Question about the Terrova w/I Pilot ???

[Scalloper]

I have a 16' Lund Pro with a 70hp Even 4 stroke set up mostly for trolling for trout and salmon. I mostly troll live or sewn on baits and troll at .6-1.0 mph. Currently I use drift bags to slow down my boat. Even with the bags out I have trouble maintaining 1 mph or less. And with the drift bags the boat needs someone at the wheel constantly. It’s very difficult to get set out while fishing alone or with someone that’s incapable of driving a boat straight. I was told some guys are having great luck using the Terrova w/I Pilot while letting the main motor run to keep the batteries charged. After watching several Utube vids they look like they would work well but I am not sure which one would be best for me. I don’t need the foot control so could I buy one of the I Pilots without the foot controller? Any suggestions? Thanks

[Mac Attack]

Here's what you need to charge the trolling batteries.

http://www../product/Boating/AutoBoat-Batteries-Chargers/On-Board-Chargers-Inverters%7C/pc/104794380/c/104698080/sc/104465880/Minn-Kotareg-On-Board-DC-Alternator-Charger/737546.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fon-board-chargers-inverters%2F_%2FN-1100565%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104465880%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253Bcat104794380%253Bcat104698080&WTz_l=SBC%3Bcat104794380%3Bcat104698080%3Bcat104465880


I have the 80# (24V) Terrova i-pilot on the bow.
And it trolls great for eyes.
I have it on a 1650 Rebel XT SS.
Be sure to get the longer shaft so the prop stays in the water in the rough stuff.
Also, get a decent quick-release mount for it and a good lock.

I get about 4-6 hrs out of a set of Interstate Series 27 deep cycle batteries.
(I'm not going to get into an argument about how long these last)

Anyway, this year I added a 8hp Honda 4-stroke kicker to suppliment the Terrova.
2 reasons.
Against the wind and waves the Terrova needed to run on a lot higher setting which reduced battery life.
So the new kicker will help by reducing the required setting on my Terrova conserving battery life.
And the second reason was I wanted more safety.
A backup motor.
I fish Lake Erie mostly.
It can get rough out there and I don't want to get stranded.

Not sure if you can get the Terrova without the foot pedal.
But why would you?
You might find a use for it somewhere at sometime.
I never use my foot pedal so it's stored up front in a hatch just in case.

YMMV.

Good luck.

[Scalloper]

Thanks Attack
I  just thought sence I would not use the foot pedal I might save a few bucks and not get one. Thanks for the info.

[Mac Attack]

Thanks Attack
I  just thought sence I would not use the foot pedal I might save a few bucks and not get one. Thanks for the info.

You might end up liking the foot pedal for other fishing.
I'm going to try it this summer for smallies out in Erie.
All the guys out my way have the Terrova I-pilot on the bows of the walleye trolling rigs and love them.
Another great feature is the anchor lock.
We fish for perch out in Erie and they are in 50+ FOW and often as deep as 70-80'.
Used an anchor, chain, and 250' of rode for years.
Haul that up out of 70+ FOW a few times and you get kinda lazy about moving spots to follow the perch.
That anchor lock feature is absolutely awesome!!!!

Good luck.


Mac

[800stealth]

I have know clue about trolling aspect of your question but you can get I-pilot on a power drive without the foot pedal, this is what I have on my Nitro. The power drive line is less expensive than the Terrova. After having an I-pilot setup I can't imagine not having one.

[slamber]

It doesn't sound like you do much casting/jigging from the front of the boat but if you ever do you'll want the foot control.

Installed the Terrova 80# w/ Link this spring and am loving it.

[robbi]

I've got the same Minn Kota set up that Attack has on my Pro V 1775.  Never understood boat control til I got one.  and yes.....it's rare I use the foot pedal, but I do when whoever has the remote hooks up with a fish, I can take over control of the boat while they fight their fish.  I'm a walleye guy and can troll bottom bouncers, jigs for a couple days on my Interstate 27's.  I've got a kicker for trolling cranks, however I've used the Terrova and still have plenty of juice.  The "spot lock" or anchor system on the I pilot is a friggin awesome feature as well as the auto pilot and cruise control........

[Mac Attack]

I tried my new Honda 8hp 4-stroke yeasterday along with the Terrova I-Pilot.
Wow!

Low wind and waves out on Erie.
So it was a very good to test things.
With the Terrova alone on my Lund Rebel XL 1650 I can troll with nuetral wind about 2.7-2.8 mph at the full 10 setting.
It runs around 7-8 to hold 1.9-2.0 mph trolling for eyes.
(More against the wind, and less with the wind accordingly)
Now, with the Honda kicker in gear and very slightly increased in RPM to give me about 1.1.-1.2 mph (without the Terrova), I only need to then turn on the Terrova to about 4-5 setting to hold the 1.9-2.0 mph.
This should easily give me an entire day or more on my Interstate 27's.

I'm happy!!

 

[Cheeks13]

Or get a trolling plate...

[Mac Attack]

Or get a trolling plate... 8)

Trolling plates suck canal water.
No boat control and you're putting low RPM hours on your expensive main motor.
Low RPM hours that they don't like and will only load them up with carbon - even an Etech or a 4-stroke.
Even if you cut a hole in the plate to allow some exhaust and thrust to shoot through your boat control is horrible.
And just wait until you forget to raise the plate or it sticks in the closed position.
Bent plate or worse - a busted cavitation plate on your lower unit.
Big bucks to fix.
If you want to run a trolling plate in spite of everything I've just posted, save your money and don't buy it new.
CL and EBay are loaded with them used.........for very obvious reasons.
YMMV

I think I might even have a used one somewhere in the garage if someone's interested.

[Cheeks13]

I haven't had an issue. I guess using some common sense helps some too.

[Mac Attack]

I haven't had an issue. I guess using some common sense helps some too.

Good for you.
Really glad to hear it.

[Cheeks13]

Dude... not sure why you're being a Richard. I get it... you don't like trolling plates. You're entitled to your opinion... as am I.

[Mac Attack]

Dude... not sure why you're being a Richard. I get it... you don't like trolling plates. You're entitled to your opinion... as am I.

Of course you are.
Settle down.
That's why I said good for and that I was really glad to hear you had better luck than I have had over the years with plates.
You're the one that insinuated that I had no, or wasn't using any common sense.
I'm fine.

[FrankM]

I have a trolling plate in my garage.  It's a "Happy Troller".  Some sadistic marketing guru must have come up with that name.  If anyone wants it they can have it. The best thing I ever did was take that thing off my 70 HP Johnson and put a 6 HP kicker on my boat.  I ran that stupid trolling plate from 1987 to 2003.  When I'm fishing walleyes I troll for hours and hours and would burn a whole tank of gas or more just trolling with the 70. Ended up blowing the power head from it being loaded up with carbon which got caught in the bottom ring and it jammed in the exhaust port and knocked off the piston skirt.  Big 2 strokes don't troll well no matter how much common sense you have.  So after buying a rebuilt power head for $1500 I found a nice little 6 horse with tank and hose for $350.  I got one of those little connector linkages to couple the steering to my big motor.  I can troll all day non stop for most of a week with that little 6 horse.  I probably save the cost of that kicker in gas every year. Also having that backup motor can be really handy if you have trouble with the main motor.  My battery crapped out on lake Erie at 2 AM a few years back and I couldn't start the 70.  It took about 45 minutes but I was able to get back to the small boat harbor from Hamburg with the 6 horse.   Since 2003 I have been using that 70 HP for the purpose it was intended, running around at cruising speed and have had much less troubles with it than when I tried long periods of idling.  Someday I would love to get one of those I Pilots as I fish Erie for perch and walleyes too and it would be heavenly to be able to troll out there, catch a big walleye and not have to keep one hand on the steering wheel to keep the wind from blowing me around while I fight the fish.  Also trying to anchor on top of a school of perch can be challenging.  It would be so nice to just push a button and fish.
Anyway the setup that Attack has now would be ideal in my book.