# ST or SP ?



## cvilt (May 31, 2010)

After getting kissed by the sheet of plywood my trolling motor is going to be replaced. Has anyone tried both minn kota ST & SP my last boat had the SP and it was great but I don't know how the stow and deploy works and if it is worth the extra $. The ins co is paying for the replacement but upgrades may be on me. I am almost sure on the ipilot basic version. I am open to all opinions.


----------



## fsae99 (Apr 8, 2010)

Pathfinder,
To me they both have their +and -'s.

With the SP unless unplugged the gps stays spooled up, very useful if you use the outboard to go to new spot and need i pilot functions right away when you get there. The ST shut itself off completely when in the stowed position, while gps spool up does not take long still takes some time.

The ST deploy/stow is nice, with sp you have to push down on locking latch at prop end of the motor with one hand and push out with the other simultaneously. ST step on or push down on stow/deploy bar and then push out/pull up on tm head.

If you do other kinds of fishing where foot pedal would be nice then st is only choice because sp with i pilot the foot pedal will not work.

If you have HB fish finder that has ethernet I'd seriously look at i pilot link. If not basic i pilot.


----------



## cvilt (May 31, 2010)

Thank you Jim


----------



## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

When I went through this comparison I was told that the stow/deploy of the ST, Saltwater Terrova, was better then the SP, Saltwater Powerdrive, and worth the extra $. The reviews I found on the SP latch breaking appeared to confirm that opinion. The ST having a roller cradle support for the motor also demonstrates a superior design than the SP.

I was also told that the turning motor of the ST was better than the SP. The physical comparison of the two reveals that the shaft on the ST is supported by dedicated bearings at top and bottom while the SP has a bearing at the bottom and the directional motor appears to also serve as the upper bearing.

I was told that everything else was the same and was surprised to read CJ's info on the SP GPS staying on while stowed. Since I went with the ST I can only confirm that the GPS does turn off while stowed and it does take a minute to establish position after being deployed. So far that has not been an issue.

The only problem I have had with my iPilot is leaving the remote at home which renders the TM useless without it. That will not happen again. And I bought a spare battery for the remote to be prepared for when the remote battery dies. It has to be a CR2450N, NOT a CR2450 from Walmart.


----------



## fsae99 (Apr 8, 2010)

Correct on bearing difference. Either model I'd put the depth collar all the way down running in rough water. This way the worst that could happen with ST is it will tilt straight up and with SP it will not move. Seems the locking dogs on those fall away ramps could break so not convinced it is a better design when combined with depth collar. With the punishment my sp has taken, I take the reports of breaking locking latch with a grain of salt and most likely due to not putting depth collar down like manual says. Both models need a cam lock depth collar for convenience. 


Most consider the power off stow switch a positive, due to gps power drain on battery. Come on give me a break how long do people think a gps would run on group 29 battery, months is the answer. My battery is rechargeable, my time is not.

I like both models, just preferred SP for price versus features. 

I have spot in center console of tow vehicle that is used only for I pilot remote, boat keys, fish lic/boat reg/trailer reg, the vehicle does not move without confirming those items are there.


----------



## cvilt (May 31, 2010)

A tough decision. I had the SP and it worked fine but deploy and stow were the most difficult I have used. It did not have the GPS ipilot option. There is quite price difference in the two and the GPS on the boat takes a couple minutes to lock on also. My main concern was the deploy mechanism and is it worth the $. The SP also has a wireless foot control and I found the fob to be a hassle compared to a foot control. I will make a decision in the next week or so, as soon as the ins co. gets the estimates. I really value the input nothing better than hands on experience


----------

