Posts: 80
Location: Geneva, IL | For my maiden Terrova-iPilot voyage I just could not wait to get out on soft water. The first open lake near me was Lake Shabbona in IL. Who cares if the wind was blowing 15-25 mph with snow and sleet on Saturday 3/20. We had the entire lake and preserve to ourselves.
I upgraded from a 12v 50 Legacy Power Drive to a 24v 80 pound thrust Terrova/US2/iPilot. Just the ease of deployment from the old PD was worth the expensive upgrade. BTW my boat is a 2000 Lund 1650 Angler SS/Yamaha F80.
I first just tested the manual (CoPilot) functions and was pleased with the quick responsiveness (AND THE EXTRA POWER!).
I did not like the harsh feeling of the remote on my thumb. I imagine that tactile feel will soften up when it is warmer out. The LCD display feedback was great (GPS status, prop spinning, modes, etc).
Next I threw a marker out in the middle of the lake, pulled within 3 feet of it and hit Spot Lock. The wind was roaring and the iPilot kept me close to the spot without ever overshooting.
Then I pointed the boat towards the submerged trees across the lake and engaged the advanced AutoPilot. 3+ mph aross the wind and waves and right to my destination.
We then headed directly into the strong wind all the way across the lake to the campground. 2.5 mph and the iPilot kept me on course.
After a couple more impressive spot lock tests I navigated and learned a figure 8 pattern. Then I tracked to the start of that pattern... then tracked to the end of the pattern. My gps showed that my boat followed the exact path that I had just learned minutes before, all the while sitting back in amazement.
It is going to be a great fishing tool for years to come. |
