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Posts: 294
| Does anyone have experience with the Co-Pilot system? I recently just bought a new to me Power Drive V2 (non auto pilot) and was curious if this upgrade was worth the $150. Any benefits or negatives to the Co-Pilot? Any info would be great. |
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Posts: 190
Location: Savage, MN | Basically only use mine when walleye fishing, early river fishing or pulling spinners on calmer water. Remote is kind of a pain when reeling in. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Upgrade to the I-Pilot ....The co-pilot is like an 8 Track. |
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Posts: 3490
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
I have the copilot with the remote foot pedal. I got tired of replacing the corded foot pedal after a month or so of use so I tried the cordless. so far...a good move for me. No cords hanging all over, I can put it anywhere in the boat and use the bow mount...
I cannot complain..
Steve |
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Posts: 121
Location: Forest Lake, MN & Bemidji, MN | If you get one, make sure you get the rod clips with it so you can attach the remote to your rod. Then you can run the motor with the tip of your finger and never take your hand off your rod or reel. This is the only advantage the co-pilot system has over the i-pilot. You can change direction, stop, start and adjust for heavy wind gusts autopilot cannot on the trolling motor mid-retrieve or in an 8. It's pretty nice. Without the rod clips I would save the money and just use the foot pedal. I think it really depends on how you like to fish. |
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Posts: 294
| Thanks for the input guys. One other question speaking of foot pedals. I understand that some of these Power Drive's have foot pedal issues. Does anyone know what actually is the problem and can it be fixed on the water? I would hate to get stuck on a trip without use of my trolling motor. Oh, and I looked it over this weekend again and it is not a V2. Just a Power Drive. |
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Posts: 3490
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
The replacement corded foot pedals seem to lose the ability to transmit after some time....the contacts seem to go bad on them. Some last longer than others, but what my experiences have been is some will no longer turn one direction, others will not adjust speed setting. Some will not turn on when you use the constant on button. I just got tired of spending some $80 on a new corded foot pedal that in some cases would go bad within a few days (so I could replace it with receipt), but others would last beyond warranty, thus out $$.
So...I went to the cordless to try that instead. So far so good with the cordless. It has been reliable and no issues through a year of use. It does take batteries, so that is something to keep in mind if they wear down....always carry spare batteries.
Steve |
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Posts: 294
| Thanks for the input. Looks like I have some decisions to make before the season starts. Is there any way to tell when not on the water if the foot pedal is going bad. Except the obvious being it not working when you turn it on and move it. I guess what I'm asking is, do they all of a sudden stop working or can you tell when they start to fail over a time period? |
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Posts: 3490
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | I found they start to fail intermittently, and, at least with the newer replacement pedals, would get worse to the point I would be so frustrated I would literally want to throw it overboard. I've tried various things to nurse a pedal along (like tear it down, lube moving parts, add extra thickness to contact points so there was more downward pressure...and that works in the short run. On my last corded pedal, the speed setting went bad. Tried adding some layers of packing tape, and that worked for a while, but it got to a point where there were dead spots where the motor would not even work....and those dead spots were right where I needed my speed to be for the conditions. So...that ended my corded footpedal use.
Steve
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