Terrova Ipilot

[bighed]

Starting this thread as an attempt to not turn an aluminum boat conversation into a trolling motor conversation.  It was suggested by a couple guys here that I respect, that the Terrova Ipilot was a step up in technology that gives an angler an edge over the old foot and hand control tm's we all have used.  I'm a believer that once an angler closes his mind to new ideas, he's limited his growth in the sport.  That said, can someone tell me the advantages of this new technology and their experiences with it?  What can and can't it do?  How's the reliability, etc? 

[Under the Radar]

I've had my Terrova iPilot 80# for a little over 2 years now. I can't imagine being without it. I spend more time fishing with better concentration than with my old cable steer. I'm in central FLA and fish lakes and the St Johns river. The first year I didn't even plug in the foot control. I think just because the whole concept was new and I'm a gadget nut. Now the foot control gets a little more use. The autopilot is great, the follow Track function has gotten more use, especially when following the edge of a weed line. The cruise control is nice when trolling shiners and following a track. The Spotlock has been invaluable, the more wind or current there is the better it holds. It takes some practice to get the spotlock set correctly but once you figure it out and don't overrun the spot you're in like Flynn. I have read that the newer units are having problems with the Spotlock, but I haven't personally used one of the newer units, so I can't address that issue. The response of the Foot control has not been an issue for me either, I think most of the complaints on this were from the very first models.

Hope this helps.

[tbone1993]

I really enjoyed using it on my friends boat but I am not sure that I am in love with it. For normal day to day use I would go with a cable steer unit, for big water and multi species fishing I would get a terranova. The spot-lock feature is awesome for  bed fishing and having the coangler with the hand control allows them to move the boat if youre trying to land a fish.

[slonezp]

I've had it since it's ***. First on a Powerdrive V2 then on a Terrova. I now have Ipilot Link but haven't utilized everything it has to offer.

If you're used to cable steer, there may be a learning curve with electric steer. There is a slower response and the motor that rotates the shaft makes noise. I don't notice it but cable steer guys do. I don't use the foot pedal but I keep it on the boat in a locker for backup. Not having a foot pedal opens up the deck. FYI the Terrova foot pedal will not fit in a recessed tray. It deploys differently than a cable steer. Again, I see no issue but some do. For off shore fishing there's no comparison. The Ipilot wins hands down. Either using spot lock or cruise control, it's much easier to stay in the "zone". As far as shallow fishing, with cable steer, you know by the position of the pedal which direction you want to go. I've been using the ipilot so long I can operate the remotes basic functions without even looking at it. The cable steer argument is "If you're using the remote to turn, your hand isn't on the reel" My argument is "So what" "I can hook a fish, hit spot lock, play the fish, land the fish, and remove the hooks without having to worry that I'm headed towards a dock or out to sea." I don't fish stump filled water so I can't answer any questions regarding that. I can control the direction of the boat no matter where I'm at in the boat. Can't do that with cable steer.

 

I have to go now, I'll hit you up with some more info later

[Long Mike]

I confess that when I bought my first boat about eight years ago, I could never get used to a cable steer TM.  Whenever I was distracted, like when having to re-tie, I would invariably end up going in circles, or running the boat into the bank.  As I have stated in previous posts, for many long-time anglers, the cable-steer foot pedal is almost like an extension of their bodies, and the pedal is operated almost subconsciously.  Not so for me.  The Terrova, along with it's spot-lock feature, was a godsend for me when it became time to re-tie.  I no longer looked, or felt like a duffus to my co-angler.  That feature alone was enough to prod me into buying the Terrova.

 

The more I use the iPilot feature of the motor, the more I like it.  As with anything else, it takes some getting used to, but it's not a very steep learning curve.  In all honesty I have never used the foot pedal, preferring instead to use the hand-held remote. I generally set the motor to auto-pilot and then forget about the remote unless I need to make an occasional course or speed correction.  I no longer need to look at the remote to do so.  Casual observers will normally see me sitting on a high pedestal seat, fishing with one leg crossed over the other.  As for navigating around stumps, I have never had a problem, but there is a lag time from going from the straight ahead position to a full 90 deg left or right of about a second.  That's never been a problem for me, because 99% of the time there is plenty of time to get around the stump.  For that last 1% I rely on the composite shaft of the motor.  Works like a charm.

 

Now for the downside.  On several occasions I have allowed others, who use cable-steer, to use my boat, and they have preferred to use the foot pedal instead of the remote.  None of them cared for it, but loved the spot-lock feature.  Another drawback is that it is very difficult to install any transducer other than the built-in one that comes with the motor.  With regards to that aspect, the Terrova is definitely not user-friendly.  Finally, the Terrova has no handle or strap to assist with deploy and retrieve.  Luckily, I found a strap-on handle that very much eases this old man's burden in that area.

 

All in all I consider the Terrova to be one of the best inventions since sliced bread.  Given a week or so of using it, I think a great many cable-steer guys would be willing to convert.

[slonezp]

I'm back   I failed to mention earlier, if you are going head on into a constant current or constant wind, you are able to set a speed and course, and just go. I'd like to counter what Long Mike said about installing a transducer to the Terrova. It can be ordered with the US2 universal sonar. The US2 woks with 2d sonar on most brands of graphs providing you have the correct adapter cable. If you want to run a SI or DI humminbird, installing it on the Terrova is not horribly difficult BUT you need to be precise with how you secure the cable or you will be purchasing transducers. The Lowrance transducer cable does not fit in the shaft groove and I know there are instructions on walleyecentral and crappieDOTcom on how to do the install.  

[bighed]

Interesting stuff guys.  Thanks for taking the time to comment.  I guess I'm in the "extension of my body" group since I have aways used the foot controls.  I look forward to trying the new technology soon!

[Long Mike]

Sloanzp, my Terrova has the US2, but I wanted down imaging capability, so installed the Raymarine Dragonfly.  The problem with installing any other external transducer is that the transducer cable must be run up the shaft groove and held there with a marine adhesive.  If the cable has a diameter any larger than the depth of the shaft groove, then at the very least the shaft will 'bind' on deploy and retrieve, and at worst, damage the cable.  Luckily, my cable was on the smaller side, but still caused significant binding.  I tolerated this for a couple of months, then reluctantly had to remove the unit.  It's bad enough that the Terrova doesn't have a handle on it, but when the binding makes retrieval twice as difficult, something has to go.

 

If anyone wants instructions on how to install the external cable, please PM me and I will walk you through it.  It's not difficult, but it would help if you were mechanically inclined.

[slonezp]

On 8/29/2014 at 4:21 PM, Long Mike said:

Sloanzp, my Terrova has the US2, but I wanted down imaging capability, so installed the Raymarine Dragonfly.  The problem with installing any other external transducer is that the transducer cable must be run up the shaft groove and held there with a marine adhesive.  If the cable has a diameter any larger than the depth of the shaft groove, then at the very least the shaft will 'bind' on deploy and retrieve, and at worst, damage the cable.  Luckily, my cable was on the smaller side, but still caused significant binding.  I tolerated this for a couple of months, then reluctantly had to remove the unit.  It's bad enough that the Terrova doesn't have a handle on it, but when the binding makes retrieval twice as difficult, something has to go.

 

If anyone wants instructions on how to install the external cable, please PM me and I will walk you through it.  It's not difficult, but it would help if you were mechanically inclined.

I know exactly what you are talking about. I've heard of many nightmare stories about guys buying transducers. I put SI on my Terrova this past winter and have not had one issue with binding or pinching. It's all about the correct installation.  It's not something that can be completed in a couple hours and be correct like many of the youtube videos show. The installation(s) I referred to walleyecentral and crappisDOTcom are installs for Lowrance imaging units because their cables are too large to fit in the groove. It would be a similar install to any imaging on the Powerdrive V2 which does not have the groove on the shaft. It can be done successfully, and I would recommend SI on the bow to anyone.   

[Rodney Smith]

I have an Terrova IPilot and had a Humminbird Helix (which I am selling). I have had the cable issues you described. I have little nicks in my wire. I am going back to a Raymarine Dragonfly. Can you help me with how to install the cable to the transducer to where I can avoid these problems next time?

[gim]

I'm in the other group of anglers that used to use electric steer (power drive model) and converted to cable steer (maxxum).  My parents have a Terrova on their Deep V Warrior 2090 walleye boat and I've used that one too a few times.  Going from one to the other or vice versa takes come getting used to.  The electric steer made so much noise when I turned I cringed every time I had to go left or right, plus it was a slower response too.  If I was going to upgrade again, I'd get the Ultrex because its the best of both worlds (cable steer with spot lock).  For offshore applications the electric steer models are superior.  For pounding through thick weeds, stumps, and other obstacles, the cable steer is the superior type.  Just my 2 cents after having used both.

[slonezp]

On 5/17/2017 at 5:13 AM, Rodney Smith said:

I have an Terrova IPilot and had a Humminbird Helix (which I am selling). I have had the cable issues you described. I have little nicks in my wire. I am going back to a Raymarine Dragonfly. Can you help me with how to install the cable to the transducer to where I can avoid these problems next time?

Needs to be secured extremely well where the shaft meets the motor and run a bead of silicone down the groove edge on the shaft and wrap the entire shaft with blue painters tape. Let it sit for a couple days to dry. The second picture shows how close the tolerance is when the motor is in the stowed position. If it's not secured here, you will chop up the cable. I'm going into year 4 like this and I have replaced the zip ties once because the heat and sun really weathers the plastic.

 

 

[Scott F]

I just added a Garmin with down imaging and the built in transducer on my Terrova works just fine. 

[PECo]

I had a Maxxum cable steer, went to a Terrova electric steer, and now have an Ultrex.

 

The Ultrex is the best of both worlds. It operates like a cable steer, but it's really an electric steer, so you have the option to use a remote. Plus, the Ultrex mount is light years more robust than the Terrova mount.

 

Get an Ultrex.