So I have a 2010 G3 16' stick steering boat with a 50 hp Yamaha that I've had over a year now and have mentioned here before. I really like the boat and since I am 66, I imagine this is the last one I will own. The only thing I have really disliked has been the 12 volt Edge trolling motor. I have to run it on 5 to move the boat at all, and when I fish current it often won't even hold my position. I almost bumped into another boat when fishing below Wheeler dam a couple of weeks ago; I thought I had plenty of power to get around him as I was floating past, but I misjudged and had to crank the outboard at the last minute. I apologized and he seemed to accept it, but I decided then that I have talked about a new motor long enough and it was time to get one.

So I found a 24 volt Maxxum in good shape, knowing I was gonna face a problem - the standard 5' steering cable is too short. The Maxxum will fit the holes they drilled at the factory for the Edge, but it's too short by about 6". The shaft cleared the bow by 5" when the Edge was down, and I thought that might be enough room that if I move the new motor back so that I have just 1" of clearance it might work. It's close, but still a couple of inches short. The front deck is so high that the cable has to make a sharp bend upwards to clear it. The front of foot control doesn't touch the floor the way it is now. If I didn't have the deck, I believe it would work.

Here is what it looks like:



There is a cooler under the deck lid and I have removed it. It's not a very efficient cooler, but I hate to have to do without it as there is not a lot of room on the floor.

Looks like I have 2 possibilities, but I am open to other ideas. The easiest would be to buy an 8' cable for about $100 and replace the 5' with it. I could then mount the Maxxum where the Edge was and wouldn't have to change anything else. The downside of that is that the 7' cable on the Edge is already way too long and is constantly in the way. An 8' will be even worse. Also, there is room for only 2 batteries in the back compartment, so I will have to use the same battery that cranks the outboard and powers accessories to get the 24 volts for the trolling motor. I never fish more than 6 or 7 hours, so I don't see that as too big of a deal. Still, it isn't ideal and it would be better to have 3 batteries.

The other option is to take a saw to the piece of aluminum at the front deck. I was thinking I could just cut a slot about a foot wide from the center over to where the compartment starts that has the foam in it. That compartment has a plywood cover that I temporarily removed. That would make it possible for the steering cable to lie flat on the floor and to fold upward when the motor is stowed. I could then design something to hold both of the trolling motor batteries in the area where the cooler is now. The boat currently has too much weight in the back and it porpoises at top speed if there is someone on the back seat. I could cut the current deck cover in half and use it to cover the battery on the right side. Then I could take the other half and put a hinge on it and cover the left side. There would have to be a slot in the back of them for the cable, but I could still cover most of the deck and have easier access than I do now. I could fit some sort of soft sided cooler into it for drinks. Or I could put a hinge on the compartments on each side where the flotation is and gain a lot of storage. I believe that I could cut the flotation into smaller sizes and fit all of it under the very front deck where the trolling motor mounts. There is none at all there now.

I am thinking that I like the second idea best, but I would like some advice from you guys before committing to it. Once I take a saw to the aluminum, there is no going back. Don't let me ruin my boat!

Thanks for any ideas!

Never run a trolling motor on a cranking battery. That’s just asking for trouble especially if you fish tail traces. I would look at option #2 but you might need to add some metal back in to strengthen everything. I’m pretty sure it can be done but I’m not sure the correct way.

I’d fab something up to raise the floor (where the foot control is sitting in the picture) up 4-6”. You could use the exiting mounting holes and that would also allow the cable to lay almost flat, all the way to the foot control. You might have to get an adjustable pedestal for your front seat to get your height right, to fish comfortably from your seat but that’s no big deal. I would not consider the 8’. You don’t want all that additional cable in the boat. Just my two cents.

It looks like you could cut a storage access (similar to some factory Jon boats) in front of the foot pedal in the picture. Notch the top front of the lip the lid rests on to allow for the cable entry point. It should then lay flat in the floor under the cooler. If that would work you could fab a door for the storage access or put channel rubber around the cut out and leave it open.

I think my next trolling motor gonna be one of them remote control jobs. Wear the control fob on a lanyard around your neck.

This was my first thought too. Stack a few boards in the floor and place the controller on it then sit in the seat just to test the feel of it before you build the floor up.

If the foot pedal is a comfortable distance from the seat, fab you a 30-45 degree angle block to mount the foot pedal to. That would raise the front of the pedal up a little more than it is, which would ease the stress on the cable. The foot pedal would be at an angle, like the gas pedal in a car. If you could get it the correct distance from the front seat, I actually think that would be more comfortable than it being flat on the floor.

Either that or sell both and buy a Terrova, or Ulterra TM. I think the Terrova is offered with a foot pedal and a remote, but it may only use a remote. You'd think an Ulterra was the finest thing you've ever owned because you wouldn't have to get out of your seat to deploy or stow it.

My first boat was a stick steering. I made a small, but efficient deck . I placed a pedestal base at the rear of it. You could do the same thing to yours. Then the cable length wouldn't be a problem. I loved being 2" higher while fishing, plus it adds storage under the deck. Just something to consider. Didn't someone else recently have this problem??

Bring it to me Mr Steve, I’ll fix it right for you.

Thanks for all the replies!

I will take some more pics to show one issue that you can't see and it voids some of the ideas. My front seat is already sitting on a deck that is several inches higher than the rest of the floor. At times I feel like it is already too high to be running 32 mph. Boat builders must have some formula for how high the front seat can be and mine has to be pushing that limit, so I am not comfortable with raising it yet higher. Plus, the hull weighs 800 lbs due to them having way more wood than necessary.

I was seriously considering an Ulterra, which is the only electric steering model that would work. The downside of it was that it's $2500 for a boat that cost $6700. Like putting a Rolls engine in a Yugo. I was still considering it, but found a like new Maxxum for $250. I gotta make it fit somehow.

Yeah, and you'd either lose it, or drop it over board. I'vknown guys that got those and sold it quick. Sold it without the remote.

PCP, One reason you feel too high is that when you are running the bow has lifted unless you are idling level. On big bassboats the front deck is elevated too. If you aren't comfortable with height I understand. Just look how high you are in the cab of a John Deere.

There's no telling how many bass boats have put the Ultrex TM on them since that TM became available. It's electric steering like all the remote control models but the motor works with the foot pedal to give it that "old" cable steer feel. Except the foot pedal is now so much easier to turn. Unlike the foot pedal on all other electric steer TM's this one retains the feel and foot position of the older cable steers. You don't have to look at the TM head to know which direction the TM is pointing, you can tell by the angle of your foot like you could on the older cable steer models. I use the remote to turn up, or down the power and my foot to drive. If they made one like it that auto deployed and stowed, I'd buy it tomorrow.

So here is the view from the back. You can see that the deck my front seat is bolted to is already several inches higher than the rest of the floor.


share picture


You can even see a couple of my chinese baitcasters that cost $20 and maybe get an idea that I am probably not a guy who is gonna drop $2500 on a trolling motor.

This boat already has some PCP modifications that would be condemned by most boat builders. The front seat was originally on a low pedestal like the one I still have in the back:



I knew when I bought it that my back problems would not allow me to operate the TM from that low pedestal, so I had to have a power pedestal that I could let down when under power and let up for fishing. These used to be common, but I guess the lawyers have put a stop to it. None that are made now are rated for use under power. I scoured the internet and finally found this one on a closeout and it works great. But even in the down position, it's higher than it was from the factory. I think you can see that raising the deck any higher is out.

That's a great offer, and I really appreciate it! But I can't worry you to death over this boat and I need to save a favor for when the Yamaha won't crank. That day will probably come, and that's when I'm gonna have to bring it to you.

Besides, this seems to me like a good PCP project. It's radical enough to shock most people, but I believe that it will probably work in the end. I had thought when I bought it that I might eventually sell it and buy a custom made new one. But I've decided this one is good enough and I will just keep it. So I am not worried about resale value. If I die quickly, my heirs will get enough money that a few K lost on the boat won't matter. If I die slowly and spend years in the nursing home, then a democratic president will get my boat and I won't care if it's worthless in that scenario.

But I sure could use your advice on the best way to approach it. I don't think the work will be that difficult; it's just a matter of having the right plan.

If it were mine.....I would add a 24” deck extension and a seat pedestal. Once you get used to it you will wonder why you never did it sooner

Have someone fab you an extension by breaking T60 aluminum and welding braces on the inside of the extension. Then bolt the extension into the boat. Now you can add a 27 group deep cycle for the 24 volt trolling motor right under the extension.

Can you drive the boat where the foot pedal is now?

Yes, but are a young man who is agile and able to do most anything. I am an old man with back trouble and all sorts of balance issues. The primary reason for a stick steering boat is that I climb into the front seat and seldom have to leave it. I would have bought a standard bass boat if I felt comfortable on a high deck and didn't mind getting up and down to run the outboard. I have gotta make it work where the seat is now.

Not for very long. It would put my leg in a position that would have my back hurting really bad in just a few minutes. I had this same issue with a boat 20 years ago and I put an angled piece of wood under the foot control. That worked, but it was always uncomfortable for me even back then. 20 years later, the foot control has gotta sit level.

I just spent a little time looking at it and came up with another idea. How about instead of cutting a slot through the vertical piece of aluminum, I cut out a square instead? Let it start even with the bottom of the deck so that foot control can sit level, but don't cut all the way to the top of it. I don't know if that piece is adding much strength, but cutting a hole in it would weaken it a lot less than cutting all the way through it. It would need to be about 8"x8" to let the foot control pass through it. Then I would need to cut a slot into the deck cover for the cable to pass through when raising and lowering the motor. Or it might be better to follow the first idea and cut it half in two and hinge both sides so that it wouldn't be such a hassle to open.

G3 is owned by Yamaha and has a reputation for building good boats, but they didn't utilize the space well on this one. I am for sure gonna remove the foam from the side compartments and stuff it under the front deck, then hinge both of those for storage. That alone will make it a lot better boat.

Any advice on how best to saw the aluminum? I have a jig saw with a metal cutting blade, and a sawzall that will cut anything but it's hard to keep it straight. All of the aluminum is .100 thick.

Do you guys think I am right that it will ride better with the 2 trolling motor batteries in the front? I am running the Edge with a group 29 and it has never once dropped below 75% soc after a day of fishing. I am thinking I would be fine with 2 group 24 batteries for the TM. That would be more stored energy than the 29, and would take 50 lbs from the back and then add 100 to the front. Think that would stop the porpoising? It is so bad when I have a heavy passenger that I can't trim it at all, and have to slow down if the water has a chop.

Then what you need to do is buy a 80 lb thrust minn Kota max with a hand control. Add their 12” extension. That’s the exact trolling motor I have and I love it. Same size boat as yours basically and it drags my boat around like a rag doll. The hand control is what I prefer in smaller boats. A hand control would be better on your legs and back anyway.

Hevi, it's 7' from the bow to the front seat. I don't see how I could make a hand control work unless I side mounted it. I have been using a foot control almost 50 years; I think I am too old to change.

You think cutting a hole through that vertical piece is a bad idea?