Lunker777 Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 Hey everyone I have to purchase a bow mount for my boat and for weight and space issues.... Im thinking about a Power Drive minnkota. Any reviews ? What have the owners who have used them for a good amount of time have to say ? Thanks
tb4me Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 I love my 55# minnkota PD..The only thing I didnt like was the steering uses battery power where a cable steer doesnt..Take from that what you will.
scugpg Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 I don't find it easy to deploy and the motor can be turned on when its stowed which could be a potential safety issue. If you get the Ipilot you cannot use the foot pedal as it is disconnected inside the unit when you install the Ipilot. Terrova you can. Pedal isn't as nice as the Terrova either. Get the Terrova well worth the extra $
DRIFTER_016 Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 I have an 80# PD version 1 and like it a lot but for the resons stated above if I were buying a new one it would be a Terrova.
Rizzo Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 Ditto on a pain in the but to deploy. I had a powerdrive on my other boat and it was fine, bought another one a few years ago and they must have changed something. This new one is a real pain to deploy and get back into locked position. The price is right for a powerdrive but I would suggest if you have the $ get something better. I am no longer impressed by the Powerdive. Sometimes mine doesn't lock into place either when I deploy it, so I get it in the water, turn it on and the shaft comes kicking up out of the water, prop spinning, water shooting everywhere.
Lunker777 Posted May 23, 2012 Author Report Posted May 23, 2012 I guess the other bonus to the Terrova is I can add Ipilot later on down the road. I was quoted $750 for a "reconditioned" 70# thrust power drive. Or a brand new 55# for $700 I was just looking and you can get a 55# Terrova for $730 ? I have a 17ft polar kraft boat... weighs 600# with out the motor... I have a 40HP E-Tec...... Would you want a 70# or a 55# ?
jedimaster Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 I just prefer to use a cable steer unit. I had a powerdrive and I found the foot pedal to be too slow to react at times.
bigmac1984 Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 The more power you can have the better, because you can always turn down a 80# to the desired level, but if you need the extra power, you cannot turn up a 50#. I have a 65# Powerdrive Minn Kota, and there are days I wish I could have more power. The next unit I buy will be a Terrova so I can get the Ipilot added on, and it will be at least 80# if I can get away with that.
Lunker777 Posted May 23, 2012 Author Report Posted May 23, 2012 Yea I have to be careful of weight. If I go higher then 55# , all of a sudden I add another 80# of battery ( 24V as opposed to 12V )
scugpg Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 55lb could do it but you would want a 31 series battery. Do you have plans of going bigger in the future? Might be worth getting the 80 now if you have room and can handle the weight of 2 batteries.
jedimaster Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 I have a 55 pound Minkota maxxum, on my 16 foot Lund, with decks and a 30 Yamaha 2 stroke. and it pulls my boat around perfectly. Highest speed is way faster than I ever need in pretty much any water or current. I can fish a full day Bass fishing on a single car quest deep cycle battery. I lasted all long weekend walleye fishing on a single battery charge. However I wasn't on the battery all day, but I did use it a fair bit. Get the biggest battery you can afford i fyou are going to run a single battery and you will last a full day fishing.
whiskywizard Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 (edited) I have a PowerDrive V2 with i-Pilot. A couple of things... Mine is 70lb thrust - the highest you can get in that model line now. There is no 80lb unit in the PowerDrive V2. It deploys and stows effortlessly. But it didn't at first. I had to spend a few minutes adjusting it, and the prop must face starboard side, or it doesn't slide easily into the stowed/locked position. If it's not locking in the deployed position, check that you've mounted it with enough clearance underneath at the bow. Maybe the latch needs a shot of dry lube or silicone. I love the handheld remote. It is quite intuitive to operate and quickly becomes second nature. The neck tether for the remote is not strong; it is designed to break away if snagged. Don't rely on it alone to save your remote from taking a dip. Jumping from 55 to 70lb takes you from 12V to 24V - be sure you're OK with adding a second deep cycle battery. You might need a new charger too, if you jump up to 24V. The motor's onboard GPS and control logic mean it can automatically hold you in place, or follow a track, or follow a compass course. It is the coolest thing! . Edited May 23, 2012 by whiskywizard
whiskywizard Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 I guess the other bonus to the Terrova is I can add Ipilot later on down the road. I was quoted $750 for a "reconditioned" 70# thrust power drive. Or a brand new 55# for $700 I was just looking and you can get a 55# Terrova for $730 ? I have a 17ft polar kraft boat... weighs 600# with out the motor... I have a 40HP E-Tec...... Would you want a 70# or a 55# ? You'd be fine with 55lb. As mentioned by others, this keeps at 12V. As a comparison, my Alumacraft 175 Trophy with 140HP 4-stroke is over 2300lb wet, not including people or gear. The 70lb PowerDrive V2 is more than adequate. It will troll over 3 mph and if you set it on higher speeds and clik it on, it will accelerate the boat from a standstill fast enough to knock someone off their feet if they're not ready for it.
DRIFTER_016 Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 (edited) I guess the other bonus to the Terrova is I can add Ipilot later on down the road. I was quoted $750 for a "reconditioned" 70# thrust power drive. Or a brand new 55# for $700 I was just looking and you can get a 55# Terrova for $730 ? I have a 17ft polar kraft boat... weighs 600# with out the motor... I have a 40HP E-Tec...... Would you want a 70# or a 55# ? Go with a 70# as it is a 24 volt unit and as such the batteries will last longer than the 12 volt 55# unit even using 2 batteries in parallel on the 12 volt unit. The 55# @ 12 volts draws more amperage than the 70# @ 24 volts. The Ipilot can also be added to the Powerdrive V2 motors but you lose the wired foot pedal. If I remember correctly you can buy a wireless pedal but it just adds more $ and another battery you have to deal with. Edited May 23, 2012 by DRIFTER_016
blaque Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 Ditto on a pain in the but to deploy. I had a powerdrive on my other boat and it was fine, bought another one a few years ago and they must have changed something. This new one is a real pain to deploy and get back into locked position. The price is right for a powerdrive but I would suggest if you have the $ get something better. I am no longer impressed by the Powerdive. Sometimes mine doesn't lock into place either when I deploy it, so I get it in the water, turn it on and the shaft comes kicking up out of the water, prop spinning, water shooting everywhere. Bang on
Rob Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 I just bought the V2 with i pilot, 70lb thrust @ 24volts. I used the anchor mode and it works great! As far as deploying it, no problems, it is far easier than deploying and hoisting an anchor in a 120 fow! That motor is so quiet! Before I bought mine I was going with the 12v but the rep for Minn Kota (who works for GE/Hitatchi as an electrical engineer) convinced me to go with the 24v system as was said in previous posts, they will give you far more life for the day of fishing. I didn't buy the onboard chargers as I had the ones you get from CTC that are like the battery tender. They work great and I just plug them when I get home and they are ready to go the next day. Rob C
landry Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 I guess the other bonus to the Terrova is I can add Ipilot later on down the road. I was quoted $750 for a "reconditioned" 70# thrust power drive. Or a brand new 55# for $700 I was just looking and you can get a 55# Terrova for $730 ? I have a 17ft polar kraft boat... weighs 600# with out the motor... I have a 40HP E-Tec...... Would you want a 70# or a 55# ? That is not a great price for a reconditioned unit IMO. Call Jocelyn at Angling Outfitters and he will likley beat that. I am fine with my 70pd V2 - it deploys well once u get the hang of it. Landry
jimmer Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 If I had the money, I would choose the cable foot pedal over the power drive, much easier to control in windy/rough conditions. I would also go with the larger pound thrust. I have a 55# on a 15' smokercraft aluminum and i would say that it is just sufficient.
Lunker777 Posted May 23, 2012 Author Report Posted May 23, 2012 That is not a great price for a reconditioned unit IMO. Call Jocelyn at Angling Outfitters and he will likley beat that. I am fine with my 70pd V2 - it deploys well once u get the hang of it. Landry That IS an Angling outfitters " Preferred customer" price hahah
Lunker777 Posted May 23, 2012 Author Report Posted May 23, 2012 If I had the money, I would choose the cable foot pedal over the power drive, much easier to control in windy/rough conditions. I would also go with the larger pound thrust. I have a 55# on a 15' smokercraft aluminum and i would say that it is just sufficient. The problem with a cable steer is, when you want to adjust the height of the motor ( going into shallow water) the foot pedal only has SO MUCH cable . When you raise the motor head... the foot pedal needs to go higher and higher.... Im not in a raised deck boat like a bass boat, so I wouldn't be able to adjust the height of the motor at all... I would always have to leave it in the lowest position. Hopefully you understand what im saying :/ ?? I ran into this situation with my old boat.... If I raised the trolling motor up at all... I would have to move the foot pedal " closer " to the front of the boat to compensate.
Steve Posted May 23, 2012 Report Posted May 23, 2012 Lunker, it sounds like our boats are very similar. Mine is 17' and weighs 676 w/out Motor. I have a 50hp motor. After having a 55lbs thrust for a brief period of time, I quickly jumped up to an 80lbs thrust motor. This was ONLY due to enjoying heavy slop bass fishing. I needed the 80lbs thrust to cut through the slop. Otherwise, the 55lbs thrust would have been fine. The 24v setup was no issue in my boat. Likely wouldn't be in yours either? I only paid 900 for my 80lbs thrust maxxum from Fishing World in Hamilton. I tried Joc at the time, he couldn't touch Blakes price. I used to run powerdrives, prior to the cable drives. power drives are great for trolling! I have nothing against them at all. Which ever you go with, have fun using it!
Lunker777 Posted May 24, 2012 Author Report Posted May 24, 2012 Lunker, it sounds like our boats are very similar. Mine is 17' and weighs 676 w/out Motor. I have a 50hp motor. After having a 55lbs thrust for a brief period of time, I quickly jumped up to an 80lbs thrust motor. This was ONLY due to enjoying heavy slop bass fishing. I needed the 80lbs thrust to cut through the slop. Otherwise, the 55lbs thrust would have been fine. The 24v setup was no issue in my boat. Likely wouldn't be in yours either? I only paid 900 for my 80lbs thrust maxxum from Fishing World in Hamilton. I tried Joc at the time, he couldn't touch Blakes price. I used to run powerdrives, prior to the cable drives. power drives are great for trolling! I have nothing against them at all. Which ever you go with, have fun using it! Well that's the problem I have .... I want to fish rondeau bay and my gut is telling me I won't be happy with a 55# !! If your familiar with rondeau , 100 hp motors can't get through the weeds come summer ! I have been told that with the weed less prop, that a 55 would be fine but I have high doubts ! You didn't find the extra batteries to be to much weight on the boat ?
bigcreekdad Posted May 24, 2012 Report Posted May 24, 2012 Honestly, I put up with a 24v Power Drive 3 4 seasons....then gave it away. Difficult to deploy and bring up (even after spray silicone treatments). Also, went thru two foot units. I felt foot units to be very fussy as to foot placement.....some times you got a different response than you intended. This unit could not have had any fishermen input in it's design. I moved on to a Maxxum.....and love it!! Hey everyone I have to purchase a bow mount for my boat and for weight and space issues.... Im thinking about a Power Drive minnkota. Any reviews ? What have the owners who have used them for a good amount of time have to say ? Thanks
Lunker777 Posted May 24, 2012 Author Report Posted May 24, 2012 I think I have decided to go with an 80# Terrova w/ I pilot ! Thanks for the help guys.
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