After patching and repairing our old 1985 Minn Kota Model 65 (from 1985) over the last couple of years, Debbie got us a new trolling motor for the Jon Boat for my Birthday. It's the Minn Kota Endura C2-30 with the composite shaft. WOW! What a huge improvement over our old unit, it is!
During the time we've run the old unit, I modified a number of things, so I set about to modify the new one in the same way. Here's a few pics...
I modified the old unit so I could leave the mount on the boat (so as to now have to deal with tightening and loosening those clamps every time). On the new one, I pressed out the pivot pin that coupled the motor unit to the mount assembly, and reinstalled a 3/8" x 4" long stainless steel shank bolt in it's place. I drilled and fitted a cotter pin to the opposie end of the bolt, so it's easy to pop on and off.
Boy, the control head is super sleek, handles great, and has smooth motor speed control.
Here's the other side of the mount with the pivot modified. I drilled the end of the 3/8" x 4" stainless steel sahank bolt and use a cotter pin for retention.
The next snag was the motor height control collar. I like to raise and lower the motor a lot, because of the super skinny water we run in sometimes. It comes with an allen bolt, so you have to keep a allen wrench in your pocket. Negative.... I found a longer 1/4-20 bolt, cut the head off, ground a couple of flats with 90 degree separation, and installed a knob. Then, a nylon washer was slipped on, and the whole mess was screwed into the 1/4-20 nut that's in the collar. Now, I just simply give the knob a twist, and raise / lower the motor as needed. O also wrap black tape around the shaft, just above the collar at the deepest setting I use, so I have a built-in default for depth.
Lastly, I installed another quick connect to the power wire like I had on the old motor. The wiring harness is permanently installed in the boat, so it makes a quick motor install when we're ready to launch.
