The spider riggers love the remote and the jig pollers love the foot control. I kept a cheap everstart battery tender on my last boat just in case. I use the remote and not a foot pedal. I think the deep cycle battery is wired up as my cranking battery and the other one was being used for the junky old TM. The I pilot only communicates with hummingbird, Ipilot here been going on 3 years no issues. My XI5 has been great for two years. Then you forget how much it hurts the pocket book, Hunt In: Bosque Brown Hill McLennan Navarro Counties. It's forever changed for the better how we fish. Plus they service by phone and send you replacement parts if needed, like power pole does. Click Keep in mind this is just my side hobby and I'm by no means a hardcore fisherman. I have a refurb 36v xi5 from shamps For two years and has been great. Another little tip, get rid of the wingnuts and use regular nuts. So many models are out of stock right now. The cable drive foot pedal is much easier to control while fishing and is hands free. I can only say that in my opinion there is no comparison. Another newbie question: 2 bank or 3 bank charger? We went with it over the MG because we run Humminbird units and wanted to sync them. I ordered a powerdrive 70 with i-pilot. you have to guess when your motor is on and how fast the speed is set, Peace can be defined as the absence of envy <><, Gear & Gadgets on the Texas Fishing and Outdoors Show, Powered by UBB.threads PHP Forum Software 7.7.3. Ive got a Rhodan on my boat that does everything you are looking to do. Cant speak to minn Kota. If you don't like the pedal don't spend the $ on a ultrex. I have a "like new" terrova, 24v, 60" with like 4 hours on it. Thinking if I'm gonna spend this much on a TM, might let the stealership do the install. Currently has a Garmin 160C fish finder and an old saltwater trolling motor that I did not test. Thankfully I had the foot control to use. Bought an I-Pilot in May. Im a Guide and have been using MinnKota for many, many years now; from the older ST101, through the iPilot, and have been using the Riptide Ulterra 112 for over 2yrs. If you are trolling for crappie this is the tm. I chose the XI5 due to save a few hundred $$. This motor is cable steer plus electric steer so you get the advantages of both. If you want it to read/communicate with your fishfinder you'll need the i-pilot link(minnkota) or i-pilot(motorguide). The minn kota ulterra and terrova will do that and you can run them with a remote. Had to order the quick release mount from Academy. With the Xi5, the foot pedal might as well not be there as it's almost impossible to use. You couldnt give me an electric steering trolling motor for what I do. Looks like I will be back on the bow when I need the precision control of cable steer. Location: Fort Bend County & Shiner Texas. Crappie.com by becoming a Supporting Member. The boat didnt move off the spot and the jog feature worked as advertised. It does have the old style button circuit breakers next to all the toggle switches. As well as backtrack your trail. I have a 2006 motorguide tour I have beat the ever living **** out of, they built those motors right. It's great for crappie fishing. Not sure where the fuse box is on this boat either but I have not pulled the console panel yet. Lowrance Ghost is what I have on my boatoriginally had the Motorguide xi5, but I wanted the option of foot control or remote is why I upgraded. Same as sw therapy, but I bought mine new. I do not think there is a perfect TM. Id like something that will just go without me having to keep the throttle down. I'll throw in the plain ole Terrova with auto/advanced ipilot. I just got the boat in my slip tonight and only had time for short test run but it was enough to know that Garmin 160c has got to go. No need for a servicing dealer. MK has caught up with them now. Hed set the trolling motor on a heading at a given speed while we trolled baits off the back of the boat. Spot lock (anchor) is great. Garmin all the way. Both motors are very good. I got fancy and added a recessed tray so the foot pedal was flush and that helped a lot. Spot lock on under water brush piles that nobody can tie up to is nice. Need some education here as I just bought a fishing pontoon and want to add a new trolling motor. But, for me, the Xi5 is the best for me. Ultrexes, not as many. Listen to your gut over all the other voices. I have had mine for 2 years now and would not want to go back to a hand controlled troller. If it wasnt for that I would have bought which ever one was cheaper. Entry level for most of you guys but spending that much makes my stomach turn. Any extra wiring and such needed I will just go get locally when the time comes. It looks like I will give up my Ulterra for the Ultrex when it becomes available in spite of how much I like a motor the stows and deploys with the push of a button from my console seat. Best thing Invented for fishing since the hook.If you want it to connect with your electronics get the I-pilot link. Forgot to add, a wireless pedal can be added as well. Next question up: should I install this thing DIY? Is there one with a phone app? I ran the cable steer and it was smooth and responsive like my Fortrex. I am looking to up grade my trolling motor. The cable steer models give you feedback from the pedal on where the trolling motor is pointed so I can control it without watching which way the head is pointing. Im convinced on the I-pilot now, just got to figure out where to get one. Here for AD-Free Premium membership options. The electric steer pedals suck compared to cable steer so I use the hand held control. The only downside is that it's a bit louder than the i-Pilot. I suck at using the foot control on my buddys boat btw. I went with the xi5 over the ipilot based on the experience of several members of the maverick boat owners forum who had both. So many features I dont even know where to begin. One of my fishing partners has the I-pilot, I bought the XI5. A forum community dedicated to hunting and fishing enthusiasts in the Mississippi area. I do not use the foot control hardly at all, but the anchor feature is the best! No need for a servicing dealer. Have not looked at them but and certain they are not lithium. Get that whatever it takes. I have had mine for 2 years now and would not want to go back to a hand controlled troller. The Ultrex gives you the advantages of both which is an amazing accomplishment by Minn Kota. Minnkota reads/works with hummingbird fishfinders. You can move the anchor point 5 feet to the left or right at the push of a button. You can side scan and see a school of fish or some structure you want to fish and then mark a waypoint on it then tell the trolling motor to go to that spot. Is a 55lb 12v gonna be enough for my 20 foot pontoon? I absolutely LOVE the auto-stow/deploy option and the ability to change the depth setting at the touch of a button is a Godsend. Happy Ultrex owner here. Terrovas and Ulterras have lots of issues. Went striper fishing with a guide last week and of course he had thousands in his electronics. We don't stay out all day and this boat is going to have more time anchored on a catfish hole than trolling for striper or crappie fishing. Another disadvantage of the cable steer is when under power and you take your foot off the pedal to catch a fish it doesnt stay straight but the electric steer does. A few years ago it was basically just Minn Kota, Motorguide had a product but it was just really bad, now you have a tons of competition the new motoruguide tour pro has my interest, there is also a Garmin trolling motor and a Lowrance one now. Early on MG had the better spot lock. That way when something happens you know what's what. I may temporarily install a piranha max I have the gives a much better picture. They all said when using the spotlock/anchor function the Xi5 would make corrections of 2-3 feet and the Ipilot would make 10-15 foot corrections. There is a housing and TM power outlet mounted by the front gate but I didn't read any voltage on those leads so doubt it's hooked up at the rear. I have the MK Ulterra and it holds a 2 spot. same as sw therapy, but i bought mine new. The i-Pilot app can be used to control some functions / features but the stand alone remote is best. I used to spend all my time in the bow on a Minn Kota Fortrex until I found the value of Spot Lock. I am leaning towards getting an ulterra, so I could part ways with the terrova if it fits the bill for you. I will probably go with the new motorguide or lowrance when I have to replace, I have not had good luck with my minn kotas in the past and I don't like the new garmin (do like their sonar units) Looking at the trolling motor prices my have they gone up! Help Or you can put it on Auto-Pilot, and it will hold a navigational degree setting that you point it in. When the Ulterra came out, the first few batches did have a GPS error problem when using the spotlick. Do I now need 3, one for the motor and 2 for the 24 volt TM? There is a mess of wiring around the engine and two batteries with some stuff there that I'm sure is no longer needed. Ive had it over a year and been very impressed with it. Clean those connections well, spray some Corrosion X HD on them and tighten them down well. I think Im gonna go to Wally and pick up the match for that everstart so Ill have two of the same batt for my 24V TM setup. I'm normally pretty handy and like to do most of my own work but I've never done this before. I agree but the ultrex has remote and foot pedal so if he ever needed the foot pedal he would have it. Ive got a Rhodan on my boat that does everything you are looking to do. I have the Ultrex linked to my Humming bird. Plus they service by phone and send you replacement parts if needed, like power pole does. A $795.00 cost difference between the two, or. Do I even need to worry about the cranking battery? Click I bought it because it communicates with my Lowrance. The old Minn Kota Spot Lock didnt have this and you had to disengage the Spot Lock, move the boat to where you wanted and engage Spot Lock but I never got the boat exactly where I wanted and now it works the way I want. There is an older marine pro (or something like that) single bank charger on there now. So I have 2 batteries currently. My XI5 has been great for two years. Ive had it over a year and been very impressed with it. Foxs in Mobile can service both. I've had both, the Xi5 first, and now the Ultrex. Or even a path, trail, or course you took. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo, VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. Wireless foot pedal and wireless remote. Will research the installation manual while waiting for it to come in and gonna DIY one evening next week. The gps, either brand, makes fishing so much easier. The Garmin one is really big but the strongest in the market, the Lowrance Ghost I hear is probably the best on the market right now but it carries the highest price tag. Anchor / Power Poles really don't have use anymore for us while fishing in boat (still needed of course to anchor boat if wading). If you have a lowrance FF-go with motorguide Xi5 or Xi3 trolleying motor for running contours and spotlock. Mount and install yourself. Minn kota I-Pilot. Come join the discussion about safety, gear, tackle, tips, tricks, optics, hunting, gunsmithing, reviews, reports, accessories, classifieds, and more! I got a Ipilot 24v earlier this year, we have loved it so far. Spot lock is worth the money. Come join the best Family Orientated fishing website on the Internet. It's just a 20 foot pontoon with fishing seats fore and aft. The Minn Kota Ultrex has been a welcomed upgrade to my rig. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I am at ICAST 2016 at Orlando, Florida and I finally got my foot on the new Minn Kota Ultrex and I am really impressed. The jog feature allows you to move the boat left/right/ahead/back in increments of 5 ft. My MotorGuide has the feature and is very valuable so getting this on the Minn Kota makes my day. My boat does have 2 batteries. I bought MK because I already had the quick release mount on my boat. With I-Pilot, or I-Pilot Link, you can set it up to follow a contour or depth. Both motors are very good. Just keep your focus on how many more fish your gonna catch. Thanks. If I need to keep the cranking battery charged, I'm just going with a 3 bank to keep it all clean.