Bow-mount Trolling Motor Installation and Wiring

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
B.E.Coyote
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Bow-mount Trolling Motor Installation and Wiring

Postby B.E.Coyote » Tue Dec 18, 2018 6:44 pm

I want to put an 80-lbs-thrust Minn Kota iPilot [electric trolling motor] on my 2000 Dauntless 16.

If I add a small, round, pry-out hatch [at the location that appears highlighted in the image below] could I reach in to put nuts on from the inside?

[The OP has removed the images that he relied upon to ask his questions. Images hosted elsewhere are subject to disappearing, as has occurred here--Moderator]

Does [the rubber tapered cable grommet] under the helm [shown in the photograph below] lead to the bow, where I could fish wires through to the front?

[The OP has removed the images that he relied upon to ask his questions. Images hosted elsewhere are subject to disappearing, as has occurred here--Moderator]


A fish tape only seems to go in a foot or two.

How is everyone getting the wiring [for a bow-mounted trolling motor from somewhere to] up front?
2001 Dauntless 160
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Phil T
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Re: Dauntless 16 Bow mount trolling motor questions

Postby Phil T » Tue Dec 18, 2018 7:00 pm

Any Boston Whaler boat that has a trolling motor panel came with the factory option, if available.

The entire hull, gunwales, and bow area are foam-filled, so cutting an inspection port is not recommended.

If you do a search on "bow trolling install" you will find that most owners installed a slide mount. This was through-bolted using the lip, near the rub rail. The second set of fasteners were lag screws into an area of reinforcement or helicoil inserts that were installed. Make sure any fasteners have sealant under the heads to prevent water infiltration.

It is not possible to run wiring in the hull or via the rub rail.

The highly recommended approach is to install batteries in the console, wired to a receptacle [socket] installed on the outside console wall. The short pigtail wire from the motor will need a female plug installed. A heavy duty "extension cord" of the proper gauge wire is fabricated with male connectors on both ends.

When deployed, the extension cord is connected to the console outlet and the motor. When not in use it is stowed in the console.
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B.E.Coyote
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Re: Dauntless 16 Bow mount trolling motor questions

Postby B.E.Coyote » Wed Dec 19, 2018 8:38 am

If the fishing package was not ordered originally, did Boston Whaler delete the conduit?

I did some more digging and that grommet would indeed be where the wires ran if there were a conduit.

I pulled up the diagrams on WHALER.COM. [The diagrams from WHALER.COM] show the grommet and conduit on it. [The diagrams are] not really saying that it would not be there on a standard model. I sent Boston Whaler an email to verify.

Why put the grommet in if it doesn't go anywhere?

I hope there is a tidy way to do this.

I will run the wires like you suggested if there isn't.

Phil--thanks for the reply.
2001 Dauntless 160
Virginia Beach

jimh
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Re: Dauntless 16 Bow-mount Trolling Motor

Postby jimh » Wed Dec 19, 2018 9:47 am

Re the gender of an electrical connector that provides a source of power:

In standard practice, electrical power is usually provided on connectors whose contacts have a female gender. It would not be a standard practice to make an extension cord with a connectors at each end that had male gender. Once the extension cord was connected to the source of electrical power, the far end of the cord would then have exposed male contacts with electrical power on them. Such an arrangement creates a situation where the exposed male contacts could be short-circuited together if they came in contact with some other electrical conductor by accident.

If an electric trolling motor it to be semi-permanently installed at the bow of the boat, and the wiring is to be removable so as to clear the foredeck when the trolling motor is not in use, the connector at the trolling motor should have a male-gender contact, and the extension cord for running from the bow to the console power outlet should have a female contact at the bow end and a male contact at the console end. At the console, the power outlet should have a female contact.

B.E.Coyote
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Re: Dauntless 16 Bow-mount Trolling Motor

Postby B.E.Coyote » Wed Dec 19, 2018 9:47 am

Got this back from Boston Whaler in response to my asking about whether a 16 Dauntless without the fishing package still had the rigging tube and reinforced mounting area.

Boston Whaler Email wrote:Yes, the 2000 16' Dauntless has the phenolic material molded into the hull to reinforce the installation of a bow mounted trolling motor.

Attached is a wood locating diagram for your boat. Treat the phenolic material as you would aluminum. Drill a hole, tap in threads and use machine screws to mount the bracket. (#21 on the wood diagram).

There is a rigging tube molded into every 16' Dauntless hull. If needed, you can order a trolling motor panel through your nearest Boston Whaler dealer (sorry, no factory direct sales).


[I sent a reply with] a follow up question [asking if] that conduit has any plugs [obstructions] from the factory [which might] explain why my fish tape didn't want to go through very far.
2001 Dauntless 160
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jimh
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Re: Bow-mount Trolling Motor Installation and Wiring

Postby jimh » Wed Dec 19, 2018 10:10 am

Refer to the Boston Whaler drawing PJ885021, available for download from Boston Whaler as "160-Dauntless-Thru-Hulls-and-Outfit-Sheet-1-of-2."

Refer to the cross-section detail view at callout 3B. See note: "2.50 DIA THRU WIRE/CABLE PASSAGE."

Refer to the parts list identified as 160-Dauntless-Thru-Hulls-and-Outfit-Parts-List-2000, at CALLOUT 37. See description "GROMMET O/B HARNESS 3" BLACK."

The difficulty in using an embedded rigging conduit will be in locating the far end of the conduit. Also, if the conduit appears to be blocked within two feet of the opening in the fuel tank cavity at the helm area, there may be some obstruction in the conduit that has to be removed. Perhaps the far end of the conduit was not sealed off during the process of instilling foam into the hull, and foam has expanded and grown into the conduit. Without some expert knowledge and instructions, locating the far end of the conduit and exposing it could be a difficult job.