[agereety]

Thank you , BayCoastal, for the tip. I have decided to take my time and gather info. with all of my modifications. I dragged out my depthfinder/transducer install, but it is a system that works. Yesterday, I tried out the depthfinder/transducer that my friend and I installed - and it worked perfectly. I was able to figure out (because of this site) the perfect transducer placement, stuff to use, etc.. I am intimidated by all of these modifications (initially) because I am not skilled with this kind of stuff. My friend, however, has skills - so with the combo. of me gathering info. and his skills- it appears to be a system that works.
Regarding this trolling motor/bracket stuff - it's been slow and steady. I took forever to order the motor and accessories for several reasons. I decided to deal with Cabela's. The first call to a "product specialist" was me talking to someone whose knowledge base was actually less than mine.
I tried to find reviews of the Minn Kota Riptide, and all I could find was bad stuff. I was discouraged. I waited two more weeks. Then I called back - talked to a product specialist who was an authority on this stuff- it boosted my confidence level, and I ordered a ton of stuff. I ordered a 101 pound thrust/36 volt Minn Kota Riptide (54 inch shaft), the "quick disconnect" plate, 12 feet of 6 guage wire, a Minn kota 3 bank/stage charger, an A.C. plug,a twist/lock (plug in and twist) receptacle for the trolling motor, the "jumper cables" to wire the batteries in series, a Minn Kota circuit breaker, and I still need to get some military/marine grade- polarized/clamp style battery top terminals. I already have the special trolling motor bracket, inspection hatch, and hardware from Merritt Marine. Now, I have to get psyched to cut and drill holes to make that all happen. If my friend and I can't figure out all of this stuff ( with the help from this site) - then I will try and get assitance from my dealer and hand all of this stuff over to them to figure out.
Regarding the use of the stainless/ bolt thru anchor approach - it sounds cool. I have also learned the tip of applying a little epoxy to the nuts and washers - gluing them together - and that should make it easier to thread them onto the bolts - while reaching in thru the cut inspection hole - in order to attach the trolling motor bracket. I am gearing up mentally for this next modification. I am somewhat relieved that all of the stuff I ordered has not arrived yet.