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Motor Guide xi5 with pinpoint gps VS Minn Kota with iPilot?


flatsfisher772

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Motor Guide xi5 with pinpoint gps VS Minn Kota with iPilot?

Pros, cons, personal experience or opinions?

From what I hear the Motor Guide has much better spot lock technology than the Minn Kota. The Minn Kota has a better remote because it has a screen on it. Im leaning towards the Motor Guide at this point.

Also, what LB thrust/ volt combo would you put on a 16 foot Hewes Redfisher?

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I can't speak to the gps systems aspect but I can tell you to go with at least 70lb thrust/24v motor. 12 volt/55lbs will not get it done in any amount of wind or current. Better just get the 80lb. I'm planning to upgrade soon. The 12v battery will wear down quickly when you have the motor cranked up to fight the wind

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I will second the 24 volt model vs the 12volt. I put a 55lb 12 volt Ipilot on my 16 and it's painfully slow in current. Wish I went with the 24 volt model for sure.

Also spot lock will work great if the motor is all they way down in deeper water. It ***s in shallow water, but that's not the motor fault.

I hard some buyers remorse about the Ipilot vs the XI5, but the more I use the Ipilot the more I learn how to use it and it has some really great features and the happer I am with it.

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I can't speak for the Motor Guide xi5 because I've never owned one, but I have had the Minn Kota iPilot on my 18' Redfisher for the last 2 years, and it has been exceptional. 24v 80lb thrust has been wonderful for my size Hewes.

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Might want to reach out to Hurricane, he ended up going with the Xi5 and I think he's happy with it. No question, the riptide will wander all over the place at times. Can really drive you crazy when you are in a tight spot. If there is a current, I often find that auto pilot and a low speed hold me in place much better than spot lock. Having said that, I love my Riptide, the stowing is a breeze and it has given me no issues whatsoever.

As for thrust, OVER BUY!! Like the person above, I put a 55 lb thrust on my boat and regretted it so much that I sold it a year later and got the 80 lb thrust. What a difference. If I could get more thrust without going to 36 volts, I might consider it. When you are on a huge, shallow flat and you want to get out of dodge, having a TM that can create a wake can be a real life saver.

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Mine keeps me within ~8' of where I set it in some deep creeks I fish in with a moderate current, so it does exactly what I need it for. If the Xi5 is more precise than that in the creeks with currents it must be pretty *** good...

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I have run both the 24V iPilots and the 24V Xi5. I can tell you that the precision and ease of use has lead me to buying another Xi5. I have 3 boats, a 2001 Hewes Bonefisher 18' and a Triton 220 LTS 22'(Bay Boat) and a 20' Aluminum tunnel boat. I use the 48" Xi5 on my Bonefisher and a 60" on the Triton bay boat. The iPilot is on my Aluminum boat. Rather than buy a 3rd Xi5 for my aluminum boat, I've put a quick release bracket so that I can swap the motor from my bay boat to the aluminum boat in about 20 seconds.

In regards to length, the 60" is a safe bet for most boats. I have the 48" on my Bonefisher and is bordering on too short, but the only time I get any prop cavitation is when all people are in the back of the boat and I'm in rough water, and in those cases, when I'm in that boat and the conditions are like that, I'm not doing the type of fishing I want to anyway. Other than that, I'm glad I went with the shorter version on my Hewes, but its right on the edge. 54" would be perfect, but as someone stated above, have to order GPS separate.

The 80lbs thrust moves my Bonefisher fast enough to have to throttle back in no wake zones, plenty fast but I would not consider the 12V unless I had a smaller boat. 80lbs thrust is also solid on the 22' bay boat. 36V would be real nice.

The Xi5 truly has better precision on anchor mode cruise control and heading track. After familiarizing myself with the manual modes and anchor mode, it pretty much stays in those modes all the time. I know exactly where my boat is headed with a few button pushes. The motor is quieter and I just get a better feel using it, IMHO. btw, combine the motor with a prop nut Eliminator from TH Marine, and it is super quiet!

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