Trolling motor Isolator bolts????

[Pont]

Ok, I got a question regarding the trolling motor isolator bolts. First off, they won't be installed like normal, from the deck to the trolling motor. I have a special made aluminum mount on my deck to raise the motor up enough to get over the bow. Anyway this mount is about 18 in long, 6inches wide and 3 or 4 inches high. If I put 4 isolator bolts on each side of the mount, attatch the mount to it, will it do the same thing? I want to avoid drilling more unnesessary holes in the deck.

Oh, I also cannot get under the deck to use bolts or that would have been the first thing I tried.

 

[Waterwings]

Should do the trick, as their function is to decrease vibration.

 

[Jim]

Pont,
Do me a favor if you can. When your doing your project with the isolator bolts, Try to take some pictures. For some reason I cant grasp the concept of how they install and work. :-k

 

[bassboy1]

Pont,
Do me a favor if you can. When your doing your project with the isolator bolts, Try to take some pictures. For some reason I cant grasp the concept of how they install and work. :-k

I can grasp the concept of how they are designed to work, but as I have never seen any that work properly, I can't grasp how they actually work. :lol: :lol:

 

[Quackrstackr]

Pont,
Do me a favor if you can. When your doing your project with the isolator bolts, Try to take some pictures. For some reason I cant grasp the concept of how they install and work. :-k

I can grasp the concept of how they are designed to work, but as I have never seen any that work properly, I can't grasp how they actually work. :lol: :lol:

x2

I just replaced 6 on my boat that lasted all of 2 trips to the water. The trolling motor was used for 10 minutes total tops in those 2 trips.

You might try rivnuts first if you can find them.

 

[Pont]

Did the ones you relpaced break, or what happend to them? I'm getting mixed results from different places. I just want to see what problems they have had. I know my old system probably would have worked well if I had a stabalizer kit on it. I wonder if the Isolator bolts would work well with that in combination. Feed me info!!!

Thanks everyone.
Pont

 

[Quackrstackr]

The way those things work (at least mine) is that they pull a brass insert up through a rubber stem. The stem balloons and is what holds on the backside of the mounting surface.

When you are talking about sandwiching 1/8" or so of aluminum, you have to overcompress the rubber stem to a point where it doesn't take much to fracture it from the stress. On 5 out of 6 of mine, the stem completely sheared off 1/8" below the isolator pad. Once they sheared, there is no more mushroom and the insert pulls straight out of the hole along with the bolt.

They may work great in certain situations (like where you are mounting in a thicker surface or solid hole). Not so much on one (or even 2 in a couple of places on my boat) thickness of aluminum.

 

[bassboy1]

Basically the function is that of a large rubber pop rivet. Put, instead of the pull tab, it has a bolt, and it doesn't pop out. Large rivnuts would be a good solution, as would the Big Daddy pop rivets a couple people mentioned.

 

[Pont]

Ahhh thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Very beneficial to me! I will definately try something else! Maybe what I did before except throw a stabalizer on it so it doesn't bounce around while driving to the lake and on the lake.

Thanks again fellas!
Pont

 

[Waterwings]

The dealer who mounted my tm bracket (MG Gator 360) straight to the bow (no isolator pads or anything) used stainless bolts with washers and nylock nuts undeerneath the bow deck. No problems so far.

 

[Pont]

Wish I could access the underside of my deck so I could do that but no dice!

 

[bassboy1]

Wish I could access the underside of my deck so I could do that but no dice!

Install some large rivnuts (say 1/4 inch) and thread bolts into them as Quackrstackr said. Or, try the big daddy 1/4 inch diameter pop rivets. Neither of which need back access.

 

[Quackrstackr]

I saw something online yesterday that would probably work better than the rivnuts. Made by the same people but they flare out a much wider foot. I think they were called plusnuts.

 

[Waterwings]

Quackr, just found this on the web after you posted the name:
https://www.cardinalcomponents.com/plusnut.htm

Here's another link that shows/explains how the Plusnut works:
https://www.rivetsinstock.com/rivnut_plusnut.htm

Looking online at other uses of the Plusnuts, installation companies are mounting Yakima roof rack systems using the Plusnuts for permanently mounting the roof racks/luggage racks to the thin sheetmetal of vehicles.

 

[Pont]

Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:41 am Reply with quote

Quackr, just found this on the web after you posted the name:
https://www.cardinalcomponents.com/plusnut.htm

Here's another link that shows/explains how the Plusnut works:
https://www.rivetsinstock.com/rivnut_plusnut.htm

Has anyone ever used these? They look like they would work really well. Anyone know if you gotta have all the special tools etc with it? Looks like you do but.... Anyone know if you can get this crap at lowes or order direct?

 

[Quackrstackr]

You can't get anything but steel hollow wall anchors at Lowes. I've already turned that place upside down trying to figure out how to fix my own rig.

I sent the people in the second link some questions about purchasing a small quantity and whether there is special tooling required to seat those. All of the online suppliers that I have seen for that type of thing are bulk dealers.

 

[Pont]

Well, I got a total of 14 I would need and would take more if it meant completing an order. The holes drilled in my deck are 1/4 in in size. Don't know if you are going that big or not that small, but maybe we can work out something on an order. Pm me when you find out something and maybe we can work out an order. Cause it's either this or having a plate welded on my deck but I really don't wanna get into cutting carpet up, paying someone to weld etc.

Thanks
Pont

 

[Quackrstackr]

My current bolts are 1/4" and I would probably have to upsize to 5/16" because of the holes that are in my deck. They are already drilled too large for the 1/4" sleeves.

By bulk, I mean these guys probably deal in lots of hundreds for commercial users. I only need 6 myself (but would get some spares). They probably sweep 20 a day off of the floor and into the trash cans. :lol:

As hard as it is for the average Joe to get their hands on these things, we could buy a bulk lot and resell them ourselves in small quantities. :mrgreen:

I'll let you know when (if) I hear back from them.

 

[Pont]

I'd be willing to go to 5/16. Let me know when you hear something. Truth be known, you probably have to pay next to nothing for the bolts, but the "special tool" would be 500 bucks! LOL! This world is a sick place man! LOL!

 

[Quackrstackr]

I made sure to inquire about the tool as well.

I bet that thing is outrageously priced.