Minn Kota PowerDrive V2 Bow-Mount Trolling Motors with AutoPilot and Universal Sonar 2

[Paul Welc]

Hello all, I am thinking of replacing my 45# Motor Guide on my Bass Tracker with a Minn Kota 55# PowerDrive V2 Bow-Mount Trolling Motor with AutoPilot and Universal Sonar 2 and CoPilot.

Has anyone used one of these? I hear the power drive is a little awkward at first. Not sure if I should get the Universal Sonar as my Humminbird uses the quad beam if I want. Seems like the autopilot and CoPilot would be nice, as my main lake is narrow, so if I'm tying on a lure I usually look up to find myself a few feet from the bank.

 

[mike chip]

when i had mine, (hint) the signal was not good a all from the built in puck, i would up not using it and it was the second best move i ever made, the best move was not using the auto pilot, I had the first incarnation, and im sure its better than the original, but i was not impressed by mine, in fact i had it at the shop so much, i got a great deal on a motorguide.

mike c

 

[Marty Klein]

I have a 55 PD/AP/US on my 750. It has worked very well for me. I can't say I ever had a US-related finder issue. It took me a long time to get used to the left/right foot movement; I quit fighting it and now it is almost second nature. The AP works well, but I don't use it as much as I thought I would. Most times I'm fishing too slow to turn it on. Moving from a 45 to a 55 doesn't get much power gain in my opinion, but I'm using my 750 as reference point and don't know how the +10 will affect your tin boat. I moved from a 45 to a 55 and am now looking to go with more power [in fact I'm debating 80 or 101 right now].

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Marty - Go with the 101! Never too much power. I had the MK hand control 101 put on my '02 896 and CIII said it was the only troller that he said could put a boat up on plane. LOL You will not be sorry if you go to the 101 unless you don't have room for the three batteries (36V). I just replaced all four batteries last year after five plus years. Also don't forget about your charging system. I had a three battery and just kept it and hooked up the other trolling battery. When I need to charge my starting battery I just put a manual charger on it overnight.

 

[mike chip]

as for power i agree with bill, if i had the room i would put a 109 in my tin ship. heck as fast as i like to fish if i could i would mount 2 on the front.

mike c

 

[Rich Stern]

I have a 12v Powerdrive and had one on a pontoon boat (neither with AP and sonar). Liked them very much; the pedal isn't great. I just got the wireless remote to add to my motor and am looking forward to using it. Earlier this year I went striper fishing on a boat with the AP, and it was excellent for keeping the boat on track, freeing up hands for working the bait and rods.

 

[Paul Welc]

Marty, I have been debating going with a 70 but unfortunately most of the lakes have a 25 HP limit where I live, so I have PT 175 with a 25 HP 4-stroke that barely gets on plane, I'm afraid if I add an additional battery and wooden battery box I won't get on plane (I would have to build some kind of battery box to put in front of the console as space is tight)(If it's real windy I have a real hard time getting the boat to plane, not sure if an extra battery and box would be to much weight).



Can you use the autopilot on low speed? It seems if you were going into the wind on low you could crawl up the bank.

 

[Marty Klein]

Sir, yes sir! You can use the AP at slow speeds. It is all a matter of adjusting everything according to conditions--speed, wind.



Please don't misunderstand my comments. The AP is a good piece of kit; like Rich, I do do put my PD into AP and run a line occasionally-trolling a dropoff for example or when fishing a wide flat searching for da Bass.

 

[Paul Welc]

Thanks everyone. I agree about the trolling, when I get bored after a day on the lake I like to troll on the way back to the boat launch. I think I may have to try one of these out. A friend of mine at work says his buddy has one with the CoPilot and he hangs the remote fab on a lanyard around his neck, he rarely uses the footpetal when on the go.

 

[Marty Klein]

ps Paul; when are you looking to make the move? For next season or now? I can make a sweet deal on mine [].

 

[Paul Welc]

Marty I will keep that in mind, now that you mentioned the need for more power, my wheels are turning. I'm considering going with the 70# 24v system as probably 70% of the fishing I do, is on a lake that is electric only. When the wind is blowing threw the strip mine and I have the trolling motor on 5 it crawls (I have even had to break club rules and fire up the gas motor because I could tell I would never get back to the dock). I was hoping that extra 10# of thrust would be somewhat noticeable.



Pros: 70# I could fish all day at my club with plenty of power.



Cons: Added battery weight and having to build wooden box to put both batteries in, I may not get on plane when I go to other larger lakes.



I live in IL so I'm not in any real hurry...

 

[fatrap]

After years of cable steering bass boats I can get used to the power drive. My cord usually gets wound up like a yo yo string. The foot control drives me nuts.

fatrap

 

[Paul Welc]

fatrap, do you still have yours or did you replace it with something else? If so, what did you replace it with?