Anyone have experience with an Xi5 trolling motor, good or bad?

I have the xi3 which is the 70pd version. The twisting cables was an issue but I fixed so I love it

I think the Xi5 is an excellent trolling motor. I think the foot pedal is a bit over responsive. Especially if you are trying to move through a lot of stumps. I used the remote that you hang around your neck more than the foot pedal. Spot lock will hold you on a spot in 20 mph winds and that is pretty impressive. Regards, Bart

Wasn�t a big fan of the foot petal at first but I have the hang of it now. Spot lock works good.

Same here but will add that the foot control comes in handy when you catch a fish if a tight area or the wind is moving you at the time. Outside of that I rarely use it and rely mostly on the remote.

I LOVE mine! By far the best investment I�ve made in my boat by far. Anchor mode allows for a lot more fishing and less time on the TM, especially if you�re retieing. I only use the hand remote, I don�t even have the foot pedal in my boat. It�s an awesome trolling motor and fun to have connected to a HDS.

Save a little more money and get the Ultrex. I currently own both on seperate boats and the Ultrex is superior in every way from the mount, to the foot pedal, to the remote. Even the terrova is better than the XI5. I could go on and on about the features that are superior on the Minn Kota products. My biggest complaint on the xi5 is the remote. The XI5 remote is a Chinese made piece of [censored]. The batteries in the remote get loose and you have to bend in the cheap clamps in all the time. Also eventually the cheap rubber seal on the remote will crack and let moisture onto the circuit board. Bye bye remote. Also the battery life of remote batteries is pretty short. Keep backups in your boat. There is no warning when they go out. I could go on. Get the Ultrex.

Fine for a fair weather fishman, mount won't hold up to big water. I have not idea why they haven't come out with a motorguide tour version of this motor or why they discontinued the tour at all.

Not sure where you're getting that information from. The X5i is pretty popular with the salt water crowd.

First hand experience, ultrex has a much more robust mount. Wanna know how many pro bass anglers are using the Xi5... zero, there are a few using the X5.

Well now that explains the price difference. MinnKota has to pay for all those sponsorship's somehow.

Thanx for all the responses...�.

The mount and the method of deployment and stowing is my biggest gripe, otherwise idk where the complaints about the remote come from but I�ve had both an 80lb and the 105lb, I have had not issues at all with a remote. With that being said, Lowrance is coming out with its own TM I believe either at the Classic or possibly I Cast... thats going to be interesting to see what they come up with, I�ve heard possibly a brushless motor... Things are about to get interesting in th TM world.

And this one has the better mount, MG is junk now https://texasfishingforum.com/forum...otorguide-x5-bow-mount-help#Post13074490

I have had an Xi5 (80lb) for a couple of years. I wish I would have waited for the Ultrex. The Xi5 is great for spot lock but having foot pedal is not very natural. Like others I don't use the foot pedal very much. Once spring is over and I start fishing points and off shore it is fine but running down a bank with the remote and timber is frustrating.

They (MG) have a new TM coming out soon, might wait before buying.

I have an Xi5 that i bought a year before the Ultrex came out. I love the Xi5 but the foot control is harder to use than cable steer. I want my next boat to have an Ultrex but will it support all my Lowrance electronics?

If they would make a spot lock version of their old steel shafted motor I'd be all over it.

It might be, a pro on fb had a video saying that he was testing a new motor and they know guys weren�t happy when they discontinued the Tour models. Whatever he had covered on his boat was a full sized motor and not like an Xi model.

I prefer the MG mount over the fortrex mount, I�ll be awaiting something new.

An ultrex will not connect with a Lowrance, never will. IF MG comes out with a new trolling motor is questionable, but I know for a fact that Lowrance is coming out with a new one, that may be worth the wait, if nothing else maybe it�ll bring the price of an Ultrex down.

Mike McCelland Facebook page, new motorguide being tested. No time frame given on a release date though.

I have been through 2 xi5 motors. Here is what I found:

- The mount is the major problem that causes other issues. It's very flimsy and just can't stand the big water.
- Deploying the motor is not easy. It requires a hand and foot to deploy (foot to press the release lever)
- Stowing the motor in my opinion could be dangerous for some people. You literally have to lean over the front of the boat, press the release then pull the motor up by hand (it has no rope)
- Spot lock worked great on it
- It is more reasonably priced than an Ultrex


I now have an Ultrex and would NEVER go back to an xi5. I'm anxious to see the new Lowrance trolling motor. I'm hearing it's price point is going to be a little less than the Ultrex.

Its like a chuck steak and the Ultrex is a ribeye.

How hard is the Xi5 to lift? I went from MG to Fortrex because of the lift assist and composite shaft. MG now has composite shaft but i dont know how hard it is to lift compared to the old MG mount. It looks like you just grab the head to slide it in but havent seen any videos on pulling it out.

I'm not young (58) and it isn't that big of an issue for me to lift. Once you get the hang of it I wouldn't say that is a complaint that I have about it but it is definitely different than a typical pull the cord trolling motor.