90" Garmin Kraken on 228

[Seafarer_Bob]

Just added a folding cobia tower to my 228 and the 90" Garmin trolling motor install is coming along. Went with a 3/8" aluminum plate hung off the pulpit and seems really solid. Thought I could get by without cutting the rail but not happening. Can anyone tell me what parts I need to hinge the rail properly?

 

[PNW_Drifter]

You can put a hinge on the bowrail and it will almost look uncut. I did on mine.

 

[Bruinjay]

Hi Bob, any chance you'd be willing to share your TM plate template? I have the same boat buying the same TM but mounting on starboard side. Please email me if you do

xlr8med@gmail.com

Thx

Jay

 

[Seafarer_Bob]

Jay,
I'll send you a DM about mailing the template but it's really easy to make if you have a router. The template I made does not have mounting holes so you can just flip it over if installing to starboard but I'd recommend against it. It won't matter for operating at slow speed but it will definitely obstruct your view on starboard when you're on plane so think about that. I used the holes in the anchor roller and the rails for mounting with longer bolts + 6 more for good measure and it's solid.
One design factor I didn't consider mounting under the pulpit, the TM was a bit too low to secure it when stowed without the head contacting the deck of the gunnel. To address that I mounted the TM on top of a 1/2" piece of starboard I routed to the shape of the aluminum plate. That gave me enough clearance to use the mounting bracket it comes with and it does not contact anything. One unintended benefit of the weight of the TM and batteries in the bow has balanced the boat so my back deck stays dry now, even with a full tank and bait well.
After a summer of use in pleased with the way it turned out. I don't think I needed the 90" but it's never popped out of the water in rough conditions. In normal conditions I set the stop so the head is at the height of the bow rail, that gives me leverage which makes stowing easier and that way in shallow water, the skeg of my main engine will (hopefully) hit bottom before the TM does.

 

[Bruinjay]

Thanks so much Bob! Do you think uku could have gotten along with the 72” kraken then?

 

[PNW_Drifter]

Great idea. I think I'm going to mount my new TM just like you did. Now to figure out the needed shaft length. Bump for the question above. Do you think 75" would work in 2' chop max?

 

[SkunkBoat]

Thanks for the pix. Thinking of very similar mount on my 265. Any difficulty deploying/stowing with it out there?

Your location lets you keep the cleat AND the light in place. Excellent!

 

[Seafarer_Bob]

Thanks for the comments and happy to answer any questions. After a couple seasons use I'm pleased overall and no regrets about choosing this installation option.

Great idea. I think I'm going to mount my new TM just like you did. Now to figure out the needed shaft length. Bump for the question above. Do you think 75" would work in 2' chop m

Great idea. I think I'm going to mount my new TM just like you did. Now to figure out the needed shaft length. Bump for the question above. Do you think 75" would work in 2' chop max?

After 2 years of use I'm honestly not sure if i could have used a shorter shaft but think it will be close. When I purchased the Kraken the price difference between the 75" and the 90" was negligible and the way i was mounting the extra length didn't matter so I went with the 90". They said could cut it if it turned out to be too long but the thought has never crossed my mind.
The 90" never cavitates and a couple of times I was practically taking water over the bow... In calm water I usually set the depth collar at about 15" - 20" which helps give me leverage when stowing it and I've never noticed it cavitate due to a small boat wake.

Thanks for the pix. Thinking of very similar mount on my 265. Any difficulty deploying/stowing with it out there?

Your location lets you keep the cleat AND the light in place. Excellent!

Keeping the light and the cleat was one of the main reasons I installed it this way. I need to step one foot over the rail on the pulpit to step on and hold down the release pedal which can be awkward while trying to lift the motor head, especially if choppy, but I just turned 66 with a gimpy shoulder and I manage it OK.

 

[PNW_Drifter]

Thanks for the comments and happy to answer any questions. After a couple seasons use I'm pleased overall and no regrets about choosing this installation option.



After 2 years of use I'm honestly not sure if i could have used a shorter shaft but think it will be close. When I purchased the Kraken the price difference between the 75" and the 90" was negligible and the way i was mounting the extra length didn't matter so I went with the 90". They said could cut it if it turned out to be too long but the thought has never crossed my mind.
The 90" never cavitates and a couple of times I was practically taking water over the bow... In calm water I usually set the depth collar at about 15" - 20" which helps give me leverage when stowing it and I've never noticed it cavitate due to a small boat wake.

Keeping the light and the cleat was one of the main reasons I installed it this way. I need to step one foot over the rail on the pulpit to step on and hold down the release pedal which can be awkward while trying to lift the motor head, especially if choppy, but I just turned 66 with a gimpy shoulder and I manage it OK.

Thanks for the reply Bob. I'm going to follow your design for my 228. Still trying to decide on the 90 or the 75" shaft length. Measuring it seems like 75" may just be enough but its definitly a risk. I guess the only benifet is stowing it however with your design it may not matter. My boats on the trailer so I can't really measure how high the bow raises and falls in waves. Thanks for posting these photos, very helpful.

Would you DM me your template too so I can order a piece of metal? Is 3/8" thick enough?

Thanks!

 

[Seafarer_Bob]

Thanks for the reply Bob. I'm going to follow your design for my 228. Still trying to decide on the 90 or the 75" shaft length. Measuring it seems like 75" may just be enough but its definitly a risk. I guess the only benifet is stowing it however with your design it may not matter. My boats on the trailer so I can't really measure how high the bow raises and falls in waves. Thanks for posting these photos, very helpful.

Would you DM me your template too so I can order a piece of metal? Is 3/8" thick enough?

Thanks!

The guy that cut the plate for me talked me out of using 1/2” aluminum in favor of 3/8” and I’m glad he did. The only flex is in the pulpit itself and zero concerns about the integrity of the aluminum.

PM me your address and I'll trace it on a piece of paper and mail it to you. I still recommend you make a wood template out of cheap OSB to verify fit before cutting metal. I made a rough cut out of wood, clamped it to the pulpit and used a router from underneath to make it exact.

One issue I failed to mention is - by mounting it under the pulpit like this, the base of the motor was a bit too low. In the stored position, the head of the motor was resting directly on the gunnel making it difficult to unlock. The solution was I added a piece of 3/4" seafoam colored starboard on top of the aluminum that gave me the will wiggle room I needed, but if I did it again I'd use 1" starboard. The other benefit is covering the aluminum helped with the aesthetics.
Pic from the crows nest while looking for Cobia. I was going to hinge the rail but it sprung open enough to deploy so I just left it that way.