[ZAM]

Hey guys, I saw a 20'cc the other day that had a bowmount trolling motor, he had the bowrails cut so there was clearence for the motor to move up and down. how hard do you guys think it would be to install one on my boat? I have a trolling motor that I sometimes put on my ob motor bracket, but its too much trouble to always have to bendover to use it.....does it look like installing one would be possible? I,d hate to cut my bowrail, then find out it can,t be done....thanks,Sam

 

[joe emrico]

There are a number of brackets available, birdsall marine is one. There are several cc at belle haven marina that have been customized to accept a troller. We just put an 82lb Great White on a whaler and you have to be careful that motor is not pointed towards a turn because it will throw someone out of a boat.
The remote control is easy to operate while fishing, the hand control is a nagging pain unless you have someone else operating it.

 

[earlyriser]

Do they have a webstie??

 

[joe emrico]

www.birdsallmarine.com go to flatsboats, then trolling motor accessories.

 

[earlyriser]

Yeah I check it out, joe do you have any picks of the setup on the whaler. It appears this has to be a transom mounted type trolling motor to place on the front of the boat with this type of bracket.

 

[joe emrico]

htt://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com is the florida sportsman site. If you go to" Boating" and" Shallow Water Boats" you will learn more about trolling motors and installation very quickly. These guys are fishing year round and voice pros and cons. I read that a transom mount can be disassembled and reconfigured to a bowmount. Also I don't have pics of whaler.

 

[earlyriser]

thats cool I will check that site out

 

[ZAM]

That trolling motor bracket that birdsall has looks like its designed for a stern mount isn,t it? I wish they made bow mount motors that could slide under my bow rails, my bow rail is almost one foot above my bow....I never heard of a remote steering. doesn,t anyone use foot controls anymore or is that the old fasion way?

 

[joe emrico]

What I have on my skiff is a foot control, only wireless, can move the pad anywhere in the boat. It is a 55lb great white that has to be 6 or 7yrs old. Really nice when moving out of shallow water and sit down to take a break while still moving. I don't see why birdsall unit wouldn't work on the bow. May e-mail them with this question.

 

[tomcat360]

ive been searchin for a trolling motor for my 18'cc, but as you mentioned the bow rail can make it rather tricky. i have found a site that makes trim tabs with electric motors which act as trolling motors. i am not sure but a remote controller might be avaiable so you can use the motors from the bow. ill post the site if anybody is interested later.

-TP

 

[ZAM]

them trollin tabs seem nice, but I dont have any room on my stern because the transducer and pitot are in the way. I put a hydrofoil on my ob, then I read about a trolling motor that you can put on your ob, but now the hydrofoil is in the way. I Thought about cutting the bowrails and welding a bar to connect the bowrail, farther back so the trolling motor isn,t in the way, but Im not sure what I would be getting myself into. hopefully I'll figure something out. could be a good winter project

 

[tomcat360]

true, they're also quite a pinch in the pocket $$

 

[Late Riser]

You might look at the grip glide motors made by minn kota. It is a good bow mouted motor and ought to be able to be raised and lower under the rail. Might have to be careful but ought to work.

 

[Pelagic Act]

I would think that the height from the water tyo the deck is more of a concer that the railing, as the railing can just be cut and modified.

I have a MinnKota AP74 on my 18-6 CC and it's awesome! on Hi I can do 3.1 mph and I also use the Co-pilot feature to go cord free on the controler.

I use teh Minn Kota RipTide "puck" style quick release mount and it's wonderful. The catch is that with your bow desing (as with mine) you will most likely need to mount a stainless steel place to the bow deck, to mount the "puck" to so that you get the shaft clearance that is required.

E-mail me and I will send you some pictures if you like.