Scherbacj Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 I have a Lowe Stinger 178 which is an Aluminum hull, I am going to be swapping out my trolling motor and installing a Ghost which has a lot more thrust and I am wondering if I should use some type of deck reinforcement like the one in the link below, or one I built myself. I currently have a Motorguide X3 70LB and it was installed with the rubber isolator bolts which I know are a nightmare so at the very least I am going to get rid of those and use a large & thick washer with a locknut. I was thinking of using Unistrut Square washers for the backing washer because they are 1 1/2” square and 1/4” thick which is about as big/thick you can get for a 1/4” bolt size. But it seems to me the .125” thick Aluminum of the hull/deck could be fairly easy to warp or damage with a more powerful motor so I was wondering if I should use something more than the big washers? I have also seen guys use Toggler style toggle anchors which I know are pretty strong and possibly easier to install. I work for a fastener supplier so when it comes to hardware, I have easy access to just about everything fastener related. This is the kind of plate I found( https://www.trollingmotors.net/products/minn-kota-boat-deck-reinforcement-kit-mka-58 ) but if it attaches to the top of the deck, I don’t see it being a ton of help since the weak link would still be the upward forces pulling on the Aluminum deck. Would the large washers on the under side of the deck be the better option? Or I could use 2 pieces of 1/4”Thk Flat Bar drilled for the mounting pattern of the motor Mount so it is one continuous piece running the length of the motor mount, but I could see that being a little difficult to install and possibly overkill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcipinkie Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 The 1/4 flat bar would be ideal. The unistrut washers would work. I run an 80 lb. Ultrex on my old Lowe Big Jon. I doubt my deck is 1/8 thick. I have no problem. 6 - 1/4 stainless bolts, big washers, Nylok nuts. I put a piece of treated 1 x 6, or 1 x 8, on top of the aluminum and bolted through. I think I used this to raise the TM up so it would land correctly when stowed. Make sure you check this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scherbacj Posted October 10 Author Share Posted October 10 So I tried to take the old motor off today, and they didn’t use the isolators, it has 1/4” bokts with Nylocks. Unfortunately I didn’t have a wrench because I wasn’t expecting it to have Nylocks, but there are definitely some sort of rubber spacer/washer under 4 bolts further back. The front 2 bolts don’t have the washers, and they weren’t bolts & nuts, just 1/4” sheet metal screws straight into the hull. I think those are that way because it’s impossible to reach that far forward to put a nut on it, or because it’s inside the “box beam” used to create the gunnel/bow at the tip. Do I need the rubber washers? Or should I just bolt it straight to the deck? Why would they only be on 4 out of 6 bolts? I suppose it’s possible they just cut the flange off the isolators, but there definitely wasn’t any rubber “shaft” portion going through the deck. Is that typical for a Motorguide X3? I know Motorguide had a different system at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcipinkie Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 We used rubber washers a long time ago on aluminum boats thinking they worked for noise isolation. Doubt they did, but we used them. I put old conveyor belting under under a motor I rigged in the 70's. Doubt it did anything. I've cut the flange off the MG mounts and bolted for the same reason. I don't like the sheet metal screws, would rather use the MG mounts, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I put toggle bolts in a old boat many years ago when I couldn't get nuts on the bolts. There are lots of good blind fasteners to chose from now. I'd avoid sheet metal screws. Look like a weak spot IMHO. The screws might work if you can get good bolts in the rest of the holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User DogBone_384 Posted October 13 Super User Share Posted October 13 On 10/8/2024 at 7:17 AM, Scherbacj said: I have a Lowe Stinger 178 which is an Aluminum hull, I am going to be swapping out my trolling motor and installing a Ghost I put a Ghost on my Ranger RT178 three years ago and have no issues. I used stainless nuts/bolts instead of the sheetmetal screws. I don't remember wether or not I used any rubber insulation. Install it and enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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