03-02-2012, 01:09 PM
Several of you guys make some good points that I want to reply to:
N.E.T.O. … I too will want to keep an i-Pilot on any fishing boat I own.
AFDan52 … Yea, there are some Minn Kota motors that can be upgraded and some can not. I was a lucky one and was able to upgrade my V2 to an i-Pilot for about $400.
WiperMac … I actually got my i-Pilot mainly for mack fishing on the Gorge but use it for countless other applications too.
fish_fear_me2 … Get the model number of your Minn Kota and give them a call. They will tell you over the phone weather or not it can be converted. Conversion kits run about $400 and they are reasonably easy to install. There is actually a pretty good Youtube video that walks you through each step of the upgrade. The upgrade kit comes with a good manual too but I actually liked the video better. If you, or anyone else, wants some help with the upgrade, I would be glad to pay you a visit and assist.
clipripper …. Do a quality job of installing it and you will love it. It is a well built product.
FOOLFERFISHN … Yea, those 24 volters are SWEET. I installed one on my brother’s Trophy and, like you say, “it will party all day”. And, like you, I installed an on-board charger on his boat AND my boat. That sure is a great way to go. We go to the Gorge and simply plug an extension chord between the charger and a wall outlet every night. That is a lot easier than dragging out the battery charger, removing covers to access battery terminals, and reversing the process every morning.
BearLakeFishGuy … “The control on the ipilot is difficult to use compared to the copilot. The GPS feature is nice, but its still not accurate enough for me to hover over fish. I'd rather do this with my copilot.” You are not the first person that doesn’t own an i-pilot that has told me that same thing. Personally, I still think it would be hard to beat the i-Pilot for staying put in one place. BUT, if the pod of fish you are following are moving, then the i-Pilot anchor is of no use. However, one of the features of the i-Pilot is CoPilot. I.E., with the i-Pilot, you get CoPilot AND Advance AutoPilot as part of the package. As for what Jim Williams says about the remote … I do agree … a lot to be desired. When Jim was installing his i-Pilot, I told him, “you are going to hate the remote”. And he does. But good news, I see their new remotes are designed much differently … more like the buttons of a TV remote. To get one costs about $200. And that I can’t justify just yet. So for now, I will just stick with my old crappy one.
CoyoteSpinner … "I wish I had one but I think it would be silly to have electronics that are worth more than my whole boat! Haha.” Yea, I know what you mean but I know a guy that has actually done that. Just ask N.E.T.O.. All of a sudden, his little tub is priceless!
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N.E.T.O. … I too will want to keep an i-Pilot on any fishing boat I own.
AFDan52 … Yea, there are some Minn Kota motors that can be upgraded and some can not. I was a lucky one and was able to upgrade my V2 to an i-Pilot for about $400.
WiperMac … I actually got my i-Pilot mainly for mack fishing on the Gorge but use it for countless other applications too.
fish_fear_me2 … Get the model number of your Minn Kota and give them a call. They will tell you over the phone weather or not it can be converted. Conversion kits run about $400 and they are reasonably easy to install. There is actually a pretty good Youtube video that walks you through each step of the upgrade. The upgrade kit comes with a good manual too but I actually liked the video better. If you, or anyone else, wants some help with the upgrade, I would be glad to pay you a visit and assist.
clipripper …. Do a quality job of installing it and you will love it. It is a well built product.
FOOLFERFISHN … Yea, those 24 volters are SWEET. I installed one on my brother’s Trophy and, like you say, “it will party all day”. And, like you, I installed an on-board charger on his boat AND my boat. That sure is a great way to go. We go to the Gorge and simply plug an extension chord between the charger and a wall outlet every night. That is a lot easier than dragging out the battery charger, removing covers to access battery terminals, and reversing the process every morning.
BearLakeFishGuy … “The control on the ipilot is difficult to use compared to the copilot. The GPS feature is nice, but its still not accurate enough for me to hover over fish. I'd rather do this with my copilot.” You are not the first person that doesn’t own an i-pilot that has told me that same thing. Personally, I still think it would be hard to beat the i-Pilot for staying put in one place. BUT, if the pod of fish you are following are moving, then the i-Pilot anchor is of no use. However, one of the features of the i-Pilot is CoPilot. I.E., with the i-Pilot, you get CoPilot AND Advance AutoPilot as part of the package. As for what Jim Williams says about the remote … I do agree … a lot to be desired. When Jim was installing his i-Pilot, I told him, “you are going to hate the remote”. And he does. But good news, I see their new remotes are designed much differently … more like the buttons of a TV remote. To get one costs about $200. And that I can’t justify just yet. So for now, I will just stick with my old crappy one.
CoyoteSpinner … "I wish I had one but I think it would be silly to have electronics that are worth more than my whole boat! Haha.” Yea, I know what you mean but I know a guy that has actually done that. Just ask N.E.T.O.. All of a sudden, his little tub is priceless!
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