i-Pilot from Minn Kota PowerDrive

[ryanmitchell]

Has anyone used the new i-Pilot technology on their trolling motors? I know they can come pre-installed on the new units, but has anyone installed the new top part of the motor, and how does it work? Is it worth the $400. I think it would work perfectly for lindy rig walleye trolling. Thanks

[reddog]

I read an excellent report by jason halfen on the do fishing site. Im thinking of upgrading.

The "Spot Lock" really sounds good and performs well according to the report.

[Esox_Magnum]

We may be trying one on our muskie boat next year, be nice to just let the trolling motor do the work for you and not fighting the POS cable drive we currently run, at least we'll be running a new Terrova.

[ryanmitchell]

If you replace the top part of the motor will the POS cabled foot pedal still be functional?

[Esox_Magnum]

We are getting rid of the cable drive type completely, pedles what I hate most of all and the cable thats always in the way. Far as I care it can lay in the bottom of the lake. I like my power drive on my walleye boat but love the Terrovas.

[PerchJerker]

The i-Pilots originally were due in November but haven't shipped yet (we're hearing mid-December now). The only reports I've heard so far are from pro-staffers, but it sounds like the i-Pilot works great (and I belive it).

I think the features and functions are outstanding --- really the best of everything Minn Kota had to offer before. You can check out all the details HERE

[ryanmitchell]

Sounds like a no brainer to me. I think I am going to get one of the new 898 Humminbirds also this Spring, so I am hoping it helps.

I still think I would use the pedal when angling for little tweaks when retrieving that would be too cumbersome to grab the remote. THe cruise, spot lock and pattern/ milk run options are what caught my attention. Is someone can confirm that the pedal will still work, that would be great. Also if I get one of the 3.5 inch gps antennas for the Humminbird, will it interfere at all with the i-Pilot's GPS? Proly not, just making sure. Thanks

[Esox_Magnum]

Remember this only fits the V2 and Terrova units not the cable operated ones.

[ryanmitchell]

Yeah I have the powerdrive V2 with the standard foot pedal.

[PerchJerker]

What we've been told about the i-Pilot is that:

1) with the Terrova, you can use the i-Pilot Remote OR the Terrova's foot pedal

2) with the PowerDrive V2, the i-Pilot REPLACES the foot pedal

I don't know why there's a difference, but we were told that is how it is going to be ......

To answer your other question, multiple GPS receivers shouldn't interfere with each other ..... it's a good idea to maintain a little spacing and keep the antenna cables and power cables seperate whenever possible to eliminate the possibility of electrical noise ...... but even if you can't keep them seperate there shouldn't be any interference.

[ryanmitchell]

Thanks perch jerker!

[LMITOUT]

2) with the PowerDrive V2, the i-Pilot REPLACES the foot pedal

Whoa, whoa, whoa....stop the train.

Are you saying that the foot pedal cannot be used if the iPilot is installed on a V2? As in, wind up the cable and throw the pedal in a box in the basement type of deal?

That's a deal breaker if that is the case.

[PerchJerker]

I haven't seen one in person yet but that is how we were told it would work for the PD V2 motors.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I posted a wish list awhile back(May '08). Maybe they heard me

trolling motor wish list

[mojogunter]

Originally Posted By: PerchJerker

2) with the PowerDrive V2, the i-Pilot REPLACES the foot pedal

Whoa, whoa, whoa....stop the train.

Are you saying that the foot pedal cannot be used if the iPilot is installed on a V2? As in, wind up the cable and throw the pedal in a box in the basement type of deal?

That's a deal breaker if that is the case.

The power drive pedal blows anyway. I am guessing that there will be rod attachments like the co pilot remote has, so you can just move the remote from rod to rod. I used to switch my remote from rod to rod with my old co pilot on my PD, but since I have been running a terrova I just have it on my wrist like a watch, and haven't had any issues. I am pretty sure you won't miss the pedal after switching.

[LMITOUT]

I don't have any problems with the V2 pedal, in fact I chose to downgrade from the Terrova they wanted to put on my boat so I didn't have to deal with the pedal it comes with. Just too darn big and not worth the extra money IMO.

I like being able to run the bowmount with my foot in instances when I'm retying and don't have the rod and/or remote in my hand, but still need to control the boat.

I also understand where the remote would be handy when you have to walk to the back of the boat or somewhere where the pedal isn't and still have control, it'd just be nice to have the option instead of eliminating the pedal altogether.

[ryanmitchell]

I agree that it would be nice to still have the foot pedal for minor adjustments on the water, or say the remote control battery dies. If say your musky fishing, I don't want to stop the retrieve of a bucktail to adjust the boat position.

[PerchJerker]

I got some clarification, and what I stated earlier was correct ....

- with the i-Pilot on the Terrova you can use the foot pedal or the i-Pilot remote

- with the i-Pilot on the PowerDrive V2 the foot pedal will no longer work, you can only use the i-Pilot remote

I still don't have a great answer as to why this is, only that the control board in the Terrova is more sophisticated and can handle it, while the control board in the Powerdrive V2 .... not so much.

Regarding foot pedals, my preference is the smaller foot pedal of the V2 over the Terrova. I've used both and they both work fine, I just prefer the smaller one.

Regarding features like i-Pilot, AutoPilot, Co-Pilot --- it really comes down to how you like to fish. I NEED to have a foot pedal, and I LIKE using the foot pedal to control the boat. Autopilot and copilot aren't that beneficial to me even though lots of guys love having them on their boats. But I like the combination of features in the i-Pilot and I can see some real benefits to it.

If you want to check them out you can see them at i-Pilots

[walleyewild]

I know that they have a wireless foot pedal for the co-pilot, I hope that there is enough of a demand that Minn Kota reprograms or redesigns them for the powerdrive V2 version of the i-pilot.

I really think that the i-pilot is a great idea, and will only get better and have more features with time.

Not having a footpedal is not a deal breaker for me but it would be nice to be able to use it in addition to the remote. A spare i-pilot remote costs almost as much as the co-pilot unit itself.

With the price on the i-pilot being the same for all of the motors one would think that the designers would have thought about that and allowed the powerdrive to work with the footpedal.

WW

[ryanmitchell]

If you do decide to make the switch to iPilot with the V2, and you then decide that it will not work, can you put the original back on and revert back to the foot pedal?