Exactly. I have all three on my rig. The great thing about PP's is you can lower them a bit when someone is on the back deck casting so they don't hit it.
Talons, not so much. I personally would go with the PP's but that doesn't make the Talons a bad product.

I have fished several times in a boat that had two Talon ten footers. They didn't get in my way cause I was on the front deck!

You can tilt the talons completely out of the way if needed to clear docks or keep an angler from being obstructed.
The ulterra is not the same as the ultrex in spot lock or deployement.
So far, up shallow, the adjustments the trolling motor makes are less disturbing than most folks running the motor by themselves.
We will see this spring if the talons stay or not. Both are great tools but I have been surprised at how little I use the Talons now.

I'd go with Power Pole. I'm on my second set of Blade's and will not own a boat without them. I've had zero issues with them. They are worth every cent! Their customer service is fantastic as well.

To answer your questions:

The pumps don't really get in the way, they're small. I've had zero issues with the hydraulics and hoses in my Pole's. I just have my dealer change out the fluid whenever I take it in for service. The ONLY maintenance I ever had to do was tighten the bolts and nuts every once in a while after a rough ride. But you should do that anyway. I've never had to do any other maintenance except have my dealer change the fluid every now and then. To me, my Power Pole's paid for themselves within a few trips. If your partner is complaining about them being in the way, just put the Pole's down a bit, stop 'em, and keep on fishing. Plain and simple.

I'm not really a fan of the Talon. I've seen, heard, and read about them having too many problems, with a couple of them being costly problems. Just do a search about their problems and you'll see what I'm talking about. Finally, and this is just personal opinion, and it may be just because of my age, but I think Power Pole's look cooler than Talons. The Talon's look too beefy and out of place while the Power Pole's look slim and sharp.

All in all it's just a Ford vs Chevy debate with you choosing your favorite in the end.

Good luck!

Having owned both, power poles are better for me. The talons are load when they deploy. Also, the poles have a wider stance. Wth dual poles I've had my boat stay in 17-18mph wind no problem. Talons, much over 12-15 mph and you'll get blown around in circles even with duals. A lot of it goes into it, ground composition, ect. I will own poles from on out

For 2017 there is a new pivot knuckle option that allows a 180 horizontal arm sweep that will efficiently take care of any back seaters complaints, does sometimes create a little noise but short term.

I have one 12' Talon and love it (would have 2 but garage won't allow). Self contained and two foot more depth compared to the 10" Power Poles. The height has been no problem for my back deck partners. Keep in mind in a wind you need water approximately 1 foot shallower to hold so the 8" PP will realistically only hold in 7', the 10'PP in 9' and the 12ft Talon in 11'.

I have had both and Talons are the way to go

how many talons do you see, now how many power poles do you see? way more people buy power poles than talons. and they are pretty comparable in price.

Talons.

I had two 8-foot Talons on my last boat. They worked great and I have nothing but good things to say about the Talon product. But I just found that I didn't use them as much as I thought I would. In the spring time, I used them more but outside of that I was using them more at the dock than anything else. And even then, I could have done without them.

Also, 8-foot anchors will hold you only in about 7 foot or less of water. I fish Amistad and Alan Henry mostly, and I am not in 7-foot of water other than during the spawn.

My only advice is to get two and then get the longest two you can find. Talon makes 12 footers. If you get 10-footers, there will be times you wish you had the twelves. If 14 footers come out, I would want those.

So think about your fishing habits. If you are a bank beater year-around, then go for it. If you fish deeper except for the spawn, spend your money on the very best electronics. And if you go with anchors, I would get the longest ones that you can.

On my new boat, I opted to not have any installed. There have been a couple of times that I would have used them, but I haven't felt like not having them has cost me any fish.

Seems to me that the Ultrex trolling motor might be the better way to go for me.