Toon motors - front or back

[jefstod]

Want to make some useful mods. to my pontoon and heave seen various setups on the forum. Main question is now is some people setup motor in front by foot rests and most setup in the back that makes access to the controls very awkward. Will be fishing mostly still waters and probably some trolling. Appreciate any suggestions. Tight lines to everyone with these wild waters.
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[albinotrout]

On mine I have it set up in the back. I use the motor to pull me not push. The control arm extends and sites right behind my head. I keep it locked in a straight position and then steer with my finned feet. An option you can do is attach a switch and place it somewhere with easy access.
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[flygoddess]

I have seen some mounted to the foot pegs. My observation is, these people do not wear waders and do not plan on getting wet. They of course do not use fins either.

Pontoons are not designed to track so trying to steer with just an electric motor can be a challenge. They do work okay but on faster speeds which takes it's toll on juice.

Divantages to going forward is the steering, so basically killing the hands free fishing idea. Trolling, you must now stick your pole out the side and go more off feel.

Now, by mounting the motor behind, first step is to loosen the bolt that holds the motor head to the shaft. Turn the head so that the control handle is facing the same direction as the prop. Carefully put the bolt back and tighten.
Now, tighten the clamp that holds the motor in one position. Have it with the prop right under your seat.
You now have all the forward speeds to pull you. You steer with fins and with a motor, fins are NOT a big issue.
The only time you are now touching your motor is off and on and speed. As mentions a remote shut off is nice. I went the extra mile on one of my motors and made the speed controls and the off and on remote.


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[jefstod]

Hey, thanks for the response these are some great ideas. Yeah, I see the problem with front mount especially if it was mounted to a bar across, eliminating easy access and escape. The remote switch looks very interesting and controls are probably easy to find. Thanks again and will let ya know how it goes.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Over the years I have seen several front mounted motors on toons. Some worked better than others. Here are some pics from the past that might give you some ideas.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Unfortunately, one of the last front mounted motors I heard of was on a newbies toon at Lincoln Beach. I was not there to see it happen but I heard that he got his ankle sliced by the prop and it was messy.[/#0000ff]
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