Trolling motor mount broke, now what

[MikeFishes]

So, the mount on my trolling motor broke. I'm sure I could find a replacement part for a good price on the internet, but I don't know what part to get. I could run it over to the official repair place for the make, but they charge $40/hour bench fee. They said it'd be about 1.5 hours to fix it. So right away I'm looking at $60 plus parts and tax (say $130) to fix this thing. Why should I fix this thing when I could just replace it with a brand new one for the same price. What is a guy to do?

[leahcim_dahc]

Get a new one...keep the old one for spare parts. But my guess, the mounts are probably what breaks the most.

Either way...its all the excuse I would need to run out and buy a new one!! Or at least as far as my wife is concerned...that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!!


Chad

[Toni]

Besides, isn't time a factor? Won't it take time to get the part and have it fixed? Whereas, buying a new one you are ready to go fishing!

[cavdad45]

What kind of motor are we talking about? An electric or a gas kicker?

[Marc Martyn]

We are in a "use & toss" world now Mikey. When things break, you may be able to get the part, but the replacement part + shipping is close to buying a new unit. Besides, in buying a new one, you have a new warranty.

[MikeFishes]

What kind of motor are we talking about? An electric or a gas kicker?

Electric. It's not a very powerful one, only 32 lbs of thrust. I think I found the replacement part for around $20. I have a buddy who's handy with fixing things, so I might be in luck. I just need to make sure I found the correct part. That's difficult cause there's not a lot of information available for these motors (motorguide). Just a few diagrams here and there.

[cavdad45]

Unfortunately, you are right about MotorGuide. Not much product support or repair help in our neck of the woods. I hope you found the right part because a $20 fix is about the limit I would invest on a motor that retails new at about $120, unless its a bowmounted model.

Here's the number to a small shop down here in Portland that fixes reels and repairs trolling motors (mostly MinnKota), but might be able to get you some tech support or atleast get you pointed in the right direction to locate a better parts diagram. Ollie Damon's (503) 232-3193

[MikeFishes]

Well, I fixed it. I found the replacement part at http://www.trollingmotorparts.com/. I had to make a guess based on what it looked like and just bit the bullet and ordered it. Turns out it was the right part. Took 20 minutes to pull the top off, assemble the new part onto the mount, put the new part on the shaft, and put it back together. Full price was like $21 with shipping. The part came fast too.

[Marc Martyn]

That's a far cry from $130.00, go show!

[Toni]

Great!