I love the i-Pilot on the Triton 186 that I own. My fishing has increased greatly because I can focus on presentation versus the foot pedal. Setting up a track run is a breeze and the spot lock is a plus when you have to venture to the back of the boat. The spot lock is also a great compliment to the powerpole. The electronic steering does take some getting used to but I feel the steering is much smoother.

I did find a decent mount for trailering and rough water:

http://www.marinetechproducts.com/pages/AnglersPalHome

Everybody has their preference and pros/cons. All I can say is that I'm happy with my choice and it was worth the investment.

its the best thing I have ever bought.......20 ft radius? oh my no. 3-5 foot maybe. The windier the better it stays on point. The foot pedal does not fit in the TM tray, but is very responsive and would have no issues running it with the pedal. If you are running stumps I would keep the head just under the surface of the water and that should help with crashing and banging. With all that said if you want a TM to run banks and flip trees, stumps lilly pads, etc noooooo way would I buy one. I really dont think it is nearly as rugged as the Fortrex. It gets no better for what I do as a guide in the open windy waters of Falcon Lake.

I never use the foot control on my Terrova it stays off the deck the remote controls it just fine. It seems to free up a ton of space without having the foot panel and cable on deck.

I still miss the responsiveness of my cable drive TM when in the stumps but the electronic anchor is worth the trade off. Amazing how much more enjoyable a day fishing in the wind can be when you don't have to stay on the TM all day. I'm more annoyed when I don't at least have a 10-15mph wind and it even performs better with a stronger breeze than that.

Whoever said it will only keep you about 20 foot from your target is wrong. It's more like 5 feet or less. But in gusting or swirling winds it will swing more you still stay about the same distance yet the boat moving can be annoying, you learn to adjust.

As far as durability, it doesn't look as sturdy but I've had a couple of good collisions and it's held up so far.

No, it's not for everyone but I greatly prefer fishing open water structure and despite the drawbacks I wont be going back to cable drive.

I switched to a Terrova 6 months ago and I'll never go back!
spot -lock, auto-pilot, I even use the remote on my belt loop more than I ever thought I would.
Don't knock em until you go with someone who knows how to use it and see what all you can do with one firsthand.

I want one.

Tammi and I had one on our last boat. It is unbeatable in open water. You can literally anchor and it holds you in about a 6 to 10 foot spot.
Mounting is somewhat odd though and the foot pedal takes some getting used to. If I could switch out a fortrex and terrova I would probably have both. Use the fortrex in the spring and then use the terrova all summer for the deep bite.

I love mine, fish mostly off shore stuff. Not good for docks and is noisy when turning. Spot lock is the real deal,had mine almost 2 years and will never look back! Remote had moisture problem that was taken care of by Minnkota.

The pro's don't use them because of reliability. Too many moving parts and too many things are digital and can't be fixed on the water. They run what they can rely on and fix quickly. They are on the road and every second counts. I know Ish Monroe carries a spare Trolling Motor in his boat!

I have a center console bay boat, and most of my fishing nowdays is chasing sandies. I have a hds 8 on the console and a hds 5 on the bow. I take the electonics off the boat at night. Last year I changed out the hand control riptide with a 36v i-pilot, without a doubt the best money I've ever spent on fishing gear. Very seldome do I put the 5 on the bow, just watch the console electronics and run the i-pilot with the remote. Anchor lock works great, we even use it to night fish boat houses and mine will hold way closer than 20 ft.

Now I'm an old guy who used to bass fish alot and I'm not sure how I would like it for normal bass fishing use, but for my use it couldn't get any better.

Ok, so who's gonna be the first to mount both the Fortrex and the Terrova??? One on each side?

Could it share batteries and graphs???

There is. It is awful.


If you fish 100% offshore, it might be worth it.

But if you ever want to use it like a normal trolling motor, in the shallows and in timber, it is no good

I have had both, for me the Terrova was horrible. The mount is forward of the hull, there is a delay in steering. Not suitable for most of the fishing I did. It was ok as long you were on constant. The fortrex was much easier to control for me. My Terrova deployed on the highway for some reason so my opinion is is somewhat biased. The mount being forward of the hull makes steeper ramps difficult at best. I bass fish only so please consider this info with that in mind.

We also had issues with the mount hitting the bow roller on the trailer when unloading. Tore it up pretty bad. This was on a Triton 21x3

This post has convinced me to stay with the Fortrex. Thanks

I think you made the right call,Jersey. I don't want no machine running my trolling motor. Old school HC for FZ1,in the cover,b-a-b-y!.