190 bay questions

[rgstew47]

I am a fisherman and not a boater, so I may ask some pretty stupid questions.

My 190 Bay has two holes in the front of the hull from which water drains when the boat is put up on the lift. Why are they there and why would I want water to enter the hull in the first place?

I am about to purchase a trolling motor for the front of my 190 Bay and can barely spell trolling motor. I had the dealer install a plate to mount the trolling motor when I puchased the boat. Which motor would you recommend and what length shaft would I need? Any other suggestions or considerations would be much appreciated. Thanks for your help.

[Cincinnati]

Those holes are the drains for the forward fish boxes. Open the lids and look down. You'll see the drain plugs in the bottom (make sure they are plugged).

Others here will be of more help than me on the t-motor question.

[mtblife]

Are the front drains lined with anything or have roplene surrounding the foam?

[Cincinnati]

The holes are molded as a part of the overall process when constructing the boat. So, yes, that's Roplene. Dick can articulate the process better than I ever would.

[ILLOGICAL GGC]

i put a minnkota 60 power drive auto pilot 65lb. thrust ,24volt ,60in long shaft motor on my 01 186 bay. i went with agm type batteries since they were up front and would handle the recharge cycles better as well as being sealed not wet. i was one of the first to have the the factory mounting bracket and i see you have that already so the motor will install just fine.i did buy the quick release bracket to be able to remove the motor when i did ocean fishing. the power drive style was not availibe in the salt water riptide series in 01 ,but it did a good job--just had to pick calm days on the salt water. the 60 " long shaft was a bit long, but it was on sale at cabelas at the time ,so i went with it knowing it would do the job.
there are pictures of the install in my gallery and i think in 190 mod photos as well
the drain holes on the foward boxes are enclosed in plastic so water drains outside the hull when removed from water
GGC

[JR_Gar_Fisher]

You might have a void up inside one or both of those drain tubes. This would allow water to be trapped in the foam filled area. I had that problem with my starboard drain tube and it had to be fixed by my dealer. Look up into those tubes and if you see any of the yellow foam, that could be your problem.
I have a Minn-Kota 65 with a 54” shaft. It works great on my 190.
Good luck.
JR

[AstroDiver]

Drain plugs? Thanks, I didn't know about plugs for the drains. I use the forward boxes for storage.