My Ulterra Experience (If you have one or thinking of getting one READ THIS)

[GregL]

I can't help myself with new technology , so.. We put a  2019 Ulterra 72" Mega Down Imaging 36 volt trolling motor on our new boat and have had issues with it since the first trip.

I thought I would share my experience, so others can make an informed decision if you are thinking of buying one.

First off when this unit works it is absolutely awesome!

Let me be up front and say we did have a mishap with ours and broke the shaft. I was very impressed that MinnKota replaced the shaft , no questions asked.

Before this accident I had a couple failures to deploy but they were solved with the reset feature.

Since having the shaft replaced it has failed on every trip since 2019, 4 week long holidays ruin by this unit. Each time I put it back in the shop and had parts replaced.
Most recently it spent the entire winter in the warranty center.  They replaced The Ipilot Link Head, Trim housing, tilt motor & bracket, pedal etc. Every part that MinnKota upgrade they changed this winter.

Again they did this without complaint.

On our most recent trip to Kipawa it failed again on the first day (2 second trip since all the parts were replaced).

The new tilt motor actually completely jammed into it's bracket and gauged out the aluminum in the bracket.

I fully believe something with our unit is out of align, it just had to many issues, even with new parts!

I called the Monday we got back and said  "I am not looking for a repair, MinnKota needs to replace this unit with a new unit. I have taken this unit in 4 times which is a minimum of a 1 drive each way to drop it off and pick it up.
I have burned 5 vacation days and $100's in gas to have this thing repaired"

They told me they need the warranty center to call and say they are at the point where they have spent the cost of a new motor on labor and parts repairing this unit and it's cheaper just to replace it"
I called Rocky's and they agreed and called Johnson Outdoors Canada. 

Johnson Outdoors Canada told me they cannot pull a unit from a retailer it has to come from a service center in Canada and that they were not sure when they would see any of these units in Canada, probably not until the spring. Maybe not
even next year!

Needless to say I was freaking out!! Not at the guy on the phone but internally.

I started scouring the net to look for a unit in stock and Tuesday afternoon I found a place in Quebec FishnTech.com that said yes we have one of these in stock. I think this
guy was the only shop in all of Canada to have one!! So I emailed Johnson right away saying I found one and can you work it out otherwise I don't think I will ever get one and we'll have to cancel another holiday because of this unit!

He replied with in the hour, which was late in the afternoon Tuesday that he would call in the morning and work it out with them. They called back early Wednesday afternoon to tell me the unit was mine but I have to ship mine to FishnTech.com first.

I tried to get them to ship it to me or even another service center closer, they said no we can't do that.. I thought about it and said.. I will go pick it up!
Honestly this was very disappointing. It would have cost just as much to ship a 72" Ulterra to Quebec as would to drive out there.

So.. I told them I will be there Monday morning! I made the 6 hour drive each way on Monday and picked up the new unit. Another wasted vacation day and $100's in gas!!

It was manufactured Aug  8 , 2021!! So hopefully this one has the bugs worked out!

So long story short the service was good and bad.. Rocky's in Orillia was good, FishnTech.com was awesome , Johnson Outdoors was accommodating but could have been a little more flexible considering the expenses I have
incurred just having the previous unit repaired but at least they finally agreed to replace it.

I will say this standing at Fishntech's front desk and a quick glance around the shop. They put every store I've been in looking for parts to rig my boat to SHAME! even stores 10X their size. They had multiple graph mount options, graphs, breakers, wires, tracks
you name it hey had it!

Everything I had to order from the US to rig my boat they had in stock!! So if you need something and can't find it. Give Gary a call at FishnTech.com I bet he has it!


If you own an Ulterra, these are things you have to do diligently to insure it stays in proper working order. I did this with the previous model and will continue with this one for sure!

1) Keep your batteries charged and never run them down so far it can't stow.
2) Make sure you have a very good TM plug and your cables all have very good lugs and are crimped well.
3) Keep the shaft clean. These do not like to be dirty! I went as far as to order a cover for the new one.
4) Check the belt tension before each trip!
5) Become very familiar with the reset procedures and how to stow manually. This could save your trip!
    - I save the first few trips with this unit by having a solid understanding on how the unit was reset.
6) I would suggest also having the TM supported and held like with a ram mount clamp or something for the shaft especially if you have the 72" length when running.
   - I believe the head bouncing in waves when running or towing, does more to the Trim & tilt housing than the i pilot head. My new one will be clamp for every run if I think there is a change I will hit waves.


Would I suggest someone get an Ulterra.. yes but cautiously because I have spoken with a several people that say they have had zero issues in 2-3 years of ownership.

I am hopeful our replacement is reliable, if it is I will stay loyal to MinnKota, if not I'm going to another manufacture!

[Ozzy30]

Glad it all worked out.  I just had dealings with Rocky's on a okuma coldwater reel where I mailed it in and they fixed and shipped back under warranty no questions asked.

[GregL]

Ya, Rocky's is great!!!!

[plowjock]

  GregL, what a horror story. I couldn't believe all the issues you've had.
  I put a 24V. Ulterra on my Lund FuryXL 5 years ago now.
  Have not had any issues whatsoever. It is just I-Pilot, no Link.
  I'm on the water at least 3 times a week, and tow my boat at least 100 km. each way.
  Gary G. at Fish'ntech is a very reliable dealer and Installer.
  He quite often gives seminars on the different Fish Finders.
  I, too have visited his shop a few times for parts and knowledge.
  I'd have to rank Gary as the top Dealer, repair shop in Canada.

[GregL]

  GregL, what a horror story. I couldn't believe all the issues you've had.
  I put a 24V. Ulterra on my Lund FuryXL 5 years ago now.
  Have not had any issues whatsoever. It is just I-Pilot, no Link.
  I'm on the water at least 3 times a week, and tow my boat at least 100 km. each way.
  Gary G. at Fish'ntech is a very reliable dealer and Installer.
  He quite often gives seminars on the different Fish Finders.
  I, too have visited his shop a few times for parts and knowledge.
  I'd have to rank Gary as the top Dealer, repair shop in Canada.

That is exactly why I got an Ulterra from reading reviews from owners that had the same type of experience as you. I think over all we just got a lemon, it happens.

I hope this one turns out like yours , so I can continue to keep singing their praise

[Hodgey1]

The 2018 boat i just bought has a 112lb 60” Ulterra 

[plowjock]

 Hodgey1 Your Ulterra, does it have I-Pilot or I Pilot Link?

[Hodgey1]

I’m uncertain, I take possession of it this Wednesday.

[GregL]

The 2018 boat i just bought has a 112lb 60” Ulterra 

I looked at your boat pics. I think you got a newer one OR it has had the upgraded parts added. The big bracket attached to the steering housing is plain stainless steel and quite thick. My original one was black and thinner.

So you probably have the upgraded trim motor and bracket as well. So I would think your probably good!

If you saw the remote for the TM and it looked like a small thick phone then I'd say it is IPilot Link

You will love this motor!!! It will hold you within a foot of where you hit spot lock if your not moving forward when you do engage spot lock!

[GregL]

Took the boat out yesterday to test this new Ulterra. It seems to stow/deploy smoother, running on speeds 5-10 has zero shaking AWESOME!  I could see the head vibrating and feel it in the boat
when we were using speed 4-10. You can here the motor running but cannot feel it now, it is super smooth!

Hopefully , this motor is good and not this smooth just because it's brand new! Time will tell I guess.

[Hodgey1]

it is super smooth!

Glad to hear that it seems better, you've lost a lot of fishing time because of the issues with it.

I did see the remote, It looked way bigger than the one I have now for my ipilot.

[GregL]

it is super smooth!

Glad to hear that it seems better, you've lost a lot of fishing time because of the issues with it.

I did see the remote, It looked way bigger than the one I have now for my ipilot.

I have indeed!! I am an expert with these things now.. In my haste to try and fix the old one while on kip, I broke the IPilot Link plug on the base. I managed to hard wire it
and got the IPilot link working again!.. So I even know the pin out's for the wiring now HAHA!

I'm awaiting delivery of my Ulterra cover, what is going on with USPS.. they have had possession of it for 6 days and still hasn't made it to Canada. It's only coming from MN LOL!

[Greg]

That's an amazing story Greg - sorry to hear all that but hope you have solved all the problems.  I am thinking of an upgrade to mine maybe over the winter - going to keep this in mind.

Thx
Greg

[GregL]

That's an amazing story Greg - sorry to hear all that but hope you have solved all the problems.  I am thinking of an upgrade to mine maybe over the winter - going to keep this in mind.

Thx
Greg

I know a lot of people have had zero issues with these and people don't tend to post about a product unless it's causing pain.

I do really like the Ulterra and think they got it pretty much worked out! Really there are probably 1000's of these on the market that never have an issue (if properly maintained). If people use these  in tournaments and guiding they gotta be reliable and take a beating!

I believe all our stow/deploy issues came as a result of breaking the original shaft and them not listening to me about the rest of it being out of alignment. You could
see on the new shaft where it was wearing.. but once you fix it under warranty you take responsibility for it working as it should!

My "heads up" message was just for those that are not mechanically inclined. If you are not comfortable troubleshooting devices like this then Ulterra is not for you.

I would say if you can upgrade you will love it!

[GregL]

Took the Ulterra out for a morning fish this weekend. It messed up twice! OY! BUT it fixed itself.

First Screw Up: I stowed the motor and as it trims up it spins to position it self to stow. Well it just kept spinning so the cables were to tight to stow and it stopped.
     - I trimmed down spun the motor with the remote and stowed again and it stowed but failed to pull the motor the last inch or tow onto the cradle. I just hit the trim button and pulled it in properly.

Second Screw Up: Motor did the same thing but actually tried to lay down and could not stow completely because the tension on the wires. Re-deployed it and did the same thing and it was fine
                            the rest of the day.

I won't lie I am a little disappointed and kind of wished I pushed to get a Terrova instead of the Ulterra as a replacement but at least I didn't have to take this darn thing apart again!

I emailed MinnKota directly in the US because they seem more knowledgeable and responsive to questions, instead of giving the "Call the service center" they actually answer questions.

He suggested this behavior is caused by a drop in power like a loose connection or bad crimp. I am sure my connections are good because I used a multi meter while wiggling all the connections
but to eliminate any possibility I am cutting and replacing all my connections before our long weekend trip!

I'm starting to wonder if the people not having issues are the ones running a 60" shaft not the 72" shaft.

I must have a black cloud over me!