Minn kota i pilot or Motorguide xi5

Looking to upgrade....pros/cons on either, please??? Thanks...

I've had the XI5 for awhile now and really have no complaints.. The only con I could think of is the battery powered foot control.. I use the remote more than anything

Okay, so the foot control is powered...does it have to be wired separate?...thanks, hookinbass..

No it's battery powered with 2 AA batteries

Okay, gotcha...thanks for the info, I really appreciate it

Do you use Lowrances or humminbird?

Humminbird....best to go with minn kota, huh?

Yes.. It's nice to set a waypoint and tell the trolling motor to go to it..

Yeah, I've been doing a little research, I'm leaning more towards the minn kota i pilot, the more I learn about the compatibility between it and my HB units.....thanks again hookinbass for your help

The Xi5 became more popular because it held the spot more closely. The new ipilot by MK is more accurate so best to go with your FF then plus you can get the ultrex which has cable steer but the electric features of the ipilot also.

I've fished with people that have MK's, I have an Xi5. The MK's are slower to respond and are louder than my Xi5. Plus my Xi5 holds the location by anchor mode better than the MK does with spot lock. Just my experience, but it was by far the best investment I've made on my boat!

I love everything about my xi5 except one thing. Deploying and stowing them can be a pita at times. It does everything else really well and if you link it with your lowrance gear it makes it even better. Also like someone else mentioned, I hardly ever use the foot control as the remote works really well and super simple to use.

good luck on your search.

I've had both...currently have the xi5. It seems the xi5 holds better than my old iPilot but I think the technology is about the same in them both now. The major con is their mounting system and deployment. They both suck! It's not meant for rough water, nor is it meant to be convenient to deploy. If you're an old dude, I would strongly suggest getting on the front deck of a boat that has one and actually deploying it. The answer to this problem is go with the Ultrex which has a better mounting system and a conventional deploy method.

Not to hijack OP, but will MK link with the Lowrance? I'm also trying to decide between the Ultrex and the XI5, I use Lowrance and not looking to switch to birds.

I don't think it will link..only the XI5 will link to Lowrance..

The MK will not link with the Lowrance nor will the Motorguide link with Humminbird.

Thanks guys

I have the ultrex, and I cannot hear the motor turning. It is super quite. I did replace the original nut with the much larger one, something like a balancer.

the response time using the foot control is unbeleivable.

Thanks everyone for your info....