Bow Mount Trolling motors on Jon Boats

[Esoxman]

I modified my 14' Jon boat a few years ago and built the front platform for the trolling motor.

Here are a couple of pictures that may help, or give you some ideas of your own.

Good luck with yours.

Rich

[ttabaleulb]

Cool, thanks for throwin some pics in there too. We have a little bit different of a design on the deck, but you have yours installed in the same position that I plan to do mine. Do you have any issues seeing over your TM when you are not using it? Also, any tracking issues since you have it mounted to one side? Those are really the only concerns I had when mounting it completely on one side or the other.

I seem to fish mainly off the front, or the port side for some reason. So I figure having it starboard side should still offer me maximum deck space.

Damn, I really cannot wait to get on the water!! Not only has cabin fever knocked the bejesus out of me but the new trolling motor with i-Pilot has the potential to make it feel like I'm fishing in a new boat this year. Plus, with the Universal Sonar, I can finally have a display right up on the bow with me to really key in on structure and edges!! And of course, the start of a new season always has the blood pumpin like crazy!! Bring on the toothy critters!!! Ok, I think I've officially gone off the Esox edge!!

[lowbidder]

Gotta love that enthusiasm!

Jay,
Maybe if you posted a picture of the deck, we could get an idea. I'm not sure what your deck/bow looks like, but the nice thing about the powerdrive / Terrova is that you can mount it at any angle (you're only limited to the shaft length in the stowed position) and the shaft will just keep rotating (it knows no center). Mine is on a 45 degree angle, but the motor still deploys almost directly in the middle making it track like a champ. I would try to mount it at the steepest angle possible to maximize your deck space, without making the motor stick out too far.

I got another idea. Take a swivel downrigger mount and then piggyback the trolling motor onto downrigger mount. swing it straight back during stow, then swing it 60 degrees sideways to deploy! That would be sweet. Haha.

[Esoxman]

Cool, thanks for throwin some pics in there too. We have a little bit different of a design on the deck, but you have yours installed in the same position that I plan to do mine. Do you have any issues seeing over your TM when you are not using it? Also, any tracking issues since you have it mounted to one side? Those are really the only concerns I had when mounting it completely on one side or the other.

I seem to fish mainly off the front, or the port side for some reason. So I figure having it starboard side should still offer me maximum deck space.

The shaft is 42", and at the depth I have it set, only sticks up about a foot or so when deployed. When stowed, it lays flat and out of the way. Tracking is not a problem with the motor being set off to one side. It's not noticeable at all.

[ttabaleulb]

Ok, I hope these pics work. The first is a pic of the boat before the deck extension install. The second (not so good to show scale) shows it after having the deck installed. And just so happens to be my first Musky on the fly too. Its bascially a sheet of 3/4" plywood cut to fit and increase deck space.

[lowbidder]

Here is a quick sketch of what I would do. You have a good bit of deck space there and with the modified V, it would be easy to set this up to have the motor on an angle and not take up the whole middle of you deck.

Just so you know... it too A LOT of restaint to not pencil in the mustache, goatee and horns.

Mike

[ttabaleulb]

LMAO That would have been hilarious. But the best part is that I probably wouldn't have even noticed because my one track mind would have just been focusing only on details pertaining to fishing!!

Cool, that looks like a nice set up for the TM. Definitely an idea to keep in mind. Thanks!!


Jay

[ttabaleulb]

Just a quick update. I've had the new trolling motor out a couple of times with the i-Pilot and I'm VERY impressed so far. Having the ability to have the trolling motor follow a path on its own has been incredible and pretty damn impressive. The only issue I've had with it following a track is if the wind at your back is blowing you faster than you want to have the trolling motor running. If the motor loses the track, all you have to do is reposition and hit the track follow button again and it gets you back on course. Its a pretty slick setup.