VaMushroomer
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- Feb 14, 2019
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Hi all,
I'm preparing to mount a Minn-Kota Edge 45 cable-steer trolling motor onto the bow of my Tracker Topper 1436 14' aluminum jon boat. Because of the special situation involved with construction of the mount (see below for that), I'm afraid I won't have a chance to test the stowing and deploying of the motor before I make the permanent attachment. So I'm looking for some general guidelines on trolling motor placement- such as how much of the mount should stick over the bow, how far the mount must be offset from the gunwale, and anything else the more experienced and knowledgeable members of this forum think is relevant. Thank you!
P.S. The reason I cannot test the placement of the mount beforehand:
Since I felt that 14 feet long by 36 inches wide isn't enough to house a stable casting deck, I decided that I would just mount the trolling motor to the front platform. However, since the platform is recessed, I needed to build a support that would raise the trolling motor high enough to clear the gunwale line. With no sheet metal bending or aluminum welding capabilities, I decided upon using two 4x4" wood blocks under a Minn-Kota MKA-23/RTA-19 Quick Release Bracket (see photo). The blocks will be affixed to the platform by screwing into rivet nuts... and there is the problem, because before I can make the whole assembly strong enough to permit checking for clearance by stowing and deploying the motor, I must install the rivet nuts. But of course I don't want to install the rivet nuts until I have decided upon the final position of the mount...
I'm preparing to mount a Minn-Kota Edge 45 cable-steer trolling motor onto the bow of my Tracker Topper 1436 14' aluminum jon boat. Because of the special situation involved with construction of the mount (see below for that), I'm afraid I won't have a chance to test the stowing and deploying of the motor before I make the permanent attachment. So I'm looking for some general guidelines on trolling motor placement- such as how much of the mount should stick over the bow, how far the mount must be offset from the gunwale, and anything else the more experienced and knowledgeable members of this forum think is relevant. Thank you!
P.S. The reason I cannot test the placement of the mount beforehand:
Since I felt that 14 feet long by 36 inches wide isn't enough to house a stable casting deck, I decided that I would just mount the trolling motor to the front platform. However, since the platform is recessed, I needed to build a support that would raise the trolling motor high enough to clear the gunwale line. With no sheet metal bending or aluminum welding capabilities, I decided upon using two 4x4" wood blocks under a Minn-Kota MKA-23/RTA-19 Quick Release Bracket (see photo). The blocks will be affixed to the platform by screwing into rivet nuts... and there is the problem, because before I can make the whole assembly strong enough to permit checking for clearance by stowing and deploying the motor, I must install the rivet nuts. But of course I don't want to install the rivet nuts until I have decided upon the final position of the mount...