Minn Kota i pilot review

[bbb]

After installing on the boat a couple weeks ago, I was finally able to go out this weekend and try it out. Now I did not know about this technology or how it really worked until about a month ago. I knew there were electric steer motors but was not familiar with the features they come with.

SPOT LOCK. Throw all your anchors in the trash. Really. Whether it was an oyster bar we wanted to throw at or a deeper hole in the channel, "spot lock" held us there with little movement after it adjusted for the NE wind and the incoming tide.

AUTO PILOT. Point and fish. I pointed the motor at a point of land about 600 yards away and hit auto pilot. I adjusted the speed so we were moving just fast to make headway in the current but slow enough to bounce jigs off the bottom. 600 yards later and without touching the motor, guess where we were? Basically its like bringing another person with you to run the trolling motor while you fish.

RECORD TRACK. Did not get a chance to use it. But basically say you fished a stretch of shoreline and wanted to repeat the route, the motor will drive you back down that same shoreline/path up to a 2 mile distance.

With the old foot control and the motor on 10, there was no way to steer my 80# thrust with any consistency. Now its just a simple push of a button on the remote. No more oversteering.

The old foot control is more precise while working a maze of oyster bars and still keeping both hands on the rod. But the motor also comes with an electronic foot pedal which I'm sure after you get use to the subtle movements needed to control it, you can do well around the bars.

The trolling motor was on basically from 12pm to 5pm and still had 80% battery life when we left.

I'm impressed.

[Salty Gator]

Game changer, especially offshore. I haven't used my anchor in 3 years

[countrycorners]

24 volt?

[Steve Stinson]

Not to ruin your review, just to add some after running one for a couple years.
I have the older one that will work with a remote and hold a bearing, but it does not have anchor mode. It's my opinion that the more features and computer boards they put in these things, the less dependable they become. I've replaced a couple boards in mine and it currently only works with the foot petal, because if I use the remote, it will burn yet another board. My boat is a SeaArk 2072, which does not have much "V" in the front of the hull and rides like a jon boat, so I do take a wave over the bow on occasion, which is definitely not good for bow-mounted electronics of any sort. I understand the newest version of this motor launches electronically, and adjusts up or down (depth) with the remote also. I would rather see Minn Kota make a motor with a few less features, but bring back the rugged dependability that made them great in the first place.
This is not an ad for Motorguide either - I have tried many of those with less luck than the Minn Kota motors.

[bbb]

24 volt?

Yes. 24v 80# thrust.

I don't have the auto deploy or stow model. Did not see the $800 benefit in that.

I agree about a lot more things that can go wrong. But the technology is several years old now, so hopefully they have it figured out.

[BW13]

I've had the 55 for a couple of years with no problems. I even lost it one day in about 9 feet of water off of Piney Island. It deployed at 20 mph when I hit some boat wake on a perfectly glassy day. (Always make sure you click it into the base and tighten the depth control all the way down so it will not deploy when you are running). It was underwater for at least 5 hours before I found it. (I was looking for it, not because I thought it would work, but because I was hoping something had broken on the deploy mechanism and I could get it replaced by Minn Kota. Initially it would not work but I took it to TM Service Center on Capital Circle NW and he had it working in one day. The only problem was the battery cables had been jerked away from their contacts inside the unit. Once reconnected it worked perfectly. That was about six months ago and it is still going.

[Salty Gator]

I've had the 55 for a couple of years with no problems. I even lost it one day in about 9 feet of water off of Piney Island. It deployed at 20 mph when I hit some boat wake on a perfectly glassy day. (Always make sure you click it into the base and tighten the depth control all the way down so it will not deploy when you are running). It was underwater for at least 5 hours before I found it. (I was looking for it, not because I thought it would work, but because I was hoping something had broken on the deploy mechanism and I could get it replaced by Minn Kota. Initially it would not work but I took it to TM Service Center on Capital Circle NW and he had it working in one day. The only problem was the battery cables had been jerked away from their contacts inside the unit. Once reconnected it worked perfectly. That was about six months ago and it is still going.

That is a solid review

[Redbelly]

I've had mine for two years, I pilot 80# with remote, anchor lock etc...

Been a great motor and I am spoiled by all it will do!

Although recently I was speeding at 10 across Miccosukee (duck season). and about 400 yards and it cut off. Acted like an overheat cause after a few minutes it came back on but would not run on high.

Next trip to Aucilla trolled for 5 hours at about speed 5 and then it did the same thing, cooled a bit and would run at slower speed.

On another forum others had this same issue with the same motor.

I was told to check connections for corrosion.

[crappielimits]

Ipilot is the real deal and added technology only gets better. Try the cruise control also.

After 5-6 years of use an electric steer motor will need a control board but multiple means there is a voltage issue. Remember to take the prop off periodically to remove fishing line and check seals. If you have a bad seal and start getting water in the foot it will overheat the armature and brushes.

Red belly, sounds like your circuit breaker is tripping. These motors require a 50 amp circuit breaker. Anything smaller will trip under a load. Patrick at Larrys Bait and Tackle is the best warranty guy in our area. Your motor would have a 3 year warranty. Check your circuit breaker, batteries, connections and also behind prop. If you don't find the problem, get it to him.

These motors use a lot of amps as they are running GPS,steering, prop etc. Be sure to have the best batteries possible and all connections stay tight and greased. Saltwater corrosion can steal amperage needed to motor.

Steve Minnkota has simple motors without all the bells and whistles but you miss out on an easier more effective fishing experience. Where as a little maintenance goes a long way. Also if losing circuit boards it could be from charging while the motor is plugged in. Which is a no no. I've been fishing electric steer motors for over 20 years for my crappie fishing and have learned a lot of the ins and outs. The good tremendously out weighs the bad. I would not own a boat without an ipilot.

Hope I helped someone these are great motors.

[randymullaly]

Ive got the Ultera (self deploy) model and can't say enough about it. Having the ability to deploy the motor and trim the motor up or down from anywhere on the boat is very cool. The track mode is perfect for drift fishing on the flats. Start getting into fish, simply start the track and it will repeat till you tell it to stop.

[Redbelly]

crappielimits I checked the 60 amp breaker and it wasn't tripped. I do see corrosion on the connecters though. I'm gonna change them and check the plugs for corrosion.

[Salty Gator]

Ipilot is the real deal and added technology only gets better. Try the cruise control also.

After 5-6 years of use an electric steer motor will need a control board but multiple means there is a voltage issue. Remember to take the prop off periodically to remove fishing line and check seals. If you have a bad seal and start getting water in the foot it will overheat the armature and brushes.

Red belly, sounds like your circuit breaker is tripping. These motors require a 50 amp circuit breaker. Anything smaller will trip under a load. Patrick at Larrys Bait and Tackle is the best warranty guy in our area. Your motor would have a 3 year warranty. Check your circuit breaker, batteries, connections and also behind prop. If you don't find the problem, get it to him.

These motors use a lot of amps as they are running GPS,steering, prop etc. Be sure to have the best batteries possible and all connections stay tight and greased. Saltwater corrosion can steal amperage needed to motor.

Steve Minnkota has simple motors without all the bells and whistles but you miss out on an easier more effective fishing experience. Where as a little maintenance goes a long way. Also if losing circuit boards it could be from charging while the motor is plugged in. Which is a no no. I've been fishing electric steer motors for over 20 years for my crappie fishing and have learned a lot of the ins and outs. The good tremendously out weighs the bad. I would not own a boat without an ipilot.

Hope I helped someone these are great motors.

Didn't realize you were supposed to unplug before you charge. I don't believe I've ever unplugged mine and it stays on a charger whenever its not in use

[bbb]

Try the cruise control also.

.

I just read about the cruise control. That would have been helpful this weekend in the current and changing wind.

[silverking]

Also if losing circuit boards it could be from charging while the motor is plugged in. Which is a no no. I've been fishing electric steer motors for over 20 years for my crappie fishing and have learned a lot of the ins and outs. The good tremendously out weighs the bad. I would not own a boat without an ipilot.

Didn't realize you were supposed to unplug before you charge. I don't believe I've ever unplugged mine and it stays on a charger whenever its not in use

I hadn't heard of this either, CL. Is that based on personal experience or do you have a reference link to MK maintenance that you could share? Thanks for the insights.


I fished with a Louisiana guide for a story last spring and he loved his Ulterra self-deploy. Can see where it would really be helpful in a charter situation. Have also fished with several other guides who really enjoy the versatility of the iPilot.

I chose to go with the MotorGuide Xi5 without the GPS function. Like Steve, I prefer to keep things as simple as possible and in a saltwater environment, the less 'trons the better, for me at least. I pole quite a bit still but the remote control is really convenient when I am using the TM. And MG will have some more simplified options in the very near future. Believe they're making an announcement at the Miami Boat Show.

Great thread. Thanks for the review BBB and hope you get years of trouble-free operation out of your iPilot!

[bbb]

Looks like unplugging the trolling motor while charging is more of a safety issue than anything else.