I'm wanting/needing to upgrade from my old 65lb Maxxum to a 80lb Terrova. I feel that to effectively fish in the wind, to open up more fishing time for me, I need a little more power. As it is now if the wind is higher than 15, I won't go out because it is a beating to try and fish into the wind even if I'm in a cove where it is choppy but the wind is blowing the boat around. Controlling the boat, drift etc, makes for a rough day for me and 65lb doesn't cut the mustard very well with a lot of wind.
I am slowly upgrading electronics so I will be getting a linkable Humminbird unit for use with I-link on the motor. I LOVE the idea of the spot lock but how well does it really work? With it tracking way points or contour lines does it account for wind drift etc or am I worried about it driving me into the bank because of wind drift? Thoughts?
And I think 80lb is just right for my 18'6" boat plus I don't want to have to add another battery to my 24v system if I don't HAVE to.

Tin bots get blown away really easy with the wind... with the terrova i am not afraid of fishing the wind at all, it holds against the wind really well.

I have a similar boat to yours, mines a 2000 skeeter ZX 185 so it's a good comparison for you. I have a 80lb Terrova and it holds plenty fine in the wind, I've been in waves so big they were crashing over the bow (not fun or smart). It will not hold you in a 5' each direction circle though, maybe 20'-25' each way circle. If you're just chunking cranks & such then it's fine; but if you're trying to throw a worm, jig, Carolina rig, etc then it moves too much.


The motor is a love/hate thing. It sticks out too far and you will have it hitting your front bow stop on most ramps so the sliding mount is a smart option. The motor that turns the shaft is quite noisy so don't think you're going to sneak up on anything ever again. The foot pedal is only good for emergencies. But the spotlock & heading feature are why I keep mine. It's great to hit the spotlock and be able to take a fish off or re-tie.

I fish from a Skeeter TZX 190 and love my 80 lb Terrova, especially the
spotlock function. I've never had any problem with it holding me within a 5' to 10' radius from my "anchor" point, which makes for an enjoyable experience C-Rigging on a deep water brush pile or main lake point.

I do not have i-link, but can point the bow into the wind and set a trail along a creek bed or bank. The i-Pilot will automatically adjust direction in regard to cross wind or current while moving you along at a desired pace while you fish.

GroutScout is right about the head sticking out too far. Unless you use a sliding mount, you take a chance of breaking off a portion of Terrova's mount. I installed my Terrova on top of a SlideMaxx which gives me 7" to 10" of "security" while launching and loading my boat.

I have been amazed at my Terrova's low battery draw as well. I've fished all day using spotlock and trails and have never lost less than 3/4 battery strength. I always use the remote and don't even have the foot control mounted on deck. I do carry it in storage in case of an emergency, but have never needed it. I would suggest you always carry a couple of extra batteries for the remote though.

Only bad thing I have to say about my Terrova is I purchased it a year before the Ulterra came on the market. Some days when the ol'back is sore and stiff, I sure wish it would deploy and load with a push of a button.

After fishing with my 101 Terrova and a 112 and a 112 Ulterra I if I had to replace it would not even think twice on the Ulterra and get one the 112 Ulterra will be what I will replace my 101 with it need be.

I guess I need to add (because I forgot) that my Terrova is the older model with the smaller remote. Maybe the newer ones are better at holding their 10' radius spotlock...

Other than the auto deploy and stow, does the Ulterra have any other features that make it stand out against the Terrova? The price difference is quite significant if that is the main difference between the two.

Also, I think the 1st gen Terrova had complaints about poor spot lock. The newer ones, from what I can tell by reading reviews, etc, hold spot better. I've been told that if you use i-Link with Humminbird linkable electronics, you get the benefit of the onboard GPS of the fish finder along with the maps and it helps hold spot/GPS lock even better. I'm leaning towards that option more than just the i-Pilot.

Does anyone know if I can call my Skeeter dealer and get the custom Skeeter sliding mount they make for the Terrova/Ulterra units?

I have an 80# Terrova with 45" shaft on my 1988 Champion. Mine has iPilot and USR transducer.

I made a fixed mounting/adapter plate from 3/8" aluminum that uses my old MotorGuide TM's deck holes. Didn't have to drill another set of holes in the deck. The plate is long enough to also serve as kind of a guard for the front of the Terrova where it sticks out in front of the deck.

Every boat and trailer and ramp is different but so far I've not hit the bow roller on my trailer.

I use the foot pedal a lot - mostly the buttons on front and sides of the pedal using the toe of my shoe. I'll use the remote when running SpotLock or if trolling I set back near console to watch console graph and tend the trolling rod(s) and run the Terrova with the remote to steer, change speed, start/stop, etc.

My Terrova is several years old and the SpotLock works fine for my use - usually keeps boat in about 20-25 ft area depending on wind speed and direction variability, etc.

It sounds like I have a very similar setup as grout-scout. Like him I have the older smaller remote. Everything he says and GTrigg sounds like mine except my experience for Spot-Lock is like grout-scount, not GTrigg's experience. I have a Triton TR186 and the Terrova does stick out (way out IMO). I have no trouble with it contacting the trailer bow keeper but tying up to docks is a real dilemma at times. I do not have the sliding plate.

Note to grout-scout. I 'had' the same noise issue. Whenever anyone asked for opinions, that is one point I would make. Mine got so bad going to the right you could hear me across the lake. OK, maybe an exaggeration but it was a screeching loud noise, which would turn heads of others fishing by me. After research, calls to MK and local TM shops, I order a new steering assembly ($126) and replaced it myself. The Terrova is now sweet (almost silent). I use to be able to listen to the noise and know about how much I had steered one direction or the other, now I have to look at the head. I think MK probably improved this part on the newer models (same part #) as they have reportably improved the Spot-on. Now, if only they would price the newer remote consumer friendly...

The spot lock will make windy days much easier. I have a 15' boat so wind can beat me up. I hate driving in high winds but have no issue using spot lock out in it.

Unlike traditional tms, you don't really want to over power the tm to your boat. Having too much power, prevents the spotlock from working properly plus the battery management on the terrova is very efficient.

As far as your question about being blown into the bank, the contour line is followed by using gos way points that the terrova creates. You have to adjust your water level in the lakemaster map to match the current lake level for accurate readings. It will follow the contour and not be blown off course as long as you set the speed to give the unit enough power to pull the boat against the wind to maintain it's course. Besides just selecting the power setting, there is an option to set the speed allowing the unit to adjust power to maintain your desired speed.

The spot lock, as others have mentioned isn't perfect but does a better job than I could do manually while doing other things like fishing in the boat.

Another way to improve spot lock in certain situations depending on the wind is to not use it but rather point the boat into the wind, lock it yo a heading as and then set your speed to match the wind.

The only way that I would consider replacing mine would be to upgrade to an ulterra. Fishing alone, the auto deploy feature would really be nice.

No kidding, Is that motor easy to replace? It doesn't concern me too much on the open lake; but when I get into a creek channel I just keep thinking what an idiot I am fishing while the fish are hearing the "weeee, weeee, weeee". I think I'll have to look into the upgrade, thanks for the heads up.

It's the old clich�, 'if I can do it, anyone can do it'. I've learned and done more with boats than I ever thought possible. I don't find the cut wood adage to be true with boats; measure twice, cut once. It seems to take me three times to get it right but when done, it's done correctly and I've learned a lot - then I will forget for the next time.

First, get the part # needed from the MK site. They now have a complete Parts section for each TM. Fairly easy to navigate once you find the Parts Ordering link. If you order from MK, freight is added. I ordered mine locally for the same price and picked it up after fishing on the way home for the price of the listed part, no freight charge. Maybe had taxes, don't recall.

To install is rather straight forward. It comes with no instructions for installation but your local TM guy could give you some pointers - that is what I got. You do have to remove the shaft but that was no biggie for me as I have done that mounting fish finders. I do have some pointers that probably would be helpful but I would prefer to talk and walk you thru it if you decide to do it. Just too much to type and I'm getting lazy. Plus it would allow for a Q&A customized for your situation. If you decide to do this, send me a PM with phone number and I'll get back to you.

My "weeee, weeee, weeee" morphed more into finger nails on a blackboard. If I remember, next time on the water, I'll take a brief video/audio of it. I'm pretty sure that would give you an idea of the improvement.

Look at the MKA 47 slider plate