Minn Kota Terrova I-pilot........My Review

The i pilot is awesome....The Terrova has the foot control which i hardly use...the turning is alot slower then your normal cable foot control...but u will get use too it...once you learn how too use all the features theres really no use for the foot control...i only use the right / left arrows on the foot control to make minor adjustments when in auto pilot I recorded a track too fish my cove and it works great i only have too worry about the speed which u can set in two ways(cruise control for small adjustment or your 1-10 settings). The spot lock works great also, but you have too get use too setting it....put the bow straight into the wind and make sure u start too drift back alittle before pressing it...The other day i lined the boat on the edge of the point with the bow in the wind using spot lock in about 20 - 25mph winds and fished from the back of the boat(allowed me too get better casting distance / angle) it kept me right on spot with very little drift and i didnt have too touch the trolling motor. I watched about 2 other guys come and leave cause they were having trouble holding the boat to there liking while i sat there fishing from the back of the boat..This motor is easy too use in the wind with or without the spot lock feature. This motor allows me too fish without fighting my trolling motor or having too be a foot away from the foot control in the wind. I have been able too concentrate more on my surroundings, and I gained more focus and confidence on the water..i dont work for Minn Kota by the way....lol sounds kinda lame but its true


The only thing i can say i dont like about the i-pilot:

slower turning(but smoother at high speed's)

The think beeps everytime u hit a button (you may be able to silence it not sure)

The electronic turning is a little noisey (like a RC car kinda noise...if that makes any sense)doesnt seem to bother the fish...The actual motor is very quiet on the other hand.

Although you can install i-pilot on any Terrvoa? the only ones i could find with it already installed on was a 60" shaft...this may have changed but i hear its really easy too install your self just a few screws (that was kinda a blessing in disguise...that will allow me to have more trolling motor in the water when fishing in choppy conditions. its really easy too adjust the depth of the trolling motor for shallow conditions)

The arrows both on the remote and under the actual foot control are a little sensitive.

The whole remote should light up instead of just the screen for us night fisherman

All in All i give it a 9.5 out of 10
It's not for everyone though i can see some having a hard change over from a cable foot control motor...I would recommend too try one first if you have any doubts...If your ever near T-bend and wanna see it in action before making such a large purchase let me know.


The install was very easy also. Hoped this helped some of you guys who are still considering this motor. Agian this is just my two cents but give one a try its a great upgrade for the boat

PS sorry if its kinda sloppy Im not a writer

Nice. Mine is installed on my boat waiting for a good day to hit the lake when I'm off. Put it on last Sunday after a foot of snow hit the ground. Hopefully this weekend will be the day.

I have a smaller boat so I boutht the PowerDrive V2 55# with 54" shaft and iPilot factory installed from BPS for $830. I have it installed and hope to get out this weekend to try it out.
Mine did not come with a foot control, only the remote. I understand I can get a foot control but, want to learn to use the hand held remote and get away from a foot control all together. Or, if I have to, maybe get a wireless foot control that can be moved anywhere on the boat.
Can't wait to try it out, it looks great.
Okie Bob

Good to see someone else likes it as much as I do.
Fishing deeper water and not running the bank I have fewer issues with the turning speed.

Nice report!

Agreed, it's tough to use at night. A yellow cover for the buttons would have showed up a bit better at night or in low light conditions or lighted key pad. Maybe on the next revision.

I noticed my batteries are draining more due to the motor running a lot more during Spot Lock. I have a dual 12v setup so it's not been an issue so far.

Great Report !

In my opinion its the best motor available for deep water.(glad you like your also, havent heard anyone say they didnt yet).I'm a bass fisherman and spend most of my time in the shallow's and i still love it(even fishing in narrow coves and creeks). since the thing basically drives itself i have the extra time too glance ahead and make small corrections to stay clear of anything..Like i said it just takes a little getting used too.


Glad you guys liked the report it was my first go at this kinda thing

Thats a good time too put it on.....lol....i put mine on a few cold fronts ago....let us know how u like it.

thanks for the detailed information. great review. i wish more folks would/could do this.

thanks again!

Excellent review since I am 99% sure I am getting one myself.

I just got mine and tried to put it on my 2009 Skeeter. I could not mount the bracket on the bow because the holes are too close to the front of the boat in order to allow the motor shaft to deploy. Also, the foot control is too wide for the recessed area in the floor. I'm Bummed! I will have to send it back and will surely miss being able to use the i-pilot features.

Sorry too hear that...i had some issue with the mounting....i had too use the firt and second set of holes...it states too try too use the holes furthest apart...but havent had any issues with it yet....if i start too notice a problem i will get a plate made too help support it..just a thought

It fit on the very front of my 2008 Champion. I also saw an illustration of how to run a Humminbird Side Imaging cable down the groove in the shaft. It was so simple and now there are NO hanging wires or a chance it will pinch or twist the wire in half doing a 360 degree turn. AllanW found the link on Crappie.com http://www.crappie.com/crappie/fishing-e...ucer-mount.html and I followed the instructions to the letter. One extra picture on page 2 also. It is a real neat nice install. Now if the wind will stop blowing I will test it on the lake. I already am in love with the 3 different ways you can control it manually. The recessed place in the floor had to be built up and carpeted too. Spanky did that for me and installed the trolling motor. It took some doing but it is as solid as it can be. So now I have a 997 at the console, 798 in the bow and the I-Pilot. AllanW also said the down imaging on the trolling motor is awesome. He said to slow the chart speed down for better results. Makes sense. Old Folks like Spanky and AllanW can make things easy if you listen. Thanks guys!

I may be wrong, but I heard you could not use a foot ctl on a PD 2.

are you unplugging your tm when storing the boat ? the gps feature still works when not in use, maybe this is draining you batteries ?

Good Report I have mine on order should be in mid April.

I am interested in getting one. Thanks for the report.

Terrova I-Pilot. First day on the water was yesterday. The resaon I bought this unit was the spot lock feature. It is better than I thought. It is simply amazing to watch it work. It took a little getting use to on the foot control but after and hour or so I was good with it. The only thing I don't like is if you are fishing and my big foot lands on the control button and off you go. LOL The remote is simple to use. Polarized glasses make the screen look funny. This is going to be an awesome tool the more I get used to how it works.

At night I have hit the rabbit button by mistake. It was a hoot when all the sudden the boat takes off. Maybe on the next update to the iPilot line, will Minn Kota add backlighting for us whom fish in low light conditions...

Just got my 80#lb fact. installed Ipilot Terrova this week. Got it mounted and tested it Fri. and Sat. This thing is awsome!!!! I could do what I want in the 25+ winds all day. Worked it hard for 4 hours and still had 75% batt. left. Only had two problems which are easily corrected.

1. Cruise control could not react quick enough to sudden gust while trying to stay on track. Since I do not fish in 25+ winds that often not a big deal. Plus I could just set it on a constant speed.

2. Dog kept hitting the foot control buttons taking the spot lock off. To correct I just threw the dog off the boat. Actually, I just disconected the foot control and used the remote. It is much easier than I thought it would be. Fished all day with just the remote. I envision only wanting the foot control when fishing docks or space where I need to keep hands free but maintain control.

Have the Terrova i-pilot, 60" shaft. I have liked so far. The spot lock is what I like best about it. Really allows you to concentrate on fishing instead of controlling the boat. I have ran hand control motors for years and swore I would never own another foot control after having cables break. The electric foot control is a lot better. I actually use the remote more than the foot pedal. So far I have no concernable negatives. If it is durable and dependable down the line I see me loving it.

Try the MKA-21 quick release mount. Might be able to mount with this

I plan on buying the Terrova 80lb w 54" shaft and i-pilot next week. Im so excited! haha!

I am stuck in between the Terrova and the PD myself. As one reply stated trouble or not being able to properly mount it.

Has anyone put one on a 96' Nitro, or roughly the same year? I hate to have my Winter project go south.

Can someone measure the area required to mount the TM to the deck?

I just had that info on my desk and threw it away. I called Minn Kota and ask for the foot print. Its small compaired to others. They can give you the whole plate size and the amount needed to over hang.

Well I received my Terrova w/ I-piolt Friday and installed it Saturday morning. Fished Saturday afternoon and all day today. All I can say is I should have bought the Terrova before I bought the boat. This thing is so amazing. The only thing I dislike is the way it mounts on the boat where 6" is sticking over the front at all times. Thats a small price to pay though for such a wonderful piece of equipment.

The good,bad,and ugly from a bass fishermans perspective:
The Good: I-pilot is awsome,spot lock works great for fishing points,or when you are re-tying, or want to take a break to get a drink in the wind and stay where you left off.
cruise control works great to keep you going in a straight line with nothing to do on your part except speed control to your liking.
These features really take the constant work out of operating the motor and gives you alot more fishing concentration time.
The Bad:The motor response time is slower than a cable foot control unit or a hand control. This seems to be more of a problem in murky water where you have limited time to react to stumps and other underwater obstructions.
The Ugly:Because of it's deploy design it must hang off the front of the boat alot further than other motor designs therefore making it very easy to damage.

Its a tremendous system, IMO. Depending on how you fish, can be the most useful piece of electronics on your boat.


I'm looking forward to the near future when hopefully the big sonar/down scan/GPS providers will integrate their technology with that of the I-Pilot.

Imagine sitting at your console watching structure scan, marking a wp you want to investigate, automatically forwarding that wp to your trolling motor and then hit "go to" and you go to that exact spot nand anchor all automatically and with the trolling motor.

It is entirely within the technology now to do that and hopefully only a matter of time before we begin to see such products. Rumor has it that Lowrance has a signed agreement with MinKota on the I-pilot technology.

For those times that you fish shallow water, does the 60" shaft get in the way of casting, say like skipping docks? I am ordering my new boat in the next couple of days and trying to decided between this and the Fortrex with a 42" shaft. Need input.

Fortrex all the way.

+1

Bobby (bobcat 1),
I am a little confused (not the first time nor the last). Did you just install the i pilot/terrova, but saying you like the Fortrex better? I may not understand what the options are on the latest models.

I bought a Terrova with I-Pilot and liked at first glance but as I kept using it I determined it was not a good fit for my style of fishing. I fish for crappie only. I like to control the boat myself. I-Pilot would be great for staying on a point or over a school of sandbass but for staying on a small brushpile it was not good at all. Also fishing around bridges and trees wasn't good either. The mechanical head turns too slow to be responsive enough for me. I sold it and went back to a Maxxum. A friend or 2 has the Fortrex and love them. I used one of theirs not long ago and that is what I will buy if my Maxxum ever goes out.

Thanks for the clarification. I think the Terrova would be great when I am fishing deep water in the summer for bass, but in the spring, it might turn in to a handicap. I think I will go with the Fortrex on the new boat. Ron

I'm curious as to those that have the terrova w/ i pilot what they think of them now?

I'm considering one over a Talon. Will it work in place of a Talon? I mostly fish the banks and shallow water.

Thanks,

John

No will not replace the Talon or PPoles. Not now or ever, it can't hold you that still. It will sway upto 15' easily, sometimes more on a real windy day.

Here's a little action from about an hour of sitting on one spotlock and catch a few fish.

http://youtu.be/2aGVjxMtKZ4

You will either love or hate the Terrova (PowerDriveV2 also) totally depending on your type fishing.
I only fish for crappie and electric steer trolling motors are not yet at a point that I had hoped. For crappie fishing I have to be able to maintain a position over a very small area to catch fish. The electric steer is too slow to respond, too noisy and the iPilot and iPilotLink is just not accurate enough to use.

If you don't require the same accuracy and the noise (not all that bad) and slower response than they are both great trolling motors. I don't want to make it sound like they are too noisy or slow, they aren't for other fishing styles, just not for crappie.

I owned a PDV2 and last Nov upgraded to a Terrova. I have just traded the Terrova for a Fortrex and am a happy camper now!

Great report

I have been running mine for almost 2 1/2 to 3 years & love it.
I can fish shallow and raise the shaft quick.

It does take time to get use to because its slow reaction. I use my foot control 75% of the time.

Put me on a boat with cable drive now & I'm lost and the TM is all over the place because of foot control compared to the ipilot.

One of the best things I have to help out next to the electronics.