Mounting Minn Kota Power Drive G3 Bass boat

[Inline6]

I recently purchased a used G3 17 foot bass boat that came with a Minn Kota 40 lb thrust Maxxum style trolling motor (big mounting pad). Similar to all the trolling motors I have owned in the past. I acquired a 70 lb thrust Minn Kota Power Drive from an avid Crappie fisherman friend that trades his equipment out every 3-4 years for the latest and greatest. If I was to had bought a new one I probably would have stuck with the Maxxum style in the 70lb thrust. But with the deal I got I could not have bought a refurbished one.

What my question is how many of you with aluminum bass style boats mounted the PowerDrive style trolling motors directly to the boat? With the mounting pad being half the size and more thrust has me nervous about only having 4 bolts holding the trolling motor to the front of the boat with backing washers and nuts. The front two I will have to use self tappers or a RivNut or something similar.

Second part that makes me nervous is how the mount has to overhang the boat due to the design and the susceptibility of hitting something with the trolling motor. I know several of you will say "how did your buddy deal with it?" Well when you have money to burn you get the fanciest mount that is 200 dollars that can slide back when the trolling motor is in use.

Figured with all the hours on the lakes trolling some of you may have already figured out by trial and error a cheaper solution to mounting these style trolling motors. Probably just overthinking as usual. TIA

[Countryboy N.C.]

I just mounted a new power drive to a tracker 175, used the mounting bolts that came with it , everything worked out good.

[Inline6]

Being a similar shaped hull and layout, how did you lay out the trolling motor? For mine to make sense without being in the way while on the front deck and without overhanging the side by s foot looks like I will have to follow the angle of the front of the boat instead of being parallel with the side of the boat.

Were you able to reach the front hardware on the mount underneath?

[Clint]

Minn Kota makes a slide mount that costs a lot less than $200 - I paid around $50 for the MK-16-02 for my PD2. It has other features that make it worth the $. You can remove the locking screw and slide it back, you can remove the motor and store it out of the weather and you can slide a padlock through both the upper and lower plates so it will still be on your boat when you come out to it after grabbing a burger. Well worth the time and money.

[Inline6]

Thanks for the added info Clint. I was looking into the MK-16-02 after posting the thread. A lot of mixed reviews online for them. But like you said for $50 dollars how can you go wrong.

Plus less holes to put in the boat if I change my mind down the road on trolling motors.

[skeetbum]

And you can keep the old TM and get another mount section and use it when you need to. Sometimes one works better than the other and it's nice to be able to swap.

[ad1974]

I bought a mk 16 mount to use on my Tracker pro crappie 175/powerdrive v2 70 install and it works well,no problems at all.

[barrelslime]

I bought a mk 16 mount to use on my Tracker pro crappie 175/powerdrive v2 70 install and it works well,no problems at all.

Can you post a pic

[barrelslime]

Here is my V2 mounted on my G3. Bolted right to the deck with washers tom and bottom. No problem

[ad1974]

I will post a pic this weekend,I won't have access to it until then.