Foot controll motor on the stern?

[RL]

Does anybody know if I can mount a foot controll trolling motor on the stern of my boat? by mabey mounting the deck bracket on the side at the stern? or ?<br />I have a 15' glasspar closed bow runabout. <br />Putting a hand control transom mount trolling motor on would be rather hard to reach even with an extension handle, and bow mounting wouldnt work very well with no seat up there( unless sombody makes a long control extension cable?).<br /><br />Any ideas would be appreciated.<br />Thanks---------Robert

 

[RL]

Re: Foot controll motor on the stern?

Also, could I just mount a foot control model into a regular transom clap on mount?<br /><br />Thanks-------Robert

 

[roscoe]

Re: Foot controll motor on the stern?

This one is interesting. motor <br /><br />Even though it has the neat steering feature, it is still hand controlled.<br /><br />If you bo with a bowmount, try to find one with the wired elertric steering, not the push/pull cable steering.<br /><br />Or get the new remote controlled "co-pilot".<br />Uses a controler on your wrist or belt, either wired, or wireless.<br /><br /> wireless remote <br /><br /> corded remote

 

[1986mariner150]

Re: Foot controll motor on the stern?

Like has been mentioned the electrical controlled bow mount is the way to go. The transom mount foot control will be awkward to deploy and stowe. I han a unit made by Min Kota i believe it was called a power drive, the boat i was using at the time was much more stable to stand and fish from the back than front, plus the transducer was on transom, finder on console. It worked well. That cable was 18 feet long so i could control it from anywhere on the boat mostly from the back platform. Be sure and get the a long enough shaft though cause when u fish from the back it raises the bow even more. If you have the wireless you could even dump the boat with the trolling motor down, park, then remote it up to the dock to meet you.

 

[RL]

Re: Foot controll motor on the stern?

Those are all neat ideas, but would probably cost me more than I paid for the whole rig ( boat and 60hp outboard) last year...It's 30 years old <br /><br />I'm just trying to figure out what I could rig with redily available used equipment. There is an abundance of good used trolling motors for very reasonable price around here ( there's a 50lb thrust motor guide foot control setup that I have my eye on for $50 )But if it would be more trouble than it's worth,there's a few nice transom mount hand control jobs available as well.

 

[JoeW]

Re: Foot controll motor on the stern?

RL,<br />One problem you'll have with a transom mount on a boat that size will be its ability to track. Because most of the weight is in the back of the boat, there's not enough of the hull in the water to give you the ability to track a straight line. It's kind of like pushing a rope, it can be done, but can be a real pain. I had the same idea for my 17' aluminum hull. Someone gave me a transom mount motor and I tried it out. I found myself contantly correcting the steering. Since the bow mounts are "pulling" the boat, they tend to track a straigt line.

 

[RL]

Re: Foot controll motor on the stern?

The only problem with trying to mount one on the bow is figuring out a way to route the control cable around the windshield and down to the floor. I don't think most foot control cables are long enough for that, are they? I'm guessing it would need to be about 8 or 9 feet to reach.<br />Other option would be to mount a chair up front, , but that would look pretty rough, and this really is a nice old boat. Makes it kind of hard to run herd on the kids from the other side of the windshield as well.<br /><br />Just out of curiosity, If I just put a regular hand control transom mount motor on, could I lock it straight forward and leave the outboard in the water and steer by the wheel( using the outboard as a rudder) or would that put too much drag on the trolling motor?

 

[Mikevn1500]

Re: Foot controll motor on the stern?

I had a 1970 Glasspar 15' with a 65hp Merc. I used a motorguide transom mount 46lb thrust. The handle extended about 6" from the normal operating position. I never had a problem reaching over the splash well to get to the trolling motor. The motor had good power for that boat. I would think that with the big motor down it would not have been as good. But I also think a 55lb thrust would be a good choice to try that with. They do make some very long handle extentions, look in Cabellas or Bass pro shops. Do not mount a seat on front! I did that on my boat. It is too dangerous to step around the windshield. While fishing one year my brother in law fell off the boat, hit the water, splashed the boat away from him and about drowned before we could reposition to fish him out. It was January and 17deg out . I have 3 little boys and I know one day one would find his way onto the front of the boat. I never used that boat again and sold it about 4 months later.

 

[RL]

Re: Foot controll motor on the stern?

The more I think about it, I think that I'll have to file the foot control setup under crazy ideas( that file seems to be getting bigger and bigger the older I get )<br />Besides, my 7 year old would have more fun running the tiller handle at the rear( and keep him busy after he gets bored fishing I ran across an extension handle today in the clearance rack at the store, and now to secide which transommount motor to get. There's a real nice 44 lp motor guide for a reasonable price with a long enough shaft where the tiller will be over everything. If nothing bigger shows up inthe next day or so, I'll grab it.<br /><br />Thanks-------Robert

 

[richg99]

Re: Foot controll motor on the stern?

Hmmm. since I've recently done BOTH things that you discussed ( bow and stern)& I ordered ANOTHER TM yesterday for my other 16 ft boat..I can tell you that the Minn-Kota Powerglide will do it all... bow or stern ( with a little re-wiring). It costs about $315.00 at www.wal-mart.com plus shipping and tax. <br /><br />If that exceeds your budget..then I'd get a used transom mount TM and rig up pully or stick steering. If they can turn big motors with a couple of pulleys or a control stick, then you can adjust your TM that way. <br /><br />Another thought is to buy or make a device that attaches to your big motor, and it will simultaneously control the direction of your kicker or TM. <br /><br />All of these things are around. You just have to figure out which one you want. If I can help in any way. let me know RichG

 

[Mikevn1500]

Re: Foot controll motor on the stern?

Check out www.cabelas.com they have factory rebuilt Minn Kotas with some pretty good deals. I also agree with richg, the powerdrive would be nice. It has a 18' cord and you could add the co-pilot system at a later date if you want. If it were me I would go with the biggest transom mount I could afford. But for the most part I think you would be fine with the 44lb. Some guys would have you believe you need a 100lb thrust motor , but I recall my 46lb did a very good job.