Trolling motor

Looking to upgrade my trolling motor. Curious what people recommend or have experience with. I want spot lock for sure and auto deploy would be nice also. Can I get spot lock without having ipilot? 

They aren't, cheap but i got a Minn Kota Ulterra this year and so far love it,its more of a trolling motor for old men  

Calibration is orienting the puck (compass) as to where the front of the boat is. Spot lock works off the GPS but the puck allows for knowing which way the boats is pointing for the jog forward, backward functions. I have a new Terrova and Spot Lock is dead on, never use the anchor anymore. I leave my trolling motor down when trolling and use it for keeping the boat going in one direction, I can sit back and relax while the trolling motor steers the boat. Terrova also has the built in spring to assist with lifting the motor out of the water.

Beware of the older Minn Kota's without the puck, spot lock is not as accurate.

If you are looking for a no-nonsense trolling motor,I would get the Terrova.i-pilot is MK's system which is also spot-lock.If you feel braver and don't mind extra maintenance,go with Ulterra.Most of the problems with auto stow/deploy are user-inflicted,like letting gunk build-up on shaft/lift belt,improper belt adjusment or voltage drop.

MG Xi5 isn't a bad motor,but lack of a display on remote is a deal-breaker to many.Especially those with hearing issues(me).All commands are acknowledged with beeps/musical notes which I have trouble hearing.MK commands are visual on a screen,still amazed that MG still does not have a display. 

Yes it's connected with a cord and for the helix you'll need the model with a n at the end like helix 7 mega si g3n the n is for network you can connect to other humminbird fish finders to. You'll need the extra cords to connect the two.

With the terrova with a helix depth finders are they connected with a cable or is it wireless, does it work with a helix 7 or only with 9 or higher ?

The terrova’s do come with the spot lock and uses the puck I just picked mine up on Saturday. I haven’t taken it out yet with all the rain we’ve been having  I’ve been reading guys don’t use anchors anymore  they hold the boat so well  

Will do. I appreciate the input!

I noticed a large improvement in spot lock with the Ulterra compared to the Terrova.  The Ulterra has a head unit that "talks" to the satellites, as well as a puck in the rear of the boat.  It triangulates better and holds the boat much better than the older spot locks.

I think the new Terrova's have that too, but I'm not sure.

But I do know that when I set up the Ulterra, there was a calibration cycle I had to run on the trolling motor to get it to talk to the back puck best.  I did it as asked and that thing is much, much better than my earlier Terrova.

So, if you get one, ask about calibration in regards to spot lock and do what is recommended. 

Thanks! I don’t really have a need for linking to my locator to the trolling motor. I mostly am interested in spot lock. 

Welder Guy, I have a 4 or 5 year old Terrova and love it !

Spot lock is utterly fantastic. Like others, I just use the fob to control the motor.

Finally, here's the lock I use to keep my trolling motor secured to the mounting plate.

Buy a Masterlock pro series 7035.

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I've run Minn Kota for a long time.  Powerdrive, with a cable footpedal.  Was very happy to get rid of that thing.

Went to a Terrova, ran two of them for about a decade.  Gamechanger.  Spot lock is amazing, best feature on a trolling motor.  Very easy to put up and down, especially with their lift assist on the new ones.

About a year ago I upgraded to the Ulterra.  I fish Green Bay a lot and it was getting a little dicey going up front to lift a trolling motor in heavy wind and waves.  I still get spot lock, I did get iPilot, so it links to my Humminbird head unit.  But that stow and deploy feature is simply amazing.  And I can do it from the remote, foot pedal and my head unit.

But...there are two kids of people that have Ulterras.  People that have had it fail (break) during stowing.  And people who will have it fail during stowing.  And that will ruin a trip.  So, I had the plate mounted on the boat so I can simply pull a pin and lift the entire thing into the boat so I can get back on a trailer.

If you are going to do the Ulterra, get that plate.  And, print those directions on how to manually release the trolling motor and get it into the boat, or into the stowed position.  Keep those in the boat.  Because it will happen.

It is a great feature, just not 100% reliable like a Terrova.

Brand choice will be determined if you intend to link it up with your electronics. If you have Lowrance then go with a Motorguide. If you have humminbirds then go with a Minn Kota. Garmin is obviously Garmin. If in the future you want the option to link a motor with your electronics then look into what offerings those three electronic companies offer and work off of that. 

You didn't specify what thrust your looking for but I have a 5 year old minnkota terrova 55 with i pilot. It's perfect for all types of fishing and spot lock is a game changer if you never used spot lock you'll love it i only use the remote and haven't even plugged the foot pedal in. For auto deploy move up to the ulterra but it costs a lot more the terrova is easy to deploy so I didn't get the ulterra. I use to have a transom mount trolling motor and once I got the terrova with I pilot my fishing catch rate went way up due to the spot lock features for jigging and casting and trolling spinner rigs with a remote is way easier.

Garmin is the way to go.

 Another thing that you might want to consider, is connecting your locator to your trolling motor. It's really nice having the two connected by Ethernet.