Bow Mounted Trolling Foot Controlled from Stern

[TMO8853]

I've been working on a boat my Grandpa left me for the last year or so. It's an old Terry 1969 1436 that has a lot of family history. The decks that I've built were never intended to stand on, however they are plenty strong enough to do so. I assumed the boat would be too tippy to stand on the decks, so I built the decks smaller and mainly for underneath storage. However, I only weigh 170 pounds so maybe I'll be surprised.

I'm starting to look at trolling motors and I had always assumed this boat would get fitted with a nice Minn Kota Traxxis or Endura 55 pound transom mount trolling motor. I should point out that this boat is powered by a 8hp Evinrude as its primary power source. After doing my research on trolling motors I know that bow mounted TM's gives you more precise control of the boat and is the preferred style of most fisherman because of the hands free controls. I think this boat will be too small for me to switch seats with my fishing partner and troll from the front.

I was considering purchasing a Minn Kota PowerDrive Bow Mount that uses the all electrical foot control and comes with like a 15ft cord. Have any of you ever seen someone control a bow mounted trolling motor from the rear of a Jon Boat? There is also the issue that this trolling motor would cost around 1/2 of what this boat is worth which seems a little crazy.

I'm a aware this is a small boat and I'm ok with waiting until I get like a 1754 or 1860 and then really dropping some money in I-pilot GPS controlled trolling motor if it doesn't make any sense to do this with a smaller boat.

(Also, does anyone know how to correct the picture rotation issue? This forum rotates all my pics when I upload even though they are correct orientation on my computer.)

 

[Black Hawk]

I was on a dive rescue team for 28 years.
We would use my crestliner Nordic 18 with Minn Kota PowerDrive Bow Mount.
Would put a cadaver dog and handler in the front of the boat and I would drive from the back.
So yes it will work well. No exhaust smell for the dog.

 

[TMO8853]

Thanks for letting me know! It's great to get feedback from someone who's actually used this setup.

 

[Wallyc]

Nice boat. I too have been doing it this way for decades since the original powerxrive came out . Only time I stand on the bow is bed fishing. I have never liked being tied to a tm. Man have they changed over the years and gone up in price! Think I paid 450 for my 1st one new .People use to laugh at me because I ran electric steer. Most of those who laughed back then are praising them now. The boat is obviously very important to you so that the fact of what it’s worth is not so important. Right now I have a Bluetooth Terrova with I-Pilot . I would not trade it for the world. I know they are expensive but they are with It . It will change the way you fish.

 

[GYPSY400]

I do it all the time with my powerdrive v2 55..
I have clips on the gunnels for bumpers so I run the wire there rather than the floor.
This year I upgraded to the cordless co-pilot set up, but I can still use the foot pedal if I want to.. I do find the steering too fast so the cordless fob is easier to control.

Also if I'm trolling on a long run I run the bow mount straight and steer using the gas motor as a rudder.

 

[onthewater102]

I do that all the time fishing with my son.

You can get a quick-mount plate from Minn Kota that lets you easily disconnect the trolling motor provided you have it wired using a plug. Makes it very easy to share a trolling motor between two boats - buy the TM sized for the bigger boat and be a little over powered in the smaller one.

 

[jethro]

I know it's expensive but it will be amazing, trust us. If I had to chose one motor to fail on me it would be the gas motor for sure, the electric is 10 times more important. I also use it 10 times as much. Main motor usually sees 5 or 10 minutes of use every trip and the electric is used for hours on end.