Adding bow mount to 14' Tracker?

[Bassboss]

Hey guys, new to the forum!

Last night me and my dad bought a 14' flat bottom Tracker Jon Boat with a 15 HP 2001 Yamaha 4 stroke outboard. It came with a bow mount trolling motor, but not attached.

So where on the front deck do I position this thing? Also do I need mounting bracket to keep it flat on there? If so where can I buy one, and how can I make one?

Thanks for any input.

 

[Quackrstackr]

Mount it on the lefthand side so that when it is in the stored position, it's not sticking out into the middle of your boat. You will need a bracket/platform to mount it on to get it level with the front of the boat. You may be able to purchase an aluminum one somewhere but I have seen people just use dimensional lumber screwed down to the deck with the tm attached to that.

 

[typed by ben]

here's mine... a piece of .125" 5052 aluminum

it's 24" long and about 4.5" high- ive got it mounted to the port side like mentioned above but the motor itself deploys to the center of the boat. i find that makes it easier to steer. some boats come with them mounted all the way on the port side of the bow right up against the gunwale. in your case that might be an option as you dont have just a ton of bow to be working with.

 

[longshot]

Is that bracket something you made or can it be bought somewhere

 

[typed by ben]

i made that one. but if you make a sketch any old sheet metal shop would be able to make it for you out of scrap.

 

[rpijan]

did you get a nut on the back of those mounting bolts for the bracket? How do you get access to them to hold them while you tighten the bolts?

 

[typed by ben]

rpijan » Yesterday, 05:43[/url]"]did you get a nut on the back of those mounting bolts for the bracket? How do you get access to them to hold them while you tighten the bolts?

to go from the bracket on the gator mount to the aluminum piece i made, yes its just stainless 5/16-18 hex screws with nylocks on the back. its wide enough to reach your hand up under.

to go from the aluminum piece to the hull, i used stainless 5/16-18 rivnuts. its a blind application on account of the foam underneath, so i had to use something unorthodox. if youve never seen them before they work sort of like rivets.