Seafury

Ok, I called around and the nearest prop repair shop seems to be almost 2 hours away in Charleston SC. Local marina/shop can get me a new Solas SS in 2 days. They want $247+tax for this one. SOLAS New Saturn 12-1/2 x 13 RH 2331-125-13 stainless boat propeller (propellerdepot.com) Is that what I need or do I need another pitch for SS as someone mentioned 12 I think someone said? Yes, I will try to get mine off today or tomorrow to see what exact size it is. I will also save my old prop and try to get it repaired later to have as a spare

Thanks I will call around to see if/how soon I can get this done, and at what cost.

Pics of the final install! More pics of install! With the motor installed! More motor install pics! Final install pics!! ------------------------ The motor worked awesome and was able to hold us very well in rapid incoming tide within 3-5ft of spotlock location even between two laydowns where it was too shallow to pass until the tide got higher, then we dead floated over a fallen tree and went another 1/2mile up river to my fishing spot. This thing is a game changer! Made my fishing time SOOOOOOOO much more enjoyable and less stressful not having to constantly worry about where the boat was going! Also I can move around the boat anywhere I want and don't have to stay in the bow cockpit with that old dumb foot pedal! Best piece of fishing equipment ever, outside of having a boat itself lol. If you fish from any kind of boat and don't have a spotlock trolling motor, your doing yourself a HUGE disservice! Thanks for everyones's help, advice, and guidance for helping me make this install possible. You guys are awesome! 👏😎

Thanks for sharing good info! Yea I don't use my live well (no need for it currently) and I need to get the pumps working to even use it. My boat is currently only carrying one 6 gallon red plastic fuel tank. I'm debating adding another one but so far, I've been able to go about 10miles round trip up and down current/tidal flow and still be at about half tank. No idea how boat will act if this huge livewell was filled. Itis the entire center bench seat area and has a divider inside it. ------------------------- Pics of the damage! 3rd blade seems fine. Insert your laugh emoji's now!

Thanks for this information! I will also look into this option. Pics coming to thread soon as prop damage!

This is the information I was looking for, thank you! So, your saying a 13 pitch, correct? I'm seeing options from 11-17 pitch. You reckon that applies for a stainless prop as well? When looking up stainless props I am also seeing a hub dimension listed, and even the 13 pitch shows several options for hub sizes. 11 1/8th inch 12 1/2 inch Also, some say "pressed hub" some say XHS-211, or RBX-111 More things to learn..... Crazy how complicated it is just to replace a prop. I am also seeing something about hub kits? What's that about? I'm also gonna check youtube for how-to's on prop replacement to get some education tonight. Awesome this is exactly what I was looking for. The tracker panfish is tracker version of the same boat as my Lowe, they are almost identical and have same size outboards. so 13 pitch is stock prop size, why should I do 12 for SS? Also what about the diameter options I am seeing? 11 1/8th for 13P 11 3/8th for 12P Yea I figured the weight distribution change from having my first passenger was going to affect things and it did. Until yesterday I had only gone out alone and my big ass 255lbs driving in the front of this boat makes it light in the ass I think lol. Not worried about maxing out speed or anything, just want what I had that worked fine and did 28-33 mph depending on wind and current direction. Thanks! For sure, fan blades for any application are a pita to figure out imho. I also suck at math and trig is certainly a foreign language to me so no way I'm going near that lol.

As I explained in some of my other replies, aluminum is not an option where I am boating here in the SC tidal low country due to the huge number of stumps and trees in the "fresh" water I fish in. The rock was an extremely rare event and there are virtually no other rocks where I have been boating except this one place and I won't make that mistake again! It also was not really captain error as I was several feet off the rocky shore in what "should" have been safe water 4-5ft deep, and I was trimmed up a little, and at idle speed, executing a U turn in about a 15 yard wide channel in high current. It's a very odd place I was at and I got close to look at how the water was moving into this huge lagoon off the main river body though this narrow channel. When we first got there mid-day the tide was just starting to come in. Water was pushing inland, but this lagoon narrow channel access actually was higher than the river at the low tide, so water was draining OUT of the lagoon into the river that was flowing inland the other direction. It exposed rocks and riffles in this narrow channel access at low tide and was wild looking as the 2 opposing water directions collided. When I hit the rock was 2-3 hours later otw out to the ramp and the tide was now up about 2.5ft and starting to flow back into the lagoon, but I got to close and the high current started to pull us into the riffle area so I tried to turn around, and found this gd rock where it shouldn't have been lol. This was the first time I was on this river at low tide. It was wild seeing all the stumps and trees I drove over at 20+mph every time I went here previously during high tide. I learned I need to be WAY more careful around here, and pay VERY close attention to the tide situations and water depth. I am going to start looking into whether this outboard can be converted to a jet drive for when I move back north to rocky river country. I know nothing about jet drives other than they are slower than prop drive but safer to use around rocks and in shallow water. If this motor can't be converted, I will have to look into buying an old used jet drive that will be compatible with the rigging already on my boat but I really don't want to deal with all that and really hope I can just convert the lower unit of this one which should be much simpler. (I hope) Thanks!

Basically I'm not trying to get max anything, right now. I just want to replace the prop with the same setup in whatever brand, it was working fine for my needs and was safe for the outboard. Boat has no console or gauges. I'm sure I could buy and install an RPM gauge for testing, but seems a waste of time for my needs. Yea I figured the old prop might have some markings inside where I can't see it. I did not remove it yet, probably should have done that today before I put the boat away /sigh. I'll try to do it later this week as it's too late now with rain and storms here and daylight fading fast. As for the lower unit yes, the prop shaft has a very slight wobble to it, but it may have already been like that for all I know. The boat still ran fine even after the tip of 2 blades were damaged yesterday. No noticeable performance, or sound changes. I really only nicked the rock and it was unexpected as I was in what I thought was and should have been, a safe spot when it happened. I can't in good conscience run an aluminum prop where I am boating here in SC low country. It's stumps and trees galore in tidal, sometimes very shallow water, outside of when I go to lake Moultrie. I have bumped stumps at idle almost a dozen times already with no issues with the stainless. My understanding is a standard aluminum prop will be toast the first time that happens. When I finally move back to VA, or Mid-upper NC next year I will be out of stump country and back into mostly rocky rivers. Aluminum may make better financial sense at that time as I will be more likely to hit more rocks unless I am VERY careful. For now down here I require the strength or stainless. This rock event was extremely unlucky and should not occur again as there are basically no rocks around here at all. This happened on a section of the Coosawhatchie "River" within 10 yards of I95 and a bridge over the river where they put rocks all along the shoreline I guess for erosion control. Aside from this spot I have seen no other rocks anywhere around here when out boating, just a ton of stumps and trees. I REALLY don't want to rebuild the lower unit right now, I'm trying to be ready to get back on the water next weekend, while working 8-5 M-F and it's dark when work ends and no garage so I have to use my lunch breaks to try and get this resolved before next Sat. Trying to get all the fishing in I can before it gets too cold here (if that ever actually happens, I'm told it will, while it was 75 yesterday and 72/rain today lol) Due to traveling for Christmas-New Years starting Dec20th, I won't have another chance to take the boat out again until Jan 6th so next weekend is my last shot for a few weeks.

I was affraid of this. I don't have money to buy multiple props right now and do trial and error. I figured this old motor and boat (with several identical models across different brands) would be fairly well known already as to what I need. Thanks!

So I found one of the very few rocks on the river I have been fishing lately. My stainless prop is trash now, curled off a half inch of the tip of one blade, and bent another blade, still ran fine and got us back to the ramp with no noticeable issues. Also looks like my shaft is slightly bent now, but it may have been that way before, I never really looked at that. The prop on the boat has zero markings that I can see with it still mounted. Guy I bought it from doesn't know what the pitch is/was. Boat currently does 29-33mph with me and/or 1 person on board. 16ft aluminum front stick steer Lower 162 1994 model hull weighs about 700lbs give or take. Original outboard motor. Gets up on plane fine more or less from my limited experience. With 2nd large passenger in the rear, it was slower to get up on plane but then had better top end due to better balance of weight I think. It's tough to find info on this topic or this specific older motor. I already know I'm buying another stainless (I need the durability, I have already bumped into many stumps/trees at low/idle speeds with no issues) Can anyone tell me what pitch prop I should get to take the guess work out of this for me? Thanks for your time.

Aluminum hulls are mainly best for rocky environments, places with a lot of stumps or underwater obstructions, and very shallow water where you may scrape bottom at times to get through an area. They handle abuse to the hull without catastrophic damage much better. It's traditionally a lot harder to punch a hole in an aluminum hull than a fiberglass one. They come in welded or riveted. Welded is much more expensive, but way more durable then riveted which can leak if abused/stressed too much. Aluminum hulls are generally much lighter than fiberglass boats. They also tend to be noisier in rough water, (rattles etc) and typically don't handle rough water very well being lighter. They often have much less flat deck space, and often the deck is not level with the top of the side rails. But there are exceptions depending on the type/configuration of the aluminum boat your looking at. Fiberglass hulls are meant for speed and are very delicate and heavy. I would never beach a fiberglass hull, maybe if it had a full-length keel guard (which lowers speed/efficiency) but otherwise you should ALWAYS anchor offshore and wade/walk in the water to the beach/shore. I would be very leery to run a fiberglass hull in waters that have lots of stumps/hard underwater obstructions, or rocks. Fiberglass damage can be repaired in most all cases, but it's costly and time consuming. Aluminum hulls with major damage/holes are often a total loss as it's near impossible to weld/repair a hole in aluminum hulls from what I have seen. If you fish mainly lakes and soft bottom deeper water with very little/no rocks, and your VERY careful to avoid stumps, and if your fishing larger bodies of water that can get rough, fiberglass is the best choice. Me I fish rocky rivers/creeks, stump/tree filled waters, very shallow waters, and open water lakes. Basically, I prefer to be able to go anywhere freshwater. I have and prefer aluminum for this reason. I stay out of the middle of big rough bodies of water though. If I was rich I would likely also have a big fast 20ft fiberglass bass boat for big lakes/water only. On trolling motors: I also second the fact that a good trolling motor with more than enough power, in 24v or 36v is worth more than all your other equipment to enjoying your fishing time. Spotlock is also a MUST HAVE for any serious fishermen, foot pedals are a joke. I find them extremely uncomfortable, difficult to use, and your stuck standing at the pedal at all times. I just upgraded from an edge 45lb foot control to a 55lb Riptide with spotlock and wireless remote. My first fishing outing yesterday with it was life changing! Boat control became a non-concern thanks to spot lock and the remote and I was able to focus 99% on fishing. With the remote I can move around the boat anywhere at any time front or back, and have full control of the boat still, and spotlock in current or wind is a godsend. With the foot pedal setup I was 60% dealing with boat positioning and 40% fishing at best. Very nerve wracking and annoying, not enjoyable at all.

Good to know, thanks for sharing! I'm already deep into this wood project now, but I may want something aluminum in the future!

Here are roughly where the holes will go guessing by eye. First pic black holes are plywood to bow deck. Second pic yellow holes are quick release puck to plywood. Obviously, I will have to line it all up once I have the cut board to get them exactly where they need to be, then drill baby drill!

Thank you, your awesome! They only had 4x8' sheets of marine grade so I went with your exact recommendations. Cardboard template is made and traced onto the wood and dropped off with my cousin-in-law to cut out for me later today hopefully. (90% of my tools are packed up in a trailer) Then I just have to line it all up, the quick release bracket, and trolling motor, then mark all my holes, drill them all out, then seal it all up with the polyurethane, then let it dry a day or 2, then coat it again. Then when I mount it I'll put some of that 5000 RTV or whatever its called on the bolt holes that I used to mount my Transducer on the transom. Here are some good pics (I remembered this time!) Thanks to everyone's input I am able to complete this fairly properly, even if it's with wood. I'll also post pics when it's all done and working! I must say I almost wish I had bought the scissor style trolling motor like the edge that came off the boat, it would have easily bolted right on the same way the old one was. But those models with ipilot were WAAAY to expensive!

Understood, pressure treated lumber is bad with aluminum. I will see what they have at Lowes/Homedepot tomorrow. All specialty places will be closed in this town on a Sunday so hopefully they have what I need. I would prefer the marine grade if possible, might as well use the best if I can buy a small piece of it. They seem to have it at my local Lowes online in stock for $150 4x8' no other listing so maybe they have smaller pieces in store, I'm not paying that much when I only need a small piece of that lol. This listing also just calls it douglas fir, no mention of "marine grade". It does say it's for "use in marine applications like boats". It also says you must seal the edges AND exposed face for high moisture environment, which is what I will be doing with it hanging off the bow lol. 3/4-in x 4-ft x 8-ft Douglas Fir Sanded Plywood in the Plywood & Sheathing department at Lowes.com Now about this BCX which should be have much cheaper. So Lowes does not list anything called BCX, they have "Severe weather" "pressure treated southern yellow pine". Severe Weather 23/32-in x 4-ft x 8-ft Pressure Treated Southern Yellow Pine Plywood Sheathing in the Plywood & Sheathing department at Lowes.com That acceptable or is that the wrong pressures treated again? Thanks for everyone's advice btw!

So after wasting 2 days trying to figure out a solution, I'm leaning towards this. Your saying marine plywood is a better choice than pressure treated and sealed 2x6? That half inch plywood is enough to support the 55lb trolling motor? In this scenario, the plywood is of course bolted to the thin aluminum bow deck with 4 staggered/oddly arranged bolts which can't be under the full base of the trolling motor so most will be behind the trolling motor inwards towards the throttle in my pics. I may be able to add some width, but basically there will be no bolts holding the wood to the bow where the trolling motor sits The motor base plate is 7Wx12.5"L I need a piece of plywood about 9" wide and around 27" long, which will put about 6" of it hanging off the front of the bow at an angle. The quick release puck will be held to the plywood, and through the thin aluminum bow plate with 2 bolts on the inboard, then a screw in the outer rear hole to close to the bow rail/curve of the inner hull for a bolt. Then the last bolt will be hanging in the air on the overhanging piece of this plywood. Check out my crude drawing lol. What is BCX and why not use marine grade?

I just looked at this site, thank you for sharing it! They almost have what I need. I looked at 1/2" plate, but I need it 7"x17" and they max out at 7"x11" at $40-90 depending on how they cut it.....plus shipping. I will try to find something the right size locally. I might go to a boat shop and ask them for advice, if they will talk to me. I know I could just pay a place to figure this out and mount it, but I don't have the money for all that. If I had money, I absolutely would do that, and buy a new better boat with an even better trolling motor lol.

OK here is a pic of the old motor. I again forgot to take pics while I had the new motor outside just now trying to test fit it! Now its all back in the box packed up inside the house again lol. I prefer the new one to be mounted the same way since I walk the trailer neck and climb into the boat on the port side when launching so I don't have to get in the water. This is the new motor: Minn Kota 1363556 Riptide PowerDrive Trolling Motor - 12V (55 lbs.), 48" Shaft, i-Pilot GPS - Walmart.com This is the quick release bracket. Amazon.com: Minn Kota 1854017 Quick Release Bracket / RTA-17 White : Sports & Outdoors The tiny center puck is what mounts to the bow deck. Due to how far forward the motor has to go to pivot down with clearance this leaves the puck with 1 of 4 mounting holes out in the air, and 1 to close to the edge of the bow and curve of the hull to bolt it to the hull, so that leaves the 2 inboard side holes to mount to the bow deck. After more trial fitting this morning before the rain started, I think I need a metal (aluminum?) plate under the plastic mount, to mount it like the old one. This way the metal plate can be securely mounted to the bow deck further back, and the plastic puck for the quick release can be mounted to the metal plate even with 1 hole hanging in open air it will be bolted to the plate under it also hanging in the air. Does that make sense? The other option is some pressure treated 2x6 then stained or enameled (to make it last longer) This would be cheaper and easier/faster to procure and install than metal, but would not look as good and likely have to be replaced every few years.

So I tried to add pics from my phone but every single pic is too large to post here. SO lame, cell phones take big beautiful high-res pics these days but we can't post them anywhere due to size limitations.

Yea I figure with the wood I will be replacing it every few years. I have seen pics of many other people do something similar so it must not be that bad, but it looks like ass, especially on my white boat and white truck. Guess I could paint the board white 🤪 Not worried about any noise, the quick release plate is some type of heavy plastic /shrug. Yes, I absolutely need the bracket because no garage and boat lives outside so I need to be able to constantly remove the trolling motor and take it with me when I park the boat every weekend after going out. I'd be hard pressed to even mount the motor without the quick release bracket on the 4 rear most bolt holes, but it is probably doable, but again I need to be able to remove it fast and easy every time I park the boat after going out on it, which is every weekend both days weather permitting. Yea I to was surprised that the small puck mounts to the boat and larger outer part of the bracket mounts to the motor but it makes sense as the puck is too small to reach the mounting holes on the motor itself. It's a VERY common plate that's been out for years so I don't expect any issues out of it. Motor is only 55lb and boat is only about 800lbs before I get in it so its not under as much load as say a fiberglass bass boat would put on it. We will see how it goes and I will report back if I find any issues with the $70 quick release plate. Other options are getting some kind of metal plate to bolt to the boat bow to extend out front of the bow some, then mount the puck on that, but it needs to be simple, precut, and cheap because 95% of my tools are packed away and after buying the trolling motor my wallet is already bleeding out lol. Oh yea this trolling motor is going to make my fishing SOOOOO much more enjoyable since I'm mostly on tidal rivers down here and the current/tide is VERY swift, and I'm fishing upriver in the fresh water where its only 10-20 yards wide and sometimes less. Trying to use this old edge 45lb foot-controlled motor has been a nightmare and a joke and I can only use it sitting down because there's not enough room for me to stand and use the pedal while fishing. Whatever it takes, I will get this thing securely mounted 😎 Really? I would think pressure treated 2x6 and maybe even stained/enamel coated would be fine with the aluminum? That looks very nice and needed since your deck is below bow rail height, mines all flat mostly. I just don't have a garage or the tools or anyplace to build something like that. All I really need is a long flat strong metal plate wide enough to mount the trolling motor quick release plate to. Your a better man than me using that edge foot-controlled thing, I can't stand it, so awkward, uncomfortable, and annoying imo. I despise foot control motors and even if it was on a flat decked bass boat in a recessed footpedal hole I would rip it out as soon as I could save up for a wireless spotlock model. Hell I'm still ticked most of the trolling motors are still using 100 year old brushed motors instead of modern brushless motors like is in all my RC airplanes, trucks, cars, boats, for almost like 20 years now. Yea the new Lowrance motor is brushless, and outrageously priced, and I think the new Garmin motor is also, and also outrageously priced. Hell to the no. I already feel ripped off paying $1700 for this 12v 55lb 48" ipilot model. Such is life lol. I will figure something out hopefully this weekend in the rain and report back.

Your right, pics would have helped. I will try to get some but the forecast is rain all weekend here and I already packed the new trolling motor up and the old one is already removed lying in the boat. No garage as usual so I am still at the whim of the weather to work on stuff outside. Hardware is just then normal bolts/washers/nuts that come with the motor and the quick release plate. And I just noticed tonight I have a nail in my left rear E rated $300 truck tire, looks like it penetrated all the way in so tomorrow in the rain I get to drive to all the booked up tire shops and beg for a flat repair lol. No dice on the head of that guy (don't know him) and not a big fan of the Beetles lol.

So I burned up and wanted to replace my crapy 45lb foot controlled pos trolling motor that came with my 1994 Lowe 162 jon boat. I got that hunk of crap off, but now I am unsure how to mount my brand new min kota 48" riptide powerdrive ipilot 55lb I bought, with the RTA-017 quick release. The bow surface area to mount to is small. The nose of the boat is pointy. The flat bow is not flat, the middle center is higher than the sides, so the motor has to go on one side or the other. The boat is front stick steer with my throttle on the starboard, and my stick steer beside me port side, and my FF I mounted on the port side slightly in front of me. The trolling motor has to be mounted at an angle so the when stowed the head is off to my side and not in the way of the throttle, or stick steering, or FF on the port side. The FF I could move to the starboard side if I need to mount the trolling motor to the port side. Old trolling motor was mounted starboard side. The real issue is this: The quick release bracket uses a very small rectangular puck that mounts to the boat. Then the large base mounts to the trolling motor. The base sits over the puck flush to the bow deck, and is held in by a pin. In order to mount this thing so it clears the very pointy bow enough to properly deploy, and when stowed the head is not in my way for driving, the tiny puck has to be mounted so far forward that I can only use 2 bolts on one side of it, and the 3rd bolt is likely way to close to the outer edge curve of the bow inside the hull for me to get a bolt/washer/nut on it, and the 4th and final bolt hole is hanging off the bow unusable....... Also the predrilled hole in the puck are counter sunk as the base on the motor goes flush over this puck. So if I drill new holes in the puck I need to get a countersink bit as I don't have one. So I am thinking about getting a piece or 2x6 pressure treated board and bolt that to the bow deck sticking out slightly pas the bow, then attach the puck to that. That means the puck will be partially on the deck and maybe 15% of hanging over the bow but attatched to the board. But in order to do that I will have to mount the puck to the wood using mostly screws instead of bolts/washers/nuts as designed. I am not sure this is safe or a good idea? What would you all recommend I do here? Mount the puck to the bow deck with 3 bolts, if I can get the 3rd one in, and ignore the 4th hanging in the air past the bow? Or properly bolt a 2x6 pressure treated board to the bow deck and screw the puck into that and hope the screws hold? No I don't want to pay to have this done, I'm a very handy do-it-yourselfer, but have never done this type of work and want to do it right and properly. I'm SUPER excited to have a stronger saltwater rated ipilot spotlock trolling motor! Even though it costs me a fortune to buy. What do yall think?

Sure enough! Thanks for the advice (which I have received hundreds of times) but I don't want my freshwater gear getting salty, and I don't eat fish, and my boat is old and has never been in salt water, nor is it deigned to handle that big water, even on lakes it to rough out in the open, its designed more for smooth water. Just not my thing and never will be, unless I get rich somehow and buy an offshore boat, then things will be different lol. As an update I finally figured out how to catch Largemouth using my FF, and they only really bite on incoming (high) tide, and only on rubber worms dipped in glow garlic scent. Now it's turning colder here, and the bite is much more difficult. After 2 successful trips in a row in early Nov to the same spot on the same river, my last trip was skunked again. Sorry for the absence but I started using a VPN and that got me banned for some dumb reason, and getting in touch with the admin of this site like it tells you to do, is impossible. Not sure how I am able to log in again today, but here I am!

This is awesome thank you so much! Do you know if these are skinny, straight leg, relaxed fit, or baggy? I don't see a designation but your photos yalls look baggy which is EXACTLY what I want/need but relaxed will work instead. I cannot wear ANY skinny or straight leg pants of any kind. Normal humans are not shaped that way lol. Thanks again!

I know this is an old post but are you both wearing parachute pants? If so, can you please tell me where you got them? I have one old pair that is over 20 years old that is now ripping at the seams and could really use some replacements. I have been looking for some baggy parachute pants for fishing for months here in mosquito country and all I can really find is amazon stuff which is mostly that skinny jean style crap. Thanks for any advice.