Pro Angler 17t with Motorguide Xi5 1st Review

[wiredantz]

I wanted to give a short review on my new XI5 Motorguide.

There is very little information on what it actually does on the PA17T HObie Canoe boat barge 3000.


Overall, i had a very frustrating experience at the end with it.

Let me start with the short synopsis:

Pros:

Anchor GPS mode is awesome
Ability to connect to Lowrance GPS UNIT and control from GPS including waypoints.

Cons:
Ability to connect to Lowrance will cost $300 extra...
XI5 Motorguide is heavy
Max speed is 2.5 for PA17T
Control eats up batteries like some people eat yesterdays chocolate cake
No warning of when control battery is low.
Surf Launching is out of the question except at la jolla
Makes Bow Heavy, but not too bad
To replace batteries on Control, you need to unscrew 4 screws to have direct access to the motherboard of the control itself.




So longer review....

The way i hooked it up:

I bought the motor mount PA17T:


the Nylon motorguide quick disconnect:



two the minnkota quick disconnect plugs :



I connect the the minn kota plugs using 8 gauge wire from the bow to the stern.

I also replaced the batteries on the control unit with brand new AAA Lithium Energezer batteries. To replace the AAA batteries on the control you literally have to unscrew all four sides to have direct access to the motherboard!!!! WTH!
(come on guys) direct access to the mother board!!!! this is a water unit!!!!




Next,

THe unit is heavy there is no way in the world you can transport this on the kayak on a trailer... So you need to put it in the car....

Ok so on the water....

If you want to fish a certain GPS Mark a certain rock, etc the ANCHOR mode will hold....


IF you program it , to go from point a to b at max speed it only goes 2.5 mph.





also when the batteries run low.....the control does not communicate with the motor.... so you will crash to whatever thing your heading too with no way of stopping this pieace of CRAP and bang up your new motor on a pieace of wood that could of easily be PREVENTED...

RAGE QUIT


So in conclusion....
stick to torqeedo





Before i went out to Lake Barrett, i replaced the control batteries with two new lithium aaa from Energizer.










https://youtu.be/HrL3J6K3KLg


[IMG][/IMG]





OVERALL SCORE ON OKFD SCALE

4 out of 10

Torqeedo vs Motorguide
There are not too many motors out there for Kayaks, for speed you are going to go with a Torqeedo Ultralight.
For anchor mode, torqeedo does not have that option... so motorguide takes the cake on this one.
For portability Torqeedo wins.
For Price point, they are pretty much the same at the end of the day....
Torqeedo Ultralight is sold as an all inclusive package, the motor guide you need to buy everything separate.

on a sidenote: I hope the the nmea connector 2000 does not have to rely on the stupid control....
I don't have faith on the control... as i scratched my new motor already because of control failure.... grrrr



Also it seems if you have a torqeedo motor and a XI5 motor spinning at the same speed.... seems counter productive...

i seem to go slower, so ill use one at a time..

[jorluivil]

Frank, just buy a boat already

[TheBentRod]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

Frank, just buy a boat already

x2

[katchfish]

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/ws...121706162.html

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/boa/6108406280.html

[wiredantz]

You bunch of Hobie Pa17t Hobie Kayak canoe boat barge HATERS, i don't need a boat.

I have this kayak, boat barge, canoe thing and it fits in my garage.


and you know what, its bigger than all of yours!

[TheBentRod]

LOL!

Originally Posted by wiredantz

You bunch of Hobie Pa17t Hobie Kayak canoe boat barge HATERS, i don't need a boat.

I have this kayak, boat barge, canoe thing and it fits in my garage.


and you know what, its bigger than all of yours!

[YakDout]

Originally Posted by wiredantz

and you know what, its bigger than all of yours!

But we're not in Texas.

[cabojohn]

Wiredantz,
We may not always agree...but as long as you and your peeps are having fun, keep doing what your doing.
With all your $$, time and efforts...you probably could have had your dream BOAT paid for & dialed in already. LOL

[wiredantz]

This is my dream kayak damnit!


we all can't have our dream wife, so we have to settle.

and i hope my wife never reads this!


And for all those people who want to know what my dream boat looks like:....

Well here it is....

and i want a bunch of solar panel on board so i don't have to deal with gas.


i don't want some piece of crap gas boat that will have engine trouble in the middle of water....
this is what i want right here...

I estimate 100k on batteries and motors.

[LJ H2Oman]

You guys are having too much fun heckling each other, keep it up

What the meaning of your team name, OKFD? Am I missing a fun explanation?

[wiredantz]

Originally Posted by LJ H2Oman

OKFD? Am I missing a fun explanation?

Obsessive Kayak Fishing Disorder

[monstahfish]

I too have been frustrated by the remote battery issue. Maybe check in with motorguide and see if they have improved it and will replace yours. The rest of it is great though. One thing you should try is the vector path setting. It's the one with the circle and arrow in it. Point the motor in a direction, hit it and it will hold you on that path regardless of wind and current. Trying to run a straight line without it is not going to happen without a lot of attention being paid without using this setting. Another cool feature is you can control it from your gps head unit so if the remote battery dies, it's not that big of a deal. Also, this is a trolling motor for a boat, it was never meant to move a boat past fishing speed or be lightweight, the Torqeedo was so it's not really fair to compare them. There is also a port for a pedal connection if you continue to be frustrated by the remote. Hope this helps.

[wiredantz]

Originally Posted by monstahfish

I too have been frustrated by the remote battery issue. Maybe check in with motorguide and see if they have improved it and will replace yours. The rest of it is great though. One thing you should try is the vector path setting. It's the one with the circle and arrow in it. Point the motor in a direction, hit it and it will hold you on that path regardless of wind and current. Trying to run a straight line without it is not going to happen without a lot of attention being paid without using this setting. Another cool feature is you can control it from your gps head unit so if the remote battery dies, it's not that big of a deal. Also, this is a trolling motor for a boat, it was never meant to move a boat past fishing speed or be lightweight, the Torqeedo was so it's not really fair to compare them. There is also a port for a pedal connection if you continue to be frustrated by the remote. Hope this helps.

So finally... i spent the money to buy the GPS pinpoint Gateway kit and it does make a BIG difference. ( REMOTE IS CRAP)

https://www.hodgesmarine.com/Motorgu...jqeniramsegdoh


Cheapest place to find it... along with the nmea starter kit...



This gateway kit ... surely bring out the best out of the XI5 and it is the ONLY WAY to control the xi5 in my honest opinion....

I was able to point to a waypoint on my GPS.... the motor will lock in direction and go directly there.... if i wanted to move just a bit to left right south or north i could give it direction on my lowrance HDS Unit... and now i am faced just where the fish are


I used the torqeedo to go to my destination about 5.5 mph ...... then if i wanted to setup my lures.... or get my bait ready.... i would turn off the torqeedo and deploy the xi5.... and direct it to the waypoint.... the xi5 with the anchor mode and waypoint heading... sure moved it up my list...


The only downfall... is that adding 30lbs to the bow.... makes it dig in to the wind waves when going 3mph +.... not a memory i like to have. Currently trying to come up with a solution