Fished with someone with a Minnkota Terrova couple of weekends back. The anchor lock feature was quite useful and MK claims 10 foot spot lock accuracy. Got me thinking about getting a MK Terrova or the new MG Xi5 with GPS autopilot. Anyone here used one of the new Xi5s? I've watched some of online videos and read up on the new Motorguide unit's features. It claims 5 foot spot lock using multiple GPS/compass sensors. Think Rhodan makes a similar saltwater unit with like 3 foot accuracy but it costs about a grand more than the MG. If the MG can really do 5 foot spot lock, I think there may be one in my future. Would appreciate pros and cons from Texas anglers that have been in the boat with the MG. I'm even open to your Ford vs Chevy, MK vs MG observations on these type units.

Thanks

Might wanna wait for one of these bad boys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j527Pcj-ISw

I went through this same thing two months ago, went the the minn kota riptide 80 ipilot, could not be happier. Th MG does look neat though

Minn kota has the capability of wiring into your humminbird 898-1198 unit with lakemaster and can troll the contour lines on your graph, Motorguide has yet to release a interface to go between lowrance to the unit. That's about as much as I know in the differences. Anything with spot lock is worth buying

Love our Xi5, and I believe the 5 foot claim, but I just heard about the one 44 diesel posted the video too, and that looks pretty dang sweet. I hope MG comes out with a version of that!

Regardless, what could be better? Fishing and operating a remote, a man's 2 favorite past times!

Any more comments from Xi5 users? Looking at one pretty hard over the MinnKota due to spot lock accuracy. The MK I have been in the boat with was more like 10 - 20 foot spot lock.

I use the Terrova by Minkota and I love it but one thing does wear me out. When I troll over a spot and see a school, when I hit the anchor, it moves me way too far backwards and I have trouble picking up my spot again. This could be operator error. If anyone can enlighten me I would really appreciate it.

spot lock or anchor is fine if you are fishing humps or ledges and such, but brush piles, forget about it. Maybe mine is just a lemon, but my terrova w/iPilot is more like 30 feet, and it drives me nuts swinging back and forth. if the i5 is that much better, it would be worth it.

Spot locks accuracy is dependent on GPS signal strength. Better the signal the more closely it will hold you on the "spot" is how it was explained to me. Now I will say that the reaction time from when you begin to drift off of your intended spot until the trolling motor begins to engage and bring you back could be better. I have the Terrova iPilot 80lb unit on my 21 foot Express and this boat kites pretty bad due to being very light and having a short draft depth. I wish the iPilot would engage faster than it does when in spot lock mode. Also it would be nice if the unit rotated faster when using the remote to steer. But all in all I would have to say it is one of the things on my boat that I find to be simply irreplaceable. If I had to go back to a foot controlled non-spot locking TM I'd be pretty irritated.

I have verified this by accident....went with a 360 that comes with a external gps puck w heading sensor...holds much better at anchor. The heading part has nothing to do with the accuracy, but the external picks up better than the internal.

So you are using your HS external puck to keep better spot lock?

Haven't had an ipilot. But I do have a Xi5 and love it! Quiet, quiet, quiet.
When it adjusts on anchor lock, people standing at the bow have no knowledge of the adjustments or signs of wobbly boat legs. Worked like a charm hopping from areas where white bass surface once and then resurface later. Regarding the Ulterra, it's brilliant and I would love one, but it's in a whole other price category over even the xi5 with pinpoint. Ulterra is $2859 for the larger thrust sizes. I got my Xi5 pinpoint for 1450 shipped to door.

Got the Xi5 this week, gonna put it on the boat over the next few days. Will report back how it performs.

It appears so....got it with the 360 by default, but I immediately noticed it held better. I fish the RR brush piles a bit and have never had a problem, for the guy that says they wont hold a BP. That was before the puck, even better now.