Trolling motor setup help

[Van T]

Okay purchased the Minn Kota 60 inch 80 pounds of thrust what is the best setup for installing this what side to put it on, best battery location figured out what size aluminum thickness and should I go with a 3 Bank battery charger and has anyone had good luck with Optima blue tops . can't find all the post on this topic just want to get best idea final result. everyone else had to be the guinea pig I want to do this thing one time and not have to move back and forth since everyone else did most of the home work . thanks please help.

 

[highanddryinco]

Lots of options to consider. Lot's of this actually has been covered in many other posts. Fortunately, you've got choices.
Left or right? - I chose right if for no other reason than to keep the motor on the side opposite the trailer crank. One less thing to get in the way of my fat head. Many go left, either should be just fine.
Batteries front or back? - Varying opinions but I think you'll find most up front, under the forward part of the changing station. Port side rear seems to make a bit of a left lean unless you've got water in the livewell to balance it out. Mine are up front and working just fine. I'm not a big fan of loading up the rear of the boat if for no other reason than this boat isn't overly powerful to begin with. A little weight up front helps me get on plane sooner especially up here at a mile above sea level. God help me on the high mountain lakes...I have to send my wife forward for more ballast.
Blue tops? - I love mine. I used 2 group 27's because that's what fit best in my old boat back in 2013. Moved the original batteries over to this new boat and they're still going strong on my I-pilot.
Charger? - Three bank charger mounted on the port wall of the changing station worked well for me. Ran the #1 bank wires straight back to the starting battery. I let the VSR send excess current over to the house battery. Banks #2 and #3 forward to the two blue tops. It's been working great. I have not added a cord access port through the console yet but I may one of these days.
The mount itself - The 1/2" aluminum setup posted on one of the other thread seems to be the best so far. I was one of the early FSH buyers and there wasn't much info out there. I had one week to get the boat setup before going on a Florida vacation so I used 1" Starboard. Mine is similar to that one but certainly not as clean and compact as his. I think many are using the Min-Kota RTA-17 quick release puck mount.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Van T]

Cool, more pics if of mounting plate if anyone would like to share it with me and some straight down shots with the motor off and on the bracket to relate to how far the bracket sticks off the front of the boat .

 

[highanddryinco]

If you haven't been here yet:
https://jetboaters.net/threads/trolling-motor-battery-location.11804/

These guys have this thing dialed in. If I ever decide to upgrade mine, I'll be copying.

 

[PoppyG]

I hate to poke the bear, but I've asked this before. Why SS or aluminum? Mine is mounted with 1" Star Board, batteries aft. It's been great in 25+ MPH wind with strong current and gust up to 40. I'm about 4" from keel line. The stern can get wobbly in heavy wind, but the Star Board hold true. I'm totally open to suggestions, but this works for me.

 

[Van T]

Have any pics of it

 

[PoppyG]

Winds been to bad to take it out last couple of weeks. Here's the mount. I'll see if I can post one of the entire bow tomorrow.

 

[Brian Filas]

@PoppyG - On the Starboard vs. Aluminum question. I think it comes down to how much material can you trim off and still keep the strength. I think yours will be fine with 1" and leaving as much material as you did. As I stated in my post, I tend to over engineer things boat related (both for aesthetics and durability). With the Aluminum, I was able to trim off a ton of material to keep a sleek profile (factor cover still fits). I also went with a bunch of mounting screws with super large washers behind them. Not to worried about it when the motor is down and running, but I am worried about all that weight being forward when running back in with a little chop. Dont want to rip a huge hole in my gunwale and have my $2k motor fall in (that would be a bad day). I just consider it a $250 insurance policy .