Northwest Fishing Reports

13ft boston whaler jet boat

Any suggestions for mounting a trolling motor without removing the swimboard( the jet is underneath) and spending a ton of money?



This isnt my boat, but it looks identical except the steering on mine is different, and mine is all white.. either way
I need some suggestions, i have an idea but looking for some feedback.

thanks

You might consider a bow-mount arrangement, if you have the space and access to make it work.

The only problem is i want a trolling motor for the rear, cause i use it out in the sound, rivers and large lakes etc.

I have pole holders and all that fun stuff for trolling.

any suggestions on the trolling motor hp would be appreciated as well.

I don't think the mounting will be all that difficult. With a 13ft boat, a 5hp motor should be all you need as a kicker, so not much weight will be involved. I'd use some plastic lumber like Durawood, re-enforce it with diamond plate as necessary and build a ET like mounting bracket that attaches to the transom and lays flat on the deck. The issue will be hooking up a steering and throttle system or you can opt to use a tiller extension to steer and control it from the back seat.

Im not real sure what a ET bracket is, but i like the idea with plastic wood, i have some laying around from the deck, and ill probably just use a tiller extension. Do you think those little 2hp motors would work alright for trolling with ? i was looking at some smaller motors with a built in gas tank, i thought that might work best, without having a gas hose all over the boat.

I'd go with something a bit bigger than a 2HP. definitely in the 4 to 6hp range as with just a bit of wind and current I think that a 2HP motor would be under powered. I believe that there are several outboard manufacturers that made motors with built in tanks that will fit your needs. I mentioned Durawood as it is a structural rated lumber and comes in all kinds of colors including white. I'd still use some aluminum diamond plate to re-enforce whatever mount you may build, it cuts real nice with a carbide circular saw blade. Check out the kicker mounts for the boats with the extended transoms (ET) for some ideas. Just make sure you don't mount your bracket directly to your platform, I don't think it could handle it, especially when trailering.

This trolling motor bracket would work good on your swimboard, and if your looking for an internal gas tank there are some nice 5HP kicker motors with them, not sure about 6 HP though. I have a 6HP kicker/trolling motor on my 14 foot aluminum, with yours I would go with a 5 or 6 HP and an extendable tiller steering as mentioned. Goodluck

Thanks everyone for the advice, the swimboard i extremely sturdy, there has been 500lbs on it at one point, so i think the trolling motor if its light enought would be alright. I have a 1970's or 1980's evinrude 6hp in mint condition, but i didnt want to run a fuel hose, because the gas tank is under the seat, and it would pinch the line if i hooked it up and im trying to avoid drilling any holes that i dont need, so a self contained motor seems best. i like the mount, do think i can make somthing similiar homemade?

If you make it yourself make sure your bracket is stainless steel or strong aluminum since you will be using it in the salt too. Hate to see you lose your motor because of a rusted bracket.

Snowbird2008 wrote:If you make it yourself make sure your bracket is stainless steel or strong aluminum since you will be using it in the salt too. Hate to see you lose your motor because of a rusted bracket.

I would also be a bit concerned about how low to the waterline your trolling motor will be mounted off the swim step. If you get chop or boater waves your little motor is going to get dunked, which can't be good. I would look at elevating the bracket up 8-12".
I'm sure you'll be able to do this, it will take a little creative construction of a mount to attach to it.

I was thinking of using some brackets along with a 2x8 for the mount, having it sit about 12inchs tall. with reinforced with some aluminum. Its hard to explain but in my head it makes sense haha