Boat accessories.

[marty f]

Originally Posted by meaux fishing

Yeah trim tabs are the (.)(.) My ipilot has almost replaced my powerpole. Im still glad I have em both, but if I had to choose one or the other it would be the ipilot.

I agree, if I had not already bought my TM and Talons I would of rather got an I pilot.

[cajun bill]

Originally Posted by alphaman

It's really night and day difference when in ruff water. Just put them all the way down and it's like having a plow on the front of the boat. Busting through the waves. But you will burn some gas!!!!

I agree TT are very nice to level a boat that is uneven due to weight distribution unbalance, but regarding getting the bow down in rough water, I often find that I can use my motor trim to accomplish the same thing that my tabs would do, i.e. get the bow down to plow thru the waves when it becomes necessary. Just my thoughts.

X2 on the iPilot and the PP. Both are very nice to have.

[BuckingFastard]

Aubrey, ill give you my lenco trim tabs if you buy me a PP haha

[jpd0144]

Not to hijack Aubreys post but ... For the guys running gps TM's ... Do yall find the motor seems to run quiet a bit say on anchor lock while trying to remain stealthy ? Especially during say relatively calm water and then all of a sudden a little gust hits. Seems the few I've been around it causes them to forcefully kick in ?

The reason I ask is I hate using a TM around active fish. I like to control when to run the TM.

Figured it would be good to hear from both sides. Even though I know Aubrey already stated he recently purchased a new TM.

[AubreyLaHaye458]

Originally Posted by jpd0144

Figured it would be good to hear from both sides. Even though I know Aubrey already stated he recently purchased a new TM.

Like I said, nothing is completely ruled out. lol any and all information is welcomed!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bayouchub]

I am not a fan of the ipilot after using one quite a bit. I prefer a minnkota hand control.

[AubreyLaHaye458]

Originally Posted by bayouchub

I am not a fan of the ipilot after using one quite a bit. I prefer a minnkota hand control.

What didn't you like about it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bayouchub]

I didnt like the operation of the remote and the fact that there are more moving parts to break. The anchor feature is neat but depends where your fishing if it will make too much noise.

[jpeff31787]

If I had a large income coming in and needed things for my boat, I'd first and foremost put the 10' power pole possible two if I had the money, then probably mapping chip for electronics or new electronics. Next would be trim tabs or electric wench to get the boat onto the trailer, they are nice when you fish alone a bunch. The Ipilot is firkin sweet, but you said you just got a new TM, so I didn't mention that. Also I'd make sure to have running lights wired into the console and motor cowling if you don't already have it, inexpensive and extremely convenient. We just installed the lights on the console and it has been amazing not having to worry if they will work or not for our next trip out.

[Pull n Pray]

If you like to night fish you could get some led lights around the console and some submersible lights under the hull.

[Marque]

A power pole is a great accessory, I use mine often, but it is not a necessity. Unless you have 2 of them it is impossible to anchor with your bow facing into the current. The majority of fish I catch are caught retrieving my bait with the current so if I don't want to fish off the back of my boat, I also have to anchor the front of my boat as well, which sorta defeats the purpose of the power pole. Whereas with an ipilot, the anchor lock will always keep your bow pointed 180 deg to the current direction. What I do (before I let a friend take my boat and he managed to fry my ipilot, I was taking a nap at the camp and he kept bugging me) was set my anchor lock and let it lock in good. Depending on the speed of the current this may take a few minutes. Yes, it does kick in high to get you back into place but will settle down once it gets a good lock and when its good and locked I will set my power pole. Doing so greatly reduces the amount of thrust needed to keep the boat stationary. If I had to choose one or the other I would choose my ipilot any day of the week and twice on Sunday. The auto pilot feature on the ipilot is equally as useful as the anchor lock in my opinion. Just get boat pointed in the direction you want to go, hit the autopilot and forget about it. It adjust to keep you headed in the same direction no matter what way the current or the wind pushes your boat. Depending on the current draft of your boat, I would say a jackplate would be more useful than a power pole as well. On my boat with my jack plate down, my motor will drag in 2 1/2 to 3' of water. So if I am trolling in a shallow flat, I would have to trim my motor to keep it from dragging if I didn't have a jack plate. I don't know about you but I hate being on the trolling motor and not having the lower unit of my big motor to act as a rudder of shorts. It is also awesome when you put your boat on the trailer, especially if the ramp you launched from is not all that great. You are never going to plow your skeg into concrete if your jackplate is up. The water is high now but if you fish in the winter at all you will really appreciate a hydraulic jackplate. It is not just for getting on step in shallow water, it also prevents you from having to come off plane when driving through the shallow spots. It has saved me more than a few times. I can blow through 9 mile cut in the winter in low water and not have to worry about hitting bottom. I have two chart plotters, they came with my boat and they are nice but I know where I am going 95% of the time. So if you don't fish a whole lot of different places electronics are not going to provide a great amount of utility. However, my command link gauges are invaluable. They allow me to operate my motor in the most efficient manner possible. I can see my RPM, MPH, GPH, MPG, oil pressure, water pressure, engine temp, battery life, trim angle, hours, fuel consumption, odometer, give me a reminder when service is needed, will tell me if anything is up with my motor, you name it.

An ipilot would definitely be first on my list. If I were you I would go to superior trolling motor in lafayette and talk to those guys. I don't know if they take trade in's but they will sell your trolling motor for you, they did for me. I bought a new minn kota from them after the motor guide I had broke for the 100th time. They didn't didn't charge a consignment fee but did take the cost of the repairs out of what they sold it for. I bet they wouldn't take a percentage if you bought a new ipilot from them.

[Marque]

Originally Posted by Pull n Pray

If you like to night fish you could get some led lights around the console and some submersible lights under the hull.

My boat also came with some, they look cool when you are running at night but are for the most part pretty useless unless you are fishing in Florida. The water is rarely clean enough for them to light up enough area to attract anything.

[jl8200]

I have the MotorGuide xi5 GPS on my new Bluewave and its the best thing about the boat. Its awesome to be able to use the TM as an anchor and its very quiet. Also if you are trying to fish along a bank, you can set the heading lock and tell it to cruise at a certain speed that you choose and it will keep you on the heading and speed no matter what the wind and/or current is doing. All you have to do is fish. You will have to make some adjustments to heading if the bank is not perfectly straight. A power pole would me my next choice. My boat will absolutely plow if it trim it down so I don't see the need for tabs in that respect.

[rardoin]

Originally Posted by SGib

10ft pp. Don't skimp out and get the 8ft

I agree, my 8ft comes up a little short at times. The difference in price is well worth it IMO. I would put trim tabs first on my list however.

[AubreyLaHaye458]

Well you know what they say about the best laid plans...Lol

Unfortunately it's looking like I'm gonna have to be buying a truck instead of fixing up the boat. But all of your input is very much appreciated and not completely out of sight yet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk