Transom Mount Trolling Motor for 14' Aluminum

[Alchase]

Yeah, main problem I have with bow mount is:

1. I have LED's spot lights and an anchor line roller on the bow
2. No way to mount it to the sides without building some elaborate structure
3. Would put it 8' or more away from my battery
4. Downriggers are in the stern so sitting up front just puts me way out of reach of my gear.

It's a light boat, anything over 5 MPH and it's impossible to control at trolling speeds anyway.

Edit: oh yeah, 6. Looking to spend under $300

#6 is the only one of those reasons that is a real issue. Bow mounts make trolling in wind very easy.

 

A bow mount allows you to keep fishing in wind.
The same thrust motor on the transom, will have you speeding up and slowing back down just to keep the bow heading forward in a bit of wind.

[pickardjw]

Went with a Minn Kota Endura Max 55lb. Now that I think about it I could probably craft up a bow mount of sorts for it with a 2x6. Notch it at the gunwhales and have it be removable. That way I have both options. Can't tell how long the standard wiring is but it looks like I'll need some extra anyway to wire in a breaker/fuse.

You’ll want to keep the wiring as short as possible to minimize voltage drop.  A lot of motors these days have built in protection so go don’t need a fuse.  Consult your user manual.

For your next upgrade, consider ditching the dual-purpose battery, or use it to start your main engine, and get a dedicated lifepo4 battery for the trolling motor.  A 50ah battery will give you much better performance than the 92ah lead acid.

Yeah the user manual has a chart for selecting breaker/fuse sizes. My assumption is the cheaper versions don't have it built in since they're more likely to be used stand-alone as a motor instead of on a battery with other electronics.