Thread: Minn Kota i Pilot questions and answers

Way to go Dave. Sounds like you had a good time up north.

Not really wanting to read thru 20+ pages of posts so I am sorry if this is a repeat question. My PDV2 w/Ipilot has a problem of overshooting the spot when using spot lock. It goes back and forth across the intended spot and much of the time I am stopping it to keep it from winding the cord too tight around the shaft. I also end up fishing a 15 - 20 foot area rather than 5 - 10 which I believe it is supposed to do. My main question is, does the Terrova do the same? I am looking to upgrade because the 55 lb pound thrust may be too small and that is why there is a spot lock problem. Thanks for your help!

I have a 55 Terrova w/ IP on my Tracker PT175 w/ a 60 2 stroke. The Terrova will do the same thing as its the IP that controls the TM actions when using the spot lock function. Try pointing the bow into the wind, it may help some on the overshooting of your spot. My 55 does fine on my boat, I troll/longline 95% of the time, and use spotlock to keep the boat off the shore/stationary while changing lures, etc., and use the IP for its direction and speed control mainly due to my preferred style of fishing.

Seem to me like my IP will wrap the power cord around the shaft up to a point, and then unwrap itself, but I always watch/pay attention to it as it can do some damage if wraps up too tight, especially when shooting an occassional dock. I do use spotlock when shooting docks as the Terrova is a bit slow in responding to commands to change directions but I've read that is due to the electric controls vs cable controls. I still like my set up for my style(s) but the IP is not perfect.

Originally Posted by JTMavs

5 - 10

That's the absolute best you can expect under perfect conditions. I've used a Terrova with i-P for 3 years and haven't seen one of those perfect days yet! Here's what the i-P manual says:


I've never noticed an accuracy problem that was caused by the level of battery charge, but all the other variables are every-day concerns. Wind and signal strength are the biggies.

When the wind starts gusting above 10 mph, I don't use spot lock. The boat whipsaws back & forth overshooting the target point and wrapping my lines in the prop. When this happens, I go to manual control or anchor.

Signal strength is affected by the weather, solar flares, and anything (overhanging trees, for example) that blocks the GPS receiver's line of sight to one or more of the satellites it is using to establish the position.

Typically, you can expect to drift at least 15' before spot lock detects a position change and starts the motor. If there's a wind or current, you continue to drift off target (maybe as much as another boat length) until the motor speeds up enough to overcome the drift and start moving you back toward the spot it considers to be the center point.

The Terrova/i-P will not wrap the wires until they break. Somehow it senses the problem, stops the motor, and counter-rotates until the wire unwinds. Then it restarts.

Corker thats good stuff! All true!

Question
If you use spot lock for an extended period of time in say a slight breeze where it has to work a little harder will u not wear your batteries down?

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Terrova, PD2, and Riptide all have the power "Maximizer" feature & that is particularly good at conserving battery power when you run at low settings. In a light wind, i-P will use low throttle settings to pull you back to the target spot. If your battery (12v motors) or batteries (24v) is/are in good condition and fully charged when you launch, you could probably use spot lock to hold your position continuously for more than 24 hrs. (I'd love to have even one lockable spot that remained productive for more than an hour!)

I pilot has programing in the spot lock mode that will not allow the shaft to spin over 360 degrees without unwrapping itself. If you slow down before hitting spot lock it helps a lot.