First Mate XT vs the other motorized sonar poles
Three companies build a powered mount for forward facing sonar. Here is how the First Mate XT lines up against both of them, using the figures they publish on their own product pages. Where a company does not publish a number, we say so instead of guessing.
Side by side
| Spec | First Mate XT | Garmin Spy Pole | Rite-Hite Wireless Turret | Blitz Lures Live Foot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $599 $624 for the 64 in Bowsprit |
$1,999.99 for 42 in $2,199.99 for 49 in |
$999.99 | $1,699.99 |
| Weight | 5 lb | Not published | 14 lb | 7 lb |
| Speed control | Variable dial, dead stop to 12 RPM | Not published | Two fixed speeds, 3 and 5 RPM | Not published |
| Rotation | Just past 360 degrees, no dead spots | 360 degrees | 340 degrees | 4 fixed positions |
| Length | 24 to 36, 34 to 55, or 42 to 64 in, telescoping | 42 or 49 in, fixed | Not published | 18 to 19 in shaft, up to 43 in with the extension and their bracket |
| Shaft | Black anodized aluminum, 1 1/8 in OD | Not published | 1 in 316 stainless | Carbon fiber |
| Power draw | Under 0.5 A | Not published | Not published | Under 1 A |
| Wireless foot control | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Handheld remote | Two fobs included | Rod mounted gesture remote included | Remote with lanyard included | Key fob included |
Competitor figures come from their own published product pages and press releases. Rite-Hite and Live Foot were checked on 31 August 2026, the Garmin Spy Pole on 4 September 2026. Live Foot is sold through several dealers at different prices; the figure shown is the manufacturer's own listing. If you find one of these numbers is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Four differences you feel on the water
A dial, not a switch
The knob on the XT power head runs from a dead stop all the way to 12 RPM, and every speed in between is yours. The Rite-Hite gives you two, 3 RPM and 5 RPM. That matters when you are creeping the beam across a brush pile and 3 is too fast but stopping loses the fish. Live Foot does not publish a rotation speed, because it does not rotate continuously at all.
Rotation, not positions
The Live Foot is a four position mount. You pick one of four places to point it. The XT turns just past a full circle, on purpose, so there is no blind wedge behind the boat where the beam cannot reach. Limit switches stop it at both ends so the cable never winds up on the shaft. The Rite-Hite turns 340 degrees, which leaves a 20 degree gap.
Reach for a tall bow
Deck height is the thing most people underestimate. The Bowsprit extends to 64 inches, which keeps the transducer under the chop on a tall bass boat instead of skipping in the surface wash. The Live Foot shaft is 18 to 19 inches, about 43 inches with the extension and their own bracket. Every XT length telescopes and locks with a quick release clamp, so you set the depth once and leave it.
Four hundred dollars, or eleven hundred
The XT is $599. The Rite-Hite is $999.99, the Live Foot is $1,699.99, and Garmin's Spy Pole starts at $1,999.99 before you add a transducer. That is $400 to $1,400 of difference, and the XT is not the stripped down one in the group. It is lighter than the two that publish a weight, it is the only one with a real speed dial, and the foot control and fobs are in the box rather than on the options list.
Where the others have a real argument
Rite-Hite: stainless, if that is what you want
Their shaft is 316 stainless and the body is a sealed acetron plastic. Stainless is heavier, which is most of why that unit is 14 pounds, but some people simply prefer metal and there is nothing wrong with that. Their box also includes a wall charger and a kickstand.
Live Foot: built onto the trolling motor
The Live Foot is designed to ride on a Minn Kota Ultrex or a Garmin Force, on a carbon fiber shaft. If you specifically want the transducer travelling with the trolling motor head rather than sitting on the deck or a rail, that is the job it was built for. The XT takes a different approach, and we sell a mounting kit for the Ultrex if you want it on the trolling motor anyway.
Garmin Spy Pole: one brand, one ecosystem
If you run a Garmin Force trolling motor, a Garmin chartplotter and Garmin LiveScope, the Spy Pole plugs into all of it, including a rod mounted gesture remote and control from the screen. That integration is real and it is what you pay $1,999.99 to $2,199.99 for. The XT is $599, weighs five pounds, telescopes instead of coming in two fixed lengths, and takes a Humminbird or Lowrance transducer just as happily as a Garmin one.
Still deciding?
Send a photo of your bow deck or trolling motor and we will tell you which length fits and which mount to use. If none of the three stock lengths lands right, we cut poles to order. That is a person in Oskaloosa, Iowa answering, not a form.