Power pole question

[tigerhead]

I've been considering installing a power pole on my boat for some time.  I fish a lot of marsh and shallower lakes and bays and know it would be nice to not have to mess with an anchor.  But last week I was fishing and ran across a couple on the side of a bayou that looked to maybe be having boat issues.  I idled over and sure enough they needed help.  They had twin power poles on their boat and one of the poles was stuck down.  They had secured a rope on the down leg of the pole and wanted me to get my boat behind theirs in order to pull up on the rope.  Well that was not the answer.  The pole wouldn't budge.  I asked them if the hydraulics had a pressure relief screw or valve, like a power trim system does, but they said they weren't aware of one.  I looked on the unit and couldn't spot anything obvious.  There appeared to be maybe a sort of a shroud? over the hydraulic cylinder that may have concealed a pressure relief, but we had no way of removing that shroud, if that was even what it was.  In desperation they had already cut the hydraulic lines in an attempt to bleed off the pressure.  Still no dice.  Fortunately the bottom of this bayou is very soft silt.  So I was able to tow them dragging the pole until I got them to the channel in the center of the bayou, which is about 12 ft deep, and get them tied up to a pier.  The guy was able to reach the dealership that installed the poles and the only answer they had was to unbolt the pole at the hinge on the transom and flop the whole pole into the boat.  We didn't have the required tools, but fortunately they were locals and had a lot of friends with tools and boats that were willing to come to their rescue.  So I left them at that pier and don't know what transpired from that point on.


My question is, is this a common problem?  Is there a pressure relief that he was unaware of?  I know these things are popular, and I can see why, but if these things are regularly experiencing problems, I don't think I'm all that tired of using an anchor.  Also, I have a Minn Kota Riptide trolling motor that is still in decent shape.  But if upgrading to a TM with an anchor mode is a better option, maybe I would be better off going that route.  Looking for experienced opinions, even if you only have experience with one or the other to judge by.  

[Juan]

Not sure if twin power poles operate differently from a single pole but I believe the fix for a stuck pole is to hold down the up button on the remote or push it a couple of times. I'm not aware of it being a common problem (or of a pressure relief button). My single pole has never failed but wouldn't retract a couple of times and all I had to do to get it working again was hit the up and down buttons a few times. Power Pole is one of the best companies I've ever done business with. Their customer service is the best and I think there are videos on their website that show what to do should something go wrong. I've had mine for 15 years without any serious issues. I did have to change the pins and bushings once (but Power Pole sent me a complete set free of charge) and I had to replace the lower housing once but that was my fault. I think I replaced the batteries in the remotes once in 15 years.
Disconnecting the hydraulic line and retracting it manually should be the last resort but if it wouldn't retract any other way, disconnecting one end of the hydraulic cylinder with a 1/2" and 9/16" open end wrench only takes a couple of minutes and then you can raise it manually and tie it in the up position. That said, I only use my power pole when it's real windy or I'm in a strong current and when I don't want to keep the trolling motor running constantly in anchor mode. If I had to pick one or the other, I'd have the spot lock over a Power Pole.

[tigerhead]

I'm thinking the same way Juan.  First of all the trolling motor doesn't care about the depth of the water.  Also, deploying and retrieving? my trolling motor is getting old.  Between my balance getting shaky in a chop and my lower back problems, that auto deploy is looking really nice.  I'm also wanting to pick up crappie fishing and the spot lock would be invaluable for fishing brush piles.   I might still end up installing a power pole, but the TM upgrade will probably be my first priority. 

Are you running a 24 or 36 volt motor?  I really don't feel like adding another battery and I have been satisfied with the 80lb/24v I've been running on my SV2100. 

[Juan]

80lb/24 on mine too. The perfect motor for a 2100 with the 60" shaft imo. I've always had plenty of power and never killed the batteries during all day events. You'll love the spot lock and self stow and deploy. You can use your fishfinder on the console while driving and when you locate trees, wrecks, etc., just throw it in neutral and hit the deploy button and then spot lock and you'll stay on top of your target. It will increase your catch ratio.

[tigerhead]

Great!  Thanks for the info.  Thanks for the "stow" also.  I couldn't come up with anything but retrieve...lol.  One more question if I may. I have all Garmin electronics, so I don't think I can use I-pilot link, but the spot lock doesn't work off of your boat GPS, correct?

[985crabs]

I was on my buddy’s boat and his power pole got stuck down. We went through potential solutions discussed above. Didn’t have right tools and we are perplexed. We pushed the button on the console, up/down, up/down. No dice.

Turns out a wire came off the switch. We fixed and continued fishing. PITA.

[tigerhead]

Turns out a wire came off the switch. We fixed and continued fishing.

Could have easily been this guys problem also.  He appeared to have a snoot full and may have not realized he wasn't getting any power to the pump.  His wife actually appeared to have more snap than he did.

[Juan]

Jun 8, 2020 17:31:23 GMT -6 tigerhead said:

Great!  Thanks for the info.  Thanks for the "stow" also.  I couldn't come up with anything but retrieve...lol.  One more question if I may. I have all Garmin electronics, so I don't think I can use I-pilot link, but the spot lock doesn't work off of your boat GPS, correct?

Correct. The gps is in the trolling motor and has nothing to do with any other units.

[yankee]

I just upgraded to the Minn Kota Ulterra i-pilot 24v motor.  Best upgrade yet.  The stow/deploy is awesome and no need for an anchor, and you can trim the motor up and down with the push of a button. It definitely gives you more fishing time.  Plenty of power and good run time.  I went ahead and got the unit with the transducer mounted in the motor head in hopes of upgrading my electronics to a Hummingbird in the future. The only drawback that I have is its weight.  I remove it from the quick disconnect mount after the day is over and store it in my garage.  I think the unit is close to 70 lbs. which isn't too bad, but it still makes me let out a grunt or two.

[Juan]

Jun 10, 2020 6:57:28 GMT -6 yankee said:

I just upgraded to the Minn Kota Ulterra i-pilot 24v motor.  Best upgrade yet.  The stow/deploy is awesome and no need for an anchor, and you can trim the motor up and down with the push of a button. It definitely gives you more fishing time.  Plenty of power and good run time.  I went ahead and got the unit with the transducer mounted in the motor head in hopes of upgrading my electronics to a Hummingbird in the future. The only drawback that I have is its weight.  I remove it from the quick disconnect mount after the day is over and store it in my garage.  I think the unit is close to 70 lbs. which isn't too bad, but it still makes me let out a grunt or two.

I'm jealous. I still don't know why they don't put the transducer in the Saltwater Ulterra! They'd sell a million of them! If you got the freshwater model with the U2 transducer built into the the lower unit, it will work with just about any fishfinder. (Lowrance, Humminbird or Garmin).

[yankee]

Juan, I think that the built in transducer is only compatible with Hummingbird Helix or Solas Gen. 2 and newer???  Not positive on these 2 models, but sure that it is Hummingbird only. 

[Juan]

Jun 10, 2020 7:55:07 GMT -6 yankee said:

Juan, I think that the built in transducer is only compatible with Hummingbird Helix or Solas Gen. 2 and newer???  Not positive on these 2 models, but sure that it is Hummingbird only. 

You sure you aren't thinking about gps compatibilty with i-Pilot Link?
Check this out: www.minnkotamotors.com/learn/technology/trolling-motors/universal-sonar-2

[mosquito13]

Been real happy with my Talons. They now have a 16' model! Go for two . I can put myself on docks at just the right angle for casting regardless of tide and wind. I have been to the PowerPole factory. First rate operation, and product support is first class. But I can also say that for Minn Kota with the talons and they are strictly electric.

[yankee]

Wow. Thanks Juan. Ordered one for my Lowrance. One question. My unit currently uses a triple shot transducer for DI and Side scan. Not sure what’s on the lower unit of the TM. Any ideas?

[Juan]

Jun 11, 2020 8:51:18 GMT -6 yankee said:

Wow. Thanks Juan. Ordered one for my Lowrance. One question. My unit currently uses a triple shot transducer for DI and Side scan. Not sure what’s on the lower unit of the TM. Any ideas?

According to Minn Kota, it depends on which built in transducer you have. The standard U2 transducer works with several different makes of fishfinders but shows only 2D pictures and won't show DI or side scan but they also have a "Mega DI" built in transducer that will show down imaging and Side scan...(but it's only compatible with Humminbird)
I'd love to have the standard U2 in a saltwater series so I could mount another fish/depth finder on the bow. Because of the auto stow and deploy, I have yet to find a way to mount a transducer to the foot of the trolling motor, so I have to turn my Lowrance on the console around toward the bow to see the depth. That works okay but the depth is from the transom and not the bow.