Has anyone gone from a Fortrex to Terrova I-Pilot ?

Visually the quality of the Terrova (shaft, foot pedal, deploy mechanism) are cheaply made compared to the Fortrex.

I really need to hear some feedback from people who ran a Fortrex for a period of time and swapped out to Terrova.

I'm concerned about the shaft holding up to heavy stumps. I know the Fortrex is made for war, but not sure about the Terrova.

I want the I-pilot spot lock bad though.

Just spoke to Minn Kota and they do not ever forsee Ipilot being available for Fortrex.

I've been debating it as well.

Buddy of mine works on TM and he says the Ipilot is good. Use a locking device to hold it down while running.

Not sure about hitting stumps though.....might be a good question for me to ask him.

There has got to be a delay though since its an electronic foot deal.

Ask him how many broken shafts he has seen?

maybe stay with the fortrex, and buy a anchor..
used em for years , very little maintenance

Anchors don't adjust for the wind change and go from waypoint to waypoint.....unless you bend yo rear over and pull anchor!

I still use my 'redneck power pole anchor!' Great simple tool!

I sent him a text.

I will say this....just about every shattered shaft he sees is bowfishing guys. Man they can TRASH a SHAFT QUICK!

MK is getting eaten alive by those warranty claims!

I have made the switch and I do like the Terrova, the spot lock system.. However, the spot lock does not hold the boat in as small an area as they advertise, it will keep the boat fairly close, but not necessarily in the 15' distance they say-- of course this depends a bit on how hard the wind is blowing. The biggest problem is the mounting/deployment hardware. I have had mine come "unlatched" when running in rough water and now I tie it down with a cord before starting the big motor.. I also have a buddy that has one and his has also deployed while running in rough water.. When this happens and damage is done to the shaft or mounting bracket, Minn Kota will Not Pay for repair.. They say this problem is not covered under warranty. When mine came unstowed, the shaft broke and it costed me $386 to repair. Keep your Fortrex for backup. I have had to swith the Terrova out 3 times due to the problems woth the mounting and lock down hardware.

There you go. In conjunction with losing GPS signal and a 20 plus foot roam. Its just not in the cards for now.

I'll give a report in about 2 weeks. I am looking at my new Terrova in the box in my office now! I hope I like this thing.

Per his text -

I-Pilot shaft is thicker.
Power Drive Shaft is identical to everything else

No break away system on the I-Pilot - so you will see more broken shafts.

I hope this helps!

CQB you need the RAM Mount for that thing while running....another company makes one that has rubber that allows it to flex and not get jarred so much. I can't think of it's company name....

So just like I thought if you are fishing lakes with heavy stumps you are screwed.

I bought a new Ranger last fall and was pondering this same question. The dealer told me that he installed 3 Terrova's on bass boats in 2011, and all three buyers came back asking to have them changed to Fortrex. Apparently the guys were complaining about responsiveness.

My brother installed a Terrova on a fish&ski. I tried it and hated it, mainly because it's very different to operate than a cable steered trolling motor and I really found it to be slow to respond. This is my brother's first trolling motor. He doesn't have to "unlearn" old habits and is happy with the Terrova.

I had a Fortrex on my old boat and had a great experience. I went with the Fortrex on my new boat and continue the positive experience.

I sure would like that i-pilot feature in the wind, but am not willing to give up the responsiveness.

Hope this helps.

ive heard from people who own them that there is a delay unlike on a cable driven.


No Thanks. Ill trust cables over electronic any day.

I switched to Terrova from Fortrex a few months ago and I love it. Yes there is a learning curve from the cable to electric motor steering and you do have to be more proactive than reactive. But I have been in and out of the same tight areas as before. Mounting it was a bit of a challenge and installing a transducer on the bottom was a pain in the arse...but it all works great. I can certainly understand you hard core tourney guys not trusting it so it's really just a matter of how you're gonna use it and your preference. Feel free to PM me and I'll share my phone # and I'll go into more detail about the pros and cons.

how many guys on the Elites run them? Probably a reason why.

Jersey Dan, Talk with Jay Greishaw. He's using a Terrova now .

I talked to him on the phone last night about it. He agreed the components are not as strong as the Fortrex but there is nothing to hit at Falcon so its fine down there.

Good point.

Here is the other issue I see. How is this supposed to fit in a recessed tray.

For Falcon you can't touch it for other lakes it's a different story. I know where you fish and the least of your worries should be stumps. You should be concerned about the 4 footers:)

I could see the uses while culling, unhooking, checking fish, re-tying while out in open water.....all while staying on the spot you want to be.

Nothing like catching a fish in 20mph winds, unhooking, putting in livewell and re-tying only to troll for 5 minutes to get back on spot (all while another guy moved in on your spot! LOL!)

Sounds good, but if you look at what all the pro's are using, they are not using the I-pilot. The idea of anchor lock is sweet, but if it is not within a few feet it is not a benefit. 20ft and your not fishing the same spot anymore; or worse, you may be on top of it. If it were a very big advantage to bass fishing, every pro would have one on the front of the boat. And it has been out long enough for every pro to take a look at it.
My theory is that the route memory, anchor lock, all of the real advertised features are just too far off. If nothing else I think it would frustrate me and make me angry that i spent the cash.

Good points. I'd be pissed if that 20ft accuracy range dumped me on top of the spot. Guess I will just have to wait for 20ft power poles.

Buddy of mine looked into it to help promote beer drinking. The pedal won't fit in a standard size TM pedal tray. I think the idea is cool but execution/implementation needs a lot of fine tuning.

it isn't 20 feet it is a 5 ft radius

Valid point and there's no doubt I look to the pros for tips and techniques, but I don't have to use the exact same equipment they do to have fun and catch fish. Most of the PGA golfers laughed at the long putter and hybrids when they first came out too!

I'm not sure why you don't see a few on pro's boats, but almost all of the walleye pros are using them. They fish open water and no stumps but at times lots of rocks.

I have used one for 2 years on Fork and can say the mount is not as strong as a Fortrex. I have hit many stumps with it and did break a shoulder bolt that holds the latch system together. I fixed it for about $3 about 6 months ago and have had no issue since.

The spot lock feature works good and usually holds you to within 5-8 ft. The more consistent the wind the closer it will hold. I was on Fork on Friday and the winds on the main lake were about as strong as I have seen them and it had no issue holding me on spot to fish deep water as water was coming over the bow almost every wave.
The deployment and stowing is what is a pain especially when fishing in waves where you have the motor extended all the way down.

My new boat came with a fortrex and I thought about keeping it on there but that only lasted a week when I realized how often I use the features of the Ipilot.

There was a company that has made a competing TM to the Terrova I seen at the Classic in Shreveport and their mounting was much stronger looking than the terrova called Rhodan Marine Systems. They said they would have a pedal that worked like a cable system out this year. I would call them as some of the features looked like an improvement to the terrova.

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!.

It is usually not the shaft, but the Gearbox that breaks. I have had 2 freinds take them to Fork and niether made it through the 1st day.

i have back and knee issues, terrova has allowed me to fish longer w/o aches n pains, use only the remote, im 62

Think you made the better decision I have a Terrova and parts of it suck! But it is kinda nice to set the spot lock and sit on the back deck and not get wet when the bow takes a wave over it. I'm sure most of you know what I mean.

Dan did you notice the the bracket I made and set in my recessed tray? My footpedal is no longer recessed, not that big a deal because the Terrova pedal is pretty low profile and it allows you to use the small buttons at your toes and/or the traditional foot pedal. I was actually going to keep my fortrex stored in the side compartment and use the quick release mounting bracket to interchange them when fishing shallow patterns so that didn't work out. Unfortunately the mounts are different, but edge and maxxums modelsa are interchangeable with the Terrova quick release brackets so that is an option. I plan on checking that out as soon as I upgrade my electronics. Bottom line I dont think one can get used to the delay of the Terrova because it is pretty significant in close quarters, but rough water or wind out deep you can't beat it.

oh ya what 10 lbs says about "the windier the better" is an absolutely accurate statement.

I love mine and wouldnt go back. The pedal will fit in my stock tray but had to build a riser for it.
You can also give the remote to your co angler to control from the back of the boat. So if your fighting a fish or digging for a new bait. Pro Control also built a custom tray for my last boat that is wider and not as deep.

Hoodoo leaves his foot pedal on the deck so he can move it around. Works great when working docks for him.

I have ran mine for close to 3 years with no problem.

Just my .02

I was thinking also about getting the I-pilot. This post now has me thinking a lot more and doing more research. I have bad knees and thought that it would be great for overly mature person like me. I do fish a lot of docks so therefore has me thinking the Fortrex would be better. Will wait now for more results and testimony. Great topic and lots of great thought into the pros and cons.

Can someone explain, specifically, why a Fortrex would be better for fishing docks than a Terrova?

Just a quick funny, we have some folks at our boat slip that really enjoy adult beverages while sitting on their pontoon boats parked in the slip, I came in one afternoon and did not tie the boat up and as it was difting away one of the ladies started yelling the my boat was loose. I had the remote in my pocket and whistled and called my boat then drove it back in the slip with the remote. Her jaw dropped and iI laughed so hard it hurt.

I am very happy with my Terrova and will replace it with a like unit if and when I ever HAVE to.
I will admit the electric control will slow responce time for quick recovery while in thick cover but I try not to have to make quick jerking movements while in thick cover.
Would just scare the fish anyhow.

Long Live iPilot