The Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 112 is the workhorse saltwater bow-mount trolling motor that defines the category. 36V, 112 pounds of thrust, a 60-inch indestructible composite shaft guaranteed for life, the most trusted GPS trolling system on the water with Spot-Lock and AutoPilot, and the wireless remote that lets you control everything from the rod. Built for serious inshore and nearshore saltwater anglers who fish flats, marshes, jetties, and bays where boat positioning matters more than horsepower.
The Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 112 (model 1363790) is the saltwater Terrova in the highest-thrust 36V configuration. 112 pounds of thrust, 60-inch indestructible composite shaft, the GPS trolling system with Spot-Lock and AutoPilot built in, the wireless i-Pilot remote in the box, and the corrosion-rated Riptide construction that lets the motor live in salt year after year without rotting from the inside out. For redfish, snook, tarpon, striped bass, and flats and marsh fishing where you need to put the bow exactly where the fish are and hold there in current and wind, the Riptide Terrova 112 is the right motor.
What separates Riptide from freshwater Minn Kota motors. Sealed and protected electronics rated for saltwater splash and immersion. Stainless steel hardware throughout. Sacrificial anode on the lower unit for galvanic corrosion control. Marine-grade wiring with sealed connections at every junction. The corrosion warranty is specific to saltwater use. None of these things look different from outside, but every saltwater angler who’s ever pulled a freshwater motor apart after a season in salt knows why they matter.
112 pounds of thrust on 36V is the right thrust rating for boats in the 22 to 28 foot range that need to hold position against current and wind. Bay boats, large flats skiffs, hybrid skiff/center consoles, and smaller offshore boats running an inshore trolling motor for anchoring and structure fishing all fit this thrust class. For smaller skiffs and bay boats under 22 feet, the 80-pound Riptide Terrova on 24V is more cost-effective. For very large bay boats and offshore boats over 28 feet, the Ulterra and bigger Terrova systems give more thrust, but for most saltwater anglers, 112 pounds is the sweet spot.
Spot-Lock is the feature that changed how saltwater fishermen fish. GPS-anchoring at the touch of a button: press the Spot-Lock button on the remote and the motor holds the boat over the spot with sub-meter accuracy, automatically correcting for wind, current, and tide. Once you’ve fished with Spot-Lock you understand why it has become the standard expectation for serious inshore fishing. Move down the bank, find a productive spot, hit Spot-Lock, fish it without ever touching the trolling motor again. With the included heading sensor, the Jog feature lets you move the Spot-Lock position five feet in any direction without re-engaging the motor by hand.
AutoPilot is the second GPS feature that matters. Point the motor head in the direction you want to travel, hit AutoPilot, and the motor holds that heading automatically. The boat tracks straight regardless of wind or current. For trolling along a contour, working a shoreline, or running a straight pass over a structure feature, AutoPilot keeps you on line so you can focus on fishing instead of steering.
Digital Maximizer technology is the variable-speed power management that gives you up to five times longer runtime on a single battery charge compared to fixed-speed motors. Instead of running at full motor power and pulse-width-modulating to slow down, Digital Maximizer actually delivers only as much current to the motor as the speed setting requires. The result is dramatic battery savings, especially at low and medium throttle settings, where typical fishing actually happens.
The 60-inch indestructible composite shaft is the right shaft length for most bay boats and larger flats skiffs. Long enough to keep the prop fully submerged in chop and on plane, short enough to clear most bridges and shallow trailer-launched waters. The composite material is the lifetime-guaranteed shaft that flexes and recovers without bending, cracking, or losing alignment when you hit submerged objects. Strike a piling or a shoal at speed, and the shaft flexes, the motor kicks back into the boat, and you keep fishing.
The Weedless Wedge 2 propeller (MKP-32) included with this motor is the right prop for trolling through grass, oyster bars, and floating debris that fouls regular props. The swept-back flared blades push debris away from the prop hub instead of catching it, which means you can troll through cover that would stop a lesser prop dead. For inshore saltwater anglers fishing the Indian River, the Louisiana marsh, the Texas bays, the Carolinas, the Chesapeake, and any other vegetation-heavy inshore environment, this prop genuinely matters.
The wireless i-Pilot remote in the box is the primary control surface. LCD display, full Spot-Lock and AutoPilot control, speed and steering control, recorded path playback (record a path along a shoreline once, then have the motor replay it as many times as you want), and the floating remote design so it survives going overboard. The motor can also be controlled from a paired MEGA-compatible fishfinder when configured, which gives you Spot-Lock and AutoPilot access from the helm display without picking up the remote.
Push-to-test battery meter on the motor head is the small feature that prevents the wrong-battery-discovery moment. Press the button before you leave the dock and the LED bar shows the battery state. No more launching the boat and finding out at the second productive spot that you have an hour of trolling left. Three 12V deep-cycle batteries in series for 36V, sized to your fishing day length. For most full days of fishing, three high-quality Group 31 deep-cycle batteries or a single 36V LiFePO4 lithium battery in the 100Ah class is the right setup.
What this motor isn’t. It is not a hand-control motor (this is foot-pedal-and-remote, not a tiller-handle motor like the Riptide PowerDrive). It is not auto-deploy and auto-stow (that’s the Ulterra series, where you press a button and the motor deploys or stows itself). For saltwater fishermen who want auto-stow convenience, look at the Riptide Ulterra. For everyone else, the Terrova manual stow with Lift-Assist is the proven and slightly less expensive choice.
2-Year Limited Minn Kota warranty on the motor with corrosion warranty for saltwater use. Lifetime warranty on the indestructible composite shaft. Same-day shipping before 3 PM ET on in-stock units.
