything from advertisements. But WARNING.... I actually have far less experience crappie fishing than most others do on this site...This should lead all my posts!!!. I'm kind of converting over from bass fishing due to my back aching and cant cast all day long anymore. My interest in it actually shouldn't be taken as learned knowledge. There is so much more to crappie fishing than I thought when I got into it a couple years ago, I've learned so much from being spring bobber/ minnow only fisherman....But hopefully readers notice the post numbers when taking advice....