Help! Need to Remove Trolling Motor From Boat

[spider628]

I have a Minn Kota Rip Tide trolling motor mounted on the bow of my Key West 196 Bay Reef. I'm the 3rd owner; the motor came with the boat. We fish a lot but never use the trolling motor and want to take it off the boat and sell it. Plus, it's in the way somewhat and creates a little bit of a safety hazard for us. The motor has a bottom bracket I'll call the "foot" and attached to the boat is a receiving bracket I'll call the "shoe." There's 6 SS screws that seem to be holding the foot of the motor in the shoe. When I started loosening these screws, instead of coming up as I unscrewed them, they just went 'round and 'round...all 6 of them. What's going on? And what do I do next? It looks like if I can't get these screws to come out then the motor and foot bracket can't slide backward out of the shoe. Are there some threaded inserts (or something like that) in the shoe that have gotten stripped due to corrosion or something? If anyone has any experience dealing with either mounting or removing mounted trolling motors, I'd really appreciate hearing your feedback. Thanks.

 

[mars bar]

Re: Help! Need to Remove Trolling Motor From Boat

Is there a way to apply pressure under the bracket? sometimes by applying a leverage the screw might catch a bit of wood. The only other way I know is to mask the area with tape and grind off the heads of the screws. Good luck mars bar.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Help! Need to Remove Trolling Motor From Boat

I assume they put the trolling motor mount on with well nuts; rubber insert with a nut attached to the bottom,,, when you tighten the screw the rubber squishes, pulls the nut up and snugs everything up.

Personally,,, I hate those things as every time I've had to remove them the rubber stripped out and, as you have seem, the nut spins, and spins, and spins... Seems that a bit of corrosion locks the screw/nut and then the rubber strips. I've either drilled the screw head off or last time I was able to grab the bottom of it with vice grips to hold the nut.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Help! Need to Remove Trolling Motor From Boat

If I understand you correctly, you apparently have a quick release plate. One half of this device (the shoe) bolts to the base of the motor bracket and the other half (the foot as you call it) is secured to the boat. The motor simply slides backward to remove it from from the boat. There is a thumb screw in the right side of the bracket that locks the two pieces together. You need to remove the screw. You can now slide the motor backwards to separate it from the foot as you call it. You now remove the bolts holding the bottom half (the piece that's on the boat) by removing the bolts. There are only two ways used to secure this piece. Bolts and nuts or bolts and what are called well nuts. Well nuts are nothing more than rubber inserts with a nut captured in the end. They are pushed into a hole in the boat and when the bolt is tightened the well nut expands. Once the bolt is loosened a little, the well nuts should simply pull free. If there are separate nuts beneath the bow, they are very likely nylon insert locking nuts and you will need to get a wrench on them to remove the nut. You need to remove the side covers on the motor to remove that piece attached to the motor.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Help! Need to Remove Trolling Motor From Boat

Ahh Yeah, check and see if it is through bolted as Silvertip suggested...

(no sleep, fishing all night, now watching the kids and letting the wife sleep in ,,, guess I shouldn't be replying to threads )