Trolling Motor Options

[trainer1995]

Dick,

What are your recomendations for trolling motors on a 210CC, I have looked into Minn Kota's "Engine Motors", they look like they will work, however we would also like to use the boat for wake boarding.

Thanks,
Scott

[Dick@merrittmarine]

Scott, The only Trolling motors we have installed on a 21' triumph have been the type that goes on the cavation plate of your outboard, we have not had any complaint's from the owners. Those units are expensive.

Dick

[jergofish]

Scott, I'm going to mount a Riptide autopilot trolling motor on my boat in a month (or sooner if it gets here). I've elected to mount it on the bowspirit since, with my style of fishing, I almost NEVER anchor. I'll measure the height of my bowspirit above the water and hope to be able to get away with a 54" shaft AP70. The motor head should be 20 inches below the surface of the water meaning that I'll be OK if the bowspirit is 34" or less above the water. If it's higher, I'll have to go with the AP780 since it comes with a 60" shaft.

Since the bowspirit will not longer be used for anchoring, I also plan to mount a loudhailer/foghorn under the bowspirit where the anchor roller is now.

I'll route my wires through the navigation light tube and have them exit into the anchor rode compartment. I'll remove the navigation light at the end of the bowspirit and buy separate port and starboard lights and mount them just in back of the two chrome fairleads at the bow.

I'm going to mount the two 12 volt batteries in the megahold as far back as possible, and depending on the strength of the floor under them, may stiffen it with some plastic from a plastic vendor. I'll mount the on-board charger in the console and run the wires in vinyl tubing to the megahold to connect to the battery. I'll put a 35-50amp fuse on the wires going forward to the motor, depending on Minnkota's recommendation.

Hopefully I can find an anchor that will stow in the anchor rode compartment and that has sufficient holding power to be useful on the few times I anchor. If not, I'll have to stow the anchor in another of the forward lockers with shackle to fasten to the stowed anchor rode.

I'll post pictures and a description of the install when I do it.

Postscript:

I was able to measure the boat today and found that the 70AP with it's 54 inch shaft is marginal in length. The boat measured 37 inches from bowspirit to water, three inches higher than recommended for a 54 inch shaft. For performance I need to bolt on the 80AP with it's 60 inch shaft. I also found that the bowspirit is wide enough that I may be able to mount the trolling motor and not have to move the bow roller or possibly just move it back a few inches. In any case, the mods look fairly easy.

[trainer1995]

Hello Jerry,

Thanks for the reply, if it would not be to much to ask, would you post some photos of your work when completed.

Scott

[jergofish]

Yes, as I said, I'll post photos and how the install went, problems or ease as the case may be.

[fattiresc]

Wow, So great to hear a plan of some one who has pretty much thought the whole darn thing through... I bet when you go to bed at night you stare at the ceiling thinking about the install... I know I do with things for my 190 bay. A better way of "Counting Sheep". :-)

Sounds great, Good Luck!

[jergofish]

Guys, for some reason, maybe my laxity, I did not receive any messages regarding the installing of the trolling motor until today. I'll address the situation tomorrow with instruction and pictures.

By the way, it went absolutely without problem!

[jergofish]

Mounting a trolling motor on a 215:

Taking things off:
Remove the bow roller for the anchor.
Remove the two cleats.
Remove the navigation light.

Putting things back together:
1. Move the wiring out of the way for navigation lights and drill a hole all the way through the bowsprit. The hole has to be large enough to hold the wiring for the nav lights on the bottom of the bowsprit but not so large that the nav light can't be mounted under the bowsprit opposite where it was on top.
2. Push the wires that were coming out of the top of the bowsprit through to the bottom of the bowsprit. Turn the glass lens over in the nav light so that the port and starboard lights are facing the right direction and remount the nav light UNDER the bowsprit using screws and RULE. Fill in The hole on the top of the bowsprit with RULE.
3. Drill about a half inch hole through the deck where the inboard end of the slot in the bowsprit exposes the nose end of the deck. This is where you'll run the wires from the trolling motor to the batteries.
4. Mount the trolling motor, so that when deployed, the shaft is close to the center line of the boat and as close to the bowsprit as possible. The unit should be mounted at an angle to the right so that you can open the anchor locker.
5. Install the battery or batteries in the megahold. Install a master switch at the forward end of the hold so you can switch the whole system on and off. Install a fuse box of the proper amperage.
6. Open the access port inside the anchor locker and locate the routing tube on the starboard side of the hull where the navigation light wiring is routed to the center console.
7. Purchase twenty feet of red and black welding cable of the proper gauge and tape the ends together with thin tape. If you want to run anything else up to the bow tape those wires to the cable. (I run a hailing/fog horn under the bowsprit)
8. Put the end of the wires into the routing tube through the access hatch at the bow and start pushing. Keep pushing till you see the ends of the wires start coming out the round hole with all the wires and cables coming out on the deck inside the console.
9. Drill a hole from the megahold at the rear through to the center console large enough to push the wires through. You'll have to drill it at an angle, starting low enough in the megahold to miss the hatch gutter and up into the center console. It's an eyeball thing.
10. Push the wires through the hole. Solder on a battery terminal to the black wire and leave to attach to battery later.
11. If you're going to mount an on board battery charging system inside the center console, install it now and push the charging wires through the same hole into the megahold.
11. Attach the red wire first to the fuse block after soldering on a wire terminal and then from the fuse block to the Master Switch again using wire terminals. Finally fasten a lead from the switch to the positive post on the battery and leave disconnected.
12. Return to the bow and push the trolling motor power cables through the hole you drilled in the nose in the bow. Connect the cables you routed to the trolling motor power cables using crimp connectors or connectors of your choice. Fill around where the wires go through the hole in the bow with RULE.
13. Go back to the megahold and connect the wires to the batteries.
14. Remount a cleat or both cleats up closer to the trolling motor so that it won't be in the way when raising and lowering the motor.
You're done!

[ILLOGICAL GGC]

only thing i see missing is a support back at the top of the powerdrive to keep it from bouncing while under way. i'm sure it is on your list but it is definitely needed with that long a shaft.
sweet looking install

[jergofish]

Illogical, I thought I'd need one but the distance to the deck is higher than appears in the photo. I've tried to touch the deck by pushing on the head and it really takes a strain. When under way the head doesn't move more than a couple of inches up and down and the deck is almost a foot away.