I have a 55-lbs Minn Kota Terrova trolling motor with a 54-inch shaft and quick release bracket. [On my 150 SPORT boat] the bow rail has been cut, so there's no conflict there. The wood plan [for the 150 SPORT] shows 1/2-inch plywood below the step pad, and all four holes of the mount are over the plywood. There is a small part of the motor base that will hang aft of the step pad.
To clear the rub rail, I have several simple rubber grommets (about 1/2-inch thick total) which I intend to thread on the lag screws to raise the mount just enough so that the front part sits on the rub rail and the rear is level. My concern is the mounting.
Are four lag screws threaded through the deck and plywood adequate [to mount a Minn-Kota TERROVA trolling motor to the 150 SPORT]?
I have considered adding some thickness with plywood or starboard, but absent through-hull bolting which would involve accessing the underside of the deck, which I'd obviously like to avoid, I am not sure of the advantage of adding thickness to the above deck area. Thank you.
150 Sport Mounting Trolling Motor at Bow
Re: 150 Sport Mounting Trolling Motor at Bow
Jim, thank you for the edits. Do you have any suggestions?
I did talk to Minn Kota this morning, and they felt that lagging the bracket through 1/2" of plywood with the isolating rubber grommets would be a solid installation. I have a feeling some with experience may disagree, while others have found lagging to work.
I did talk to Minn Kota this morning, and they felt that lagging the bracket through 1/2" of plywood with the isolating rubber grommets would be a solid installation. I have a feeling some with experience may disagree, while others have found lagging to work.
Re: 150 Sport Mounting Trolling Motor at Bow
If there is doubt about the strength of the attachment of the base of the trolling motor to the hull, I recommend contacting Boston Whaler customer service to solicit their advice and their procedure when installing a factory-option trolling motor. I really have no experience with attachment of trolling motors to the bow of a boat as is proposed here, so I cannot offer any advice.
Re: 150 Sport Mounting Trolling Motor at Bow
LCnSac wrote:Jim, thank you for the edits. Do you have any suggestions?
I did talk to Minn Kota this morning, and they felt that lagging the bracket through 1/2" of plywood with the isolating rubber grommets would be a solid installation. I have a feeling some with experience may disagree, while others have found lagging to work.
Hi, I also have a 150SS and really want to install a bow mount trolling motor on it. How did your installation turn out? Did you install another battery, and if so, where did you put the battery? Any chance you could post a picture?
THANKS!
Re: 150 Sport Mounting Trolling Motor at Bow
I think my installation turned out great, and once I get this mess of a craft cleaned up I'll post a few pics as I'm getting near the end of the work. I thought I knew more than the charts about the pilot hole size, snapped a lag bolt in the too small pilot hole, had to drill that out, but it all ended up solid, level, and seemingly rock solid. I am adding a RAM trolling motor shaft holder with a rail mount that should make the assembly quite solid while underway.
My concern for you would be your model, year, and wood plan. It's my understanding that the model years 2009 and forward have no wood in the foredeck. It would seem that would call for a through hull mounting, which might not be too hard if the hull taper is similar to mine, and it may not be. I would definitely talk to a Boston Whaler dealer before I invested any money. I know at the time of the model change our local dealer did not have a solution he liked. There may be a rail mount option now as well, with some cutting and fabricating.
As an aside, I'm embarrassed to say that after all the planning and template work and discussion, I had to abandon the casting deck as it just put the center of gravity too high for safety, given the expected wave amplitude, as I would rarely be sitting, but standing. It didn't feel right. I could have discovered that earlier, but have beat myself up enough already to the point I can laugh at myself now.
I am in the process of installing a house battery now under the console, next to the starting battery. I'm doing the installation as suggested here--drilling 3/8" holes through the deck into the foam, then filling with Marine Tex then re-drilling smaller pilot holes for the metal screws for the battery tie down.
My concern for you would be your model, year, and wood plan. It's my understanding that the model years 2009 and forward have no wood in the foredeck. It would seem that would call for a through hull mounting, which might not be too hard if the hull taper is similar to mine, and it may not be. I would definitely talk to a Boston Whaler dealer before I invested any money. I know at the time of the model change our local dealer did not have a solution he liked. There may be a rail mount option now as well, with some cutting and fabricating.
As an aside, I'm embarrassed to say that after all the planning and template work and discussion, I had to abandon the casting deck as it just put the center of gravity too high for safety, given the expected wave amplitude, as I would rarely be sitting, but standing. It didn't feel right. I could have discovered that earlier, but have beat myself up enough already to the point I can laugh at myself now.
I am in the process of installing a house battery now under the console, next to the starting battery. I'm doing the installation as suggested here--drilling 3/8" holes through the deck into the foam, then filling with Marine Tex then re-drilling smaller pilot holes for the metal screws for the battery tie down.