Thread: Co-pilot vs ipilot

I believe there were 2 generations of the Terrova. The first generation would accept co pilot and what they called legacy I-Pilot. The second generation would accept I-pilot. At least that is how I remember it going. I added the I-Pilot to mine. I have the foot pedal. I have taken it out of the boat. The remote works great. I can run down catfish while jug fishing with the remote in one hand and grab the jug with the other.

I believe you can contact Min Kota with a serial number and they will tell you which I-Pilot you need for that trolling motor.

I have a now 3 year old Powerdrive unit.
untill recently i only had the foot control with the 18’ long cord.
I only used the foot control as a hand control because thats what was easier for me.
But ultimately the wire failed in a few areas due to winding it up after use.
I bought a Co Pilot setup and im very pleased with it overall.
It does all the things the original foot control did but nothing more.
I am under the opinion that i can still use the original foot control also if i so choose.
However if i were to have converted the unit to allow for all the functions including spotlock, then not only would it have been much more costly, but there would be no foot control option.

The Terrova and Powerdrive V2 are two different set ups. The Terrova is Designed to allow for both the remote and the pedal to be connected at the same time and that is not an option with the PD V2 as it uses the pedal harness to connect the I-pilot harness from the control head. Look up the "Trolling motor parts" conversion video for PD V2 on you tube (Minn Kota PowerDrive V2 I-Pilot Bluetooth Conversion Kit - Trollingmotorparts.com) and you can see why the pedal is no longer used.

Chris

Originally Posted by NCkenner

The Terrova and Powerdrive V2 are two different set ups. The Terrova is Designed to allow for both the remote and the pedal to be connected at the same time and that is not an option with the PD V2 as it uses the pedal harness to connect the I-pilot harness from the control head. Look up the "Trolling motor parts" conversion video for PD V2 on you tube (Minn Kota PowerDrive V2 I-Pilot Bluetooth Conversion Kit - Trollingmotorparts.com) and you can see why the pedal is no longer used.

Chris

Actually, this is incorrect information.
There is a big difference between (i pilot ) and (co pilot units.)
Co pilot is simply an add on which allows for remote control of Power drive units without using the foot control.
But the foot control can still be hooked up and used if desired.
It still limits the motor to the same features available with the foot control and no more, Steering and speed only.
Whereas with I pilot the head of the motor is changed out not allowing the use of the original foot control.
The Co pilot setup cost about the same as replacing the original foot control, whereas the I pilot is far more expensive.
Best to talk with a tech rep at Minn Kota for more information.

Yobuck, with all due respect, the info I posted was/is in fact accurate. You are comparing I-pilot to Co-pilot and my info was Terrova vs. Powerdrive V2. The OP stated his friend has a Terrova and uses both the remote and pedal and he has a Powerdrive V2. He asked the question "If he changes his to an I-pilot will he lose his foot pedal" and the answer I shared is yes and why. Your assessment of Co-pilot is spot on.

Originally Posted by yobuck

Actually, this is incorrect information.
There is a big difference between (i pilot ) and (co pilot units.)
Co pilot is simply an add on which allows for remote control of Power drive units without using the foot control.
But the foot control can still be hooked up and used if desired.
It still limits the motor to the same features available with the foot control and no more, Steering and speed only.
Whereas with I pilot the head of the motor is changed out not allowing the use of the original foot control.
The Co pilot setup cost about the same as replacing the original foot control, whereas the I pilot is far more expensive.
Best to talk with a tech rep at Minn Kota for more information.

Thank you all for the responses. I contacted Minn Kota and they answered all my questions. Basically I didnt understand why If I converted my power drive to I Pilot why I wouldnt be able to use a foot pedal vs a buddy of mine who has the terrova and can still use his foot pedal. In a nut shell , the terrova is a upgraded version with a few more options and the use of a foot pedal or handheld remote is one of those options. The powerdrive trolling motor was given to me and I installed it and was looking at my options.

I did the exact thing to my power drive. Added the co pilot first then upgraded to the I pilot and miss my foot pedal when I do bass fish occasionally. I have purchased a double pole switch which is suppose to allow me to switch between the I pilot and the foot pedal. I am going to install it in the next few weeks. Basically when you add the I pilot you disconnect the two wires for the foot pedal control and connect the two wires from the new head you install that allow the controller to operate. This switch will have the original wires connected on one side and the new wires on the other and allow me to flip between the two.