I'm not sure where I'm going with this exactly but my old bow mount motor (minnkota autopilot, 50 ish lbs thrust, 24v) still works but it's autopilot does not.  My fishfinder is obsolete lowrance x65 i think.  Also showing signs of screen degradation.  I'm trying to decide what to do.  The boat is a 19' alumjnum hull, inboard/outboard, fish-ski model.  Used to use it a fair bit but it developed a leak and sat in the garage for 10 years.  Last year I figured out the leak (shutter valves failed and punched a hole in the y-pipe) pulled the motor, pulled the y-pipe and had it welded up, put it all back together.  Ran it a few hours on the water and it seems to be fine.  No leaks, runs well, etc.  It's just dated.

Looking at maybe upgrading the fishfinder and the bow mount motor.

It's strictly a lake boat.  Mostly would be trolling for trout / kokanee, jigging for lake superior whitefish, maybe fishing for mackinaw  (fun to catch, but shit to eat, so probably not a lot of this). Not really any walleye populations close although the bucket biologists are working on that.

Pretty sure I want an anchor mode, trying to hold in 50 - 100' or more with a normal anchor sucks. Beyond that I don't really know.  I know you can get set them up to integrate with your fishfinder and get contour following, course following, tracking, etc.   I can't really see that as really useful.  Friend has some of that and it seems to take more time to manage than it's worth.  Big cool factor, but seems gimmicky (and $$$).

What I used to do when I fished this boat more was use a 15hp kicker motor on the back of the boat for trolling and use the bow motor to help with wind and do all the steering.  I found I could fish the boat even in pretty stiff wind this way.  I do have steering linkage between the kicker and the main - but I found the bow mount to be much more effective. It's also nice to be able to steer from any point in the point and not be confined to the drivers seat. It helps preserve batteries too - rarely need to run the bow motor over a speed setting above 2 or 3)

Am I missing something in my thinking about linking the ff to the motor?  Seems like either a power drive or a terrova would be plenty for a motor, not sure about the ff. I know you can get a transducer in the minnkota and hook it up to hummingbird ff. I don't know what that does for you.

Sorry for the ramble.  Seems to be a lot of variables and features hate to go drop 3k-4k on something that's wrong.

Yes, sky is the limit on that stuff.

Kind of in a state of information overload.

My friends system is nice, Lowrance hds live, minnkota terra nova, 4 stroke kicker.  What I've found is he doesn't really know how to use the ff to full effect.  Lot of money tied up in a system he doesn't really use - now he's talking about adding a Garmin autopilot to the thing.

I just don't think I have a need for all that.

Hell, I never learned to program my VCR.  My Lowrance graph is waaay beyond my ability to learn all the features!

John,

When I first got into walleye fishing a few years ago I was "in the same boat" about the electronics. We went to a huge lake in northern MN for the first time and decided to hire a guide for a day. He asked me what I wanted to do for the day. I pointed at his fish finder and said "show me how you use that!" it was one of the most educational experiences of my life. Having someone who actually uses one every day explaining it and actually able to show you what he was reading and how he interpreted it was amazing.

If the situation allows, maybe treat yourself to a guided trip for your favorite species and ask lots of questions. If it keeps you from buying something you really don't need, or won't use, it may end up saving you money in the long run.

Good Luck!

There are a few companies down my way within an hour drive that do "on the water" classes around certain brands of electronics.  I did not do one persomally, but spending some time in a boat with someone that knows them well can cut down on the learning curve drastically.

Humminbird Helix 7 mega DI/SI G3N or G4N paired with a Minnkota Terrova I-Pilot with remote and spot lock.

That will allow you to network your graph to your trolling motor, use the built in transducer on the trolling motor or the transducer you install on the back of the boat, and give you access to the new One Boat Network.

Stop-Lock on the ultrex is the best thing ever.  A transducer integrated into the trolling motor is really nice.

i have a minn kota terrova 72" 24V with ipilot on my center console saltwater boat i would never have another boat without spot lock.  holds good in the wind up to about 2 footers. i don't go out if it's more than that and don't like 2 footers much either

Old thread.

Finally succumbed and ordered a 60", 24v, 80 lb thrust terrova with remote (no foot pedal) and ipilot.

Ordered from Scheels Sunday, shipped Monday, arrived noon today.  Hoping to fish it tomorrow.

Basic unit - for my needs I don't see a built in transducer as being particularly useful so I ordered it without a transducer.  


Still haven't decided on a ff.  Friend has an older Lowrance hds 9 that does more than we need, but something along those lines most likely.

A year ago I was doing the same research, and ended up going with the more complicated setup.  But I'm a mid-30's engineer that likes techy stuff and figured half the fun was learning it.  I put a 60" 80# Terrova with the I-Pilot link, Humminbird Helix 10 G4N with side imaging on the dash and Helix 7 G3N up front and they are all connected through an ethernet switch.  The side and down imaging have been pretty informative as I have been trying to learn some of the local prairie pothole lakes.  

The networked graphs and trolling motor were quite helpful last night when we went out to fish for the evening and at the ramp I realized that I had left the remote for the trolling motor sitting on my workbench.  Luckily I was able to do the basic steering and speed controls from my main graph, and turn the autopilot on/off from my phone through Bluetooth.  But you might ask, why was the remote sitting on my workbench??  Because the fancy I-pilot link remote has a rechargeable battery instead of AA's or something I can keep in the boat easily...so it's a double edged sword.



I think the most interesting part is running the 2D and DI or SI at the same time on a split screen.  It feels like it gives you a bit better picture of what's actually under you compared to just interpreting some arches on the 2D.  We pulled bottom bouncers with spinners and worms through this spot several times and picked up various size walleyes each pass.



This one was more perch/crappies that we were catching, and occasionally a small walleye.

Nice setup!

65 y/o semi-retired engineer that likes things simple(ish).

The motor worked great, 18" or so of chop with a wind and anchor held us dead nuts on our spot. Still have learning to do- misunderstood heading and target speed features so couldn't get them to function. I reread the manual and think I get that now.

Downside was after about 4 hours the bilge pump kicked on, and it kicked on about every hour after that.  Last time that happened it turned out to be hole in the y-pipe which entails pulling the motor to get to. I/O 4.3L mercruiser. Pondering hauling the boat to the closest lake today to see if I can find the leak.  I don't think it's the bellows, I've inspected them and find no signs of distress or damage.

Yup.  Last time I think I turned video camera on my phone on and stuck it back behind everything I could reach.

Hoping I'm not pulling the motor again. I still have your checklist / procedures saved if it comes to that.

I was pondering running low pressure air (read shop vac in blow mode) into the exhaust system and soap bubble check the y-pipe and transom seal area.

Seems like we're in a similar situation. Mercruiser 140 (3.0L) here.  When I pulled the plug at the ramp the other night there was more water than I expected that came out.  I didn't run the bilge pump at all for the 4 or 5 hours we were out because I have to switch it on manually.  

I filled the bottom of the boat with the garden hose and didn't see more than a couple slow drips from rivets that I already knew were loose.  I just replaced all the bellows a few months ago, so I'm fairly confident that's not it.

I did order an auto float switch to wire in with the bilge pump, so I'm thinking I'll start there and see how often it runs, and try looking harder for leaks next time we're on the water.

Yes aluminum hull.

I think we're going to go set in a nearby lake tomorrow and see what we can see.

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I did notice this this morning getting ready to haul boat to lake.

Pretty sure the boat originally came with a rivet in that hole. Found a couple loose rivets too.


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What's the best way to fix the loose rivets, especially if you can't reach the back side to put a block on there and try to reset it with a hammer?

Beats me, but I will have to figure it out! Eta: looks like several companies offer closed end blind rivets.  Shouldn't be a problem to get a watertight rivet.

I taped over that hole and one other suspicious looking rivet.  Still have a small amount of water coming in from somewhere, but mercruiser parts all looked nice and dry everywhere.  

Friend of mine built an airplane, he said they had high strength blind rivets for airplanes, but he didn't know if they were waterproof.  

I was figuring on re-doing several fasteners in the transom - mostly transducer mounts, transducer cable mounts, etc.  I ordered some 3M 4200 and some de-bond goo to clean up old silicon.   Of course none of the water I could see dripping into the bilge was from the side of the transom where all that stuff is mounted.

Minn Kota has had many variances of their front trolling motors...up to and including, the old standard foot pedal, then the CO pilot, then the AUTO pilot, and most recently, the I Pilot.   Not sure how big your boat is....mine is 18' Alumacraft.  Get the 80lb Terrova IPILOT.  Great for steering, trolling (kokanee, etc.), but the most outstanding feature is the SPOT LOCK (virtual anchor).   Get on top of the fish you want, hit the button, and you are anchored.   We've been using the Ipilot now for about 6 years.  Don't know how we fished without it (especially over lake trout at Flaming Gorge, Cutthroats at Strawberry and the stripers in the spring at lake powell).

They do integrate with the fish finder...and some of my buddies do that...I don't.  I use the fish finder, but it's not integrated with the Ipilot front trolling motor.  If you use the side scan, and it's integrated, you can hit the screen, then the ipilot will take you there...so far I haven't seen a use for that the way I fish.

Any modern color GPS outfitted fishfinder will do these days and they are all good.  Bigger the screen the better, but more $$$$$$$.  Mine is a 9" garmin, but they are all good.  Backup is a 7" Lowrance.  It can hook up to the rear transducer (one of two mounted back there) or the front Minn Kota trolling motor, with built in transducer. That is handy for the deep lake trout.

I do between 25 and 40 fishing trips per year (some are multi day, some are 1/2 days-mornings only) so I spend a lot of time on the boat using my electronics.


The newest fad is the live view.  While my Garmin head unit is capable, I haven't bought the transducer yet.  It's $1000+ and the ones I've seen in action so far haven't really wowed me enough to make a purchase.

Hope this helps.

Yup.  All looks good!

Still need to do the bellows and shift cable. They are not leaking, but they are 30 years old, , but it's maintenance now and not an critical do it rfn.

Any recommendations on rivets?  Aluminum hull, presume aluminum stringers, I assume I need an aluminum rivet.  Wonder if a hollow blind rivet can even approach the strength of a solid, bucked rivet.

Eta:  looks like maybe 3 layers of aluminum in there.  Butt end of old rivet was still stuck in the inner 2 layers, it pushed out, but something is blocking it from completely disappearing, Not sure what it could be, floatation styrofoam maybe, shouldn't be any electrical or fuel lines there.

I would look at others brands of electronics than Hummingbird. Terrible customer service!!!

Chinook3

The missing rivet is just inside the chine and roughly below the jocky box in front of the front passenger seat.  

There are some rivets that look loose (i.e. visible gap between head and hull) more or less along the keel. These are mostly forward on the hull.

The hull itself is welded, but the stringers are riveted in place.

There is some fastener somewhere that is leaking at the transom too.  There are a couple large pan head Philips type screw heads just below waterline- I think they probably hold a ledger for the deck.  One of those has a slight gap between transom and screw head. I think that fastener needs re-sealed. I can't see the area inside - don't know if it's a bolt / nut that has loosened or what exactly.  I'd like to take the bolt out, clean the hole, put some 4200 on it and re-set the bolt.  If there is a nut there that falls off though I have no idea how I'm going to put it back together.

Missing rivet is in line with and just forward of the left hand bunk.

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We have bought rivets from Lund/hewescraft and also used aircraft rivets.
Just used a big hammer on one side and a sledge on the other side of the rivet.
IF you can get to them.

Also used stainless steel bolts.

Gluvit also seals rivets and bolts pretty good.

Spent a lot of time tighting rivets on lunds and hewescraft.

Without pulling the floor (plywood with glued down indoor-outdoor carpet) out of the boat there is no getting to the backside.

Probably have to use closed end rivets.

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