Placement of Bow-Mounted Trolling Motor?

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VaMushroomer

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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...
 

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I wish I could straight up give you the answer. All I can say is to get a buddy to help hold it and locate it before drilling. Maybe even screw your setup to a sacrificial piece of plywood so you can move it around to get a good locate before making things permanent.

Sent from my CLT-L04 using Tapatalk
 
If it was me, I'd never secure the motor with bolts and riv nuts. There is a substantial amount of torque the motor will apply to the nuts and even more if you ever run into anything. The bolts will pull the riv nuts right off the deck. Your really need to find another way to bolt the motor down.
 
JMO, I prefer to angle the motor so that the shaft is on top of the gunnels while stowed, keeps the front deck clear. It's also good to have the mount off to one side, so that it's easier to climb over the bow while beaching.
 
I think you have the quick release bracket mounted upside down - I'm at work, so I can't check mine, but I'm almost certain the channel for the tie down strap goes on the underside of the bracket when installed. If you pull the release U pin out I don't think they'll separate the way you have them screwed to the blocks.

Here's what I'd do - first, address my point above. Then predrill the holes through the blocks and apply tacky glue to the underside of the blocks. Attach the portion of the quick release bracket properly to the trolling motor so you know it definitely separates and is in its final location relative to the deployed motor shaft. You should be able to position the bracket for the edge motor without the actual motor in the mount which will simplify mounting it yourself. Let the tacky glue set up and wipe away any excess with a wet towel. Then once it's dry drill your holes in the decking surface. You should be able to peal the blocks off separating the tacky glue.

If using rivnuts I would also make a plate up of aluminum (.062, nothing fancy) and drill the holes through it to match the spacing of holes in the deck and set the rivnut through both the plate and the deck. This will help stiffen the area the TM is mounted to so you hopefully don't end up with stress cracks in the aluminum as I did with my original TM bracket on my 1436 (see my build thread in my signature).
 
Scott F said:
If it was me, I'd never secure the motor with bolts and riv nuts. There is a substantial amount of torque the motor will apply to the nuts and even more if you ever run into anything. The bolts will pull the riv nuts right off the deck. Your really need to find another way to bolt the motor down.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the warning. Ideas on an alternative? Maybe I should use toggle bolts? Plusnuts?
 
that's a load of bs.for one thing that motor shaft is designed to flex if you hit something.you won't pull out a rivnut like that.i had rivnuts holding down several pieces on my last boat.including seat bases and not one failed,ever. and they will hold better than any rivet ever will.
 
The aluminum rivnuts don't have the strongest threads, the bolts might strip out over time, but if you use stainless ones with an inert barrier between the rivnut and the aluminum where you drilled out the mounting hole (such as wrapping the rivnut in a layer of electrical tape) it should hold just fine. Either way I don't see the whole rivnut being pulled out if properly set.
 
I wouldn't put it dead center.. that may be an issue with the winch on the trailer.

Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk
 
VaMushroomer said:
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...
Click to expand...

When I used the quick release 'center puck' on my last boat the box it came in had a template on the inside of the box. Im not sure if that's helpful. I had my wife hold the base and quick release while I deployed the TM to ck clearance, position etc. Never used the quick release. On my present boat I don't have a quick release. You could use the cardboard center puck template under your blocks so when you lifted the whole TM and QR after alignment the puck template would be there for your hole alignment. I used riv nuts on several kayaks holding a TM for years with no issues. I think they were brass or stainless. You could also install a access plate for thru bolt access. You also should consider using a sealer on the wood blocks.
 

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