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1982 Boston Whaler Newport 17'

I have no idea where to mount a trolling motor. Have not bought one yet. I am sure this is a popular subject for whaler owners. I have a newport. Id like to see pictures of where all you guys mounted your trolling motors. Anyone got any pics they can share or send me somewhere that can help me?

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Electric or gas powered?

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Ill be mounting an electric trolling motor in an effort to sneak up on Redfish in these north florida bays

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flboy, check my Personal page I have a couple of mounts that I have used . What I would suggest is mounting it on the front for those windy days. If you do not mind spending the money the remote steering is very handy. 12v system runs up to about 55# of thrust .If you do not mind two batteries 24v system may be the ticket.BG

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I've committed myself to a bow mounted Minn-Kota Riptide SP 55 with copilot and autopilot. I've spent the past year researchig the subject. I've got all my power work installed and I'm getting ready to drill he holes and mount the motor. I have a 13 Sport. My 12V trolling battery is under the helm seat on the port side. I went through the extraq effort to bury the wiring in the hull, I also installed an on board charging system.

I don't have any pictures of mine yet but I have tried to attach one of a Montauk that inspired mine.

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Burtim,

I think the attach feature of the site is messed up. Can you post a link to your inspiration

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Flboy, I have had mine on the bow of my Montauk for a couple years now and it works great. It was previously just screwed in but since I am in the process of a redo I changed my approach and through bolted it with 1/2" stainless rods and 1/4 x 20 stainless bolts. Rods are behind the plywood creating a sandwich that would have to tear out the bow to fail. I had to do some glass repair in the area anyway so along came this idea. Pics of how it was done are on my project page. Good luck!

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This maybe another option for you. Take a look at my personal page. I have a montauk with a bow mounted trolling motor.


thanks,

Todd

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those are two very good places for me to start (refering to the last 2 posts)

I have alot of planning to do.

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OK. I am sorry I had problems with the images. I got tired of that so I uploaded them to my personal page. Take a look, these are some great examples.

You need to use the removable mount that Minn-Kota makes for this to work. I am planning on adding a 1/2" plate made of HDPE plastic under the center "puck" of the mount so everything will clear the bow rail. This is shown in the last image. None of these pictures are of my boat, but, mine will be similar.

The factory says, at least on my newer boat, there is phenolic board under the mounting location. With mine, they say I can simply drill and tap the screw holes. They claim that has been designed to carry the expected load. Sealing with 3M 5200 will keep water out.

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Those are some great trolling motor installations!
I have an '84 17' Montauk that I am in the process of restoring. Just started sanding all the crazing out of the gelcoat and of course it is all in areas with lots of compound curves(should be fun fairing all that back in!)
burtim, how are you pulling cable through the hull... where are you starting the run and what are you using to snake it through the foam?
Anyone else run heavy gauge wiring to a trolling motor?

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My trolling motor cable just lays across the floor and plugs into the fitting on the front of the console. I am also redoing my 83 right now and considered running the cables in the rub rail then flush mounting the female plug in the vertical directly below the trolling motor. Thinkin it might be more trouble than it is worth since my other method works very well as it is not in use all the time.

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I use to install cable for a living, so I have some tricks.

One advantage I have is that there is a 6" stereo speaker just forward of the center seat on each side. I went ahead and pulled that so I could investigate the hull. The hole for it was big enough to give me a good place to work from. It was essential to have a homing device/cable tracer like a "fox and hound". You can get them at Home Depot for $100 or so. I used a piece of 1/4" threaded rod with a handle bent into one end and a point on the other to assist in getting it to slide into the foam. I made the point with a grinder. At the sharp end I used electrical tape to add a 2' long piece of thin rope. It is important to have a slight bend in the rod so you can steer it by rotation. As I shoved it in I checked my progress every few inches with the tracer. When I was within a few inches of my destination, I went ahead and drilled for my receptacle. I used the MARINCO trolling motor jack with flip off cover. I pulled the rod back out while pulling in the wires with the rope tied to them through the receptacle hole. After they were at the speaker location, it was just a few inches to get back under the seat and follow that to the circuit breaker and battery. I also mounted a PRO MARINER 100 dual battery charger under the helm. I chose the Group 27 Cabelas sealed AGM battery because I like the housing and spec's relative to some others I saw. It will be mounted in a tray and strapped down with a Yeti heavy duty strap with stainless cam lock on the floor when I am done.

In a few weeks, I will try to document the entire process and post it to the site.

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That's Awesome burtim! I was thinking of how to mount speakers without having them in the console so you answered two questions for me.

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I am a new member of Whaler Central, I own a BW Montauk 17 since 1993, original owner.
I am looking at buying a trolling electric motor and I need information about choosing the right model. Main use will be trolling for trout and small bass fishing (fresh water lake).
Bow or transom model? Minn Kota now offers a transom model, is it OK for a Montauk 17?
For a bow model:
12 or 24v?
55-65-70 thrust?
Shaft lenght? Is 42" long enough on a Montauk 17 (bow)
installation)?
Thanks,
PierreP
PS I sent a similar message to Barryg but I am not sure if worked.

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I think I speak for everyone when I say we would like to see pics of your setup when you get it complete

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I share all your questions. My boat is the same size too. Newport Whaler 17. We have a few hurdles.

1. Transom Mount Versus Bow
2. What pound thrust at a minimum
3. Wires on the deck or run through hull, if hull, "how to"

I do know that I do not want a foot pedal. I do lots of salt water fishing and they just dont last.
I do not mind using my hand to guide the motor. I do however have an interest in the wireless
remote but not until I hear lots of success stories...

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I have a 85' 13 ss and want to put a trolling motor on the front. I was hoping to pull the power wire through the rub rail. Are you putting yours in the hull for any reason? Is the rub rail not an option?

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On the question of bow versus transom mount thats easy// bow. With the wind its hard to work a transom mount without the front end blowing around especialy on a Montauk .

I think 55 pounds is the max for a 12v system. This works well for the lakes.
When you add current and wind you may need to go up to 24v. In salt,current, and wind 24v is the way to go. Anything heavier than a Montauk it is a must in salt.

Shaft length on the TM for a Montauk I would not go less than 48" why not have a little extra?

The wirless remote I will never be without. Never have had trouble with it and it is like having an extra hand on the boat ( I use the wrist band). Add co-pilot and auto-pilot and you are in business.

Remember this is only my humble opinion . BG

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"Are you putting yours in the hull for any reason? Is the rub rail not an option?"

The rub rail is always an option. I already had a dealer installed stereo, so they got me started on the idea. In the end, the hull location is as permanent as anything else, it won't have to be in the way when the rub rail is re-done in the future (they always take a beating and need to be replaced at some point).

I've tested my installation and will soon be posting pictures to my personal page. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out and how it well it works for me.

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Barry,
In your pictures I see 1 installation without a bow rail and another with.
If it works with bow rails does it mean the motor can be moved up and down under the rail?
Can the motor be installed on the right as well as on the left side of the bow?
More pictures of the whole installation with cables and battery would be instructive.
Thanks, PierreP

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Pierre , check my Persoanl P and I have loaded some new photo's . THe last pic is what you may try with the position. I have mounted the TM on both sides and it does not make a difference. The quick connect for the power cord and TM is useful if you would like to remove it for more room.Hope this helps. BG