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Old 04-11-11, 12:59 AM   #1
nofearengineer
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Thumbs up MK Terrova 80 US2 i-Pilot - Initial Impressions

If this were a one-word review it would be just "wow".

But you knew I wouldn't let you off with just one word.

Technology can be a mixed bag, especially if it gets in the way of what we're trying to enjoy.

However, I had a ball with it, so it's not a factor here.

I purchased my Terrova with a 60" shaft instead of the more customary 45" shaft. If you can get past the initial "WTF is that thing sticking up 3' from the bow" reaction, you will see that is makes it even more easy to stow and deploy than it already is. The Terrova seems to be marketed more at Northern fishermen, who are more likely to have a deep V style boat, so the longer shafts are more available.

I was a little concerned with the pedal. It definitely takes some getting used to. The layout is kind of awkward, and it's pretty flat; it doesn't tilt back toward you like a cable steer model. Performance-wise, digital steering is much different than cable steer. You're really just "flying by wire."

But what is lacks in "seat of the pants" feel, it makes up for in adjustability and fine control. It seems much less prone to "over-shooting" the way a cable steer unit can, because the thrust has no effect on steering. If you've ever had a cable steer TM act like it has a mind of its own before, you know what I'm talking about. Even at full thrust, it is very civilized.

The feature I was the most curious about was the "spot lock" or "anchor" function, and I wasted no time in testing it. Once I found a likely spot to throw some jigs and cranks, I engaged the spot lock. It kept me on the same spot almost effortlessly. I checked my GPS and my boat stayed within about a 10 foot circle for over 20 minutes. The fish didn't cooperate, but maybe it's because I was distracted by the Terrova making tiny adjustments in both heading and speed to keep me locked on my spot. I can only imagine the fun that awaits when I actually find some good fishing and want to hold on it.

I then tested it on a long trolling run. With my outboard, I can only troll down to about 2.8 mph without using a cumbersome drift sock. The Terrova has an almost infinitely adjustable speed range, and with the included remote control, I was able to fine tune my speed until I had my cranks chugging with maximum wobble and keep it there, regardless of heading into/with the wind.

I trolled around for about an hour at 1.6 mph, all the while recording my track, another of the Terrova's useful functions. I discovered I could point my Terrova straight ahead, and use my outboard's skeg as a rudder...a handy tip to remember. Since my local lake is a medium size pit, my track had taken me in somewhat of a loop.

At this point, I took the boat to my original start point, and decided to run the track again. Here's the caveat....hold on LOL. What looks close to you on GPS at first glance might not be that close. My boat jerked to the left a bit unexpectedly, and I just about got to test my new e-ladder a bit early in the season. At least the water temps were a solid 65 degrees. (Why the bass were all camping out on points and ledges 30 ft deep...I have NO IDEA!) As I half laughed, half swore, I imagined my Terrova shrugging at me "hey...I just do what I'm told!" I've already been warned about accidentally pressing the "jack rabbit" button on the remote at night...I'm going to put a glow in the dark sticker on that one so I never do any midnight swimming.

Once I got to the start point, it did a repeat of the previous hour, and never got more than 5-7 feet off of the track. I was blown away. But the biggest surprise was yet to come.

I had been running at approximately "5" on a scale of 1-10, speed wise. So two hours continuous running at half speed should have made quite a dent in my battery capacity, right? The sun was getting kind of low so I stowed my Terrova and pressed its battery gauge button. It still read "100%". No way.... Obviously, it couldn't really be 100%...but it had to be very little drain. I was pretty bushed, so I forgot to actually measure my batteries with a volt meter when I got home, but I can say that when I plugged the charger up, the batteries were topped off in about 30 minutes.

Either the new Cabela's AGM batteries are that good, or the Digital Maximizer circuitry in the new Minn Kotas is really doing its job. I like to think it's a little of both. Either way, I'm confident I'm not going to be running out of TM juice this year.

Though the Terrova is hideously expensive, and might not be worth it to a lot of people, I'd definitely give it a thumbs up.
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Last edited by nofearengineer; 04-11-11 at 01:14 AM.
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Old 04-11-11, 07:33 AM   #2
Bender
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I sure hope your post gets removed, because that is something that I really don't need to spend the money on right now! I was really curious about the spot lock, that's good news that it works so well. What was the wind like?
I've only used a PowerDriveV2 once and didn't really like the feel of the electric steering. I wonder if I could make it progressive instead of on/off? Maybe I wasn't used to it, but it seemed hard to make small adjustments and not a fast as cable steering to make big changes.
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Old 04-11-11, 08:05 AM   #3
nofearengineer
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It wasn't very windy, but I never saw it use more than speed 1 to correct. I can only assume it could handle a lot more wind than it saw.

You're right about the steering. While it is a bit harder to make super-fine steering adjustments with your foot, I think the ability to run the motor slower than speed 1 on a typical non-digital unit makes up for this. Plus, it is much easier to do so with the handheld remote; your thumb is a more precision instrument than your foot.

You're right about the big change thing though. It is impossible to make fast, large changes to steering. You're limited to the speed of the step motor servos.
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Old 04-11-11, 01:12 PM   #4
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Glad you like your new toy, and I enjoyed reading your review. I agree that the ability to fine tune your speeds with digital trolling motors is a very valuable feature. Also you are right the new Minn Kotas are easy on the batteries, I can fish my Fortrex very very hard for two days and still have plenty of juice on the third day. I obviously don't like doing that but I was once caught in an unexpected stay at the lake for a 3 day weekend (were supposed to just stay one day and come home) and I didn't bring an extension cord to plug in my charger and the Fortrex took very good care of me.
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Old 04-11-11, 05:05 PM   #5
bamabassman
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i hate oyu bryce...............lol.
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Old 04-12-11, 10:49 PM   #6
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Sounds great!

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