Trolling Motor Recommendations

Stevez

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I've searched a lot here and elsewhere for recommendations on trolling motors. There are a lot of good recommendations about size/thrust, etc. My question is that I want a bow mounted trolling motor that I can remove fairly easily as I won't be fishing all the time. I had one years ago that generally fit the bill, but I'm more interested in something with a quick release and low profile. I'd prefer to not have a large base on the front of the boat.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated. Thanks. Steve
 
I've searched a lot here and elsewhere for recommendations on trolling motors. There are a lot of good recommendations about size/thrust, etc. My question is that I want a bow mounted trolling motor that I can remove fairly easily as I won't be fishing all the time. I had one years ago that generally fit the bill, but I'm more interested in something with a quick release and low profile. I'd prefer to not have a large base on the front of the boat.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated. Thanks. Steve
Steve, what boat do you have?
 
Steve, my boat is a 22SSXAPG, so smaller than yours.

Mine has a 68 lb thrust 24 volt Minn Kota foot controlled powerdrive pontoon model. I have not been able to test it yet, but was told it works well on this boat. I'll let you know if I think this has enough power for my boat once I try it out, but that probably won't be till the end of March. However, my gut tells me you need more power for a 25 foot boat.

My motor removes easily and I have put it on and taken it off a few times to test this out. There is a mount attached on the bow of my boat just a bit off center to starboard. It does not get in the way when getting on or off the boat, but you can stub your toes on it if not careful. I've attached a few pictures to show where it is mounted, both on the deck and below to give you mounting ideas. The picture under the deck shows the bolts for the mount, plus the wiring where the motor plugs in on top. The side view picture is the only one I have that shows the mount itself and I circled the mount and the motor plug receptacle.

How many lbs of thrust do you think you need for your boat? You might want to look at the Minn Kota Terrova and MotorGuide Xi5 series trolling motors. I think you can get quick release mounting brackets for these motors and the motors are available in higher lb thrusts that my 68 lb.

MK Troll Mtr.jpg MK Troll Under Mount.jpg Motor Mount.jpg
 
Thanks Mike. I like your set-up as it doesn't look that intrusive. Like you say, I'm sure walking around you could stub a toe but all in all, just the base plate looks fine there. I'm thinking I need a minimum of 80lb thrust and have been looking at the Terrova especially. Trying to stay within 24 volt system. Thanks again for your feedback and posting the pictures. Does help me! Steve
 
I have Minn Kota Terrova mounted on quick release on the right front SIDE of my tritoon. No need to remove as it isn't in the way. Front gate opens fine, no problem with it mounted on the side. Several posts here with pictures, do a search. My two cents.
Have fun be safe
 
We had an 80 lb thrust Minnkota on a 25 ft deck boat and on moderately windy days it wasn’t enough to hold the boat. We now have a 24 ft Bennington and went to a Minnkota Ulterra 112 lb. it is a 36 volt system and holds and moves the boat well. I used their quick release mount along with a plug for quick removal. If you like you can look at my post “trolling motor added”
 
We had an 80 lb thrust Minnkota on a 25 ft deck boat and on moderately windy days it wasn’t enough to hold the boat. We now have a 24 ft Bennington and went to a Minnkota Ulterra 112 lb. it is a 36 volt system and holds and moves the boat well. I used their quick release mount along with a plug for quick removal. If you like you can look at my post “trolling motor added”

Thanks Richard. I had seen yours before and like it very much. So far I'd say I'm leaning towards that kind of set-up. I'm also convinced I'll need at least a 100 lbs thrust. Thanks much.
 
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