bow or transom mount? etc...

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hello all:<br /><br />I have a couple of questions that may be fairly basic to some of you, so please bear with my newness to the subject. I know: there are no stupid questions, just stupid people asking questions.<br /><br />I have a 14-foot crestliner aluminum boat, closed bow with one piece windshield. On the back is a 69 Mercury 350 35hp outboard electric start. I would like to put a trolling motor on this boat, but I don't think there is enough room in the back, so I'm thinking of a bow mount. Problem is that the top of the bow cover appears to be some type of thin metal or something similar and is not completely flat (it rises gradually to the middle from both sides; rises only a cm or two). Will there be a problem mounting a trolling motor on the bow on this type of boat?<br /><br />Also, the type of trolling I want to do is for salmon. Quicker trolling speeds (~3mph) so will a bow-mount electric trolling motor be able to do this?<br /><br />Thanks in advance for your replies. As always, I appreciate any insights y'all may have into this.

 

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Re: bow or transom mount? etc...

^^

 

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Re: bow or transom mount? etc...

I get 3mph with a 55# thrust on 16 1/2 lund bow mounted. Don't know how handy you are , but it sounds like you may have to shim it to level it out. You mentioned full windshield does that mean you have to climb over it to get to bow?

 

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Re: bow or transom mount? etc...

Yep, but it's doable. I was also thinking of getting a model with an extended tiller handle so steering can be easier.

 

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Re: bow or transom mount? etc...

well, I'm not sure I really want to mess with the pain in the a** that climbing over the windshield all the time would cause, but it is doable.<br /><br />So, I've got it narrowed down to either a transom mount (Minnkota Maxxum, for example) or an engine mount. The EM would be a bit more expensive, but I really don't know much about them. Anyone care to put in their 2-cents worth on whether or not an engine mount trolling motor would be a worthwhile investment?<br /><br />With a transom mount, I'm concerned about the hydrofoil fins mounted on the anti-cavitation plate of my outboard hitting the prop, skeg, etc... of the trolling motor while in the process of turning. How do people normally run an outboard and a transom mount trolling motor at the same time without one hitting the other while operating?<br /><br />Thanks again y'all.

 

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Re: bow or transom mount? etc...

Ok, I just put a MinnKota Endura on layaway. It had the thrust specs (40#) and shaft length (36") I was looking for, but more importantly the WalMart monster sucked me in, so I couldn't resist.<br /><br />But, again, one of the things I would like to do very badly with this trolling setup is be able to troll downriggers for anywhere from 4-6 or more hours for salmon. So fairly quick trolling - 3mph or so. I won't be on big water, just running the St Mary's River near the juncture with northern Lake Huron, and up the river in spots. The one thing about the endura is that it does not have the maximizer technology, so battery charge won't last as long. Does anyone have any thoughts on the choice of trolling motor for this specific application?<br /><br />Thanks in advance.