trolling motor help

[mrpike1973]

hi i would like to buy a transom mount trolling motor for the front of my 14' aluminum boat. the way the back is made i cant put a motor back there. i have heard where you can take a screw out and reverse the head. how would i know how long of a shaft i would need. has any one done this before. i thought i could use just some thin boards for a mounting bracket so i don't hurt the boat. it is a new one its just a row boat if you will. i don't think i could even get a bow mount one to fit and i couldn't use a foot pedal because of the v front thanks for any help

[Rick G]

It has a lot to do with how far your bow sits out of the water as to how long of a shaft you will need.

[delcecchi]

hi i would like to buy a transom mount trolling motor for the front of my 14' aluminum boat. the way the back is made i cant put a motor back there. i have heard where you can take a screw out and reverse the head. how would i know how long of a shaft i would need. has any one done this before. i thought i could use just some thin boards for a mounting bracket so i don't hurt the boat. it is a new one its just a row boat if you will. i don't think i could even get a bow mount one to fit and i couldn't use a foot pedal because of the v front thanks for any help

I think they still make hand controlled bow mount motors.

[Musky hunter 82]

I did that to one of my old boats, it was a shallow 12'. I used a MinnKota endure 30 pound thrust and a 30" shaft. It worked good unless a boat went by then the motor would come out of the water when the wake went by. There is a screw where the handle/head meets the shaft. just take it out turn the head around and put it back in.

[Mike89]

that's what we did.

[Down Deep]

Motor Guide makes a bowmount hand control motor. It is in thier saltwater line.

[KBush]

First, measure from the bow of boat to the water line (not bottom of boat). From there, the following is a general rule of thumb to pick shaft length.

0-16" bow to waterline (btw) = 36" shaft

16-22" btw = 42" shaft

22-26" btw = 48-52" shaft