Musky Plug Posted April 29, 2018 Report Posted April 29, 2018 Hey guys, as the open water season approaches I want to do some modifications to my aluminum boat. First is replacing the carpet which should be easy. Secondly I bought a Terrova and now have to install it, which doesn't seem all that complicated however the aluminum triangle on the bow of my boat that I thought was big enough, is not. Would it be an issue to remove it and replace it with a bigger piece of aluminum to accommodate the bracket for the trolling motor? I have found a place that I can buy the aluminum from but should it be welded on or would using rivets like the old one be sufficient enough with the motor on there? Has anyone done this before? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Lukasaurus Posted April 29, 2018 Report Posted April 29, 2018 I had the exact problem with a 14 foot Lund. I have a friend with a machine shop and he welded a piece over top of the nose piece. We had to build up behind the nose piece to make it level. When we removed the original nose piece which was screwed on, we realized that it held everything together and we figured we should leave it and put a piece on top. That nose piece was really hard to get back on after we took it off, lots of tension there. I only had the boat for a couple years but it worked fine for the 55 lb. Minn Kota. When I first approached my friend about this I thought we could just screw or weld a piece behind the nose piece but my friend came up with this idea. The only problem was we lost the handle on top that is used for pulling it on to the trailer, not a big problem but it was a pain cause there's nothing to grab hold of.
John Bacon Posted April 29, 2018 Report Posted April 29, 2018 My first choice would be to add a piece behind what is already there rather than replacing it altogether.
Fisherman Posted April 29, 2018 Report Posted April 29, 2018 I would add a 1" x 1" angle across from side to side to help with the new big triangle. Maybe you can use 1/8th stainless machine bolts with nyloc nuts.
BillM Posted April 30, 2018 Report Posted April 30, 2018 (edited) My oldman made an extension to the metal 'triangle' with some stacked 3/4in plywood and bolted that to the hull. Didn't move for the 15 years we fished out of that boat and it was a perfect platform to bolt the trolling motor to. I'll see if I can find some pics of it. Edited April 30, 2018 by BillM
Lape0019 Posted April 30, 2018 Report Posted April 30, 2018 Just a thought, A lot of guys who run high performance bass rigs will used the universal MKA-47 or something similar and cut it to work with the area they have to work with. It's isn't the greats option but could save you a little time and frustration. And what type of boat are you talking about? Did you have a TM on it before? I ask because the Terrova base is probably one of the smaller ones made.
Musky Plug Posted April 30, 2018 Author Report Posted April 30, 2018 On 2018-04-29 at 11:34 AM, John Bacon said: My first choice would be to add a piece behind what is already there rather than replacing it altogether. That was my initial thought but, I wasn't sure I would like the finished product so I may opt to replace the piece altogether. On 2018-04-29 at 1:13 PM, Fisherman said: I would add a 1" x 1" angle across from side to side to help with the new big triangle. Maybe you can use 1/8th stainless machine bolts with nyloc nuts. Didn't think of that, thanks! 6 hours ago, BillM said: My oldman made an extension to the metal 'triangle' with some stacked 3/4in plywood and bolted that to the hull. Didn't move for the 15 years we fished out of that boat and it was a perfect platform to bolt the trolling motor to. I'll see if I can find some pics of it. Would it make a difference if I bolt it inside as opposed to onto again?
Musky Plug Posted April 30, 2018 Author Report Posted April 30, 2018 5 hours ago, Lape0019 said: Just a thought, A lot of guys who run high performance bass rigs will used the universal MKA-47 or something similar and cut it to work with the area they have to work with. It's isn't the greats option but could save you a little time and frustration. And what type of boat are you talking about? Did you have a TM on it before? I ask because the Terrova base is probably one of the smaller ones made. That's also a good idea I will have a look later today when I get home. Would the bracket still be able to receive the motor if I cut it? I have a 14ft Crestliner Sportsman and there wasn't a trolling motor before.
AKRISONER Posted May 1, 2018 Report Posted May 1, 2018 (edited) same exact issue. Heres what I did. I drilled holes through that triangle aluminum in order to bolt a piece of 3/4 inch plywood down and bolted it from the bottom. I then simply took some metal to make L brackets that allowed me to mount the brackets to the side of the boat and back through the board. I attempted to paint the plywood black with plastidip but after 3 years it kinda rotted away and looked like crap. I decided last year to change it up. I went to Home Sense and bought two giant thick hard plastic cutting boards that i then cut to the same jig size. I then Stuck the two boards together with glue and rebolted everythign back together. The two black cutting boards ended up having less flex than the 3/4 inch plywood I used, plus they are weatherproof. I dont have a photo of the plastic set up, but it works perfectly and has for the past 5 years. *note because i used a quick release bracket for my minkotta I couldnt mount the trolling motor on an angle like I would have liked...but it wasnt a huge deal you can still sit on the casting deck comfortably. Edited May 1, 2018 by AKRISONER
Lape0019 Posted May 1, 2018 Report Posted May 1, 2018 (edited) 17 hours ago, Musky Plug said: That's also a good idea I will have a look later today when I get home. Would the bracket still be able to receive the motor if I cut it? I have a 14ft Crestliner Sportsman and there wasn't a trolling motor before. With the MKA-47, the motor slides into the bracket, so you would have to be able to drill and tap a hole on one side for the bolt that holds it together. There are other quick release mounts out there though. Maybe you can find one that will work for you without many modifications at all. Edited May 1, 2018 by Lape0019
BillM Posted May 1, 2018 Report Posted May 1, 2018 17 hours ago, Musky Plug said: Would it make a difference if I bolt it inside as opposed to onto again? Bolt what inside? The wood support? I doubt it matters as long as it's secure.
mark demmery Posted May 1, 2018 Report Posted May 1, 2018 i did similar to above... 3/4" plywood. cut to the shape you need, and used stainless screws like the original had. i did a coat of fiberglass resin (to waterproof) then carpet.. I bolted the motor bracket on, and never had an issue.
Musky Plug Posted May 1, 2018 Author Report Posted May 1, 2018 7 hours ago, mark demmery said: i did similar to above... 3/4" plywood. cut to the shape you need, and used stainless screws like the original had. i did a coat of fiberglass resin (to waterproof) then carpet.. I bolted the motor bracket on, and never had an issue. That looks great! That’s what I’m going to do. Thanks!
ratherboutdoors Posted May 2, 2018 Report Posted May 2, 2018 (edited) Mark, first off, that looks awesome... what did you use for stringers and ply in the floor between the manufacturer bench seating? I am considering putting something in between the seats to make it easier to walk around however, I am a little worried about weigh as I only have 15hp. Edited May 2, 2018 by ratherboutdoors
AKRISONER Posted May 2, 2018 Report Posted May 2, 2018 11 minutes ago, ratherboutdoors said: Mark, first off, that looks awesome... what did you use for stringers and ply in the floor between the manufacturer bench seating? I am considering putting something in between the seats to make it easier to walk around however, I am a little worried about weigh as I only have 15hp. id also be concerned about this...I have a 14 foot aluminum Starcraft with a two stroke 15...after installing the TM and casting deck, with a buddy and our gear...thats about all youd want weight wise in the boat. My 15 two stroke really starts losing speed at that point, you throw a few extra pounds in and shes pooched.
ratherboutdoors Posted May 2, 2018 Report Posted May 2, 2018 38 minutes ago, AKRISONER said: id also be concerned about this...I have a 14 foot aluminum Starcraft with a two stroke 15...after installing the TM and casting deck, with a buddy and our gear...thats about all youd want weight wise in the boat. My 15 two stroke really starts losing speed at that point, you throw a few extra pounds in and shes pooched. Couple pics I had after rebuilding the transom last year. I have the battery up front which helps a lot. loaded with the kids about the best I get is 16-17Mph on gps. I lost about 2mph with the battery, trolling motor, etc so I think I'm at about the limit of weight - unless of course I loose 100 ponds then I could add more to the boat.
ratherboutdoors Posted May 2, 2018 Report Posted May 2, 2018 apologies to the OP, not intending to hijack. this is a good discussion thread for us tinners.
mark demmery Posted May 2, 2018 Report Posted May 2, 2018 (edited) I was worried about the same... So I went with aluminum angle bracket screwed to the mfg metal seats, and aluminum supports. 1/2 ply coated with fiberglass resin/apoxy. Also ran the gas tank to mid point, and had trolling motor battery up front. Def not going to win any races, lol, but it wasn't too bad... Edited May 2, 2018 by mark demmery
ratherboutdoors Posted May 2, 2018 Report Posted May 2, 2018 WOW, that looks great Mark. thanks for the pic! Built like that, 2 or 3 sections wouldn't add much weight at all.
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