Pretty sure that vertical piece is serving a dual purpose. It is the backside of the compartment, but also provides structural support for the front end. I would not cut it unless I was going to weld it back up after making whatever mods I needed to get the TM cable through.

You can definitely get an extension handle that would allow you to operate a hand control motor from the front seat. A lot of guys down here in the panhandle have them on their bed fishing boats due to their towers being too tall for a foot control to reach. Just google trolling motor extension handles. They are actually pretty slick in their design. I use a foot control but know a bunch of guys that swear by the hand controls on the smaller boats without the option for a recessed pedal.

7’? Wow. Well imo I wouldn’t cut anything. You will lose structural integrity and also kill the resell value of the boat. I think there’s only a few options: a deck extension, long cables for the trolling motor, moving the trolling motor off the top of the bow, close to the rub rail, and using a hand control, OR going with a wireless 24V trolling motor such as a terrova or ulterra. Out of those options the latter is your best option if you can afford to do this

It looks like you guys are gonna talk me out making the 5' cable work.

But that was what I wanted, as I suspected it was probably a bad idea. I think the structural integrity loss would be minimal. They have an access hole cut into the next deck that is only a little smaller than what I would need. It looks like this:



I would need to make it a little bigger than this one to get the foot control through it, but I could actually make one smaller if I take the cable loose and just slide it through. But that would mean I would have to remove the foot control from the cable every time I have to take it off the boat, and that would be a pia. Then I would still have to cut a slot of some sort in the lid.

Looks like my best option is to just buy the longer cable and live with the excess. Or maybe someone could shorten them for me? It would just be a matter of using some sort of powerful press and crimp something on the end that would hold it into the slot.

I am not going back to a hand operated and the ship has sailed on an Ulterra. The Maxxum is already paid for and it is going to work one way or another. Thanks again for all the ideas.

The cables can’t be shortened, nor can they be removed each time. Anytime the cable has been removed from the pedal or the head, the cables have to be re-timed so that the trolling motor operates correctly.

Dang, I wouldn't have thought a cable could be that complicated. I may have to bring it to you to get the cables put on. I haven't taken the plate off the bottom of the foot control to see how they connect; guess I will do that in the morning. Thanks for the warning.

It’s a push pull system with “keepers” (lack of a better word) that hold the cables in place. The trolling motor has to stay “in time” between the pedal and the gearset on the head of the trolling motor. They have to be taken loose at the head as well as the pedal. It’s pretty complicated if you don’t know what you are doing.

I've watched a couple of videos and I agree that it looks complicated. They say it should take an hour so that means I will probably take all day. I can't see why I couldn't couldn't cut a clip off one end, then cut a couple of feet of the sheath loose, slide the sheath off, and then put the sheath end back on. Then tape the sheath back together and somehow make a new clip in the cable. That last step would be something I don't have the capability of doing.

I have changed my mind about using the long cables and decided to do it exactly like you suggested. That part of the deck is not adding any structural integrity to the boat. It doesn't even connect to the sides; it just ties back in to the inner piece of the rod racks. The next deck is welded to the sides and is supplying some support for the bow, but they have that access hole in it and obviously didn't consider it a problem. I will need an 8.5" x 6" opening in the deck, but I will not have to cut through the top or the bottom. I can put some T molding around the hole and make it look almost like a factory job.

I will have to cut the big lid in half and add a hinge on the side that doesn't have one now; already found an aluminum hinge that would work. Then I I will have to cut a slot in rear of the lid for the cable to slide in when the motor is raised or lowered, but I can use the same T molding around it. I will put hinges on both of the side compartments in the deck and use one of them for a cooler and the other for light storage such as life jackets. I can get all of the flotation under the very front deck. Both of the trolling motor batteries will fit where the cooler used to be, but I will take it to the river and test it before making that permanent. I can always leave one in the back if that turns out to be too much weight, but the wiring will be so simple if I can put them both there - direct connection from the TM to the batteries with no plug to cause trouble.

I'm gonna drill one new hole in the deck and fasten the TM down to make sure that it will raise and lower with sufficient room, but I'm 99% sure that it will. Thanks for all the ideas from everyone.

I have cut similar holes in several boats and never had an issue. Not saying you won't but I never have. Most of mine have been on boats with 25 HP or less motors so that may be why I haven't had problems. Our local dealer sells the molding you will need if you don't have something on hand. As with any metal the bends are where the strength is at. If you cut a bend you may need to add some strength back or additional support. I have helped lay out several boats/decks for buddies that want to lighten them and add more deck for the local >25 HP lakes we have. It is amazing what you can do with what we call alumalite and some additional bracing. I don't know the correct term for allumalite but it is two thin layers of aluminum with either corrugated sign material or solid plastic sandwiched between them. You can find it used in 4x8 sheets from sign shops. Also, old road sign material is handy but heavier. It can be bought in bulk from govdeals.

Thanks for all that info! I won't have to cut any place that has a bend. With the cooler removed, there is just a vertical sheet of .100 thick aluminum that has bends at the top and the bottom. I will just need to cut out a rectangular hole that will 8.5" x 6" from the center of it, and there will be plenty of material left above, below, and on each side. And the piece doesn't even tie into the outer hull; just the inner wall that ties into the rod rack. I didn't realize all this until I removed all the top deck. I temporarily mounted the motor and the cable will have plenty of length once I make the hole in the deck.

I am now trying to figure out the best way tie the batteries down. The floor is sloped, so I will have to put down a 2x4 or something to get it level. Then I gotta decide how to lock it down. I don't know if I should build something myself out of wood or buy a plastic box . It will need to be fastened down really well, yet probably needs some sort of cushion under them. Any ideas on that?

Do you have a link or a name for the molding that your dealer sells? I haven't found anything that I thought was just right yet, though that is something I don't have to be in a hurry about.

If you need to fill the gaps between the floor braces, I have used blue board insulation like used i cut to fit then cover in carpet if needed. Most glues will not jive with the insulation but you can cover it with alumalite or plastic then add carpet if you want. If you are talking about leveling the actual slope of the hull on the bottom I dont have any ideas. I've used pieces of rubber horse stall mats to absorb the shock.
No link or name for the u trim, but search black u channel trim. Boat mart in Guntersville is who I know carried it.

The rubber matts sound like a good idea, and I already have something like that. Just something to keep those batteries from beaten up so bad near the bow.

I have a rubber horse mat just laying in my lean to if you need it. I believe I have read that you have family in Mobile and I would be glad to get it to someone for you.

Many thanks for the offer, but I have some matting that came out of a paper mill and will need only to be cut to size. It's extremely dense, but it also is flexible enough to protect the battery.

Those are basically all that is used down here on the coast, I've owned quite a few. Never dropped my remote overboard ever and they float if you do.

For anyone interested in the project, I have cut the 5x8" hole in the deck and the foot control passes through it and now sits level. It sure doesn't look to me like it weakened the bow any, due to the unusual way this boat was made.

I didn't like the way that the Edge was mounted. It had rubber washers between the TM and the deck, and it did lots of creaking and groaning when put under power. I ordered a 6x24" sheet of 1/4" aluminum and I'm going to first put down a layer of silicone, then the 1/4" plate, and then mount the TM to the plate. I read about that mounting method in a magazine article and it sounded like a good idea..

I made a level wooden platform under the front deck where the cooler used to be and will mount the TM batteries on it with a mat under them. I have read a lot about battery placement in the front of an aluminum boat and all I can say is that it's been a lot of contradictory info. This is the 7th boat I have owned, and it was the first to have a porpoising issue. I attributed it to too much weight in the back, and I have really thought that moving 2 batteries to the front would help. Some of the stuff I read says it will help, and some says it's gonna make it worse. I guess I will have to try it and see, but I sure hate to buy new batteries and not be sure they are gonna work right. I guess I can always move one of them to the back, but that will greatly complicate the wiring. I would like to hook the leads from the TM directly to the batteries with no need for a receptacle that can cause problems.

Sounds like a good plan, let us know how it works out.

I didn't have everything I needed to finish the project, but I wanted to go fishing Friday so I fixed it up well enough to use it and tried it out. Cutting the hole through the deck and the slot in the lid worked very well and the foot control now sits level in the exact spot I need it. I put trim moulding around the hole I cut, but I didn't have time to put it on the lid. It has a dense insulation on the underside that will need to be trimmed before the moulding will fit and I will get to that later. I didn't have the battery tie downs, so I just temporarily strapped them to the plywood bottom. I didn't have the aluminum plate for mounting the motor, so I temporarily mounted it directly to the deck. I think that would work ok, but I will add the plate when I have time. I still have to cut out access doors and add hinges for the storage areas on each side of the batteries, but I have the hinges and that shouldn't take long.

The 24 volt motor is a great upgrade and will make the boat a lot more versatile, especially when fishing in rivers. I had to run the Edge on 5 all the time, but the Maxxum moves it well on 2. I put it on 3 a few times when in a lot of wind, but never had to go higher for fishing. I ran it on 5 a little just to see how it would do, and I think it has enough power to get through most shoals without having to use the outboard and risk destroying another prop.

Taking one group 29 battery out of the back and adding the pair of group 27s to the front leveled the weight out and made it ride better. I was able to trim the motor as much as I wanted without any porpoising, and that improved the ride in rough water.

Thanks for all the help and ideas





find a pnc bank near me

Looks good!