150 Montauk Trolling Motor Mount

[jmerry]

I have a 2012 [150] Montauk with the bow rail. I may purchase a trolling motor like the Minn Kota Rip Tide ST55.

Is it possible to keep the bow railing intact and unmodified when [a trolling motor is] installed?

Does anyone have any plans and information on installing a trolling motor on a Montauk with the full bow rail?

I've looked, but can't find anything on a newer Montauk where this was done with success. I see plenty of plans for [boats] with no rails or short ones, but I can't find anything with the full [railing]. My brother-in-law says that a Whaler dealership in St. Joseph, Michigan, has indicated that they make it work by installing a bracket that extends [the trolling motor] forward enough to clear the rail, but [St. Joseph, Michigan is located] way too far from me.

I really love the way the full railing looks, and I want to do everything possible to keep it. But I have a huge need for a trolling motor. I know that modifying the bow rail is an option--or removing it outright--but I'm hoping for another solution. Seems as though, if the motor could be moved forward enough, the head would be alloed to pivot without hitting the railing--or It appears as such, anyway.

Thanks in advance!
Jay

[AZdave]

Greetings Jay, You should be able to find some descriptions and photos of bow mount trolling motors in the old forum. Here's a link to a thread I contributed to. The link to the photos is about the sixth post down. Good luck with your project. Note that this installation is on a Montauk 170. This is a minimal installation. Others have run electrical cables from the console to the bow.

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/021238.html

[jmerry]

Thanks so much for the information, Dave.

It looks like a very clean install on the 170 and there doesn't appear to be any interference with the bow rail. Do you know if [the owner of that boat] has any problems with the power head of the motor bouncing around when there's chop? Doesn't appear like there is much support when up, which would be my only concern with the installation. I do also like that there's a quick disconnect, so it would be relatively easy to pull the motor when the boat is not being used for fishing.

Any idea where I can get the [KING Starboard plastic] mount?

Thanks again!
Jay

[AZdave]

That's actually my boat.

I have not noticed that there is a lack of support for the motor when stowed. I don't mean to dismiss that concern. Most of the motor's weight is right there on the edge of the boat. You can find a number of quick release bases on Minnkota's website. Look at the accessories tab and then look at rigging.

I chose to use the plastic (KING Starboard) base because it seemed more friendly to bare feet than the extruded aluminum bases. I put an extra layer of KING Starboard under Minnkota's base to get above the rub rail.

I did not find a lot of structure when I drilled the mounting holes. There is a layer of plywood under the fiberglass. I should point out that the synthetic plastic board is polyethylene. The screws need to be reliably placed because adhesives don't bond well to this material.

[Simon]

Hi Jay--for the past three months I have been researching trolling motors to install under the bow rail. I plan on installing a Motorguide Xi5 55 with GPS. From my research I've been hearing some really good reviews over the [Minn Kota], especially the electric anchor feature. This will go on a 1987 15 foot CC.

The footprint of the Xi5 is smaller compared to most trolling motors. Also, it extends over the bow a little so that will help with avoiding the rails.

I'll post back once I get it installed in the next three weeks.

Simon

[jmerry]

Guys--thanks so much for the feedback.

Simon--I look forward to seeing pictures of the Motor Guide once installed.

For what it's worth, I've also seriously considered going the route of a stern-mount tiller motor, something like the MinnKota Traxxis 55. I know that it would not perform quite as well as a bow-mount, but there are some undeniable advantages: It can be very easily removed when not in use, a long shafted version would allow standing on the stern platform while steering (with the ability to see the depthfinder/fishfinder on the console), battery could be stored conveniently under the cockpit seat, and best of all, it would be about one-third the total cost. In addition, the placement would retain the clean bow lines of a Montauk with that beautiful rail.

One downside is mounting bracket would need to be custom fabricated, as there is no way to naturally clamp the motor to the hull on the stern. After some study, I believe that one could create a bracket made from 1/4-inch aluminum that could be married to the motor base, and spanned to the lifting hook on the port side, without drilling into the hull. Bracket could be finished off with plastic cutting board material on both sides, so as to form a white durable surface for which to clamp the motor..

[Tbranton]

Here are some photos of a front mount trolling motor on my 1988 Montauk 17. The front rail unscrews and swings back to allow the motor to be placed in the water.

[jimh]

For ideas for mounting a trolling motor on the transom of a newer Boston Whaler MONTAUK, look at the method shown in

170 MONTAUK: Auxiliary Motor Installation Directly To Transom
by Ray Dumas
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/170Auxiliary.html