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I read a lot of positive comments about terrova; not many comments(positive or negative) about ulterra. It seems like there is very little complaining about anything on this site; I appreciate that. Assuming they were the same price, which is better and why.
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The ulterra automatic deploy and stow mechanism has a marked number of complaints. Some people have "downgraded" to the Terrova out of frustration. Check out the walleye forums too for reviews, since they work their trolling motors hard in more demanding conditions.
I talk to a lot of people about the first Ulterra deploy problem. And I have been insured they are fixing the newer ones. The first one where losing the magnet that was bring them up and down. I hoping it fix as Im hope to get one for my boat
That depends on you they both are the best you can buy. If you are young and healthy then the Terrova will work just fine. When you reach that senior age and fish by yourself a lot then the ultera is the way to go. It is more for convience than anything else. I have 2 ulteras one on my walleye boat and one on my pontoon. That is the only trolling motor that will go on my boats. They have got all the bugs worked out.
Have had both. What sinkermaker says for the aging generation they are awesome. They are also a great safety feature especially for spider riggers with limited room in the front of boat.
I have experience with both in many walleye tournaments.
As far as operation:
We see zero difference between the terrova 80 and the ulterra 80. Both function identical in terms of operation including: spot lock, trolling, navigation via GPS, Navigation via compass, cruise control, and battery consumption.
Both motors are on identical boats with identicle setups in terms of electronics and batteries.
The original motor they are speaking of is Pre 2016. The motors made in 2016 and after addressed issues from the first models which were a complete disaster.
I put the Ulterra on my dads boat because he is over the age of 70. I don't need him leaning over the front of the boat deploying and pulling up a terrova. When jigging the river for walleyes, our drifts can be short. I prefer to operate the motor from the back of the boat where the rest of my fisherman are located. This is done in order to ensure everybody on board can stay verticle. This is hard to do when the operator is in the front of the boat as he is right next to the motor. The drifts can be short and we can spend a ton of time and energy walking to the front, pulling up the motor, going back up river, and deploying the motor.
With the ulterra, we hit a button, stow the motor, hit a button, deploy the motor. OR, we raise the motor out of the water go back up river, and then drop it back down. We have seen limited issues regarding freezing weather but this is negated by utilizing some none freezing products such as Wd40 on the shaft.
The only negative we have found: We carry multiples of everything when tournament fishing. Multiple remote batteries, multiple remotes, and so on. When drifting, both me and my partner carry a remote programed to the motor. This way we both can operate it if need be. The terrova remote doesn't work with the ulterra due to the extra buttons needed to stow and deploy. We had to purchase additional remotes. Not a big issue but they were a little more money than the terrova remote. I know, a small nit picky price to pay!!!
Only downfall, if you have to, for whatever reason, manually stow the motor, it has to be sent back in to be fixed so that you can use it again! I say go for it,
If you decide on the terova you might want to look at the Ultrex instead. Just a thought . As a disclaimer I have the ulterra and love it.
I had a Terrova and really liked it. I have an Ulterra and really like it. One thing I like with the Ulterra is in high wind it allows me to start the big motor and put it in gear then stow the TM while remaining seated at the console. I have a deep V that catches a lot of wind and don't get to fish often enough to stay home when it's windy. If I actually get a chance to go, I'm going high wind or not. The Ulterra comes in handy on occasion.
Great feedback folks!! Thanks
I had seen the walleye forum comments and was hoping that the auto deploy issue had been resolved.
I will probably eventually have to manually stow the motor. Do I understand that a quick release bracket would avert the problem?
I am no longer part of the younger or middle generations. My current trolling motor is a riptide 70; my boat is an express center console—light and lots of windage. The manual control riptide works me to death in light breeze. I NEED ipilot and foot control. Also my feet are a lot bigger and clumsier. I handle manual stow and deploy okay now. I hope I do not require auto deploy in future, but ...
The luxury of auto deploy may be a necessity sooner than I think. If auto deploy is fixed, the wisest thing for me appears to be an ulterra.
Thanks again
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I have an Ulterra and absolutely love it. No problems with the stow/deploy. It is in fact my favorite feature. I back my boat in the lake, deploy, and spot lock it all by remote while I park. Saves getting in and out of the boat as much. As mentioned, great to fire up the outboard and stow the tm while behind the console. I mainly pull cranks and rarely go to the front of the boat anymore. It's nice to be able to operate the tm without ever laying a finger on it. The remote trim is also pretty handy at times. I like to run it as close to the surface as I can for accurate depth readings using the integrated transducer, but being able to drop it down when waves or boat wakes get the boat rocking is nice.
Hello: A couple years after I bought my terrova they came out with the ulterra . It was going to cost me about $14000 to upgrade to it. I purchased a product called the bow mount lift. I think it was $350.00 - 400.00. After you deploy the terrova you can raise and lower it. I set mine up cordless so I can operate it anywhere in the boat. Works good for me. Good Luck . O - R
Hello: $1400 not 14000 to upgrade.
I have owned the Ulterra for almost 3 years now......1st generation. I fish a lot. It has been sent back to Minn Kota twice. It was under warranty but the parts list they send you back with motor to show you what they replaced would have cost me 2 grand if I had to pay for it. The last time I got it back was August 2017. The warranty was out at the end of August 2017. It started having problems again about 2 months back. Now it is on me to fix it....it will not be fixed. It is useable but it is matter of time before it completely fails again. When it does I will replace with the new Terrova with lift assist. I must admit it has served me well with the exceptions of the 2 break downs.....of which I was only without a motor for a week each time. On both occasions the motor was still useable but periodically would not stow and I would have to manually stow it....that is a real pain on the water. But I used it like that for several months before sending in. Minn Kota service has been good. I love the auto stow aspect of the unit but I no longer have trust in the unit. I have several friends who own the Ulterra and have never had any issues with them. It seems a few of us have bad units but most are very happy with theirs.
Regards
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