installing a trolling motor

[Bigs]

Im gonna replace my old trolling motor with a new one and am thinkin of doing it myself. What else is there really besides installing a mount? I know I need to drill new holes but is that all there is to it ? Local shop wants around 360 bux to install it for me. Sounds like alot to me. I installed one on my aluminum boat last year and it was easy since there was wood to mount it to.I know fiberglass is alot different then wood tho, so what should I do ?

[egolfer]

If you replace it with the same brand, you should not have to drill any new holes. You might want to get new bolts, nuts, and lock washers and perhaps a new plug if needed. Otherwise, it should be pretty easy. And if you do change brands, you will just need to drill some new holes, fill the old ones with silicon or something, just mount and go.

[Bigs]

Thanks for the advice Eli. Its actually an old OMC trolling motor so new holes are a must. I just dont see how that could take more then maybe an hour or two max. BTW, I need to get out there with ya one day on the river. I'll send ya a pm.

[Jim Grouch]

I used 3M 5200 marine sealant when mounting the transducer. I squirted some in the holes and on the screws before tightening them down. This will help prevent water from soaking in and deteriorating that area in the long run.

[Bigs]

another good piece of advice, thanks

[MichBassMan]

Put tape where you are going to drill and then drill thru the tape. It will reduce scratches and chipping of the fiberglass. Chamfer or bevel the holes a little bit after drilling also to avoid cracks from developing. It isn't hard, just take your time. Good Luck.

[Wayne P.]

(Steve) be sure to add a tiedown strap when you bolt on the mount. Sometimes in rough water the catch that holds the motor in place when folded up will release. That is not a pleasant experience.

I had 4 of those bow mount motors.

[Fishing Rhino]

If you need to drill, and don't want the drill bit to skate around and chip the gel coat, get a brad point twist drill.

It will not skate around, and, the tangs at the outer edge will cut, not lift the gel coat as a regular twist drill does.

For the 3M 5200, I am a strong believer in the stuff, but, do not use it in places where you may need to separate the two components.

Use a marine grade silicone sealant to fill the holes.  It will provide absolute protection against water intrusion, but will not create a nearly unbreakable bond between the mount and the boat.

[Bigs]

Laat night I picked up a new in box motorguide tr82 digital, cancelled my ebay purchase since this was a steal at 670 bux. Got the mount installed real nice which did take a while I admit, probably an hour and a half. But my boat is wired for 12/24 use which means there are 2 sets of black and red wires from the bow to the batteries. My new trolling motor only came wired with two wires so I have to run the batteries parallel but no biggie. So I'm off to the store now to get a 50 amp circuit breaker to run inline and some electric tape. I gotta say tho, motorguide has like 10 or 12 holes on the bracket for securing the motor in place, seems like overkill. My old motor only had 4 bolts. So we ended up drilling 6 new holes and using 6 bolts which I think will suffice or at least I hope. I just wish I didnt have to use tape to secure the wire for the transducer to the shaft, oh well. I guess there is no alternative.

[ksboy]

I use zip ties instead of tape where possible.

[Bigs]

I used zip ties to fasten the transducer cable to the shaft and then put a lil electric tape over that so the zip ties wouldnt slip. Everything is done and works well. I'll hit the potomac tommorow and test it out . Gonna be nice to finally have a nice trolling motor esp now that alot of the grass has come in on the river.

My only question now is, do I hook my battery charger up any different now that my batteries are parallel ? Or just keep it like it was before ? Before I had the black and yellow cables from each bank of the charger connected to the negative and positive on each battery.

[MichBassMan]

I think I'm not understanding clearly. If you have your batteries hooked up in "parallel" you are only using 12volts. Your trolling motor is a 24volt. You should be hooked up in series to achieve 24 volts from 2 12volt batts.

[slonezp]

I think I'm not understanding clearly. If you have your batteries hooked up in "parallel" you are only using 12volts. Your trolling motor is a 24volt. You should be hooked up in series to achieve 24 volts from 2 12volt batts.

x2

[SoFlaBassAddict]

If you need to drill, and don't want the drill bit to skate around and chip the gel coat, get a brad point twist drill.

It will not skate around, and, the tangs at the outer edge will cut, not lift the gel coat as a regular twist drill does.

I use those type of bits a lot at work.  Great drill bits.  They tend to dull a bit quicker than I would like though.  I do like the Dewalt Pilot Points a little better for most of the work I do.  They seem to last a little longer.  Not sure how those would handle the gel coat though.