auto pilot

[wary zander]

I am looking for an e-drive....I am thinking of an
auto pilot model (cabelas catalogue) from Minn Kota. Is this a bow mount type? Does it really hold the course (when bow mounted), even by a strong wind? Would you have other suggestions of buying another type or brand?
Rgrds,

wary zander

[perchjerker]

Hi bud. Are you talking about the MinnKota AP65? Im not sure what you mean by e drive.

If so, i ran a thread on this motor, if you look back a page or two you will see it. Go to Cabelas bargain cave on the web. Check it out. They have recond units for $499, a bunch of us here on WC ordered them, they have looked like new upon arrival.

Yes its a bowmount, and from what i have heard, works fine. (I will have to wait till spring to find out for myself!)

[ex lacs]

heres the thing on the autopilot; it runs via an internal compass, so it does a fine job of holding its course; however, one has to remember that being direction orientated it can be pushed off course very easily, in that if you point the unit in a northerly direction and you are trying to run along a piece of structure, say an edge of a mud flat that runs north to south, and the wind is from the west, the unit will maintain the northerly direction even though you have been blown off the edge of the flat. Regardless, i have an autopilot and i think its a great unit, and for many of the presentations i use i think it is a better unit than the pinpont systems, in that i have seen the pinpoint units have difficulty reading sharp drops in soft bottoms such as the mille lacs mud flats.

[wary zander]

Thanks for the replies!
Just what I needed, if I buy an electronic outboard it will have an auto pilotc :-)
rgrds

[rock2me]

If you decide on an autopilot, check into one with the built-in transducer. It cannot be retrofitted and may save you some transducer cables.

Good Luck!