boat electronics??

[Redfrog]

My brother just had a new boat built. He's looking to add a Minnkota autopilot and a fish finder to it.

Who would you recommend to go to or stay away from ? I've had zero experience with this stuff.

[huntsfurfish]

Is he buying and installing or buying and needs installing?

If he goes with MinnKota he should go with Humminbird fish finders.

Helix line is good. Gen 2 Helix is out and if he wants to save money might find some good prices on the Gen 1's.

[EZM]

Originally Posted by huntsfurfish

Is he buying and installing or buying and needs installing?

If he goes with MinnKota he should go with Humminbird fish finders.

Helix line is good. Gen 2 Helix is out and if he wants to save money might find some good prices on the Gen 1's.

We agree !!!!

I'd would suggest he gets a Hummingbird unit with Autochart Live. It's a great tool.

The hummingbird will also work with the minnkota i-pilot link and he will be able to have the motor follow the contours off the maps he makes using Autochart.

[Redfrog]

Originally Posted by EZM

We agree !!!!

I'd would suggest he gets a Hummingbird unit with Autochart Live. It's a great tool.

The hummingbird will also work with the minnkota i-pilot link and he will be able to have the motor follow the contours off the maps he makes using Autochart.

Yep that's what he's looking for. any suggestions on best dealer?

[sundancedan]

Check out the Minn Kota Terrova, it is feature packed and can link to your Helix depending on the model. The new Pontoon series are very similar to the Powerdrive V2 models but include a quick release bracket.

The AutoChart Live is very cool, but don't mistake it for just Auto Chart. Only certain models of the Helix family support the "live" part. If he decides on Lowrance make sure he gets something compatible with Insight Genesis maps.

I think Bass Pro has some good pricing on Minn Kotas.

[martinbns]

I just went through this exercise, had a Powerdrive V2 without Ipilot and spend a lot of time trying to fish small humps for Walleye.

Ended up getting a new 2017 improved I-Pilot Terrova and like it very much.

I ended up getting mine from my local boat dealer, $2,000 plus tax about $250 less than Cabelas or Basspro.

On the finder, for the link to really work you have to use Lakemaster mapping which is really spotty in Canada or make your own. I went with the regular I-Pilot even though my Console unit is a humminbird Onix 8SI.

[Willowtrail]

My Opinion would depend on his style of fishing.
For me I run Lowrance units and a Minn Kota Ulterra. I don't want to link my electric motor to my sonar and I prefer Lowrance. I troll with downriggers for Lake Trout a lot so If I want to control a motor with my sonar I would prefer to connect to my outboard with the "Outboard Auto Pilot".

I like the Social Mapping the you get with C-Map (Formerly Insight Genesis), I share my maps with others and use theirs as well, make for great network sharing. I can go to a lake I've never fished and have pre tracked areas to give me a start on some contours.

I run one unit at my console and one on the bow both networked to each other.

My favorite feature that Lowrance has is the "Structure Scan Overlay" feature. You can merge both 2D (Sonar) and the Downscan Imaging on top of eac other on the same screen and get the best of both worlds on one screen

[Tom Pullings]

Following this closely as I also have to outfit my boat with electronics and a TM. I was thinking of going with a ipilot powerdrive no link. As for the sonar I have no idea.

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by huntsfurfish

Is he buying and installing or buying and needs installing?

If he goes with MinnKota he should go with Humminbird fish finders.

Helix line is good. Gen 2 Helix is out and if he wants to save money might find some good prices on the Gen 1's.

I agree for most part lol.

Unless you're buying a Minnkota Terrova/Ulterra with the Link feature, it won't connect to your Humminbird sonar unit.

It's definitely a popular theme these days to buy the Minnkota/Humminbird or Motorguide/Lowrance. In my opinion, people put too much emphasis on that connection. It has it's benefits for sure, but there are a lot of limitations as well, and it's a pretty small part of a day's fishing for the average fisherman.

I'd be more concerned about buying the best performing trolling motor and sonar unit, and maybe more importantly, the units that you like best, even if that means mixing the two brands like Willowtrail.