Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 87" Trolling Motors Reviews

Boat Holding and Handling Ability

I run a 2018 Judge 265 Center Console. It's 26’4” with an 8'6'beam, weighs in at 4300lbs and has a fiberglass hardtop, windscreen and a big, high bow which all catch a lot of wind. I've used the motor in a wide variety of situations, from moving along into the wind, casting at shoreline structure like a bass fishermen, to holding down- current of bridge pilings for extended periods, to using the Terrova as a virtual anchor, holding the boat accurately over offshore structure for hours on end in ocean current and wave action.

The most common question I receive from other saltwater fishermen considering the purchase of a GPS trolling motor is “Will it hold my boat?”

The answer is, of course there's a limit but it handles mine phenomenally and I've yet to encounter a practical fishing situation where it wasn't able to do so with power to spare. The ability to maintain positive boat control in water >1 foot in depth is a distinct advantage.

Noise/Cavitation

Measurements taken soon after the purchase of my Judge clearly showed that a 72” trolling motor would not perform properly in normal fishing conditions. The 265's bow height, however, falls well within the appropriate range for the 87” offering. In that, I'm not alone. From large bay boats to 30-ish foot offshore center consoles, the Terrova RT 87” shaft fills a substantial niche.

Use in well-spaced ocean swells up to 5 feet results in no occurrences of the motor head coming out of the water. With my modest power to weight ratio, the motor typically runs at less than 50% power in this scenario. The noise produced is a barely audible, low pitched hum, much like calm water operation.

Steep, tightly spaced wind-chop forces the bow to rise and fall vigorously on my high- riding center console. When spot locked, the trolling motor head tends to remain completely submerged in chop up to somewhere between 2 and 3 feet. Around that 3 foot mark, the motor's head will occasionally break the surface momentarily. Along with the splashing sound, the loss of thrust associated with the motor head leaving the water means that it must work harder to maintain the boats position when it is fully submerged. This equates to surges in the power setting which I believe could be off-putting to the weariest gamefish. Noise in the cockpit remains a low volume hum at a variable pitch. These are conditions that I assume many will never encounter and a truly a hardcore angler wouldn't leave the old fashioned anchor at home regardless.

Battery Life/Efficiency

I still run the same set of three $87 Interstate batteries I installed last spring and I've never once killed them. That includes 6-8 hours days of using the motor to hold the boat on top of offshore lumps while chunking for tuna and mahi, full days of wreck/reef fishing 30-50 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, days of mostly fishing bridge pilings in heavy current at both of the Chesapeake Bay Bridges and on one occasion, back to back full days of fishing the shallows of Chesapeake Bay without recharging in between. Yes, they were low but it was still doing what I needed it to do when the sun went down on day 2. This last example was the closest I've come to “emptying the tank.”

The motor seems to operate extremely efficiently and has never let me down despite the increased use since moving to Florida in Early April, since which time, I've literally used the Terrova on every fishing trip.

User Friendliness – Trolling Motor and Remote

Deployment of the motor goes off without a hitch. I recommend providing a bit of upward resistance as it falls in place as a means to keep operation stealthy. The pivoting motion is smooth and the motor locks into position for operation easily. With its 87” shaft, and all of the weight being in the lower unit, the motor is a bit more awkward to lift, pivot and lock into the stowed position than those with shorter shafts. I assume an engineer could come up with a lift assist mechanism at the detriment of more moving parts. I favor the simplicity and reliability of manual stow/deploy in general, so perhaps this is a wish list item whose juice isn't worth the squeeze. As with many things in boating, once you've developed a procedure for a task, things go smoothly and require little thought or effort. Stowing the 87” Terrova RT is no different.

The iPilot Link touchscreen remote control is well laid out and allows easy and logical access to all of the motor's functions. It feels a little clunky as a necklace at first, but I've grown accustomed to wearing it on a lanyard around my neck. One small drawback is that the touchscreen will react to contact with your skin through a shirt made of performance fabric. As such, I occasionally bump the screen with my stomach and deactivate Spot Lock, sending the boat adrift. This is best avoided by enabling the remote's key lock feature or, as I often do, sitting it down on the console if I plan to remain in the same position for an extended period.

The iPilot Link is rechargeable and the battery life has always been sufficient for a day of fishing. Much like a cellphone, it can be charged while in use or otherwise via USB or a cigarette lighter adapter. I haven't timed the recharge cycle but it seems comparable to a typical smartphone. Speaking of which, you can also use a proprietary cellphone app to control the Minn Kota via Bluetooth which works surprisingly well and has bailed me out on a couple of occasions when I forgot to throw the iPilot Link in my boat bag. The Terrova can also be controlled via Humminbird Solix or Helix MFDs user interface, which is especially fantastic when bottom fishing. The operator can easily tap the image of bottom structure on Mega+ Side Imaging and tell the Minn Kota to position the boat over it and Spot Lock indefinitely. It' like cheating!

Durability/Wear/Finish

I've had zero service issues with the trolling motor since installation. I did have intermittent loss of power on consecutive trips which I found to be the result of a rusted and deteriorated electrical connector. Replacement solved the issue immediately and entirely.

As I use my boat 4+ times a week, it doesn't make sense to constantly fool around with removing and replacing a canvas boat cover. Sunlight and weather take their toll on everything and the white plastic cowl of the Terrova is no exception. Aesthetically, the unit isn't quite as shiny and new looking as it was on day 1 but it has weathered well, all things considered.

I've hit a few rocks and grounded the lower unit more times than I care to admit. The original propeller remains intact, as does 99.9% of the matte white finish on the lower unit, despite the rigors of frequent shallow water use.

Overall Impression

The Terrova RT performs precisely as advertised. No product is a replacement for fishing skill, understanding patterns/fish behavior or hard-earned experience, however the Terrova does allow me to approach a wide gamut of fishing situations completely differently than I had when operating without it. Utilizing the trolling motor effectively has undoubtedly allowed me to better capitalize on opportunities and has resulted in putting fish in the boat that very likely would not have been caught while adrift or on anchor. I seriously doubt that I'll ever own a boat without one going forward.

Add your own review