Bow Mount trolling motor whips boat around

[keithmag]

Hi...placed my 55lb Endura Max on the bow of my 12 foot v bottom aluminum boat. The motor works as intended but when I turn it up to about 50% the boat is rather unstable and if I'm not constantly tending the direction of the boat the transom end wants to whip around. On lower speeds this problem is not as bad but it still will whip around if I don't correct the direction. Is this normal for a bow mount application? Any comments would be helpful thanks. Keith M.

[A-Jay]

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

As a general rule, the stern of your boat will almost always follow the bow, where ever it goes . . . . . (kidding)

If you are fishing solo and positioned at the bow while operating the trolling motor, your problem may be unbalance weight distribution. 

If there is no out board motor on the stern or something else to counter balance your weight up forward, the stern is probably half out of the water which would cause the situation you've described.  Try putting some weight in the stern or redistribute your gear.

Bet it helps.

A-Jay

[OCdockskipper]

In addition to what A-Jay wrote, the lack of an outboard on the rear (or one that is tilted up) can cause a smaller boat to be rudderless.  Basically, there is nothing for the rear of the boat to resist against when the front goes one direction, so the rear just spins out.  On little pond boats, you can use an old trolling motor chassis and convert it into a simple rudder.

Here is a discussion on a product designed to go on the bow mount trolling motor but can also be used to create a rear rudder 

 

[Ski213]

Good advice above. Probably a combination of the boat drafting stern up and no rudder. There are a lot of ways to add the rudder. As mentioned above would be good.  

Years ago I had that issue. Used a bracket from a transom mount trolling motor and an oar that was missing half of the business end to make a rudder. Cut the oar handle down and shoved it in the bracket. I had the bracket laying around so the setup was free. It worked well and got me through till I added a transom mount trolling motor 

[Further North]

Great advice here...I strongly dislike it when I have to tilt my big motor up so far that it can't act as a rudder for my trolling motor.  Back end swings all over the darned place.

[RFSims]

12' boat, 55 ft-lb trolling motor, bow mounted. Yes this is normal. A 55 lb motor can easily handle a 17' aluminum bass boat. Also if the motor shaft is not in the center of the motor (if you have a 55 lb Minn Kota it's not) the side to side movement of the motor under high power is hard to control.