Re: I-pilot and anchor option

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Posted by Greg Mau on 2012-03-05 15:57:41 in reply to I-pilot and anchor option posted by Dan Blanton on 2012-03-03 13:26:50

Dan,

I've worried about the wrapped cord too but haven't found it to be a serious or real concern. Then again, I've not fished when the wind is swirly to the point of having the boat twirl about the anchor point several times. My guess is that Daves' "smart self unwinding" feature would be a well-thought-out designed-in self-preservation capability. It would make sense. Otherwise Minn Kota would end up with a load of returns from the field.

In regards to the "Rabbit" feature... I agree that the quick kicking in of full-speed has the potential of launching someone. After a while, you naturally migrate into announcing to your partner before using "Rabbit". This doesn't bode well for new partners (ie. clients) or for a driver that is "hyper active on the stick". You can always slowly increase the speed from trolling speed. BTW... If you don't know it already... the "Rabbit" function is really just a toggle between your set-speed and full-speed. If you've clicked in "Rabbit" (full-speed) and adjust the speed down from there, the other setting (the next time you hit "Rabbit") turns into the full-speed setting.

In regards to the "stepped speed control" vs. continuously variable. There are 20 speed settings (whole and in-between/"half" digits) in the entire speed range. That should be fine enough adjustment for any situation. What I do not like about the digital settings is that it takes a while to get to it. For instance... if you want a 9 setting and your at 2... you have to hold the button until the thing counts up to 9. It's much slower that twiddling a knob. Other than climbing from 2 to 9, you could "Rabbit" up to 10 and descend to 9.

While John Fischer and I share a boat, we differ in our views on how the "Anchor" function works. While Fish prefers to keep the gas going to maintain position while the "Anchor" takes hold... I do not recall having an issue with running boat, putting the gas motor in neutral, dropping in the electric, setting the "Anchor", and having it function properly... even in fairly stiff currents and winds. One of my favorite techniques is to set the "Anchor", fish the area for a while, then break "Anchor", let the boat drift down current a bit, and then reset it. It's a great way to fish an edge while on your own.

There's a natural tendency to resit changes from an "old familiar"... especially when the "old familiar" has worked so well for so long. The biggest problem I had with the IPilot is that the highest speed wasn't as high as the motor before we go the IPilot... but the battery seemed to last much longer. In my opinion, speed was traded for longevity and convenience.

Greg

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