Trolling motors .. Bow mount or transom mount ?

[sphelps]

Putting together a little tri hull fishing boat ... My intent was to put a bow mount on . Then the other day me and some co-workers were discussing it .. One guy stated that with a tri hull it would be best to use a transom mount .. He said it would push it with less effort because of the wide hull in the front .. He had a tri hull once and that was his take on it .
It kinda made a little sense ..
Any thoughts on the subject ?

 

[JimS123]

I have used bow mounts and they worked well because you were pulling the boat and had great control. My current tinny had no practical bow location so I installed a transom mount. Hate it! I do more steering than fishing and have poor control. I don't even use it any more.

Never had a trihull with a trolling motor, so I can't comment in that regard. But my gut feeling is that with that wide bow it would be even harder to control from the transom than with a V-bow.

 

[gm280]

I agree with a good bow mount. Because the motor provides the propulsion and the boat has to follow that. If you push the boat, you will be correcting constantly to keep the boat where YOU want it to be. If you are setting this up for fishing, go bow mount. You will fish more and steer less. If you have a bow mounted trolling motor in any other boat, just try to go in reverse and you will quickly see it is really hard to place the boat where you want it. JMHO!

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

.... He said it would push it with less effort because of the wide hull in the front ..

That makes absolutely zero sense, it takes the same amount of power to move that hull through the water regardless if it's being pushed from behind or pulled from the front.

The handling will be a bit different though with bow vs. stern mounted trolling motor. I agree with everyone else, it'll be easier to maneuver with a bow mount.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Have to agree. With a rear mounted gas power constantly hunting at slow speeds. No problem with over 3 or 4 mph, but below that it almost impossible to maintain direction. With a bow mount it pretty much goes where you point it. If you are going electric, go bow mount.

Rick

 

[S.A. Baker]

Have both on my Chrysler bass boat. Can't make sharp left turns with the transom mount because of the limited space by the outboard. I mostly use it to get on the trailer in "electric only " lakes. Much better steering control using the bow mount!

 

[sphelps]

Thanks guys ! Thats the kind of input I was looking for . Having never used an electric t/m I was not sure which way to go .. The steering from the rear issues does make sense ..

 

[Texasmark]

I was poor and rented boats when TMs first came out and stern mount was all that I could do. So I had ample experience with that setup.............however, I do/did not "Backtroll" like is done up North so this doesn't apply to that setup where I'm told transom mount IS the way to go.....why, later herein.

It's been said above and I will toss my hat into the ring. Had a 1971 16' Chrysler Sport Fury tri-hull with a bow mount. Can't say that the hull shape was a problem or enough of a problem to bring it to my attention while operating. What the tri-hull DID do was to give me a wide bow platform whereby I could mount the T.M. to the side and have ample deck space left for loading and unloading passengers from the bank, unlike is found with a mono hull which I used for fishing after that boat.

I think things like cruise ships of today bring the point home on where to locate it. Why do you think they have a horizontal driving propeller near the bow of these ships and other ships that have to do on their own? The reason is the same reason you need a bow mount. You can pull against tide and wind a lot easer than you can push (from the other end) and be more precise. Less thrust required and better control.

That about sums it up. Besides, if your chair is right there you have a birds-eye view of the potential action while fishing and can stay with a fish with the boat positioned as you choose.....like moving out of a bunch of tree stumps to open water to safely land a "Lunker" Bass.

Just keep in mind the other anglers out with you need some consideration too so ever so often, turn the boat broadside while fishing down a bank and let them have the "first water" shot too. They may go out with you again. Grin.

 

[phillipgo]

Bow-mounted is the cats meow.