Trolling Motor Question

[C_M_25]

Hey guys, quick question. I have a 55 lbs Minn kota trolling motor. It works good most of the time, but I'm thinking about saving for an 80 lb motor with auto pilot. When I run shoreline chasing bass, I have a difficult time when the wind is blowing into the shoreline and boat from the port or starboard side. I get about 3 casts in before I have to reposition. Does that auto pilot handle this scenario very well? Thanks

[Ddancers]

If wind is under 10 mph don't think you'll have a problem, but over that holding a programmed shoreline might be difficult.
As an anchor setting does a dawn good job and for holding straight line at 15 mph should do fine if you toon is 24' or under.
With high winds your forced to run at 8.5 to 10 to manage and that does reduce battery life.
I also use in conjunction with motor at idle and let iPilot do the steering - this way added speed and battery life
If you toon is 22' or less you might be fine even with 15 mph with the 80 Terrova
Here's some info

My toon is 25' 8" wet weight 3423 lbs. I did a lot of searching on forums and even called Sweetwater before purchasing a trolling motor.
I was surprise when Sweetwater expressed to me under normal conditions a 45" shaft and 55 lb trust trolling motor should be adequate.
I was hopeful my Internet searches would support this statement because of cost and battery requirements, but at last they did not.
If you can get the results you need with a smaller motor than certainly it's the way to go.
In my case I know the 55 lb 45" shaft would not have performed as needed.
I ended up with a Minn Kota Terrova 80/US2 80-lb Thrust Freshwater Bow Mount Trolling Motor with i-Pilot, 60" Shaft.
This unit does a nice job even in 15 mph winds, however the best I can hope for is around 4.7 hours of continuous running at 2.4 mph and less time in 15 mph winds, using two group 27batteries.
I love my i-Pilot, 60" Shaft system.

[killerkernrich]

I have the 70lbs 24 volt MK with I-pilot 22ft toon with bimmi up and no wind 3mph is my top speed I troll for crappie, if the wind is such that I cannot maintain at least 1mph to 1.5 I switch over to my 60hp merc , I do love the I-pilot..... get it you will love it.

[mzodarg]

I put a 45" shaft, 80lb MinKota Ipilot on my toon and I'm pleased with the handleing of the boat.The anchor feature works great and so far handles decent in winds up to 12 MPH.

I haven't used the auto pilot yet on the pontoon boat, but used it regularly when I had the motor on my bass boat, loved it!

[C_M_25]

Thanks for the input everyone. My 55 lbs thrust does pretty good in winds up to 10-15 mph. After that it starts losing the battle...which is normal winds for Oklahoma. Do any of you have experience in a bass boat? How effective are they in wind over 15 mph? I spent a few hours in a buddies bass boat but I felt like it got pushed around in the wind as much as we do. Although, his boat was a bit more responsive on the trolling motor.

[JBO]

I ended up with a Minn Kota Terrova 80/US2 80-lb Thrust Freshwater Bow Mount Trolling Motor with i-Pilot, 60" Shaft.

Ditto. With our 22' Pontoon it is a really good fit. We may have been able to get away with the shorter shaft but the 60" gave us more height options with the gate. When the wind is higher than 15mph or so then the motor has trouble keeping up with trolling straight at ~1.5MPH or using spot-lock. While trolling in 15+mph winds we use the main motor (90HP) at a low idle and use the trolling motor for steering to keep the boat from getting wonky.

[mzodarg]

I was leery of using the 45" shaft, but I had it and figured I'd give it a try. It worked flawlessly on my bass boat and so far it's meeting my standards on the toon.

In my opinion the Ipilot anchor and remote are the "I can't live without features" In fact I have a foot pedal, but I've never used it.

Mike

[joe20toon]

A side note - never use the "anchor" function under bridges. I forgot about the GPS signal and the bridge blocking the signal. At first everything seemed fine, suddenly the trolling motor took off at high power straight for the concrete pilings. Luckily, I was at the wheel and cranked the outboard and hit reverse. The remote was in the front of the boat. There's probably a warning in the manual about blocking the GPS... Live and learn...

[Ddancers]

Some added info: My first I-Pilot remote worked ok at about 26' from the trolling motor when I first got it.
However after a few months I noticed it wasn't as responsive from the aft of the boat, and I would have to repeatedly send commands.
From what I'd read online this was unacceptable so I called Minn Kota and asked if I needed a new remote.
Note: (was still under warranty). Tech suggested that I replace the trolling motor head receiver.
They were willing to send one, and have me return old unit later if I placed $150 deposit.
This way I wasn't without a trolling motor for anytime.
After an easy motor head receiver replacement I went to the end of the dock and was able to control the motor (approx. 130').
Never fully tested range, but would not be surprised if it's exceeds 300'.
I've seen videos where individuals anchor the boat with I-Pilot then get their vehicle, and summons the boat to be trailered.
In any case if you don't get a distance of at least 40 to 50 feet with remote have it taken care of before warranty runs out.

[C_M_25]

Can you seriously do that? Leave the boat unattended with the trolling motor holding your boat in place while you park the truck? Man, that would be so sweet!

[TDJ2591]

Can you seriously do that? Leave the boat unattended with the trolling motor holding your boat in place while you park the truck? Man, that would be so sweet!

Check it out here: http://youtu.be/boe6BtZwjjo

[JBO]

Can you seriously do that? Leave the boat unattended with the trolling motor holding your boat in place while you park the truck? Man, that would be so sweet!

I wouldn't do it around other people or near any major obstacles, but that's just me. In the summer we regularly put our boat on spot-lock and jump out for a swim. We can pick a nice calm/quiet area away from other people and don't have to worry about an anchor.

[mzodarg]

Can you seriously do that? Leave the boat unattended with the trolling motor holding your boat in place while you park the truck? Man, that would be so sweet!

Did it all the time with the Bass boat, I haven't tried it yet with the Barge.