# Grocery Getter fills the cart on opening day.



## NoleAnimal (Apr 3, 2014)

Now that all the guests have been fed and sent on their way with some great Memorial Day memories made and many prayers and thanks offered up for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us to have the freedom to argue over something (comparatively) so petty as fishing regulations, I finally have a few minutes to get a report in.

We left the dock a little before 0500... only about an hour behind schedule (thanks to the Captain, yous truly, forgetting the boat keys back at the house- :thumbdown: and some last minute planning fails... "Who brought the snacks?"). Got to the pass just as it getting light and, at first, I thought we were gonna catch a lucky break and the seas were going to be relatively calm- it was flat in the pass. However, as we cleared the pass and made our way east- it got bumpy in a hurry. 

The Robalo exceeded my expectations once again and we were able to maintain a pretty solid 20 mph on the way out- not too shabby for a bay boat. But I do have to admit that I was a little jealous of a really nice catamaran that zoomed past us on a similar course. 

Anyway- once we got to our spot there were a couple of boats already there, but we set up quickly. I was a little skeptical that the iPilot trolling motor would hold us on the spot in such adverse conditions, but it did GREAT! In a solid 15-17 mph wind and 2-3 foot seas, it held us right where we wanted to be.

We made relatively quick work of a 4 man limit. They were definitely not giants but we had only one that was right at 16". After the live bait ran out, the fishing slowed down considerably and that's when we picked up a few shorts. Considering the conditions and the fact that we had plenty of fish to clean, we called it and headed back in. Back at the dock by 1030.

The weather made the conditions less than enjoyable, but the company of some great friends and catching a mess of fish heavily outweighed the issues the weather caused.


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## ltmguy (Jan 2, 2009)

Those Ipilots are the "cats" meow...Just wish I could put one on my WorldCat. Pulled up to our spot and did the drift pass a few times to see where the wind and current would take us and then all of a sudden a inshore boat with a single fisherman pulled up. Damn Ipilot already in the water he rolled right up into the spot we were trying to get to but our reef/wreck anchor would not hold on the coral head so... we attempted to position where we could but no luck. Guy reeled in a sweet ARS while we fiddled around trying to get to a spot with fish booming on the finder...no such luck...a few more boats pulled up and we said fuck it because everyone has the damn ipilot and sits right where i am trying to get to. Off to another parking lot. No ARS for us. ohwell. Better luck next time...I hope.
LTMGUY


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## NoleAnimal (Apr 3, 2014)

ltm, I'm sorry that was your experience. I try to stay pretty clear of people I can tell that they are drifting. A piece of equipment that makes things easier doesn't give you the right to roll right up under someone working hard to catch some fish.


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## gsmith47 (May 9, 2015)

Just curious as to which model of the iPilot you have or how much thrust does the job you described. Thanks in advance for any information that might help me make a decision.


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## TeaSea (Sep 28, 2013)

a lot of us are using the 112 lb thrust Minn-kota with the long shaft. I was skeptical at first but I wouldn't wanna be without it now


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## gsmith47 (May 9, 2015)

Thanks so much for that information which will help me make my decision. It's always nice to get first-hand information from someone with practical experience.


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## NoleAnimal (Apr 3, 2014)

I'm using the 80# 24v on my 22' bay boat (and I think it's the 54" shaft instead of the 60" - I need to measure) and it is great. On occasion, I wish I had a little more grunt, but those scenarios are pretty rare and I have yet to find a situation where the spot lock didn't hold me within less than 10' of where I want to be. It'll pull my boat at 3 mph in calm conditions.


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## gsmith47 (May 9, 2015)

Thanks so much for that information.


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## almo100 (Mar 1, 2013)

I see the more you have the more juice you need. I have a Robalo R180, 18 footer and looks like 80# would be enough but 24v means I have to purchase another battery? Is that correct? And if I get crazy and go 112# I need 3 batteries?

Thanks for any info.


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## WAReilly (Jun 2, 2014)

Nice fish bro! You're loving that Robalo!


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## NoleAnimal (Apr 3, 2014)

almo100 said:


> I see the more you have the more juice you need. I have a Robalo R180, 18 footer and looks like 80# would be enough but 24v means I have to purchase another battery? Is that correct? And if I get crazy and go 112# I need 3 batteries?
> 
> Thanks for any info.


Yeah... 24v requires two 12v batteries and the 36v requires 3. I would think the 80# 24v would be plenty for your R180. I have run all weekend on a single charge with the batteries. I would estimate I've had the boat on spotlock and moved around for a total of 12 hours in one weekend on one charge. I still haven't actually run the batteries all the way down yet.


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## Hobart (Nov 27, 2012)

NoleAnimal said:


> Yeah... 24v requires two 12v batteries and the 36v requires 3. I would think the 80# 24v would be plenty for your R180. I have run all weekend on a single charge with the batteries. I would estimate I've had the boat on spotlock and moved around for a total of 12 hours in one weekend on one charge. I still haven't actually run the batteries all the way down yet.


Holy cow 12 hours I have had mine out 2X in the last few days on full charges and have only been getting 3-4 hours and then it just dies. Both batteries are new also.


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## Five Prongs Of Fury (Apr 15, 2008)

Hobart said:


> Holy cow 12 hours I have had mine out 2X in the last few days on full charges and have only been getting 3-4 hours and then it just dies. Both batteries are new also.


Are you using group 31 batteries? More specifically "trolling" ones, not trolling/starting??


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## Hobart (Nov 27, 2012)

This is why I love this forum never thought of that five prongs. They were dealer installed before I bought the boat and I will double check that when I get home.I am pretty sure they are Delco deep cycle marine starting because I looked at them yesterday to check the connections were good. Might have 2 batteries up for sale here real quick because I will definetly change them. That trolling motor truly is a game changer while sitting on or over a wreck and when you don't have it because of poor battery life that sucks!


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## NoleAnimal (Apr 3, 2014)

Yeah Hobart, I hate to hear your are only getting 3-4 hours out of yours. I can tell you that if that were the case with mine I would be pretty upset... well, NOW I would be. I had no idea what to expect when I first started using them so I was really careful with how much I would run them and made sure I charged them after every trip. Now I run them as much as I want and I usually forget to charge them and have to run them again a second day all day.

If you don't mind my asking... which dealer installed your batteries?


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## Gstring706 (Jun 20, 2011)

I cannot weigh in on the I-Pilot, all I know is as soon as I can justify it I will have one... I have foot controlled Minn Kota 112 36 Volt on my Triton Tr20. Bass fishing I have my foot on it all day. Running it plus electronics and the bilge and wells it takes 2 full days to exhaust my Optima Blue tops. They are the big ones.

Tight lines! Cannot wait until the day I can join y'all in the deep!


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## Hobart (Nov 27, 2012)

Yup confirmed Five Prongs of Fury starting batteries they even say 175 minutes on them. I guess I should thank the dealership for that. I was starting to think something was wrong with the Ipilot. Well I know what I'll be getting and installing before the weekend. Thanks guys!:thumbsup:


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## Hobart (Nov 27, 2012)

NoleAnimal said:


> Yeah Hobart, I hate to hear your are only getting 3-4 hours out of yours. I can tell you that if that were the case with mine I would be pretty upset... well, NOW I would be. I had no idea what to expect when I first started using them so I was really careful with how much I would run them and made sure I charged them after every trip. Now I run them as much as I want and I usually forget to charge them and have to run them again a second day all day.
> 
> If you don't mind my asking... which dealer installed your batteries?


It was not a local dealership Carolina Skiff dealership in Buford Georgia. 

By the way what type batteries are you using for your trolling motor?


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