Team Beaver Fever Budget Bass Jon Boat Build

Since all the wires are sealed in the motor head and shaft, Damon would probably shorten them. I'm pretty sure that's all he did on mine with the main power. I don't think it would be a problem. It would just be shortening 2 sets instead of 1.

The best part about shortening it down was that the wiring for the connection ended up being even better since the factory job sucks.

Hmmm so once all the cutting is done there goes the warranty so maybe I should consider a reconditioned TM. I've seen them on ebay for a decent price.

sure, go for it if the price difference is huge. the guys said that you may or may not get hassled by minn kota if you need something looked at that's under warranty. but if something happens...we can always just bring it to damon probably who knows minn kota motors and the powerdrive v2 better than minn kota.

and then stop and fish somewhere on the way home.

sure, go for it if the price difference is huge. the guys said that you may or may not get hassled by minn kota if you need something looked at that's under warranty. but if something happens...we can always just bring it to damon probably who knows minn kota motors and the powerdrive v2 better than minn kota.

and then stop and fish somewhere on the way home.

My thoughts exactly. Basically I'd be able to get a 55 for the price of a 50

Minn Kota doesn't have you send it to them. They have you go to an authorized repair center like Ba**y's bait and tackle. I doubt Ba**y would even notice that it was shorter and if he did, doubt he would care. He would get paid for the work from Minn Kota either way.

I censored the name for some reason lol

So whats the reasoning behind shortening the shaft? Does it not slide up and down like on other models? I have been in some windy conditions where the bow was bouncing up and down pretty good and I needed to drop my motor lower so the prop would not be bouncing out of the water.

Minn Kota doesn't have you send it to them. They have you go to an authorized repair center like Ba**y's bait and tackle. I doubt Ba**y would even notice that it was shorter and if he did, doubt he would care. He would get paid for the work from Minn Kota either way.

I censored the name for some reason lol

That makes s*ense

I hear you Rich. I thought about that long and hard (see what I did there?) but figured that 48" was way too long based on where the boat sits in the water. Shortening it saves space (especially when stowed on the boat), makes it easier to transport, and it won't be low enough in the water to have to worry about hitting bottom etc. That's all. It does slide and can be locked in place with that standard bracket.

I made sure to leave on extra for those windy conditions so it's not cut down as much as Damon's.

So whats the reasoning behind shortening the shaft? Does it not slide up and down like on other models? I have been in some windy conditions where the bow was bouncing up and down pretty good and I needed to drop my motor lower so the prop would not be bouncing out of the water.

I was noticing there's a collar to adjust how much shaft was in the water. Maybe there will be no shaft shortening after all

yeah shawn you may not have to or want to but since you'll be letting it sit on a trailer you probably will since it may hang way off. damon will know the best thing to do of course.


i forget the exact measurements we made, but we did measure it all out. you can get a decent idea of where it will be in the water with this picture. the waterline is about where the rib is on the side. i think that was about 9" from the rib to the bottom. then the prop is still below that line in this picture. then if i drop it all the way down the motor head will be near the bracket and you get another 9" or so more.

I hear you Rich. I thought about that long and hard (see what I did there?) but figured that 48" was way too long based on where the boat sits in the water. Shortening it saves space (especially when stowed on the boat), makes it easier to transport, and it won't be low enough in the water to have to worry about hitting bottom etc. That's all. It does slide and can be locked in place with that standard bracket.

I made sure to leave on extra for those windy conditions so it's not cut down as much as Damon's.

I can see why you did it Sam. The Tm on my crawdad was mounted the way your motor is and it was a PITA when it was in the stowed position. It would stick out way off the side of the crawdad. I mounted my TM differently on my Jon , following more parellel with the side of the boat. That works much better for the longer shafted trolling motors.

Note the difference.

i thought about doing it like you did on your jonboat. i actually seriously considered it and considered getting a much cheaper edge, but all the other factors came into play like space, length of the mount, the pedal and the thick wires limiting where the pedal could go. it made more sense mounting it where you see it based on that deck design and placement too.

i was concerned about it out being directly in front of the boat and perfectly centered. i bugged damon about the chances of the boat naturally veering off to the side when the prop was facing straight ahead but that's not the case. i was paying attention when i took it out for a test drive too.

for anyone considering getting the same tracker topper, don't worry, everything is done for a specific reason on this specific boat and deck design. you will probably have the same 1 million concerns as i did but you gotta trust the experts. damon's been tweaking for 9 years haha


here's a question...can i get a power prop for this motor? the minn kota selection chart basically says this motor only takes the weedless wedge 2 even though the power prop has the same specs. would it even make a speed difference?

I need to just give everything to Damon and buy some pizzas

[quote="samf"]i thought about doing it like you did on your jonboat. i actually seriously considered it and considered getting a much cheaper edge, but all the other factors came into play like space, length of the mount, the pedal and the thick wires limiting where the pedal could go. it made more sense mounting it where you see it based on that deck design and placement too.

i was concerned about it out being directly in front of the boat and perfectly centered. i bugged damon about the chances of the boat naturally veering off to the side when the prop was facing straight ahead but that's not the case. i was paying attention when i took it out for a test drive too.

for anyone considering getting the same tracker topper, don't worry, everything is done for a specific reason on this specific boat and deck design. you will probably have the same 1 million concerns as i did but you gotta trust the experts. damon's been tweaking for 9 years haha


here's a question...can i get a power prop for this motor? the minn kota selection chart basically says this motor only takes the weedless wedge 2 even though the power prop has the same specs. would it even make a speed difference?[/quote



probably not

i may try anyways.

boat's now in winter storage. i put some sealant around the corners of the conduit then glued down a bunch of the fatigue mats this weekend. i also have a 6" pedestal and will see if that's a good height for the back seat. if not, the seat will go right into the base plate.