Trolling Motor Owner Questions - Specific Post

[washipdog]

I had to remove the factory mount and trolling motor this week to get the cover on the boat. I ordered a Minn Kota RTA-54 Quick Release and the MKR-26 plug. Going to remount everything this week and hopefully will be better than what was there originally.

The quick release is a great addition. When I want to put my cover on, I just pop the trolling motor off, put it in the bow, and the cover fits perfectly.

 

[Botchco]

I had to remove the factory mount and trolling motor this week to get the cover on the boat. I ordered a Minn Kota RTA-54 Quick Release and the MKR-26 plug. Going to remount everything this week and hopefully will be better than what was there originally.

you’ll like the new setup. cover fits great with motor off via the quick mount. Good luck and share how it comes out.

 

[OverlandingGoat]

So the RTA-54 and the MKR-26 when on without any problems. It's much better than before, comes off and goes on easy. The installation is more rigid with the addition of the thick mount plus an additional aluminum plate for rigidity in the mount. The quality of the materials was worth every penny. Comes with all of the parts that you need. I'd highly recommend these to anyone interested. Some of the pics are from before cleaning up, it's all white and no dirt now.

 

[Botchco]

So the RTA-54 and the MKR-26 when on without any problems. It's much better than before, comes off and goes on easy. The installation is more rigid with the addition of the thick mount plus an additional aluminum plate for rigidity in the mount. The quality of the materials was worth every penny. Comes with all of the parts that you need. I'd highly recommend these to anyone interested. Some of the pics are from before cleaning up, it's all white and no dirt now.

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Looks great! Well done and thanks for sharing!

 

[Botchco]

So the RTA-54 and the MKR-26 when on without any problems. It's much better than before, comes off and goes on easy. The installation is more rigid with the addition of the thick mount plus an additional aluminum plate for rigidity in the mount. The quality of the materials was worth every penny. Comes with all of the parts that you need. I'd highly recommend these to anyone interested. Some of the pics are from before cleaning up, it's all white and no dirt now.

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Hey one other thing... I think Minn Kota recommends the puck be mounted no closer than 24" from the trolling motor itself due to interference. curious if you've tested...

 

[OverlandingGoat]

Hey one other thing... I think Minn Kota recommends the puck be mounted no closer than 24" from the trolling motor itself due to interference. curious if you've tested...

You are absolutely correct though, shouldn't be mounted where it is.

Unfortunately I didn't mount it, the previous owner did.

I'd move it but then what do I do with the holes from the screws. I'm planning on using it for the first time tomorrow.

What's the old saying, if you want it done right, do it yourself.

Here's the text from the instructions:

 

[OverlandingGoat]

Hey one other thing... I think Minn Kota recommends the puck be mounted no closer than 24" from the trolling motor itself due to interference. curious if you've tested...

So had the boat out yesterday for the first time. The Minn Kota worked flawlessly. This is my first experience with a trolling motor and I was blown away by the Spot Lock feature. OMG! Loved It! Has changed my entire experience on the water.

 

[JASmith]

I just bought the same power connector as you, since the twist lock thing my dealer installed was a hateful, evil thing. Should be here tomorrow and then I can install it.

I may have to switch my mount to the same you used as well, since the aluminum sharp edged thing they gave me is bound to gouge something or put a hole in a seat when removing it. I'll probably do it at the same time as I create a custom mounting bracket though.

How much does your trolling motor weigh? I have the Garmin Force, which I really like, but it's nearly 75lbs.

 

[OverlandingGoat]

I just bought the same power connector as you, since the twist lock thing my dealer installed was a hateful, evil thing. Should be here tomorrow and then I can install it.

I may have to switch my mount to the same you used as well, since the aluminum sharp edged thing they gave me is bound to gouge something or put a hole in a seat when removing it. I'll probably do it at the same time as I create a custom mounting bracket though.

How much does your trolling motor weigh? I have the Garmin Force, which I really like, but it's nearly 75lbs.

Not sure of the weight, but it’s fairly easy to place and remove from the mount.

 

[JediFish]

I just bought the same power connector as you, since the twist lock thing my dealer installed was a hateful, evil thing. Should be here tomorrow and then I can install it.

I may have to switch my mount to the same you used as well, since the aluminum sharp edged thing they gave me is bound to gouge something or put a hole in a seat when removing it. I'll probably do it at the same time as I create a custom mounting bracket though.

How much does your trolling motor weigh? I have the Garmin Force, which I really like, but it's nearly 75lbs.

Any pics of the Garmin Force on the boat. Want one myself but curious how it looks.

 

[JASmith]

Any pics of the Garmin Force on the boat. Want one myself but curious how it looks.

yeah here are a few. The one with the meditating kid is after redoing the mount. The other two are original mount. She’s in storage or id take some better ones.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

FSH 210 Owners - I know there is a lot of information and old posts on this but as with most threads, the longer they go, the more people add confusing or non-related information so I was trying to get one succint thread for my questions below. I'm looking for advice or your experience/installation of a Minn Kota Riptide Ulterra Saltwater or Similar. Thanks in advance for responses/help!

1. Did you use the FSH factory mount? If not, why?
2. Do you fish in choppy coastal waters? (if Yes; See below)
   1. Did you use a 60" shaft? If so what has experience been?
   2. Do you think 72" shaft is better suited?
   3. What thrust do you recommend?
3. What battery type and setup did you use (i.e. two, single, Lithium Ion, etc...)?
4. Is the 36 Volt config. worth it?
5. What battery management/charging system did you use & why?
6. Did you interface or connect to any electronics or power at the helm?

Again, thanks in advance for any help or feedback you offered!

1. Yes used the stock mount. MinnKota Riptide Ulterra Trolling motor installed by dealer before I took delivery. I see the mount flex when the motor is in use, so far it seems to be working well.
2. No. I believe I have the 72” shaft and its nice to be able to have that depth when the water is rough, occasionally it comes out of the water when the wake boat wakes come by.
3. Three flooded acid type group 27 deep cycle batteries, Installed by the dealer on the shelf under the center console, clean install, looks like this area was designed for the batteries. At this point the flooded acid batteries provide more than enough power for a full day on the water 10-12 hrs of use and the lowest I’ve seen the battery level on the remote was around 1/3 remaining. Most of the time I have more than half remaining at the end of the day. The $3000 cost of the lithium ion batteries isn’t worth it to me ....yet.
4. Seems like it. I have no frame of reference, but I know 36V is more efficient and there is another batteries worth of amp hours.
5. MinnKota 330 PC three bank on board charger installed by the dealer with a center console mounted plug, very convenient, I added a PC 220 two bank charger that goes to the OEM start and house battery and is fed from the same source as the dealer installed one, both chargers stay plugged in anytime the boat is not on the water. These battery chargers will push 10 amps on the bulk charge which should be enough to clean the plates and mix the electrolyte. These chargers have a strategy wherein a scheduled equalization charge takes place to maintain the batteries properly. I have not checked the batteries with a hydrometer to verify the equalization yet, but battery performance has been good.
6. Yes. The Ulterra ties in with the Solix control head which allows navigation and control via the Solix in addition to the I Pilot remote. Now that I figured out how to use the contour following feature next seasons fishing is going to be even more awesome.

 

[JediFish]

yeah here are a few. The one with the meditating kid is after redoing the mount. The other two are original mount. She’s in storage or id take some better ones.

Awesome and thank you so much for sharing? Have a Happy New Year!

 

[JediFish]

yeah here are a few. The one with the meditating kid is after redoing the mount. The other two are original mount. She’s in storage or id take some better ones.

Thank you again! I see your transducer is mounted directly to the motor in some of the pics and looks to be lower on the shaft after the redo. Any difference in image quality or interference. I assume it also helps with the length?

 

[JASmith]

Thank you again! I see your transducer is mounted directly to the motor in some of the pics and looks to be lower on the shaft after the redo. Any difference in image quality or interference. I assume it also helps with the length?

Sorry for the delay! It has 3 different 'orientations' that it can quickly be changed to for different perspectives, so that is why it looks different. You are seeing the Panoptics Livescope transducer there. There is a traditional chirp built into the bottom of the motor housing also. That one never gets pulled out of the water (so far), but the LiveScope will in the rough water occasionally.

Edit: I take part of that back, the one picture did have the LiveScope on the motor... the dealer did that, and I quickly fixed it and mounted it on the shaft with the 3 way quick change bracket.

 

[pkwil22]

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If you had to do it over again would you stick with the 24V and 60"shaft length? I have the same graph and looking at the Xi5 myself.

 

[GrampaDoug]

I too started with the factory mount and it bent in the same place as above. 72" Minn Kota with 112lb. I ordered a customer 1/2" aluminum plate from a machine shop, and added a couple of pieces I made from 1/2" scrap aluminum under the back to brace it more than large washers would do. I also found that using the trolling motor post from Minn Kota (pictured) kept the extra long shaft from bouncing in rough water at higher speeds. Its not pretty but its better than beating my gel coat up. You just have to remember to unhook the rubber strap before autodeploying the motor. (I know from experience)

 

[madtom]

1. Did you use the FSH factory mount? If not, why? No, factory mount seems to flex a lot and some folks have cracked their gelcoat when it does. Ordered aluminum plate almost twice as thick. not flexing anywhere..... mounted thru gunwale with stainless bolts with rubber washers in between plate and boat and stainless washers on underside. Locknuts with blue locktite to secure the plate to the boat. I added RAM- Mount for holding motor in place while motor is stored after it flexed a few times in rough waters.
2. Do you fish in choppy coastal waters? (if Yes; See below)
   1. Did you use a 60" shaft? If so what has experience been? 60 inch is fine. Potomac river, inshore so not trying to fish when it would pull out.
   2. Do you think 72" shaft is better suited? i think somewhere in-between 60 and 72 would be ideal.....72 for offshore.....60 inshore
   3. What thrust do you recommend? more that 70 lbs thrust for the 210 is good for anchor lock in up to 15mph winds if you want to be able to fish anywhere recommend above 90lbs thrust. The boat is pushing 3k+ in weight.
3. What battery type and setup did you use (i.e. two, single, Lithium Ion, etc...)? I currently have 24v system Lead acid 100AH plan on upgrading to Lithium later. It was a gift so not complaining (PO had it just sitting in his garage and asked if i wanted it)
4. Is the 36 Volt config. worth it? If you use lithium Ion. Lead acid for 36V is just too heavy
5. What battery management/charging system did you use & why? NOCO to keep charged up at the dock and trollbridge 12x24 when underway...charges trolling batteries when starting/house are full
6. Did you interface or connect to any electronics or power at the helm? used one of the aux switches to add a switch/volt meter that is isolated on that circuit. allows me to quickly look at state of charge while underway.

 

[pkwil22]

Thank you so much for the detailed reply. This will help me with my installation tremendously!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

1. Did you use the FSH factory mount? If not, why? No, factory mount seems to flex a lot and some folks have cracked their gelcoat when it does. Ordered aluminum plate almost twice as thick. not flexing anywhere..... mounted thru gunwale with stainless bolts with rubber washers in between plate and boat and stainless washers on underside. Locknuts with blue locktite to secure the plate to the boat. I added RAM- Mount for holding motor in place while motor is stored after it flexed a few times in rough waters.
2. Do you fish in choppy coastal waters? (if Yes; See below)
   1. Did you use a 60" shaft? If so what has experience been? 60 inch is fine. Potomac river, inshore so not trying to fish when it would pull out.
   2. Do you think 72" shaft is better suited? i think somewhere in-between 60 and 72 would be ideal.....72 for offshore.....60 inshore
   3. What thrust do you recommend? more that 70 lbs thrust for the 210 is good for up to 15mph winds
3. What battery type and setup did you use (i.e. two, single, Lithium Ion, etc...)? I currently have 24v system Lead acid 100AH plan on upgrading to Lithium later.
4. Is the 36 Volt config. worth it? If you use lithium Ion. Lead acid for 36V is just too heavy
5. What battery management/charging system did you use & why? Noco to keep charged up at the dock and trollbridge 12x24 when underway...charges trolling batteries when starting/house are full
6. Did you interface or connect to any electronics or power at the helm? used one of the aux switches to add a switch/volt meter that is isolated on that circuit. allows me to quickly look at state of charge while underway.

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Have you tested the Trollbridge device? How well does it work?

I was thinking about installing one of those for my 36V system but my research and Yamaha showed / stated there was not enough charging power from the engines to do much charging of the trolling motor batteries.

I had thought about setting up the Trollbridge unit off of the house battery to allow the start battery and the house battery to charge up first then start charging the trolling motor batteries.