MONTAUK 17 Trolling Motor Mount: Seven Questions

[Shin09]

I want to install a bow-mounted trolling motor on my classic-era MONTAUK 17. I have poured over old threads.

Q1: [can a trolling motor be] successfully [mounted to the bow of a MONTAUK 17] using only wood screws into the embedded wood in the bow step?

Q2: what size screws [should be used to successfully fasten a trolling motor mount to the embedded wood in the bow of a MONTAUK 17]?

Q3: if toggle bolts [were to be used to fasten a trolling motor mount to the bow of a MONTAUK 17], should the cavity be back filled to keep it sealed?

ASIDE
To me it looks like most silicone sealants are aerobically cured and would not cure once in a deep hole under the surface. With epoxy [resin used to fill a deep hole], I would be concerned with gluing-in the fastener.

Q4: are there tricks [to use to seal a toggle bolt fastener that secures a trolling motor mount on the bow of a MONTAUK 17]?

Q5: can [a deep hole in the bow of a MONTAUK 17 where a toggle bolt is used to mount a trolling motor be filled by] spraying in foam to fill the void and then use a silicone [sealant] near the top [of the hole] to [create a] seal?

ASIDE
In some prior threads I see mention of an “epoxy puck” method [of creating a reinforced area in a Unibond hull to hold a threaded fastener]. To me it seems that now toggle bolts have supplanted [the epoxy puck method as the best way to install a fastener].

Q6: if an epoxy puck is created below the hull surface of a Unibond hull to create a strong area for holding a screw fastener, what size machine screw should be used for the fastener to hold a trolling motor mount on the bow step of a MONTAUK 17?

Q7: if an epoxy puck is created [below the hull surface of a Unibond hull on a MONTAUK 17 in order to create a strong area for holding a screw fastener for a trolling motor mount], how deep should the epoxy puck be?

[jimh]

If there is already wood embedded in the Unibond hull of a Boston Whaler at some particular area, then I don't think that creating a below-surface epoxy resin puck would be workable at that area for this reason: removing the wood below the deck surface to create a void to be filled with epoxy resin would be much more difficult than when the epoxy puck method is used to create a reinforcement in an area where there is only foam, because removing the foam will be much easier to accomplish than removing the wood when you are limited to working through a small hole in the gel coat and laminate layers.

See this prior discussion regarding how a below-deck epoxy puck is created:

Repair of Loose Screw Fasteners
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... 224#p18406

[Shin09]

I hadn’t thought about that challenge [in making an epoxy annulus if it is to be located] under [embedded] wood [reinforcements]. I just assumed people were doing it there.

To me toggle bolts seem like the best choice for [fasteners for mounting] any [electric trolling motor with a thrust rating of over] 55-lbs.

The pull-out strength of lag screws is definitely border line by my back-of-the-napkin engineering.

[jimh]

If, as you have mentioned twice, you believe that using a toggle bolt is the best method to fasten a mount for a trolling motor to the bow step of a MONTAUK 17, then that method may work best for you.