# Sketch Idea for Mounting Trolling Motor to the bow



## mcontrer82 (Apr 26, 2012)

Hey guys, I have a 14ft alumacraft and I have a transom mount trolling motor that I want to mount to the bow. I know there are several posts on this topic. I do not have a deck so I was trying to figure out how to mount the motor to the boat itself. Let me know what you think about my idea and sketch. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks. 

Here is what I am thinking. I was going to using carpeted 2x4's. I would mount one to the the bow of the boat, vertically. I would cut an angle into the front of the 2x4 to fit up against the front of the boat. I would mount it using toggle bolts like I did with the plywood to my bench seats. Then I would use an angled bracket to attach another plywood going up from there. Then I would use two flat brackets to attach a small horizontal piece of 2x4 to actually mount the motor to. Here is the sketch.


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## carrothead (Apr 26, 2012)

I'm currently planning on doing the same thing to my boat. Although I'm just going to put a piece of plywood flat across the front of the boat the same shape as the existing front seat. I'm just going to build a mount and carpet it to match the front carpeted plywood. It will be a 2x4 about 6" long and a 2x4 about 4" high with a triangular side gusset out of ply so it ends up looking a lot like a standard bow mount that's carpeted. I'm also gonna mount a Big Foot switch and run it to where I can operate my motor like a bow mount would. It should work out great.


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## Gramps50 (Apr 26, 2012)

My trolling motor mounts simular to what you show in your picture, my is not wood but an aluminum block. The block is bolted to the bow with some aluminum straps.

If I get home before dark tomorrow I will take a picture and post it for you to see, might make it a little clearer.


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## MOE (Apr 27, 2012)

I'm eventually going to do the same with mine. The connections between the different boards are going to be your weak points. I would only have one place where angle brackets are used. You could use a 4x4 instead of a 2x4 if needed to get it higher. And remember, the front of the vertical 2x4 (the small one the the troller mounts on) needs to be flush with the front of the boat. So you may need to use a 4x4 or whatever to block it up, and mount your 2 2x4s on it. I will try and upload a pdf a little drawing I just threw together for you.

View attachment all Model (1).pdf


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## nomowork (Apr 27, 2012)

I moved my transom mounted trolling motor to the bow using a steel universal trolling motor mount I bought at Bass Pro Shop. The only problem was the trolling motor shaft wasn't long enough. The prop was in the water but not deep enough to pull the boat.


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## carrothead (Apr 28, 2012)

This is what I was trying to explain. If you needed extra height you could just use a thicker base board to get it level with the front of the boat. Should look WAY cleaner than the original sketch you had and also be just as strong. Just screw it down to the boat on all the sides.


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## Gramps50 (Apr 28, 2012)

This setup was on the boat when I bought it and works fine with the trolling motor that came with the boat.

This is from the front. the whole thing is aluminum, I don't think it is solid as there's a weld all the way around it. I'm guessing that it's 1/4" stock welded together to form the block.



The back has a SS strap to stabilize it.



Here you can see it with the TM mounted.



When I haul and store the boat I take the TM off and lay it on the front deck.


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## Gramps50 (Apr 28, 2012)

MOE said:


> I'm eventually going to do the same with mine. The connections between the different boards are going to be your weak points. I would only have one place where angle brackets are used. You could use a 4x4 instead of a 2x4 if needed to get it higher. And remember, the front of the vertical 2x4 (the small one the the troller mounts on) needs to be flush with the front of the boat. So you may need to use a 4x4 or whatever to block it up, and mount your 2 2x4s on it. I will try and upload a pdf a little drawing I just threw together for you.


 
Nice drawing wish I could do stuff like that. I'm not sure about the angle bracket I don't think that it is going to add much strength to the block for the motor mount. I would gusset it on each side instead or run some strapping from the top to the bottom. That would make it stronger.


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## richg99 (Apr 28, 2012)

Just a few thoughts....

I agree with the poster who felt two joiners were problematic. I'd think one very large... L.... bracket could be drilled to accommodate both horizontal and vertical plates. Fewer pieces, fewer joints, less chance of problems in the future. 

I lost a trolling motor once because I didn't think of all of the dumb/wrong things that I could do with it on the boat.

I prefer wood over metal for the plate because the screw type clamps can dig into the wood. If I used metal, I'd probably drill it and put a "keeper screw" into each side.

Looking good, keep us posted on your progress. rich


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## LA_Gas_Man (Apr 29, 2012)

I took my boat to a welding shop and he welded a piece of aluminum on the bow to mount my troll motor. Works and looks great. It took about 20 minutes. $50 total.


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## mcontrer82 (Apr 30, 2012)

Hey guys, thanks for all of the great ideas. Now, I am going to have to think about this again and see which way I want to go.


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## nlester (Apr 30, 2012)

I tried some of the same ideas with my jon boat but I am happiest with a chunk of rubber cut from a piece of rubber cut from a trailer bow stop to match the slope of my bow and two pieces of rubber on the screw in clamps inside the boat. Nothing mounted to the boat, everything glued to the trolling motor mount.


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## chattahoochee (Apr 30, 2012)

Hello, new guy here. Here is my transom mount TM on a rig I made up. 3 peices of 1/2" ply are glued together with Tite-Bond, corners rounded. 4 SS bolts and lock nuts hold the wood to the corner brackets. I got the brackets from Home Depot (or Lowes) and painted. I will get better pics tomorrow. I will try to find the brackets on the web.


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## chattahoochee (Apr 30, 2012)

This is the bracket, it may not look like much but its had a 36# Minn Kota pulling a 1648 SmokerCraft for 3 years and hasnt budged, I've had to replace the wood but not the bracket.


https://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202034217/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=3%22+corner&storeId=10051


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## mcontrer82 (Apr 30, 2012)

Hey chattahoochee, I really like your idea. I was wondering what did you use to mount the brackets to the boat?


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## chattahoochee (Apr 30, 2012)

mcontrer82 said:


> Hey chattahoochee, I really like your idea. I was wondering what did you use to mount the brackets to the boat?



4 stainless bolts with washers where they would fit and lock nuts. The price is extremely hard to beat. I will get you some better pictures tomorrow.


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## nlester (May 1, 2012)

One problem, many solutions, good ideas and they all work. They all get the motor on the bow. I agree, I like wood or rubber for the screw clamps to dig into.

I have been using the big foot switch for 2 years now and I like it. I use it to get more time out of my battery.

I have a speed coil trolling motor because it is cheaper but it wastes voltage because it allows the boat to move at a slow speed by the speed coil acting as a resistor and burning up part of the voltage as heat instead of power. A digital trolling motor rapidily turns the voltage off and on so that the full voltage is used all the time as power but the motor does not run all the time. It cyles on and off so voltage is used a power instead of wasted as heat

I can't afford a digital motor but I use my big foot switch as a poor man's digital control. It may be hard on the motor but I leave my motor set at the fastest speed of 5 all the time and control my speed by switching the motor off and on with the big foot switch. I get a lot more time out of the battery. It also helps me keep on a spot because when I start drifting I just click the motor on with my foot and move back into position, no hands.


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## richg99 (May 1, 2012)

Why Trolling motor manufacturers don't make a Big Foot switch ( or something like it ) an "automatic" offered accessory on their motors is a mystery. 

I guess they want us to spend a $1,000.00 for a bigger and more controllable TM. 

Big Foot's are GREAT. Rich


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## MOE (May 1, 2012)

chattahoochee said:


> This is the bracket, it may not look like much but its had a 36# Minn Kota pulling a 1648 SmokerCraft for 3 years and hasnt budged, I've had to replace the wood but not the bracket.
> 
> 
> https://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202034217/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=3%22+corner&storeId=10051


I like that better than angle brackets


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## chattahoochee (May 2, 2012)

I have the Bigfoot switch also. 

Here are some better pictures. You can see 1 of the 4 SS screws holding it to the boat. The bends on the sides of that bracket make it really stiff. One of the screw down clamps stripped out so I lag bolted it to the wood block and cut off the remaining bit of the clamp because it was hanging my wires.


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## xbacksideslider (May 2, 2012)

This applies to bow mounting a typical transom mount TM 
See pics 3 and 12 of my photobucket, linked below.

One reason everyone wants to fabricate a bracket is that the gunnel and hull at the bow, unlike at the stern, are not vertical, they are not at approximate right angles to the water - they are sloped.

That said, there is usually some angle adjustment in the TM transom clamp assembly and usually the clamp screws of the TM will open wide enough to fit over the gunnel.

So, use a table saw to cut blocks of wood to the thickness that you want and glue them to the hull just below and flush with the gunnel. My TM has enough angle adjustment to cut the blocks without any angle at all - just parallel, but the table saw could be used of course to get any angle you want.

Now you can clamp the trolling motor directly to these blocks (one inside, one outside) that are directly bearing on the hull. The blocks are notched slightly so they lay flush to the hull and fit over the edge of the gunnel extrusion. I used hardwood and a thin coat of silicone seal; no way those blocks are coming off short of a pry bar yet I can "go back to stock" in 5 minutes.

.


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## richg99 (May 2, 2012)

Very nice XB...You are correct, everyone wants to put the TM as far forward as they can. Sometimes you've got to put it where you can use it. The very slight loss of efficiency affects almost nothing the way we use our boats. Well done! Rich


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## mcontrer82 (May 10, 2012)

Hey guys, I found this on the AK McCallum Co website. Has anyone tried this? If so, how did it work? The description on the website says the following:

Trolling Motor Mount 
Custom Design & manufactured for A.K. This mount makes it possible to mount a transom mount motor on the bow or gunnel of most jon boats. It also makes mounting flounder lights easy. Made of marine starboard with stainless steel fasteners. Has rubber strips that fit inside clamp to fit almost any gunnel.


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## mcontrer82 (May 10, 2012)

Here's another picture..


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## MOE (May 11, 2012)

xbacksideslider said:


> This applies to bow mounting a typical transom mount TM
> See pics 3 and 12 of my photobucket, linked below.
> 
> One reason everyone wants to fabricate a bracket is that the gunnel and hull at the bow, unlike at the stern, are not vertical, they are not at approximate right angles to the water - they are sloped.
> ...


Very nice! =D> I think your idea will be best for me because I can put it in reach of the front bench.


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## nlester (Jun 10, 2012)

Consider the pros and cons of brackets that mount the trolling motor above the top of the boat vs. a bracket that allows the trolling motor to mount at the top of the gunnels like it does on the transom. The higher the bracket, the futher to the water for the prop. 
Until I burnt my old motor up by not having a circuit breaker, its 30" shaft barely put the prop below the water line because of the raised bow on my modified V hull. Any wave action would cause the prop to come up out of the water. My new motor has a 36” shaft and does not have that problem. The 30” shaft was usable but the 36” shaft gives me more options.
I recommend the Minn Kota 34# transom motor with the 36" shaft from Cabela’s for $119. It is a good buy for the money.
Also a bow mounted trolling motor needs an outboard or a rudder in the water at the transom to make the boat track true with a trolling motor on the bow. Without something in the water at the transom, the boat will crab walk sideways. I have a clamp on rudder for the days I want to leave my outboard at home.
I also loosely tie my trolling motor to a cleat on the bow, ever since a friend broke his factory mounting braket and wound up hanging on to the trolling motor with one hand while he tried to turn it off with the other hand.


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## xbacksideslider (Jun 15, 2012)

If you are "crabbing" then it might be that your shaft is not long enough to place the horizontal line of the prop's thrust below the keel; that is, the thrust is confined to one side of the boat.


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