Motor mount

Gig Harbor Boatworks built a motor kit kit for me. It's a simple mechanism of a trolling motor, a phenolic slider mount and 2 aluminum channels. I've had it arranged for awhile, but hadn't assembled it until everything got painted.

At first, it didn't slide very well. I called Falk and the crew at GHBoats.com and they said just to dose it with some silicone spray. That worked wonders and now it slides well. There were a couple of areas where the flat head 1/4-20 bolts stuck just a bit proud of the aluminum. I used a table saw to route small grooves on the back of the phenolic mount to free that up a bit.

I tested it briefly in air and it seems to be fairly powerful. 55lbs of thrust isn't a lot, but it's enough to get me away from the dock.

Port side view

starboard side

There is a through block mounted just above the motor. There will be 1/4" line through there and a cleat on the inside.

I put a stainless steel rod through the bottom of the aluminum to prevent a complete drop out of the motor. I also put a brass padlock at the top to prevent someone from walking away with the motor.

A very short quick release pin is inboard for a safety while trailering.