Minn Kota Terrova vs Ulterra

[RickOnt]

Which trolling motor would you get ??

The biggest difference I can see is the Ultrerra has self store and deploy.  But maybe more problems

I presently have a Terrova   and have had 0 isuses The auto store/deploy is a non problem

I would get another 80 thrust, 60 inch shaft an 24 volt without link

What do you all think?

Edited November 12, 2023 by RickOnt

[CrowMan]

Really depends on your age/fitness and the condition of your back...that's the primary reason I can see for the Ulterra. If you have no physical issues, I would stick with the Terrova.

However, I do believe the Ulterra is still a cable drive motor (power assisted)...so if you're primarily a Bass or Musky guy that likes the accuracy and response of a cable drive foot control...it might be a better choice.

Edited November 12, 2023 by CrowMan

[RickOnt]

I am getting up in the years But that  is just a number LOL

I use spot lock a lot so I do not need to deal with anchor and rope

I don't have problem with deploy or stow of the present MinnKota at this time

I mainly fish for Walleye and Bass

Mostly jigging, casting with some trolling 

Edited November 12, 2023 by RickOnt

[limeyangler]

1 hour ago, RickOnt said:

Which trolling motor would you get ??

The biggest difference I can see is the Ultrex has self store and deploy.  But maybe more problems

I presently have a Terrova   and have had 0 isuses The auto store/deploy is a non problem

I would get another 80 thrust, 60 inch shaft an 24 volt without link

What do you all think?

There seems to be some confusion here between the Ultrex and Ulterra. Ultrex is cable steer and has to be manually deployed and stowed. The Ulterra is not cable steer and has auto (mechanized) deploy and stow.

[CrowMan]

3 minutes ago, limeyangler said:

There seems to be some confusion here between the Ultrex and Ulterra. Ultrex is cable steer and has to be manually deployed and stowed. The Ulterra is not cable steer and has auto (mechanized) deploy and stow.

My bad...not only my back is losing it...lol

[limeyangler]

I like my Ulterra as I ‘run and gun’ a lot, especially when walleye fishing, it’s also handy when I’m guiding so I don’t have to navigate a crowded boat every 5 minutes when moving spots is key to keeping on fish. I have had issues with my Ulterra but with hindsight it was all due to poor maintenance and pounding the snot out of it on dusty logging roads and big waves. I still have my older Terrova which has come in handy when my Ulterra was in the shop, but while the Terrova is pretty bullet proof, I really miss my Ulterra when I have to use the Terrova. What I would definitely choose with either the Terrova or Ulterra is the iPilot Link. The ability to create an Autochart map of the structure your on, hit spot lock and then use your remote to move the cursor anywhere on that map on your screen using the jog feature allows you to pick apart any structure in any conditions with such precision it’s almost not fair. You can also control the trolling motor from your fishfinder which is cool, it has a bunch of other features which I don’t even use, although circle mode is kind of cool when the walleye want more of a horizontal presentation. Another feature with the Ulterra is you can raise the shaft up and down while it’s deployed, this has enabled me to creep into very shallow water on the trolling motor  to retrieve lures, snags etc without dinging the trolling motor on rocks . 
 

Last year I guided some guys with their own boat and ended up in my boat as his Ulterra crapped out with a faulty motherboard. They hired me again this year and they had swapped out the Ulterra for an Ultrex. I absolutely suck at using a foot pedal so just sat at the helm navigating while they were casting for musky. It seems like a decent motor, very cool if you use a foot pedal lots. I found it difficult as it cannot rotate a full 360 degrees, but I got used to it after 3 days. It also didn’t sit high enough into the front cradle when stowing sometimes depending on how deep or shallow we had the shaft set, a minor inconvenience that someone with more experience might know how to avoid.

the only thing I would say for sure is I would never buy a Power Drive model…. Lol.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2023 by limeyangler

[RickOnt]

Thanx Simon for setting me straight

 

I did mean Ulterra and not Ultrex

I am having trouble editing title can only seem to edit post

[RickOnt]

OK I think I got it edited

[RickOnt]

I do not trailer a lot or fish many people in the boat

I do not use Link because I use Lowrance

I do not have Jog on current Terrova

I do not like the idea of it being in the shop but some things might happen

[limeyangler]

2 minutes ago, RickOnt said:

I do not trailer a lot or fish many people in the boat

I do not use Link because I use Lowrance

I do not have Jog on current Terrova

I do not like the idea of it being in the shop but some things might happen

 

[RickOnt]

I do use the remote way more than the foot pedal

[CrowMan]

You would think MinnKota could get a little more creative with its model names...it's like Larry, Daryl and Darryl...lol

Anyway, by the sound of things, it seems like Terrova would be the best fit. Pretty good jump in price for the Ulterra....and I understand if you run out of juice while it's deployed it can be a headache to get it back up..

Edited November 12, 2023 by CrowMan

[limeyangler]

Reminds me of Green Eggs and Ham

I will not eat them in a boat

I will not eat them with a goat

Edited November 12, 2023 by limeyangler

[limeyangler]

6 minutes ago, CrowMan said:

You would think MinnKota could get a little more creative with its model names...it's like Larry, Daryl and Darryl...lol

Anyway, by the sound of things, it seems like Terrova would be the best fit. Pretty good jump in price for the Ulterra....and I understand if you run out of juice while it's deployed it can be a headache to get it back up..

I agree, Terrova with standard iPilot because Rick is using Lowrance. And yeah, you don’t want to run out of juice…

[RickOnt]

Is it possible to manually deploy and stow the Ulterra?

[CrowMan]

9 minutes ago, RickOnt said:

Is it possible to manually deploy and stow the Ulterra?

It looks like quite the procedure to manually stow it:

https://minnkota-help.johnsonoutdoors.com/hc/en-us/articles/8140938560663-Emergency-Manual-Stow-for-the-Ulterra-all-models-

[RickOnt]

Thanx Croman

To stow is Doable but not real easy

That was kinda a dumb question on the deploy part as if you don't have enough power to deploy it you will not have the power to run it

Edited November 12, 2023 by RickOnt

[limeyangler]

21 minutes ago, RickOnt said:

Is it possible to manually deploy and stow the Ulterra?

It’s not possible to manually deploy it and whilst there is a way to manually stow it, as shown in Crowman’s link, you are effectively breaking your trolling motor to enable you to stow it and need to take it to a dealer to repair … really bad feature of the Ulterra, trust me , I know from experience. Not such an issue if you live near an authorized service centre, but the closest one for me is over 2 hours drive away.

[BillM]

With some of the horror stories I've heard about the Ulterra, it's Terrova all day.   I've had my Terrova since 2012.  I've had to replace 1 plastic part on it in that time frame.  Still going strong (60in, 80lb, 24V with iPilot Link)

[CrowMan]

I've had a Terrova for 7 years...not a single issue, except periodically pulling out my grandkids fishing line from behind the prop...

My buddy had a boat with a Ulterra for 10 ys +, never had a problem. He sold that boat last year, and bought a new boat which happened to have a Terrova (36V...it's heavy). He just turned 69...after a season of hauling it up by hand, he's now talking about selling the Terrova and getting another Ulterra.

[porkpie]

I have a Terrova with countless trolling hours on it.  It will be going into the shop this winter as it's squeaking terribly, but its still running.....  I have seen countless posts of disabled Ulterras.  Don't get me wrong, I really like the concept, but I don't think I'd buy one.  When my Terrova finally craps the bed entirely, I'll replace it with another!

[RickOnt]

Bill   My Terrova is the same vintage as yours.

The present Terrova has many hours on it, But it is still working good.

I also don't like all the Ulterra stories but then you get 

users like Simon and Cowman's buddy

I am going to look into a new Terrova in the spring.

The availability will be the issue 

I bought the current one at Radio World but at this time they have no stock.

[AKRISONER]

theres only a few minkotta's that are bulletproof and the terrova is one of them.

Theres a guy in pointe au baril that fishes the walleye run there, and he drives with his ulterra permanently deployed, he jacks it up to drive around...because he got tired of getting to where he was fishing and it completely failing.

The new terrova's have lift assist anyways, they arent like the terrova's of old that would blow out your back stowing the motor. They all come with a spring lift assist. My dad is 70 and has no issue stowing and deploying the motor.

[RickOnt]

Yes Akri is right on re lift assist

My Terrova does not have lift assist but I have no problem with deploy or stow But look forward to have lift assist

The newer Terrova also has the jog feature which mine does not

The newer Terrova is supposed to have improved spot lock

Does anyone have any experience with this?

It is what I use the most.

[RickOnt]

Porkpie   Do you use spot lock much?

How does it perform?