i-pilot shipped!

[Ozark Bob]

I just recieved an e-mail my i-pilot has been shipped from West Marine. They must have begun delivery.

[walleyejim1216]

Let us know how it works asap! Thanks Jim

[Ozark Bob]

10/4

[Catch'nRelease]

I was at Cabelas this past weekend and asked a sales rep when he expected these to arrive. He said "sometime in March" so apparently he didn't know what he was talking about.

[Ozark Bob]

Or maybe he did! I was apparently misled by th West Marine website. I just got off the phone with then and the "shipping notice" was only for the special order the put into Minn Kota! They are checking into how long it will be! Sorry for the missinformation. Tricky stuff this online shopping. Again I am sorry, I will keep my mouth shut for a while anyway. Bob

[hondo]

We just received our first shipment i-Pilots for Terrova and sent them out to everyone that had one on order. The i-Pilots for PowerDrive V2 haven't shipped yet but it sounds like we should see them this week or next. So not long now for those of you in warmer locations --- it will be a while before they get used around here though.

[ScottL]

I was at the St. Paul Ice Show and I saw that the Reed's Sporting Goods booth had a couple of the I-Pilots for the Terrova for sale at the show.

[weedsnager]

bought one for my terrova at ebuyersworld.com for $344 and it has shipped already!!

[Ozark Bob]

I actually got mine today. Honest. Ebuyersworld.com $349.99. Free shipping. Bob

[borigini]

Hooked on toys, in Wenatchee, Washington has both models in stock at $399.99. Phone 509-663-0740 ask for Tom

[Shamrock]

Hondo at Pro fishing Supply has both.

http://www.walleyecentral.com/wcdirectory/fullpage.php?ckey=308

[babyranger617]

how was the install on this unit, looks like il be trading in my maxxum for a terrova for this year, cannot wait

[Ozark Bob]

It took about 5 minits. 4 screws and a plug. You may be better off just buying the terrova with i=pilot on it.

[snookmaster59]

I sent out a few messages on another Florida Sportsman Forum titled "New Minn-Kota I-Pilot". I have a terrova and have been anxiously awaiting the I-pilot release. Sounds like several more people are gettin their hands on them. There seems to be very few people who have seen these...and the reports back from other forums are mixed. Keep posting those updates! I have recently been trying to weigh the options between the I-Pilot and the new Rhodan product on the market (GPSAnchor.com). My Terrova is showing some heavy abuse, so I would not mind a complete replacement system. The Rhodan product is about twice as much money as the I-Pilot, but if it is better than I might have to go with it.

One guy said that the Spot-lock mode kept him in a 20' x 20' box! Is this relatively true? I heard other similar reports about its holding capability. Rhodan claims that it keeps it perfectly still. Are they using a better GPS or something?


Are there only 3 memory locations on the I-Pilot for tracks? Rhodan's system boasts about 12 memory locations with 1000's of miles to record. I don't know if I will be going on any 1000 mile trips but I guess it is good to know that the ability is there! Why is the Minn-Kota system limited? Isnt memory cheap?

Rhodan also mentions that they use an "anti-wrapup" technology that prevents the power cord from getting wrapped up (nice!). Does the I-Pilot have this?

Rhodan claims that you can "precisely move the anchor by 5-feet" using the remote control's arrow buttons while anchored. That feature might be worth the cost of the unit if it does what it says! I need to see to believe. How do I move the anchor site by 5 feet with the I-Pilot? Is it accurate enough to move it by just 5 feet?

Please reply to these questions as I just want the best system for my boat (I do not want to miss the opportunity to buy before my boss....I mean my wife changes her mind).

The Rhodan seems pricy at $2499 vs Minn-Kota's I-pilot at $1300 but I do not want some piece of crap that doesnt work right on my boat. I have had way too many "bad" experiences". If I get one of these systems, it better be the superior system and keep me still when I want to. I guess you can say I like the best of the best. I would love some more comparisons between the two systems from others before I make up my mind.

Thanks in advance!

[Jason Halfen]

I-Pilot is NOT $1300. Its MSRP is $399, with some retailers being as much as $50 under that price.

I've had the opportunity to run a pre-release i-Pilot for most of the fall. I have a significant amount of field test data, under real-world fishing conditions like we face all across the walleye belt, collected at this site:

http://www.jasonhalfenoutdoors.com/iPilot2.html

Feel free to browse and shoot me any questions you may have.

[snookmaster59]

But you have to pay for one of Minn-Kota's better systems or already own one which puts the price (from what I can compare based on Terrova 80 pound thruster) at close to $1300.

[Ozark Bob]

Snookmaster, My i-pilot was an upgrade for my terova.($349). I had not heard even one bad report on the i-pilot. Thats why I bought it. The install was literally 5 min. I have had it out twice and all I can say is"SWEET! Spot Lock wont keep you in the exact spot but nothing will. Not even a real anchor. I know nothing about your rhodan unit, but I am wary of promises from a company with what I assume is a relativly short track record(since I have not heard of thier product.) I purchased a trolling motor 7 years ago that sounded the the be all end all and it did what it said, but if the wind was over 5MPH it came up short. I have not been disapointed with my terrova or the i-pilot. Bob

[Jason Halfen]

Great to hear, Bob. In my work with the i-Pilot over the past several months, I have yet to encounter a situation when the i-Pilot didn't perform as advertised. It is a quality boat control accessory, and I predict that MANY MANY walleye boats will be rigged with an i-Pilot by the time the lakes in our part of the country start to melt.

Snookmaster, the i-Pilot is also compatible with PowerDrive V2 motors (and Riptide motors for the saltwater crowd). An angler can buy a new PowerDrive V2 (55 lb) pre-rigged with an i-Pilot for under $800 (ebuyersworld). So, while the up-front costs are certainly noticeable if you do not already own a compatible MinnKota motor, there are budget-conscious ways to add an i-Pilot system to a boat....for about one-third of the cost of this Rhodan system you mentioned.

[Further North]

...I predict that MANY MANY walleye boats will be rigged with an i-Pilot by the time the lakes in our part of the country start to melt.

I know of at least one.... :happy:

What I'm trying to figure out is how to ste...um...borrow...the tracks from your iPilot and load them into mine...wirelessly...

[Catch'nRelease]

What I'm trying to figure out is how to ste...um...borrow...the tracks from your iPilot and load them into mine...wirelessly...

Maybe they're saving Bluetooth for next year's model, the iPilotII. ;-)