Where to Mount Trolling Motor on Pontoon Boat

Pontoon boats are an excellent option for families and boaters who want to enjoy the water. Besides being stable and versatile boats, they can also share moments with friends, relaxing, and fishing. Even if they are useful, they also have a few drawbacks.

Pontoon boats are difficult to handle. To manage your pontoon boat easily, it would be advisable that you add a trolling motor. Trolling motors are useful auxiliary motors. How then will you mount the trolling motor on your pontoon boat? This article explains how and where to mount it.

Where to mount trolling motor on pontoon boat?

Here are the 3 best places to mount a trolling motor –

Stern

Many people prefer mounting the trolling motor on the stern. Most of the affordable and standard trolling motors are made for transom mounting. They have brackets that make the process easy and simple to mount on the mounting surface.

The position is excellent for finer adjustments and easy access when maneuvering. Also, you get better access and control when operating the trolling motor from the stern. However, the bow-mounted engine gives even more control if you have a gas outboard occupying some stern space.

Video Credit – Bikes Boats Bivouacs

Bow

While stern-mounted motors are good, bow-mounted pontoon trolling motors are even better. Mounting the motor on your bow makes it easy for you as you maneuver the boat. It’s also ideal, especially when docking the deck boat or dragging a fishing line.

Trolling motors installed on the bow are very expensive, and the hand tiller cannot control most of them. However, various companies are developing new trolling motors, which will make it easy for people to adjust by using their hands instead of the usual smacking.

When using bow mounting, pontoon boats don’t have a particular mounting surface on the bow because there is no lip in the front and the floor is thicker than the inches a transom mount bracket can fit. You can modify your rail to make room for the motor, but this is a risky option. If you would like, a less risky option is the pontoon trolling motor, which uses mounts specifically made for deck boats.

Video Credit – Bigwater Fishing

Engine

The engine mount trolling motor is mounted on the engine itself. Most of them are mounted on the capitation plate. Engine-mounted trolling motors are convenient because they do not take any space on your pontoon boat. However, they are expensive than other options and are challenging to install.

What’s the ideal size of a trolling motor?

With trolling motors, the ones with more power are the better ones. You should get the most powerful trolling motor you can afford because it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

For an ideal trolling motor, for every 5 pounds of thrust to move in the water, you should have 400 pounds of weight in the boat.

The power of trolling motors is measured in thrust, unlike standard outboard engines, which are measures by horsepower. A trolling motor with more pounds is more potent than one with fewer pounds.

Besides thrust, trolling motors are also available in different voltages- 36, 24, 12/24, and 12 volts. If a trolling motor has a higher voltage, the power in it is more usable to propel the boat mover in tone water. Practically, if you have, 12-volt trolling motor with 50 pounds of thrust, it will be less strong than a 36 volt motor with 90 pounds of thrust.

Are special mounting brackets necessary?

Special mounting brackets are only necessary if you will buy a bow-mounted trolling motor. Engine mounted motors clip on the engine and rear trolling motors clip on the transom; hence do not need any mounting brackets.

The unique mounting brackets come with a new trolling motor, but you need to be ready to put some effort into the engine as a boater. On most occasions, you will have to drill the boat’s deck and mount a plate that will be connected to the motor. The mount enables the motor to move up and down into the water if need be.

Even though installing bow trolling motors requires a lot of time and effort during installation, many people prefer them because they can easily maneuver in the boat.

Do trolling motors have batteries?

Trolling motors use electricity to generate power hence need batteries. Even if people use the batteries on the boat to start the outboard engine, using it will deplete the remaining energy reserves quickly, making it hard for your boat to back up after a fishing day.

To solve this issue, you can install a deep cycle battery on your trolling motor. People who have trolling motors of high voltage, in particular, should ensure they have this battery. Also, people who use their trolling motors for many hours in a day should ensure they have installed deep cycle batteries to ensure the motor keeps running.

Conclusion

Trolling motors are excellent options for people whip have pontoon boats and those who love fishing. Instead of using a noisy engine that will scare away all the fish, you can use a trolling motor to maneuver easily in the water with minimal noise pollution. Since there are various trolling motors, it is advisable to choose the best that fits your needs.