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I would like to try and put a trolling motor on my 1972 16' Cohasset II. Since I just spent months filling all the holes in the thing and re-doing gelcoat i'd really like to find a way that does not involve poking MORE holes in the boat. I know I can just hang a transom mount motor off the back but was hoping if anyone is familiar with any sort of non-destructive adapter that allows me to use one the front or side close to the bow?
Looking at something in the range of 45lbs thrust with foot steer. I have room in the console for a 2nd battery with on-board charger and am going to install a quick connect plug for the power cable.
I am not familiar with your model of Whaler at all, but I used a
Minn Kota RTA-17 Quick Release Bracket to mount my Minn Kota Riptide ST I-pilot trolling motor on the bow of my 1986 Outrage 18. It worked great, and I was able to use the aluminum plate under the original bowbit to securely mount it.
I am building a custom fiberglass mounting location on the same boat to mount my electric trolling motor. This will get the trolling motor out of the direct center of the bow.
When I was researching electric trolling motors to use, I found that I had 2 options besides the, in my opinion, best mounting locations for a trolling motor, the bow. Besides the transom mount trolling motor, there is an outboard engine mounted option. You can actually mount a trolling motor on he cavitation plate of any outboard engine.
When I made my decision on an electric trolling motor, I chose not to use this type or transom mounted type due to concerns about thrust efficiency and maneuverabilty. If you are deadset against putting holes for mounts in the bow of the boat, this is a viable option, and I think these could be viable nowadays if maneuverability of the boat is not the greatest concern.
My 1986 Outrage 18 had a set of Lenco troll-n-tab electric trolling motors installed on it by the original dealer before delivery. Apparently they worked, but back in 1986, they did not have the technology we have now to work with, and the motors failed a lot. The old controls were not digital either.
The new modern electric Minn-Kota's of this design are much more dependable, at least that is what I understand from current owners that I know.
I have not met anyone that uses the engine mounted, or trolling tab option that actually prefers them, however. Everyone prefers the bow mounted electric trolling motors for control of the boat during fishing. There is a range of turning issue with any of the stern options with electric trolling motors. Stern mounting severely limits maneuverability.
No one seems to be truly happy with any of the stern mounted trolling motor options, at least no one I know personally. If control of the boat, and thrust efficiency during trolling is of paramount importance to you, bow mounted is the only way to go.
I would, and did, drill holes to mount a trolling motor on my bow after researching this issue. I still think it was the best option, without building a custom mount on the boat.
Hi Silentpardner; I just picked up a 1989 Outrage 18 and would like to mount a trolling motor on the bow. Do you have any pictures of your mounting setup that you are able to share? Thanks.
Yes, I have several pictures of the bow mount I used. It is VERY simple, but I did not have 2 items on this boat that a standard Outrage 18 has on them to contend with at all.
My Outrage 18 does not have any bow or side railings. It also does not have the standard bow bitt. All I had to do was drill and tap into the center of the bow bitt mounting location on the bow, which has the standard factory metal plate they use for the bow bitt mounting under the fiberglass.
The only option you would have, if you wanted to mount an electric trolling motor the same way I have done it in the past would be to remove the bow railings and the standard bow bitt from your boat, assuming it is original. The drawback to mounting your trolling motor this way is that, 1) It will be folded back into the center line of the boat in the front when stowed, restricting ease of movement around the bow, anchor locker, and front cooler in your boat, and, 2) you will need to find another way to cleat an anchor line at the bow.
For these, and aesthetic reasons as well, I have now completely redesigned my trolling motor mount. I still use the quick release plate for the motor, but I have removed the original fiberglass on the starboard side bow gunnel, installed an aluminum plate inside larger than the hole made removing the original glass on the gunnel, re-glassed the cutout over the plate and built up a fiberglass block that adds enough height under the quick-mount to allow the motor to clear the fiberglass lip originally used to snap mooring covers on the boat.
Now, the trolling motor will be mounted along the starboard side gunnel and deploy over the bow in a much more conventional manner. There is no access lost in the bow interior, and the anchor locker can be accessed. I have installed a cleat for anchoring in the old bow bitt location on the center of the bow.
I also have installed under deck wiring to a plug for the trolling motor power supply located in the rise of the deck just forward of the front cooler seat facing back to the stern. I have my 2 trolling motor batteries wired from within the console, and a charger for them mounted under the console with a 110 V receptacle on the side of the console that allows me to plug in the female end of an extension cord to charge the batteries.
This project was not simple, and I will have pictures of the completed project pretty soon. I have the boat in Palacios, about 150 miles from my location here, so I can't take any pictures at the moment, but I will post them ASAP. I do have all the pictures of the boat being restored up to last November at this link :
There are no pictures of the new design mount here, as this was not completed at the last picture session. The boat didn't even have the rubrails and decals then. If you look carefully at the pictures of the boat after the new trailer, you can see the quick-mount in the center of the bow on that trailer, and there is a photo of the stripped boat that still has the quick-mount block on the bow as well.
Can I ask you about the thrust on your trolling motor? It would seem as though 55 lbs. is enough and that makes things a lot simpler with only a single battery. Are you using 55 lbs or something larger?Thanks.
