Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 112 w/ iPilot – 72″ Review

Have you been considering an Electric trolling motor like the Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 112 pound, but are unsure? Well, you have come to the right place to get all the information to guide you in your choice. I recently had a chance to put a brand new Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 112 with iPilot through its paces, and it didn’t disappoint.

Note: most links in this article are Amazon.com Affiliate links, see Affiliate Disclosure, thank you.

Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 112 w/ iPilot – 72″: Review

The Minn Kota Riptide Terrova is the top choice of anglers worldwide, and there are many reasons why. First, the Terrova is a durable model proven over time. Second, the Riptide series of motors are saltwater-rated, so corrosion is the last thing you will need to worry about. Lastly, Minn Kota is a brand your can count on from a large company in the fishing industry.

IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT: If you have a boat that is 20 feet long or greater, this electric trolling motor is perfect for you. The motor’s 112 pounds of thrust will troll or spot lock almost any size boat. This Minn Kota model is time-tested for durability, low maintenance, and is easy to use. The only thing to consider is if you may want to upgrade to auto-deploy with the Ulterra. Check out the Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 112 w/ iPilot 72″ or the Minn Kota Riptide Ulterra 112 Auto-deploy w/ Link pilot 87″ on Amazon.com. For more details, read this full review!

Who is The Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 112 For?

This motor is an excellent choice if you are a weekend fisher or a seasoned pro. The size of the Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 112 is great for larger boats of 20 feet or longer. If you are a low-maintenance person, the Terrova series is known for this attribute. If you are on a tight budget, you might want to step down to a Terrova 80-pound 24-volt motor, but this is the only downside to this beast of an engine.

Pros

• 112 pounds of thrust
• Saltwater rated
• 36 volts 
• iPilot auto-pilot system
• Four shaft length options
• Optional iPilot Link to connect Humminbird chart plotters

Cons

• The highest-cost Terrova series
• The heaviest Terrova series

What’s Included?

The box will include the complete motor and remote when you purchase your Minn Kota Riptide Terrova. The included propeller is a standard Minn Kota Weed Wedge 2, which is excellent for fishing in shallow water.

The motor has power leads and a network lead for the iPilot Link or foot controls. Mounting hardware is also included, which is heavy-duty bolts and spacers. 

If you want a removable motor bracket or other mounting system, you will need to purchase that separately. However, these brackets are highly overrated. Also, plan on buying a wiring system that may include 6 GA marine wires, a breaker (or inline fuse), a battery switch, trolling motor plug, an onboard charger, and batteries. 

For helpful tips on wiring your 36-volt trolling motor, check out our article!

Overview of Features

Powerful

The Minn Kota Riptide Terrova has a complete set of features that can change your fishing from challenging to relaxing. The 112 pounds of thrust make it the most powerful Minn Kota electric trolling motor. 

Quiet

Even though Minn Kota Riptide Terrova is powerful, it will not distract you or the fish as the Terrova motors are whisper quiet. At one point during setup, I had to place my hand on the motor to be sure it was on.

Efficient

Minn Kota’s modern motors all have digital maximizer technology so that you will get the most efficiency out of your batteries. Having a battery run low on power can end your fishing day early, so this feature is essential.

Durability

The Terrova is known as one of Minn Kota’s most durable motors starting with the heavy-duty construction and composite motor shaft that is damage resistant. These motors are built like a tank, to say! 

Most of the critical parts of the motor are sealed in or waterproof, so there is no need to worry about water. “But what if I hit a rock,” no worries. The composite motor shaft is designed to withstand a direct impact without breaking. I will not test that, but I might have tried it a few times at 50% speed without an issue. 

I recommend keeping an extra propeller on the boat if you fish in shallow rocky areas. 

Maintenance

The Minn Kota Riptide Terrova requires almost zero! I recommend keeping the motor clean and checking the mounting bolt once a season or more if you fish often.  

Minn Kota recommends wiping down the shaft with spray-on furniture polish, like Pledge. I stopped doing this because it appeared to attract dirt. I wash the shaft with lemon Joy dish soap. 

Head

The Minn Kota Riptide Terrova motor head serves a few functions. First, all the cables are in a coil cord from the mounting base of the motor to the GPS, Bluetooth receiver, and engine power wires.

Second, the head receives all the signals needed to make your motor operate. Finally, the direction of the motor head is an easy indicator of the motor’s exact direction.

Also, the blue tooth remote pairing button is located on the head. This simple process should only be performed with new remotes; see more in the tutorial section.

Motor Shaft

As mentioned earlier, the Minn Kota Riptide Terrova has a heavy-duty composite shaft. This design allows the motor shaft to have a bit of flexibility to absorb impact but still have the strength to not be damaged.

The shaft is currently available in 4 lengths 54″, 60″, 72″, and 87″. For this size of motor, the most popular size is 72″, but make sure you get the shaft length that is best for the high of your boat.

Control Panel and Release Lever

On the motor base is where you will find the control panel and the release lever. The control panel is straightforward because the remote controls the motor.

There are only two buttons, on/off and battery test. Before and after using the motor, press the power button to turn the motor on or off.

As for battery testing, when the motor is not under power, you can press it to light up light indicators to estimate the battery levels. Remember that this feature will have no accuracy if you use lithium batteries because it is a simple voltage indicator.

The release lever is easy to operate by pressing in and down simultaneously. Next, slide the motor a few inches away from the base and slowly place it in the water without dropping it. Some people like to place two hands on the motor as they lower it for extra strength.

The motor can be stowed by pushing the lever similarly, then pulling the motor up and leveling the shaft. Ensure you get the motor level before the last few inches so the motor will lock into the cradle.

Always! Always! Secure the motor with a ram mount, holding down the depth collar, or a bungee cord as I do. An accidental deployment at cruising speed will destroy your motor.

Depth Collar

The depth collar is a clamp that goes around the motor shaft to set the motor’s depth while in use. The collar has a large thumb screw for easy tightening and loosening, even when your hands are cold.

This Collar also acts as a safety device because it can be lowered after the motor is stowed to secure it in the up position. Doing so will prevent the motor from touching the water in an accidental deployment.

Lift Assist

Most Minn Kota Riptide Terrova are equipped with a unique lift assist device. The device is a spring-loaded box mounted to the trolling motor shaft.

The size reminds me of a large tape measure, and so does the spring belt. As the motor is extended, the belt tightens to help reduce the motor’s lifting weight. 

Some people have had these lift assists fail. The motor can still be operated after this failure if you keep the spring belt out of the way.

Some people still find it hard to deploy and stow these large motors. The Ulterra Riptide might be a good option as this motor series adds auto-deploy and stowing.  

The downside of this motor is a higher level of maintenance, very voltage sensitive, and you must come to a complete stop before moving the motor. If these caveats seem doable, this motor might be a good choice for you!

Foot Pedal (Optional)

Unfortunately, a foot pedal is not included with this electric trolling motor but is available as an additional purchase. The Minn Kota Riptide Terrova’s most notable features are autopilot trolling and spot lock. 

A foot pedal is not the most helpful control method for these features. Many purchase a foot pedal as a backup control option if they have issues with their remotes. 

However, if you have iPilot Link, you can control your motor from your chart plotter or keep extra batteries for your remote. If you plan on bass or crappie fishing from time to time, the foot pedal is a handy addition.

GPS, Autopilot, and Sonar

Every Minn Kota Terrova includes GPS in the trolling motor head, and the Riptide series is no exception to this feature. The GPS enables the autopilot (iPilot) to seamlessly manage the motor’s operation. 

There are two different autopilot modes, Advanced and Legacy. I prefer the Legacy mode, which is best in rivers, whereas the Advanced mode works well in calm bodies of water with no wind. I rarely use speed control, but it is helpful if you are trolling in a windy lake.

If you fish on anchor in multiple locations throughout the day, Spotlock will be your new favorite feature. With the press of the anchor icon, the autopilot will take over and hold your boat within 5 feet of the spot. 

This feature works best in medium currents or medium breezes. Adding the Minn Kota Heading Sensor Puck will help keep the motors heading and enable the five-foot Jog feature. I refer to Jog as the sidestep.  

Many electric trolling motors include sonar transducers located at the base of the motor. However, the Riptide series motors do not have any transducers. You must look at the freshwater series if you want a built-in transducer. 

You can mount a transducer with ring clamps to the motor, but cable management can be difficult. I modified my motor to hold the wires to the front of my trolling motor head, but other cable management options have become available recently.

Remote

The Minn Kota Riptide Terrova typically includes a standard iPilot remote that gives you primary control over all your motor’s features. If you step up to the Link system, you can also use your phone as a remote or control your motor from your chart plotter. 

When I first purchased the Link system for my Terrova, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. However, as time passed, I found myself using this feature less and less. So, if you are on a tight budget, skip this feature, and you can add it later for a few extra dollars.

Also, you can purchase a mini keychain-style remote, but the feature is very limited. I consider these remotes a backup-only option that is not worth the price.

Tutorial

Using your trolling motor is very simple. You can turn your motor on and go, but sometimes more is involved. 

We have a few articles and videos if you are installing your motor. The main difference for each model is the battery configuration. Verify the battery setup with the Minn Kota user manual installation section. 

Most times, when you first start your new trolling motor, you must pair your remote with the motor. This can be done by powering up both units, selecting pair with the motor on the remote’s system menu, holding the pair button on the motor head, and pressing the remote checkmark button.

Next, I set the autopilot to Legacy mode in the remote’s settings menu. I rarely change this, but it is not hard to change if needed.

Then, push the propellor icon to engage the motor and adjust to speed as you prefer. Press the N icon to maintain your current heading. You can change the autopilot heading by pressing the arrow keys to the left or right. 

If you wish to turn around, you should press the N icon to disengage the autopilot and then turn it back on after you complete your turn. 

Tip: when adjusting your heading, tap the arrow button twice quickly. 

The GPS speed control can be engaged by pressing the button. This feature works well on lakes with changing breezes because it is speed over land. It can be a problem in bodies of water with changing currents, so avoid it in rivers.

Alternatives to the Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 112

There is no better motor than the Minn Kota Riptide Terrova, but if I must, lol. The MotorGuide Xi5 is in the same class.

The motor is slightly lighter and has the same GPS autopilot-type features. The 36-volt motor comes in 3 different shaft lengths to perfectly fit your boat’s size.

There are two notable differences with this motor, 105 pounds of thrust is less than the Minn Kota, and there is no comparable option to the iPilot Link system. Neither feature is a deal breaker for me but rather something to consider.

Many people love the MotorGuide brand, but I am firmly in the Minn Kota camp.

Check out the price of the MotorGuide Xi5 on Amazon.com.

Final Thoughts about the Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 112

It is hard to go wrong with the Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 112 because of its durability and power. Adding the list of features to the equation becomes a no-brainer for any large fishing boat.

I have no hesitation in recommending a Minn Kota Riptide Terrova because I have been using one for almost a decade. Of course, my motor is a medium size because I have a medium size boat, but they are well matched.