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thoughts on TM


johnd

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Currently have MK IPilot 24v 80lb thrust on my classic 18 Redfisher.  Happy enough with performance I would buy another.     That said, new boat project starting and will need a new TM.   Thoughts on Minn Kota, Motor Guide,  Rhodan.    Stuff like warranties, service, how well they hold up.  General or specific.  Thanks in advance.

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45 minutes ago, johnd said:

Currently have MK IPilot 24v 80lb thrust on my classic 18 Redfisher.  Happy enough with performance I would buy another.     That said, new boat project starting and will need a new TM.   Thoughts on Minn Kota, Motor Guide,  Rhodan.    Stuff like warranties, service, how well they hold up.  General or specific.  Thanks in advance.

one word - Ulterra !!!

Changed my fishing....

dc

 

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7 minutes ago, geeviam said:

How about a couple more words Dino?  :)  Please expand on what you like most.

Thanks.

 

my buddy DonH and I tend to troll into our fishing spots, usuallly more than 100-150 yards away.....from where we stop..

When we arrive - I just hit the button twice, it automatically deploys, I then hit the "N" button and it goes directly to where I point the TM.

This gives us time to rig rods, get da shrimp, etc. etc.

As well, due to the way we fish in Choko, we tend to be fishing around alot of oyster bars....we need to constnaly be raising and lowering the TM...the auto up/down allows this to happen.

Finally, when we get to a spot where we need to TM back out due to it being to shallow....we just do the reverse and we sit back and wait till we get to deeper water.....

 

enough words :)  ???

 

 

dc

 

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1 hour ago, hurricane said:

Last time I looked the Rhodan was just to pricey, compared to other options. 

How much of a price difference?  The reason I ask is because I am going to buy a TM soon and I've heard great things about the Rhodan Virtual Anchor feature... that it is very precise.

Thanks,

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2 minutes ago, Wanaflatsfish said:

 

my buddy DonH and I tend to troll into our fishing spots, usuallly more than 100-150 yards away.....from where we stop..

When we arrive - I just hit the button twice, it automatically deploys, I then hit the "N" button and it goes directly to where I point the TM.

This gives us time to rig rods, get da shrimp, etc. etc.

As well, due to the way we fish in Choko, we tend to be fishing around alot of oyster bars....we need to constnaly be raising and lowering the TM...the auto up/down allows this to happen.

Finally, when we get to a spot where we need to TM back out due to it being to shallow....we just do the reverse and we sit back and wait till we get to deeper water.....

 

enough words :)  ???

 

 

dc

 

Nice!  Great technique!  Thanks!

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1 hour ago, geeviam said:

How much of a price difference?  The reason I ask is because I am going to buy a TM soon and I've heard great things about the Rhodan Virtual Anchor feature... that it is very precise.

Thanks,

I don't recall exactly but somewhere around $500, this was about 2 years ago.  I have a MG Xi5, spot lock feature is very accurate, I have heard (can not verify) Rodan makes the GPS for MG. From what I know MK is now as accurate as MG and Rodan, but I think it requires extra parts.

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I don't even like to go fishing on someone else's boat if it doesn't have an Ulterra.  Because I know it will be me having to bend over repeatedly during the day to deploy and stow.   So old fashioned!!!!!!:(  I touch the Ulterra once, and that is when I first hit the power button in the morning.  That's it.  When I get through at the end of the fishing day, I simply trip the circuit breaker that is just inside my console door to shut off the trolling motor.  I save my energy for reelin'!

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The extra part is the puck style Bluetooth heading sensor (compass).  It is necessary for the heading info and the ability to jog in 5' increments forward, reverse, left, and right.  It has nothing to do with the anchor feature accuracy.  At least, that is my understanding.  I think MK just improved the GPS location accuracy.

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I have an Ulterra. Only bought one...but unfortunately on my 3rd one... and they now have a 4th gen or maybe its 3rd gen.  First one they left wires loose and forgot to heat shrink the conns at the factory and it melted the head and toasted the winding in the motor. Second one had bad trim motor so they swapped it out. Both of those stranded me so fishing was over. The current one has been fine.  It has a year under warranty but soon to be for sale while still under warranty. The only disappointment with this motor is all the paint is about gone from the motor head itself.  MK cannot figure out how to adhere paint or powder coat to their motors or either I am one unlucky dude on paint.  I'm Rhodan bound for next one. Buddy has it on Shearwater and its top notch. More importantly...their customer service is akin to power pole. Yup they actually answer the phone...and next day parts form lost remotes to whatever. If you are remotely considering Rhodan just call them and inquire. 

I believe they are stronger as well and as others have said they hold the spot. Period. As mentioned their GPS tech is in the MG motors...though they can't disclose that publicly. Granted the spot lock on the MK is now on par with the MG and probably the Rhodan too.  I think all have made much progress there as MK used to be dead last. Early pilots almost never held their spot.  I run twin power poles though so thats not something I use often enough to let it drive the decision. I just need it to deploy, run, turn and come back up. I love the Ulterra convenience as I too am aging and the deploying and retrieving is a pain. I love the trim feature of the Ulterra as much as the auto deploy. But...its just too many moving parts in salty water I think and too cumbersome to put in shop etc. Best decision I made upon buying my first Ulterra was keeping an old ipilot as a spare on a friends advice who had an Ulterra first gen. So...keep your old motor. Just saying...you heard it here.

Funny thing is some folks say they have never had a moments trouble so who knows. Look at the last gen available though. Their biggest issues are on the stow and deploy I think. You can tell the latest version by how MK is attempting to fix the stow and deploy issue.  On the new ones they set it to not have the motor pull all the way into the cradle...so its a bit more bouncy. They also are using a new finish on the motor head which is a  first for them as it looks crinkly almost like (but it isn't) linex bed liner material. Which by the way is standard finish on the Rhodan. Thus adding a bit to their price. All things considered I think the prices are very close if you had to go linex your MK etc etc. 

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As always you folks are great.  My concern with Ultra is experience local folks have had..I was at local shop other day with my Talon, they told me 3 week’s to look at as all they are doing is warranty on Ultras.  Thx for thoughts about Rhodan..it’s a strong $300 more, but if it works that well & customer service that good..in the running.   Have call into friend about MK, if price gets right (darn I’m an old cheapskate) I replace with newer version of my MK. Workhorse.  We will see. Thank you!

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I have the Rohdan, and it is accurate, they use LineX for the underwater motor coating, brilliant!  It is very powerful, 120Lbs/thrust at 36v, quiet.. It is still new, so we'll see how it holds up, i use the crap out of it. 

It isn't hard to deploy, not any harder than MK MG, even my old trusty MG is more difficult to deploy.. AS said above, I personally have replaced a mother brd on a MK Ulterra, and have seen others with issues.

The Rohdan has a carry handle and comes with a quick disconnect bracket.. An added expense with the others. 

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