70diesel

It’s not under warranty anymore so that’s not an option. The batteries are AGM Cabelas and are only 1 year old. But you’re correct about voltage, that’s one of the things Minn Kota said to check. I bought an external battery/voltage monitor to check for that. Weird part is I always charge the batteries each time I use the boat with a good charger but that doesn’t mean one of the batteries isn’t going bad.

Not sure if this is the correct forum but my Ulterra is intermittently acting up. Sometimes when I deploy the motor and start the prop, the remote says it’s spinning but it isn’t. Same issue will happen with the foot control. I can still steer but the prop isn’t turning. I have to stow and deploy a few times then it will work fine. Sometimes the prop will spin on the first try but not the second and I futz around with it until it begins spinning. It always deploys and stows fine. My batteries (80lb thrust, 24v) are only 1.5 years old. I can’t replicate the issue and so far it has solved itself. Oddly it only happens during the initial time I put the boat in the water and once working, it’s fine all day. I called Minn Kota and they had some ideas but they’re beyond my mechanical abilities. Anyone else have this issue or can anyone provide some ideas?

You don't have to have the motor deployed to pair the remote. I did it in the garage with the motor stowed.

Agree 100%! This is what I was saying when I started the thread

I was fishing with a friend once and we pulled the boat off the river into a small creek coming in and there were probably 30-50 small mouth bass hanging out under a bridge maybe 30’ wide. He kept trying to catch them and I was bored out of my mind. There was zero challenge. This is how I view fishing, I like the challenge of not being able to pick off easy fish just to puff my chest up and say I caught a fish. I view bass guarding fry the same way. What’s the point? If you’re that bad at fishing I guess it’s fun to say you caught a fish.... The Susquehanna (PA) shuts down fishing near Harrisburg during the spawn and that is why the bass there are so plentiful and big so there’s your science.

I was reading the article about bass guarding fry https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/bass-guarding-fry.html and kinda don't agree with trying to catch those fish. For one, how boring is it trying to catch a fish in that situation when you can almost net out of the water? Also, I want those little guys to stay alive and grow up so I can catch them later when it's a challenge. I don't want to risk injuring or killing the bass on guard. Maybe I'm in the minority here but i leave those fish alone to do their job making a better fishing lake.

I was in the same dilemma. I have both rods (casting) with the same reel (Shimano Curado) on them. I like the St. Croix better. It is more sensitive and casts further. Spend the extra money, after you use the St. Croix you won't even remember spending the extra money. It's in my avatar.

I have a Garmin EchoMap 93sv, have it installed on the boat and have it set up with my phone using the ActivCaptain App. I'm not really sure how to use the app on my phone. I can get my texts on the fishfinder but what is the advantage of having the app on my phone? I can look around and see the map of where I'm at on my phone but I don't really know how to use the app? I'm usually intuitive when it comes to figuring out apps without the directions but I don't know where to start and didn't really see any vids on youtube. I haven't been on the water with the Garmin yet so maybe I'm just missing something. Can someone point me in the right direction as far as some "how to's"?

That's what was explained to me via Garmin as well. Cabelas and Bass Pro have the 93sv on sale. If you call into Cabelas, you might be able to get it. I saw that it wasn't listed on their site but when I called in I got it at the sale price.

Nope. I've had lots of questions and every time I call they're great.

I have the Ulterra which is just a step above the Terrova. All I can say is that it was a game changer and worth every penny. If you can swing the extra money, it's well worth it. The remote deploy is very useful. Imagine putting the boat in the water, hitting a button on the remote to deploy the motor, troll it over to the edge of the dock and hit the spot lock. No ropes! You park the truck and the boat will be there waiting. Reverse the process when loading up including driving the boat into the trailer. To change to 36 volts to get the bigger thrust motor, you only need three batteries. That will make you go faster on the water and reduce weight but that bigger thrust does cost more.

I just ordered a 93sv through Cabelas so thanks dudes! I'm with you on the new GT52. Worse case scenario you could always buy the GT52 transducer separately and it will still be cheaper than the price of a new unit w/ the GT52 transducer. On the phone from Garmin I was told the GT52 will go to depths of 500' while the CV52 will go to 250', here is what they emailed me about the differences in the GT52 and CV52. Hello James, Thank you for clarifying because I didnt see that on the website. The difference between the two transducers is that the GT52 has three elements inside of it. It gives you a clear clearvu image and the CV52 has two side images that come together to create the clearvu image. The GT may give a more accurate representation of what you are seeing beneath your boat. If we can help further please let us know.

I was looking at this unit before I came across the Garmin Echomap Plus 73sv. It's touchscreen and you can make your own maps by recording as you boat around. It also has bluetooth which will link up with your phone to see text messages and uses an ActiveCaptain app from your phone for updates and downloads of lake maps from other users. Bass Pro is about to put it on sale on 2/15 for $500 or $600 if you want the 9" screen. To me, it's a no brainer getting the Garmin. The only thing that concerns me is that the unit that will be on sale does not come with the most recent GT52 transducer. Read through my post here

Thanks for the info, I'll be making the update!

Those don't have the latest GT52 transducer. It's actually a slightly older model which is why it's going to be on sale. Bass Pro just started carrying the newest model with the GT52 transducer a few weeks ago. Check out the SKU numbers. The 93sv w/ GT52 transducer is sku 2648336- NOT on sale The 93sv w/ an older transducer sku 2467182- going to be on sale You can call Garmin for the specifics on the difference in the transducers, something to do with a legal issue w/ Lowrance I think. That being said, could we even tell the difference in the transducers? Especially if it's a $400 difference.

I believe the 94sv is the Canadian lakes and the 93sv they have isn't with the GT52 transducer which is the current model like you said. Thanks for checking. I wonder how the CV52HW-TM transducer compares to the current GT52 transducer? I wonder if you can even tell the difference?

I have a 2015 Minn Kota Ulterra and think it's great. The only issue is due to it being an older model (without the GPS puck currently used), the spot lock doesn't hold me close to where I set it. If I wander off from the set spot (currents or small wind changes), it freaks out and over powers me back and often overshoots the mark and readjusts several times. In some cases, I go over where I am fishing and due to all the commotion, that spot is unfishable. If it's windy its even worse. On calm days, most times its fine. I called Minn Kota and they offer an update package for $500. You get a new remote, new internals and a current GPS puck which uses different algorithms to hold you in place. My question is: has anyone done this conversion? Did you find a noticeable difference that justifies spending the $500?

I have no problem waiting for the sales. I live in Maryland and will not be fishing anytime soon.

I just stumbled across this site and want to take advantage of some real user knowledge. I'm looking to get a big boy fishfinder and will be getting a Garmin Echomap Plus. I can't decide between the 7" (73sv for $750) or the 9" (93sv for $1000) screen size. I will be purchasing from bass pro so that I can use some gift cards. I've been watching to see if either go on sale but that may be futile. Is the 93sv worth the extra $250? Aside from buying both units and playing with them in demo mode then returning one, can anyone point out some things to consider? I drew both screen sizes on paper to compare and it's hard to justify spending an extra $250 for an extra half inch on all 4 sides of the screen.