The Minn Kota Riptide Ulterra is an advanced, state-of-the art trolling motor complete with all the bells and whistles that any angler could ask for.
Taking a step up from the older trolling motor models where you had to manually stow and adjust the motor, everything in the Minn Kota Riptide Ulterra is automated. If you want to lower or raise your motor, just push a button and it’s done. If you want to stow it, deploy it, anchor it, or anything really, all you have to do is push a button – it’s that simple.
One issue that comes to mind with so much automation is that there is the potential for so many more things to go wrong. However, that’s really not the case. There are very few moving parts that could actually go bad, so the chances of something messing up are very low.
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All in all, the Riptide Ulterra really seems like a very reliable motor.
The Riptide Ulterra saltwater models come in two thrust options – 80 lbs and 112 lbs.
The 80 lbs thrust motor is good for boats up to 4000 pounds, and the 112 lbs thrust motor is good for boats up to 5,500 pounds.
Included with the motor is Minn Kota’s Weedless Wedge propeller, which has a unique design to maximize thrust while not getting weeds and underwater plants tangled up in the propeller.
Saltwater and Freshwater
The Riptide Ulterra comes in many models. The base model is actually the Minn Kota Riptide, which is meant for freshwater. It has pretty much the same features as the Riptide Ulterra.
If you are fishing in saltwater, you must use the Riptide Ulterra, which is specifically designed for saltwater. It is much more corrosion resistant.
Digital maximizer technology
The Riptide Ulterra line of motors uses Digital Maximizer technology which automatically adjusts the motors to ensure that you get the best combination of power and efficiency. As a result, Minn Kota advertises that the Riptide Ulterra gets up to 5 times longer runtime on a single charge than most other motors.
Minn Kota i-Pilot
One of the most advanced features that the Riptide Ulterra has is the compatibility with Minn Kota’s i-Pilot technology. Giving you all the control you need from a remote in the palm of your hand, the i-Pilot uses GPS to make sure your boat is always going exactly where you want it to go.
I-Pilot has 3 main uses:
Spot Lock keeps you in one spot like an anchor. When this is activated, if your boat happens to drift more than 5 feet away from your set position, the motor will automatically kick in and bring you back to where you want to be. This way, you can concentrate on fishing in your spot without having to always worry about adjusting the boat and bringing it back to position.
Record a Track lets you trace a path through the water, save it, and follow it up and down. Once you’ve saved a path, you can choose to follow it up or down as many times as you like.
Autopilot maintains your heading for you. Once you set your heading and let the motor run, the autopilot will keep the boat right on track and prevent it from moving around or drifting.
Closing thoughts
For all the automation, the Riptide Ulterra is a revolutionary trolling motor. It is also very expensive, at nearly $2,000. For the budget minded buyer, they may choose to sacrifice some of the extra features (like auto-deploy and GPS) for a more budget motor. After all, there are models available for much less.
However, if you are a serious angler and have the wallet, the Riptide Ulterra should be an easy choice to make. The convenience it offers will eventually spoil you and you won’t be able to fish without it!
What’s in the box
- Riptide Ulterra 80 trolling motor
- i-Pilot Ulterra remote
- Power leads
- Mounting hardware
- Owners manual
