trolling motor on a mirage?

[lagooner]

I have a maverick mirage hp and most of the year fish the indian river area and don't want a trolling motor cluttering the boat. But in spring and summer I take pilgimmages to the keys and boca grande for tarpon where a trolling motor is very helpful. Any suggestions about how t rig it ? Front? Back? Pros/cons? I don't like the traditional front mount that leaves a bulky bracket when the motor is removed. I've seen a front bolt on mini-transom that sticks out away from the boat and attaches to a round plate bolted to the deck. It seems functional and clean and only leaves a round disk on the deck when it is removed. The problem I see is that the disc/plate needs to be through bolted and the gas tank in the hp is under the front deck and doesn't allow me any access. What size motor(s)????

[gregory]

I have a 16.5 ft runabout with a 70 hp motor. Total weight of boat and motor is about 1000lbs. I got a transom mount Motor Guide Great White last year. 43# of thrust - largest I could get on just one 12V battery. It moves the boat well and got me back home 4 miles in the salt last year before the battery nearly died. Transom mount for me just slides down over the back gunwal. No extra brackets etc. All I have to to is unclamp it to remove it.

Minn Kota has a web site that gives you a little background on what max boat size for a given motor are. Use it as reference to help you size trolling motor.
Good luck
greg

[texasfly]

lagooner,

the bow mount trolling motors make the boat much more maneuverable, but they tend to get in the way when you fly fish... your line will get tangled around the motor when it's time to cast. if you fish by yourself you will need to have a bow mount so you can steer and fish at the same time.

the stern mount motors make it a little harder to control the boat, but they stay out of the way. with two people one can steer while the other fishes. or you can get two stern mounts and a control wired to the front to turn them on and off... this is a very nice set-up, but a little pricey if you only use it a few weeks out of the year...