Xi5 or Ultrex?

Is the Ultrex really needed if I am not trying to hold on brush piles for crappie? I would use the anchor mode to help position the boat for schooling fish and would prolly link to electronics eventually. But $1000 more for the Ultrex? I already am hesitant to upgrade from my autopilot just to get the spot lock!

I believe the biggest advantage to spot lock is in heavy winds and big waves. Without it you can drift way off your spot with one fish catch. If you mainly stick to fishing shallow or wind protected areas then you may not use it as much. Don't get me wrong, its still very applicable in all situations, but like I said in my opinion the biggest advantage is in those heavy winds.

Do you own an Ultrex? I talked to a guy at Fork who had one and he said it would not hold him in heavy winds or big waves?

Do you own an Ultrex? I talked to a guy at Fork who had one and he said it would not hold him in heavy winds or big waves?[/quote]


I have the XI5 and I'm very pleased with it, it has held me fine in 20 mph wind. I also got a great price on one, check with David at Shut up and fish, and he can get you set up.

I am currently running a Xi5 24v 45"shaft on a 21 ft boat paired with a Point 1 antenna including NMEA backbone and HDS..wind ..no wind (not saying 25+)..no problem. Actually took a nap 20 mins. on a point woke up haven't even moved. Dont think I have moved over 2-3 ft of where I set the spotlock. More than impressed with this TM. Then when I take someone out I fish in the back more than the front. If this TM was a 1000 higher still would have bought ,after what I know now. Increased time of line in the water has to be 200% just my
Heard the Ultrex is great unit as well..Get one or the other and it will change your Fishing Wolrd.
Went with 24v after research and asking around..24v plenty of power..no 3rd battery..spotlock on a Hour at a time even.

***Sorry Tournament Anglers ..I usually dont't mess with Unders***

i run the 36v xi5 and love it the only thing i wish they would do is make a slot in the shaft so you can run wires up and down it and make the foot pedal work just like a cable driven one so it would not just keep turning and wrap wires around the head and then you would have the perfect trolling motor. but i could never go back to a plain trolling motor now im spoiled lol

I second the Xi5. I have one and it definitely makes it easy to hold on a position. You can take fish off,change baits, or whatever and not lose position. Definitely worth the money and I also got mine from David at Shut up and fish.

I have a 24v 80# X5i on a 22' bay boat. This past weekend the wife and I went to Travis lake just to relax and have a good time on the lake. We stopped in Devils Cove and instead of anchoring I dropped the TM and set it in anchor mode. 15-20mph winds and boat wakes and I had no issues what so ever. Had it on for about 5-6 hours and the boat never moved. Still showed almost a full charge at the end of the day as well.

I don't own one, just fished with people that do. I have never fished with the Xi5 so I can't compare them.

Will a xi5 mount in same holes as x5?

I'm guessing with xi5, you lose si and di and have to use internal transducer for 2d? Will it work with HB Helix units?

I have had the XI5 and now have the Ultrex and IMO the Ultrex is all around better. As far as how well does the anchor work, I fished a media tournament here at Ivie in 30-40moh north wind, waves come over the bow all day long and never moved. Had guys asking me how in the hell I stayed out here and now they have have made the switch. Best piece of equipment on my boat.

You can use Humminbird but will need to mount ducer external. I run a DI unit on mine. Google search images on how to mount transducer on a xi5. I used the blue air hose to coil around the shaft. Works flawless. The picture is actually my install on my champion boat.

Guess that is what is extra $1200 is for ..those who fish 30 mph + winds. That Ultrex looks like a beast too.
***Sorry Tournament Anglers ..I usually dont't mess with Unders***

I removed the factory installed ducer and put a HDI on. As stated above you can externally mount whatever you want.

The advantage of the Ultrex is the cable steer for all other applications other than sitting in one spot offshore

I regret my xi5 every now and then because I miss the cable steer in certain situations. My wireless pedal always seems to be dead and navigating stump fields with remote while trying to fish can be quite difficult. Love the spot lock on my xi5 though.

He was being a "fisherman" to you.

I have an 80lb Ultrex and it was holding my boat, AND AN FX21 Skeeter that was tied to my boat , on a spot in 15mph "forecasted" winds. I think it can hold "A" boat pretty good too.

Sometimes you gots do what ya gotta do, it's worth it to me to have the cable steer and not have the batteries in the foot pedal go out and not have spares in the boat. The main thing is I don't have to step out to the end of the bow to push a lever down to pull the MG up. The Ultrex is way more user friendly.

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The main thing is I don't have to step out to the end of the bow to push a lever down to pull the MG up. [/quote]

This idea is not mine but it has made life soooo much easier deploying and stowing the Xi5



these things you could get all day for less than 20.00 but for whatever reason they are now 30-40 bucks. Still worth it in my opinion and has made it easier for me.

do a search for Cannondale Lefty 90mm x 31.8mm to find the item.

The Ultrex does very well in high winds. I know, because it is usually windy on Fork and I have an Ultrex.

It will speed up or slow down as it adjusts to wind speed.

What does being paired with an Point One and NEMA have to do with anything?

I have owned both I had the Xi5 on my previous boat and the Ultrex on my new boat. The Xi5 would bounce meaning it constantly got pushed off of the spot when on anchor mode in 20mph winds and waves. And at times would go nuts and take longer than I wanted to adjust to get me back on my spot. The Ultrex is definitely more reliable but it also struggles in 20mph wind with waves. I like the Ultrex better it seems to hold the gps position much better than the Xi5 and has a little more power being 112lb vs 105lb. Regardless they both have issues in high wind and waves Ultrex seems to hold a tad bit better than Xi5

The Ultrex is the greatest trolling motor Minn Kota ever made.It will hold my Champion 221 in any wind with no problems.The Spot Lock feature is awesome.It allows you to fish easily and never get blown off your spot.Highly recommend!

Try bumping the boat scale up to +2.

I know it's for a bigger boat adjustment but a boat presents a bigger load on the motor in +20mph winds. I adjust the boat scale up for big winds and it holds great. ...Just my experience with big waves and wind.

Cool, lots of great information here,I will definitely be upgrading to one of them in the near future!

ultrex if nothing else for the mount it is very sturdy.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet... the Terrova has the same technology as the Ulterra and Ultrex and is about $500 less. Same updated spot lock on 2017 models, advanced auto-pilot, iTracks, etc. that's on the Ultrex. It's an electric steer, but can be controlled by remote, toe pedals, or conventional heel-to-toe mode on the pedal.

I just put one on my boat last week and love it. Spot lock held in big wind on Big Sam yesterday, but I have yet to navigate in and out of heavy timber, but I don't anticipate it being a problem.

The only hiccup I had was mounting an external transducer for SI/DI (if you just want conventional sonar, it has the transducer built in and comes with the cable run, you just have to buy an adapter), but there were some pics/procedures around for putting the transducer wire in a coiled air hose and running it down the shaft, and that seems to work really well so far.

Thanks for the "real" story

Can someone with an Ultrex take me out on a day where waves are continuously coming over the bow while fishing off shore so I can see the spotlock work? I can't doubt the claims but I would really like to see it firsthand before spending the money.

If you were close to me and the wind was blowii like it was 6-8 weeks ago I'd me than happy to show you.

You don't need an Ultrex for that, my 80lb Terrova does that on my 18ft Skeeter. They also make a 112lb Terrova.

If a trolling motor has the power to pull a boat through the wind, the spot lock will hold it. All it is doing is adjusting the speed to keep you on a GPS spot. The newer ones with improved GPS just do it more accurately. There are videos on YouTube that you can see it for yourself. It'll be more accurate than you'd ever be with traditional trolling motor

I've used a Terrova and was not a fan of the digital steering

where are you located? is your TM shaft long enough that the prop doesn't come out of the water in conditions like that?

I am liking the Ultrex on my boat.

I have to jump in here with a question as I'm on the fence between the Xi5 and Ultrex. For those of you who have the Xi5, do you use a sliding mount? The bow overhang when stowed is holding me back as it makes loading the boat appear difficult. Thanks.

I do not have the slide mount for my xi5. I have also not had any problems unloading or loading the boat with it hanging over. I don't think you could go wrong with either trolling motor. If you are going to link to a graph then that may help you decide. Good luck

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/11586358/Motorguide_XI5_transducer_inst

Thanks 521 ranger!

I have had 3 terrova sand never had an issue with a boat having the overhang. I do have a sliding mount now just so the boat cover fits better