I have no problems with the terrova mount. It has never been in the way, never move it.

I mostly use my remote for spot lock. I occasionally may sit in my back seat and use it to cross over to another location, but almost never use it other than spot lock.

I have had mine almost a yr now and I have been curious and tempted to use the remote to send boat away from the dock while I go park the truck BUT I have been scared of losing remote signal and standing on the dock looking at my boat sitting out in the water laughing at me What is the range of the signal for the remote or does it automatically reconnect if it is lost? curious remote newbie here

....with the mount it really depends on what boat/trailer you have. With my Skeeter and trailer it sucked, I just about knocked it off the boat, the roller got in the way all the time if I did not have it just right on the ramp, with my Stratos it is no issue whatsoever.
..... as far as the remote or foot controller vs standard cable steer TM foot control vs hand control .... it is just a matter of what you use and what you get use to. I can/never could operate a cable steer TM, for me it was a hand steer until the Terrova came out with the buttons and the remote. Just a matter of getting used to it.

I love mine. I don't use the whole foot control, I just use the left and right button at the bottom for the foot control. I tap them with my foot to steer, I do the same with the constant on switch if I not using the A P. I had an Maxxum and at the end of the day my back would be hurting from working that foot control. I really like the spot lock once I got use to using it. I mostly run mine on speed 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 and I set that with the remote. A few years back I brought an Lowrance sonar and have been disappointed in it, I not with my Terrova


NOTE: I hit something a month after I got it and broke the steer collar, took it in and Minn Kota fix it at no charge.

I've run one almost three years, snapped the motor off twice, due to deployment,(69 mph, was not pretty) and me not sliding the locking collar down. Minn-Kota knows there's a design flaw in the mount, because they replaced both times at no charge to me. In rough water, hitting waves straght on, and the boat going up and down, is exactly the movement it takes to deploy the motor. It's also difficult to deploy and bring in when you have waves coming over the front of the boat. Now, having said this, I would not take for this motor. Mine has the 60" shaft and does not come out of the water in rough seas. I have been able to fish some main lake stuff at Fork when others couldn't keep thier balance on the front of the boat.Works just fine in the stumps, no complaints. Oh, almost forgot, I may have used the foot control to steer once, I use the buttons, or mostly the remote. I am thinking when I do buy new, it will be the Ulterra, just because it will go up and down by itself.

I bought a new Terrova last year that has the updated spot lock and all that, and love it. I don't know what some folks are talking about with problems in the responsiveness. Maybe that was a problem with the 1st generation ones. I use the remote just when I'm on spot lock for the 'jog' feature and to correct direction when running on the advanced auto pilot. I don't think that I'll ever use it exclusively since it obviously takes one of your hands off the rod, requires taking your eyes off your bait, etc.

Problems I've had:
- The lift assist literally broke the first weekend I had it out. It slipped out of my hand, went slamming down the shaft, and I heard a noise that sounded like the spring uncoiling and losing its tension.
- I don't use the US2 transducer since I have side imaging I wanted on the front (US2 is only for conventional sonar). On the newer Terrova, you can't run the cable for the transducer through the shaft. So I found a trick on here (and the BBC boards) that showed how to put the transducer in a coiled air hose and run this air hose down the outside of the shaft. That trick has been working great. But if you just want conventional sonar on the front, the US2 would be great as you don't need to put a transducer on the TM and have a cable get in the way. You just have to buy an adapter for your unit to fit onto the US2 fitting.

My advice would be to go with the Terrova, if it's the technology you're interested in. Literally the same technology that's on the Ultrex and Ulterra.

Thanks guys for the candid information, that is one reason I love the TFF. I have run hand controlled TM's for years because I got tired of cable problems. But I'm looking at coming into the new century and the Terrova caught my eye and just wanted to see how users felt about them. I will be picking one up soon. I use 2D sonar up front to the built in transducer is another plus.

Is anyone using the Minn Kota quick release? Another little accessory I noticed that might have a use.

Thanks again TFF.

I have had my Gen2 Terrova for a couple years now... Absolutely love it! The stress/effort of fighting the trolling motor with the Terrova is a small fraction compared to my old MotorGuide cable steer. Spot-Lock keeps me right on top of brush piles effortlessly and the motor is so quiet, I honestly forget it is even running (especially when Spot-Locked). I have heard other models run in auto-anchor mode, and couldn't believe the endless racket... not with the Terrova.

Deploying/stowing is way different than the MotorGuide 4 bar mechanism/spring contraption, but also much easier on the back. Takes some getting used to, and actually not sure I have yet... I still find myself trying to pull it like my MotorGuide often when not thinking.

Like others on here, I never use the foot control. When fishing docks, I just put on 'Advanced AutoPilot' and let it slowly take me by each one. Same thing when fishing dams. If I have to make a minor correction to my heading, it just takes a single push of a button on the remote hanging on my neck and back to fishing we go. The other benefit is being able to fish from anywhere in the boat and still have complete boat control.

The only negative IS the overhang. I used a universal mounting plate (so I didn't have to drill new holes) and it has a 'slide' feature that allows you to pull the entire mount back a few inches, then lock down for towing. The overhang is still significant though, and although I haven't damaged anything yet, there are more than a few courtesy docks that have been smacked with it. One day my luck is going to run out.

I purchased the 52" shaft for my Nitro Z-7... While it is a very good length for 95% of my outings, there have been some crazy choppy days where I was wishing I had the 60"...

Again guys thanks for the input. I took even a bigger step Friday and bought the Ulterra so I have stow/deploy and trim. I'll get it mounted soon and will provide an update later.

Ulterra best thing since sliced bread.

I recently upgraded from Terrova to the new bluetooth Ulterra. I love the thing. Now I'll be behind the console running SI at 3 MPH, I see something that I want to fish, I just hit deploy and keep my seat. I can drive it back to the spot I want to be and then when I feel like it, stand up and get a rod. An 8-10 hour fishing day has become so much better on my back, I wish I had done it sooner. I was always worried about slipping and falling in when trying to lift the Terrova in rough water. Plus when your motor is an older carbed motor and might take a few seconds to crank, I'd run spotlock, go back and crank the motor, stand up go back and lift the trolling motor and then go back to the console so I didn't blow into rocks or something. Now, I can just go back, crank, hit stow and drive away.

I had a terrova and loved it using the remote and the pedal buttons, BUT the pedal was not good, it was a struggle to use it at all.

Ive had a ulterra type deploy system in the past and stuff fails and has issues too often no thanks on that. you have to remove too much on it to get it up if it malfunctions and according to the manual need a factory reset to put it back, not sure if that is true but that was why I went terrova.

I didnt like how far off the bow they needed mounted, I built a alum plate for the bow to support it way out there etc.

I have a ultrex now and its had issues, but I like it much better. Best of everything with it.

How are you guys securing the head when running rough water? Or is it even an issue?

I'm not crazy about the mount. It bumped my roller on every ramp I unloaded on. I got the Slidemaster, make sure it is mounted level without any bend. Foot control is not as reactive at a regular foot control. I've learned to slow down and raise it as high as possible to avoid stumps. I would get another one but won't say it would be without considering Ulterra or Ultrex.

Never been an issue for me. They do make a mount to lock it down but I�ve never felt the need to