View Full Version : How do you like your co-pilot?
icedog
10-13-2009, 11:52 AM
My wife asked if I would like a minnkota co-pilot for my b-day. I have never used one and feel I am pretty good with boat control anyway. But I am looking to hear from those who had been without them and now use them. How much do you use it? How do you like it?
Icedog
Ps I have a 70pdap 24volt
bsnyder
10-13-2009, 03:28 PM
My wife asked if I would like a minnkota co-pilot for my b-day. I have never used one and feel I am pretty good with boat control anyway. But I am looking to hear from those who had been without them and now use them. How much do you use it? How do you like it?
Icedog
Ps I have a 70pdap 24volt
I LUV mine , wouldnt do without it
larrym
10-13-2009, 06:50 PM
I think you'll find most like their's and I probably am in the minority. While I use it occassionaly I find when landing a fish or doing something else with my hands it's difficult to control the boat, particularly in the wind. I also find it more difficult to mantain a consistant speed as the remote does not have numbers as does the foot control. (I like being able to go back to that same number after speeding up for some reason or coming to a stop) There are occassions when it's handy and usually that's when it's raining bad enough I move back under the bimini. :)
Rednek_
10-13-2009, 09:51 PM
I had one on my PD and now have one on my new Terrova. It's great when you are in the back of the boat netting or fighting a fish and you need to make boat adjustments. Only complaint that I have is a few times I've wondered why I can't keep on course only to find that the auto-pilot button was accidently pressed and turned off.
I can't wait until the I-Pilot is available.
luveyes
10-13-2009, 11:04 PM
I cant imagine life without one. The first money out of my pocket after purchasing a boat or new TM that didnt come with one. This summer bought a new boat with a Terrova and no co-pilot... Boat didnt make the whole trip home and a co-pilot was in a bag in the back seat.
I love mine but do use the pedal quite a bit also
Don't know if you are talking about a unit with the auto-pilot feature or not. I think mine has both the co-pilot and auto-pilot feature. Like them both but love the auto-pilot feature much better.
FishCo
10-14-2009, 02:27 PM
I like it. I don't use it all of the time, but when I do it has sure come in handy.
Jeff
EYECRAZY
10-14-2009, 03:31 PM
Doesn't the remote "rabbit" button work in a way that you push it once & it speeds you up, push it again & it returns to the same speed as before ?
You have an AP model, add the co pilot & its the best thing since sliced bread imo. You will love it.
karpbuster
10-14-2009, 04:03 PM
I really like mine for forward trolling. Over the foot control, I like it even better. The foot control was useless to me. Now for back trolling I have a Vector on the transom. You can not beat the Co Pilot for trolling, set the direction on the AP and adjust direction from your seat, and it just stays on course when you reel in fish. Sweet. For a Bass boat style of fishing a foot control or tiller handle, I would probably go Bill Dance style and a Tiller handle. But since I am a Tiller guy I use the transom tiller TM anyways for that kind of fishing. Just call me craw-daddy backing all over the lake. :)
Opti-Mist
10-14-2009, 04:10 PM
The Co-Pilot is great for course adjustments, especially with AP. It provides a coarser speed adjustment than the foot pedal (which I use as a hand pedal), but even at that it can be useful for speed as well. The reality is that I did not use it at all this past season after having used it up to half the time in past seasons. This mostly due to using the pedal as a hand control.
Further North
10-14-2009, 07:49 PM
I was going to add one to my Terrova until I heard about iPilot coming out.
For me, iPilot obsoletes both the copilot and autopilot.
FullThrottle
10-15-2009, 12:49 PM
My wife asked if I would like a minnkota co-pilot for my b-day. I have never used one and feel I am pretty good with boat control anyway. But I am looking to hear from those who had been without them and now use them. How much do you use it? How do you like it?
Icedog
Ps I have a 70pdap 24volt
CoPilot and Autopilot are the ticket. However if you can wait a couple of months you might want to wait and see how the IPilot pans out. That could be better. Every once in a while my Minnkota spins around and goes nuts. It seems to be a known problem. I am hoping that the IPilot fixes this issue and gives me a lot more.
Scozzafave
10-19-2009, 12:08 PM
I recommend getting two so both anglers can get control of the boat....if you are fighting a fish, they can easility take over boat control. You can also screw with your friends and program yours to run theirs....great way to get them off of your spot:)
RichZ
10-28-2009, 10:18 PM
I've been using CoPilot since the 1st month is was available. First on a PowerDrive, and the last few years on a Terrova. I can't imagine ever going back to steering with a foot control or a tiller again. If everything I owned worked as well as the CoPilot, I'd have a lot less stress in my life.
I just hope the i-Pilot works as well!
AllenW
10-29-2009, 06:43 AM
CoPilot and Autopilot are the ticket. However if you can wait a couple of months you might want to wait and see how the IPilot pans out. That could be better. Every once in a while my Minnkota spins around and goes nuts. It seems to be a known problem. I am hoping that the IPilot fixes this issue and gives me a lot more.
I've had that happen several times, each time they put a new board in and it works fine for awhile, supposedly there's a solid state ? compass or something thats a update to cure that problem..fwiw
Last boat had the CoPilot and I gave it some thought on this one, arthritis in one foot causes me to sit on the bow pedestal and put the foot control on the gunwale and use my hand to operate, cord is long enough to reach under the Bimini cover so I haven't really looked to hard into the CoPilot.
The IPilot seems to be what I'm leaning to wards, considering a CoPilot at cabella's for my Terrova goes for $200, its not much of a step to the IPilot.
Biggest complaint I could come up with for the IPilot was not having the ability to map out a course without actually running that course, but after a bit of thought, I think depending on your GPS and Chips to lay a course out probably isn't going to be as accurate, especially when trying to hold a curvy break line tight.
Like others have said, maybe wait till the IPilot has some time on it and see how its working before you make your decision.
Al
rrrrrrRon
10-29-2009, 07:15 AM
I love mine. Just wish it add slightly smaller speed increments. Sometimes I want want 1.2 and it gives 1.1 or 1.3 and I have to idle back and forth to get 1.2.
MN_Moose
10-31-2009, 02:59 PM
He sleeps too much and when we miss the airport by 150 miles he gets me in trouble!
beeman
11-01-2009, 09:26 AM
The co pilot is a nice feature regardless of what you have. Ive never used the foot controls and never will.
Further North
11-01-2009, 10:01 AM
The co pilot is a nice feature regardless of what you have. Ive never used the foot controls and never will.
Hey...that made me think: If you use the co-pilot (or the soon to be autopilot) exclusively, can you unplug the foot control and get it off the deck?
ShadTaxi
11-01-2009, 12:06 PM
Hey...that made me think: If you use the co-pilot (or the soon to be autopilot) exclusively, can you unplug the foot control and get it off the deck?
Yes... I don't use the foot control. The only time I miss using the foot control is when I try to stay on a spot. There is not enough granularity in the throttle control. Of course the IPilot is going to take care of this...
johnnyrockstalker
11-05-2009, 01:07 PM
I also like my copilot alot. I do keep my foot control in the boat just in case. I will be purchasing an extra contol button to let my fishing buddy use when I am busy fighting a fish. Anybody check to see if the remote floats? I havent found any downside to the copilot and have had it since the I started fishing this spring.
johnny
ShadTaxi
11-05-2009, 09:48 PM
I also like my copilot alot. I do keep my foot control in the boat just in case. I will be purchasing an extra contol button to let my fishing buddy use when I am busy fighting a fish. Anybody check to see if the remote floats? I havent found any downside to the copilot and have had it since the I started fishing this spring.
johnny
Yeah I think that it floats at least for a minute or two. I dropped one in the drink and had to go back and get it. A good reason to have a second...