MG Xi5 Review

[Pepe]

I removed (and am keeping for now) a perfectly good MK Fortex and installed a MG Xi5 strictly for the "Anchor" feature that does not require any new graphs.  I have Lowrance Gen 1 and some of the fancy features from the new MG won't jive with them, but I don't care. 

The motor is a mix of brilliant and stupid.

PROS:  1) The anchor feature works very well.  2) The handheld fob is convenient and easy to get used to. The foot pedal is almost irrelevant.  3)You can "jog" 5 feet any direction with a push of a button. Want to move 20 feet?  Push 4 times. 4)Transducer is in the motor head. 

CONS: 1) The deploy and recovery of the motor is very poorly designed. The worst I have ever seen.  The release and recovery spring is activated by a pedal which is blocked by the shaft and curly cord, leaving you bent over at the very tip of the boat wrestling with a motor that has no recovery rope.  When released to deploy, it drops like a concrete block, swinging rapidly and forcefully forward and down.  2) Fob cord got caught on the motor head darn near yanking me out of the boat. 3) No way to add sidescan transducer. 4) In anchor mode, the motor occasionally goes manic trying to stay precisely on the spot - this usually in light and variable wind. 5) Not as much power as the 36v Fortex. 

PLANS

1)I have added a rope and intend to add a grab handle to the top of the shaft.  2)I will wear my life jacket while fishing, because this thing will put me in the lake one of these days.  3) I will be fishing slower, since staying in one place is easy. 4) If the modifications make this motor livable I will keep it, otherwise the Fortex goes back on. 

 

[rps]

The Minn Kota Terrova has a similar stow and deploy problem. I have used it six years, but my shoulders and knees hate it. I am moving to the Ulterra with the motorized deploy and stow. However, the anchor lock in the Minnkota is a roving and inconsistent circle of about 20 feet.

[J-Doc]

My Terrova also roams an inconsistent circle and spot lock on the Minnkota models are not nearly as accurate as Motorguide.  In my opinion, this is the only advantage Motorguide has over Minnkota.  GPS accuracy is a huge advantage over one brand or the other.

 

I have found that raising the head above the base/mount to get the head away from ferrous metal does help with accuracy.  I read that in the manual, tried it, seems to help some.  If it's white capping and windy, you can FORGET using spot lock. You're better off using a heading lock and cruise control for speed.  That seems to hold the boat in a tighter location/spot than spot lock does. 

My boat has a shallow keel so it's like a sailboat in the wind.  My motor is an 80lb thrust so it's also a bit oversized for my rig which means the motor overcompensates and overcorrects.  Which is why the MK tends to roam around in a 15-30ft diameter circle than the 5ft circle the MG offers.  The release on my MK works fine for me and its made better than the MG in my opinion which is why I stuck with MK products. 

I have a Fortrex that I can swap out too. I just bough the universal slide bracket that allows me to change trolling motors to fit the conditions I'm fishing.  If I'm bass fishing, I'll use the Fortrex.  I prefer the cable control and stealth of the Fortrex when flipping and fishing docks.

[Pepe]

Follow up report. 

We have been out in this wind and I am super impressed with the performance of this MG, but something had to be done about the deploy & stow problem.  

I attached a "handle" a few inches below the head and added a rope between the head and the handle. A mountain bike stem works perfectly as the handle. I will replace the temporary rope with a traditional pull cable. I still need to keep on the front deck a stick to depress the poorly placed gray release lever.  I am using an adjustable cane and hope to find a way to make a modification to eliminate this need. 

The foot control is in the same well my old pedal was in, but since it has less height an aluminum "shelf" is needed to raise it flush with the deck.  It takes some practice to get used to but I'm getting better at it. The heading & anchor lock mode are the prime features and they work well.   

[grizwilson]

On 4/6/2016 at 4:15 PM, J-Doc said:

My Terrova also roams an inconsistent circle and spot lock on the Minnkota models are not nearly as accurate as Motorguide.  In my opinion, this is the only advantage Motorguide has over Minnkota.  GPS accuracy is a huge advantage over one brand or the other.

 

I have found that raising the head above the base/mount to get the head away from ferrous metal does help with accuracy.  I read that in the manual, tried it, seems to help some.  If it's white capping and windy, you can FORGET using spot lock. You're better off using a heading lock and cruise control for speed.  That seems to hold the boat in a tighter location/spot than spot lock does. 

My boat has a shallow keel so it's like a sailboat in the wind.  My motor is an 80lb thrust so it's also a bit oversized for my rig which means the motor overcompensates and overcorrects.  Which is why the MK tends to roam around in a 15-30ft diameter circle than the 5ft circle the MG offers.  The release on my MK works fine for me and its made better than the MG in my opinion which is why I stuck with MK products. 

I have a Fortrex that I can swap out too. I just bough the universal slide bracket that allows me to change trolling motors to fit the conditions I'm fishing.  If I'm bass fishing, I'll use the Fortrex.  I prefer the cable control and stealth of the Fortrex when flipping and fishing docks.

J doc can you provide more info on the slide bracket.  I am not very comfortable with my terrova at LOZ working around all the docks would like to be able to quick change. Also trying to think my way through conecting transducers.... Thanks

[grizwilson]

10 hours ago, Pepe said:

Follow up report. 

We have been out in this wind and I am super impressed with the performance of this MG, but something had to be done about the deploy & stow problem.  

I attached a "handle" a few inches below the head and added a rope between the head and the handle. A mountain bike stem works perfectly as the handle. I will replace the temporary rope with a traditional pull cable. I still need to keep on the front deck a stick to depress the poorly placed gray release lever.  I am using an adjustable cane and hope to find a way to make a modification to eliminate this need. 

The foot control is in the same well my old pedal was in, but since it has less height an aluminum "shelf" is needed to raise it flush with the deck.  It takes some practice to get used to but I'm getting better at it. The heading & anchor lock mode are the prime features and they work well.   

Pepe would you post some pics of your Mods?  Thanks

[Pepe]

Here are some pics.  You can see the foot pedal has been placed on a shaped metal "shelf" that sits inside the troll- well.  The pedal is wireless and apt to fly away if not screwed down.  It requires batteries so the screws need to be readily removable. 

You our can also see how the release mechanism (I can't see how it can be accurately called a foot release) is blocked by the shaft and cord.  And is placed VERY close to the unstable front tip of the boat. Therefore I am useing a stick until a better idea comes along.  

The handle is a Cannondale Mountain bike left hand stem 1.38" ID.   It is hollow, very secure, lightweight and strong. Bike shops also sell only the clamps, so you could insert whatever piece of pipe, wood, etc as a handle. This is now mounted between the temporary blue rope and the shaft stop collar.  

 

[J-Doc]

4 hours ago, grizwilson said:

J doc can you provide more info on the slide bracket.  I am not very comfortable with my terrova at LOZ working around all the docks would like to be able to quick change. Also trying to think my way through conecting transducers.... Thanks

You would need the universal mount to go back and forth between a cable steer and cordless trolling motor. 

 

Both of mine have built-in transducers so that's not an issue for me.  You would need to add transducers to each unit if you do not have built in transducers. 

[dan hufferd]

The only gripe I have with my MG is the fob, sure do wish they put all the motor read outs on it instead of the base. I fish in the back of the boat a lot so I hate checking to see if the motor is running or if the battery is low.

Which brings me to a question, generally speaking, about how many hours of run time do you get with your MG 80. I know there are many variables. Let's say you are trolling the bank for crappie, troll and anchor, troll and anchor etc. How long would you be able to go. I can go around 5 hrs does that seem right?  I feel Like that is pretty short. 

I had a smaller boat with a 40lb MK 12v I had 2 batteries wired parallel, I never ran out of power.      

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

I could troll 7 hours straight pulling cranks with mine before my cheap super start batteries would die. I have never ran out of juice when trolling and stopping to fish and then trolling a little more. I will say the battery light on that motor isnt a good indicator. when they start to die it will turn yellow and you have less than 10 minutes before it turns red and are completely dead