My 2022 fishing season was nearly over as soon as it began. My ten-year-old Minn Kota Terrova died on me on the first trip out. This was purely unacceptable and a replacement had to be found. Unfortunately, the chip shortage and shipping issues that plagued us earlier in the year gave me quite the fright as I wasn’t able to source one easily.
Luckily, I was able to find one in my not-even-close-to-nearest Cabela’s, and after several hours in the car, I had a replacement ready to go. I opted for the exact same model, not wanting to mess around with anything different. I was also hoping that this would make installation much easier. While that wasn’t quite the case, I am happy to report that EVERY last little thing that annoyed me about my old Terrova was fixed in the new one I bought. Let’s check out some of the improvements.
The New Minn Kota Terrova: Boat Control Made Even Better
Alright, so I’ll admit, I use the phrase, “new” with liberty. I honestly have no idea at which point in the past 10 years these features were added. Still, if you were one of the early adopters of the Minn Kota Terrova, and now find yourself needing to replace an early model as I did, you’re going to have a huge smile on your face.
One of my biggest complaints about the spot lock function is that it takes a few moments to get settled in. This isn’t the worst thing in the world the first time you use it, but on my older model, every time I wanted to make an adjustment I’d have to deal with the boat tracking wildly for a few moments before it settled in.
This isn’t an issue with the new models. They come with a “heading sensor” (the little white thing in the photo below).
The heading sensor talks to the trolling motor and tells it which way your bow is facing. This does two things:
- It calms the trolling motor down.
- It enables you to make minor adjustments.
Calming the Beast
The heading sensor’s main benefit is that it allows your boat to come to a controlled stop FAR quicker than old models. Because the Minn Kota Terrova can now tell which way you’re headed, it knows if it really needs to make an adjustment or not. I’ve noticed a significant improvement over the older model.
Minor Adjustments
The heading sensor also allows you to make minor adjustments while in spot lock. Before, if you wanted to move you’d have to take yourself out of spot lock, move elsewhere, and then hit spot lock again. This meant going through the whole adjustment period every time. One of the features I love more than anything else about the new Terrovas is that you can make minor adjustments. There are now four buttons that allow you to move your boat five feet forward, backward, left or right. Each time you press the button, your trolling motor will take you this distance in the direction you choose. If you press it multiple times, it will move you further along (10, 15 feet, etc.)
This is an amazingly cool feature for this trolling motor that fixed one of my main complaints with the old model and made it that much easier to use. If you buy a Minn Kota Terrova you MUST install the heading sensor. It is a true game changer.
Integrated Sonar Transducer
Modern Minn Kota Terrova trolling motors come with two options for a transducer mounted within them. The first is Universal Sonar 2, and the second is Mega Down Imaging. I was in a bind and took the first thing I could find as I was terrified of spending the year without a trolling motor. Accordingly, I got the Universal Sonar option. It works well enough when paired with my Humminbird, though if I mounted its specific transducer to it, I’d get more options. I haven’t bothered because I don’t want to mess with the install and Universal Sonar 2 fits my purposes fine.
Thinking back to the install I did on my old trolling motor, the fact that these come prepared with a transducer ready to go is a blessing. Not everyone is that handy, and it took me a few hours and a six pack to get up and operational. If you’re more of a weekend boater and rely on the marina for your installs, the Universal Sonar or Mega Down Imaging may work very well for you too.
Improved Foot Pedal for the Minn Kota Terrova
I used to hate how my old Terrova foot pedal didn’t have a button for Spot Lock. As you can see below, they have fixed this. This makes it so much easier than fumbling for the remote. Further, you can use spot lock even if the remote runs out of batteries. This keeps things hands free and enhances fishing. It was a great add by Minn Kota.
Even so, you will want to keep your remote as some features require it. For example, you need the remote to use the function where you can move five feet at a time.
Installation of the New Minn Kota Terrova
I’m not the handiest person, but I try. A major factor in buying another Terrova rather than trying an Ultrex was to make installation simple. I had hoped that it would be as simple as popping off the old one, and installing the new one in the same holes. This works for some holes. Unfortunately, it is not a perfect fit, so make sure you have a drill. I believe I had to drill two new holes to get it to fit.
You’ll also want to make sure you have some wire strippers and shrink wrap as you’ll need to install a new plug. This is a quick enough job if you realize you’ll need to do it, but make sure you have the parts.
If you’re as clumsy as me, you’ll be relieved to note that if you cut your Universal Sonar 2 sonar cable ony our very first trip, it’s easy to fix. First, pop off the head of the unit with a screwdriver. Then unscrew the old one and screw the new one in.
Conclusion – The Minn Kota Terrova Remains the Best Thing On My Boat
If you haven’t tried one of these trolling motors, you owe yourself to. Yes, there are some other options like the Ultrex which I compared in this post, but the Terrova is reliable and battle tested. Heck, my first one lasted a decade of heavy use before I had to replace it.
As long as we don’t have chip shortages or shipping issues in the future, you can pick up a Minn Kota Terrova wherever trolling motors are sold. While I had to have mine and drove a few hours to get it before they ran out of stock, I would have much preferred to let Amazon do all the heavy lifting. What are you waiting for? Buy one now!
In all seriousness, click on that link and buy it now if you see it in stock… As of writing, Minn Kota is still showing supply chain issues on their website. You do NOT want to go a season without a trolling motor!
Thanks,
John Paxton
