03-12-2012, 01:44 AM
Glad to see you are considering an i-Pilot Mark. You are one of those fishermen that could really put an i-Pilot to good use.
I think my boat is lighter than yours (not sure). My i-Pilot is just the 12v .. 55 lb thrust Power Drive V2. Mine is equipped with the 54" shaft. Shaft wise, I wish it was a couple inches longer (don't we all?) because sometimes (rarely) in 1-foot waves, my prop will come up out of the water. But, as you know, the bow of my boat sticks WAY up in the air (typical Gregor). So a 54" shaft is probably plenty for your boat. Definitely don't go for the 45" shaft but a 60" shaft on your boat would be a waste and would unnecessarily take up more precious space.
As for voltage, like I say, mine is the single battery, 12v. model. When mack fishing, I have found that, near the end of a 6-hour day of fishing where we are using the i-Pilot heavily all day long, the battery gets a little week near the end of the day. That symptom would definitely not be an issue with a 2-battery 24v. system.
So, in summary, if I were installing an i-Pilot on your boat, I would go with the new [url "http://www.cabelas.com/product/Minn-Kota-PowerDrive8482-V2-70-i-Pilot174/1304181.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Di-pilot%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26x%3D22%26y%3D7&Ntt=i-pilot&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products"]Power Drive V2 70[/url]. It has 70 lbs. thrust (a little more than my 55 which is better for your heaver boat). That [url "http://www.cabelas.com/product/Minn-Kota-PowerDrive8482-V2-70-i-Pilot174/1304181.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Di-pilot%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26x%3D22%26y%3D7&Ntt=i-pilot&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products"]Power Drive V2 70[/url] is a 24 v. system to better serve your heaver boat and it's more powerful 70 lb. thrust motor. And like I say, no need to get the 60" shaft ... for your boat, the 54" shaft would be plenty good.
The one drawback to getting the V2-70 is the cost and maintenance of two batteries instead of one and having to find a good location in the boat for the second battery.
I suspect that you already have an on-board charger. But if you don't, that is another toy WELL worth considering.
One last thing Mark, if/when you get and i-Pilot and/or an on-board charger, come over to my place and take an up-close look at my installation before you begin. There are a couple things I have done that I really like and some things that should have been done differently.
Enjoy tricking out your ride Mark.
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I think my boat is lighter than yours (not sure). My i-Pilot is just the 12v .. 55 lb thrust Power Drive V2. Mine is equipped with the 54" shaft. Shaft wise, I wish it was a couple inches longer (don't we all?) because sometimes (rarely) in 1-foot waves, my prop will come up out of the water. But, as you know, the bow of my boat sticks WAY up in the air (typical Gregor). So a 54" shaft is probably plenty for your boat. Definitely don't go for the 45" shaft but a 60" shaft on your boat would be a waste and would unnecessarily take up more precious space.
As for voltage, like I say, mine is the single battery, 12v. model. When mack fishing, I have found that, near the end of a 6-hour day of fishing where we are using the i-Pilot heavily all day long, the battery gets a little week near the end of the day. That symptom would definitely not be an issue with a 2-battery 24v. system.
So, in summary, if I were installing an i-Pilot on your boat, I would go with the new [url "http://www.cabelas.com/product/Minn-Kota-PowerDrive8482-V2-70-i-Pilot174/1304181.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Di-pilot%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26x%3D22%26y%3D7&Ntt=i-pilot&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products"]Power Drive V2 70[/url]. It has 70 lbs. thrust (a little more than my 55 which is better for your heaver boat). That [url "http://www.cabelas.com/product/Minn-Kota-PowerDrive8482-V2-70-i-Pilot174/1304181.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Di-pilot%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26x%3D22%26y%3D7&Ntt=i-pilot&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products"]Power Drive V2 70[/url] is a 24 v. system to better serve your heaver boat and it's more powerful 70 lb. thrust motor. And like I say, no need to get the 60" shaft ... for your boat, the 54" shaft would be plenty good.
The one drawback to getting the V2-70 is the cost and maintenance of two batteries instead of one and having to find a good location in the boat for the second battery.
I suspect that you already have an on-board charger. But if you don't, that is another toy WELL worth considering.
One last thing Mark, if/when you get and i-Pilot and/or an on-board charger, come over to my place and take an up-close look at my installation before you begin. There are a couple things I have done that I really like and some things that should have been done differently.
Enjoy tricking out your ride Mark.
[signature]