Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

[John_S]

Re: Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

"I asked a Bass Pro worker about turning trolling motor heads around. He said that any warranty is voided as soon as you broke the seal on the head. He also said that there isn't much extra wire in the shafts, and turning the head around could easily pop the wires out of their solder points."

All I can say is that with my MG HVT3700 and new MG wireless, there isn't any seal and you wouldn't pull any wires out of the solder joint. Yea, you can't reverse it an keep spinning 180, numerous times in the same direction. On the wireless, there are no boards in the head. Just two wires and pigtails.

 

[rudedawg]

Re: Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

Hey Sidechoke, one last post on the TM; I picked up the copilot wireless add on today and it is a "must have" option. The rig is now complete so if you go with a bow mount on the swim platform regardless of brand get a remote controlled unit; you will love it. We trolled all afternoon and did not have to deal with the foot pedal at all. Oh man--it was awesome. The boat control was so much better and room was freed up without clutter of cable and foot pedal.
Good luck and tight lines.

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

Thanks again Rudedawg! I may end up emulating your entire setup. I will likely PM you with some questions along the way, if you don't mind. Glad that your setup is such a success. Happy boating!

 

[rudedawg]

Re: Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

Sidechoke I am always glad to help a fellow boater if possible. Just ask and if I don't have the answer we will certainly find it or the best possible solution.

 

[rudedawg]

Re: Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

Hello Sidechoke, this is just an update on the tm project. We have used the tm extensively and it has proved its worth in gold. Again it is not as reponsive as a bow mount but man, oh man, it get the job done better than I ever anticipated. I have a dedicated battery for the tm and had room for a 3rd battery as a spare just in case the cranking or tm battery goes out. We troll from spot to spot all day with charge left on the primary battery. The tm does ok in strong head wind and sometimes has to be maxed out on the speed control but on a calm day it will push the boat easily on lower speeds even down to 1. I slow troll watching the fish finder and it does the job well without having to fight the direction control.
Anyway, good luck on your quest.
Later--

 

[newbie4life]

Re: Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

I just bought a transom mount trolling motor, to install on my bayliner, so I have a little bit of insight on this as well.

I bought a Minnkota 80lb thrust. The formulas all said I needed something around 50 lbs. I'm glad I bought the 24v 80lb motor after fishing this weekend.

I troll CONSTANTLY. I bought this so I could run it the entire 2 - 4 hours I'm out at the lake fishing. First, it saves on fuel, and more importantly, I don't want to hear a gas engine run. If I want to do that, I'll mow my lawn.

I had to fabricate a piece to make it fit oun my I/O -- didn't want to spend too much time on it, just in case I want to make it work on the bow instead. After temporarily trying it on the stern, I will fab up a piect to have it installed on the bow. I "fish" with kids (which basically means, I don't fish) all the time, so one of them can be "driving" the boat and the other one can fish, along with Grandpa in the back.

I just wanted to get a feel for the motor this weekend. I bought two 775 cca batteries, and I'm glad I didn't get the little ones. Wide open, it ran for about 2 hours straight. Now, I don't need to run it like that, but I wanted to see how it would do.... I was pleased with that. I'm going to try the 60% mark this weekend and see how it works out.

When I bought the TM, everyone (including on here) said to make sure not to buy something too small. I'm glad I listened.

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

Just wanted to post a follow-up, in case anyone ends up finding this thread of use in the future.

I ended up installing my trolling motor bracket on my swim platform. It was just too easy to install a solid base - I had easy access through the engine compartment to through-bolt.

To recap, my openbow boat will serve double duty as a family ski/tubing boat, as well as a fishing boat. I wanted to install a trolling motor that was easily removeable for tubing trips. I ended up buying a Minn Kota removeable base. This way, I can remove the trolling motor easily, and only have that 4" X 6" puck on the swim platform. Then I bolted a piece of composite board to the removeable base, and bolted a 4x4 to the composite board. The whole thing is rock solid.

As far as having the trolling motor on the back as opposed to the bow, I will say that it will meet my needs fine. That said, I agree with everyone who said that it is way better to have it installed on the bow - I just am not ready to drill holes into my bow, unless I know the solution will be solid, and removeable. I will keep considering bow mounting options in the meantime, but summers are too short here in upstate NY, and I didn't want to go the whole summer with no trolling motor.

Most of my fishing is basically drifting along weed edges, and flats, for bass, and drifting in deeper water for perch with my kids - so the transom motor doesn't bother me. I would sum up by saying a trolling motor on the stern is way better than no trolling motor, and a trolling motor on the bow is way better than one on the stern.

Here are pix of my mount. Feel free to PM or post back with any questions.

 

[rudedawg]

Re: Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

Hello Sidechoke, was just passing through to see if you had come up with a new plan and oh man that looks great! Glad you completed the project-tight lines.
Rudedawg

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

Thanks Rudedawg! And, thanks again for all your help along the way. I don't know if I would have gone the swim platform route without your posts, and I'm really glad that I did. I've been out fishing about 9 times this year. One time the wind was too strong to fish with the trolling motor on the back and I ended up finding a still spot to anchor - but I've had good control the other 8 out of 9 times, which is great.

 

[khyz250]

Re: Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

Hey everyone...

First post here and I am glad I found this site. This post caught my eye as I am trying to figure out a way to install a bow mount trolling motor to my Maxum 1800. I have the same issue with not having a flat mounting surface at the bow of my boat. I recently went to a local boat dealer (Glastron) asking about mounting a trolling motor to a bow rider. When I was at the dealer asking questions, I noticed that a new Glastron Bow Rider boat, sitting in the show room, had a Power Drive Trolling motor attached. The trolling motor was mounted with a quick release attached to the bow by a bracket. I questioned the salesman about the bracket and he stated that Glastron manufacutres the brackets for Glastron boats. Since a couple of you were interested in mounting the trolling motor to the bow, I thought I would post my findings.
As for me I have contacted my nearest Maxum retailer and they stated they could "fabricate" a bracket for my boat to fit a Minn Kota Power Drive trolling motor to the bow. The problem is the retailer is three hours round trip.

Has anyone come up with a solid solution for mounting a
Minn Kota? PowerDrive? V2 Bow-Mount Trolling Motor to the bow of a bow rider?

 

[mowjoe]

Re: Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

I amnew to this sight and have a problem. I just bought a 1987 cobia monte carlo. I am a fisherman first and a sport boater second, however my wife hates the look of fish and ski and wanted an opem bow runabout. I would love to turn my cobia into a user friendly fish and ski.. I have no idea on mounting a trolling motor to the bow. looking for a bracket but the rail is in the way. It is5 inches high and goes all the way around the bow. If i was more computer skilled i would post pics. Any ideas also there doesnt seem to be a good spot on the stern to mount one back there. Should I just cut off the rail? Appreciate any input

 

[mjd57]

Re: Anyone use a transom mount TM on a 17+ foot boat?

I am glad to see a lot of good ideas on mounting a trolling motor on a bow rider. This is a question I have been pondering for a couple of months. To commit myself, I bought the trolling motor and now can't talk my way out of doing it. If anyone has fabricated a mounting set up like this, please speak up.

I am planning to make a removable deck for the bow complete with hatches to access the storage compartments. With this in mind, I will be able to attach a swivel fishing chair and a modified mount for the trolling motor. I hate to put holes in boats!!! If all goes well, it will be ready this coming spring. The main materials I plan to use is treated plywood. I thought of using Starboard, but found it to be pretty expensive.

Any thoughts?