Posts: 433
Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin | I've got a Terrova with an 80# thrust rating and 54" shaft on my Tuffy X-190, similar to a bass boat in heigth from the water I'd guess. The 54" shaft is fine in all but the roughest water and when it gets that rough I want no part of standing in the bow casting. I rejected the 60" shaft on the grounds it was too tall and I'd be banging my rod against it constantly when I wanted to move a bait sideways or flip a lure under trees using a sidearm cast. Even the 54"er is too tall most of the time and gets banged by the rod or lures every so often in close quarters. I set my motor in the water just deep enough to keep the prop from cavitating. The last thing I need is to have the electric motor constantly searching for more rocks to hit, as it finds enough the way it is when I explore new areas or retrieve hung lures.
The only time I wish I had a 60" shaft is when I'm trolling walleye rigs with three guys in the back of the boat and then the bow mount is prone to cavitate due to all the weight in the back of the boat from the 3.3L V6 on a jackplate, 4 stroke kicker and ever so slightly rotund people.
Another thought, if you can get the I-Pilot factory installed right away do it. It costs so much less that way than by buying it seperately and installing it later.
Edited by Almost-B-Good 2/7/2012 6:44 AM
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