Update: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

[wildmaninal]

I'm needing some help on customizing a top cover for my older Motor Guide three. For those that may not of seen my thread on "handi cap modification on a trolling motor", I added electric steering to my trolling motor. Now I will half to make a custom cover to put over it and seal it. I will not have the indicator arrow to show the direction that its turned to anymore any ideas on that would be of much help to. Is there a technique to weld plastic with out having to go buy the expensive device. Is plastic weld something I should do? Does it hold up? Need some ideas on what to make a cover out of and or how to modify it. I have thought about putting a clear plastic cover over the trolling motor so you can see the inside. Being I put the steering motor were it is I can't use the original cover. I know I have two threads going basically the other is done I'll do a final post on it later to show the finished product
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Here is a picture of what I'm dealing with. (Forgive the mess lol)

http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/wildmaninal/?action=view&current=Trollingmotorx.jpg

The wire holding the motor down is only temporary.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

I will assume (you know what that means eh??) that the top cover is ok if it were a little higher? If so, cut the top out of the cover and make a form out of window screen or anything else that will hold its shape. Cover that form with fiberglass mat and coat it with resin. Remove the form and coat the inside with resin and another layer of glass if desired. A little sanding and some paint and you are in business. You obviously need to figure out a way to lash the top half back on again but with the abundance of fasteners available in the specialty area of home improvement stores and hardware stores you can come up with something.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

I appreciate it Silvertip, Yes the cover is intact, and can be raised to make it work but with one little problem spot poking out the side of the motor housing that I added for the steering. I'll half to look it over closer to see if I can't cut this problem spot off. I never did consider fiberglassing. What about the indicator arrow though I thought I might be able to do without, but now I'm trying to figure out how to add something back on. This is some helpful input Silvertip thanks again. I am still open for any other opinions, especially for the indicator arrow. Who knows with the creative ideas I get I might walk past something like I did for that electric window motor used for the steering, I might see something around the house to be just right for a cover without forming one from fiberglass. I wonder if I had to add a stack of fastener nuts welded them together then fiberglassed them into the new formed cover in a few spots. This would give me something to anchor to other then drilling a hole straight threw the upper and lower covers then using a long bolts and nuts to bolt them down.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Here are all sorts of latches.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Alright. with a hinge on the one side and a latch on the other, or latches on each side that will work also.

 

[wire2]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Add a window to the fibreglass cover. Cut a round or oval from 1/8" lexan, grind a chamfer on the edge to allow resin to bond and mask the rest of until it's cured

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

I believe I understand what you are saying. But I have never delt with lexan or if I have I was never awair of it. I honestly don't know what lexan is. Not unless it is plexy glass, I do have that. I get your point though basically add a window to the top side of the new molded cover. Correct?

 

[wire2]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Yes, Lexan is GE's unbrakable clear plastic. It's used in jet canopies & car headlamps. Plexiglass is more brittle, will break if hit. Will also yellow & dull from UV.

Correct, I was suggesting you leave, say a 4" hole in the screen/fibreglass, place a 4?" Lexan disk on it and apply the resin. Then you'll have a water tight window in it.

Most glass & mirror shops will have it.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

I got ya, thanks for the input. What I can do is make an arrow out of a piece of metal, tack weld it to the top side of the pinion gear (with my wire welder) were it will not affect the any disassembly of the steering motor if I need to in the future, smooth out (get rid of the bumps, humps and such) on the plastic cover on the steering motor this way the indicator arrow can turn. Leave it were it is just a hair off of the plastic cover of the steering motor (not the newly molded cover), this way it will not interfear with the wires coming from the lower unit and out the pinion gear. Assuming that I will be able to weld to the pinion gear as I believe it is stainless. This way I'll have an indicator arrow under the added lexan window. Yeah tell me about it, I had a boat I salvaged parts from with plexiglass windows and they were BAD dull.

Off Subject - Good gracious I couldn't tell at one point if I was really seeing double or if I typed it twice lol, for real I must be tired. Hear I was double typing words. Maybe I was sleep typing . I know I didn't have that much to drink, just 3 beers, sorry that freaked me out first time that ever happened to me :redface:.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

home depot, and lowes carrys lexan in the window department. i replaced a curved boat windshield with it.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Alright, I appreciate the heads up TD. May be cheaper at Lowe's, compared to a glass company, we don't have a home depot (the closest one is in Rome Georgia I believe).

 

[wire2]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

.... May be cheaper at Lowe's, compared to a glass company, ....

I expect you can probably find a 5" x 5" piece in the cutting area scrap bucket of any large store, will likely be free.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Free sounds good to me, could probabley find some laying in the dumpster at a glass place for that matter. I'll call around Tuesday and see what I can find, if they want to charge me for a 5"x5" piece they got to be greedy. I still got to buy the resin, already have the fiberglass from a past project.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Alright I made a cardboard template for the trolling motor cover. Will this work? Please check this out to see if there is anything I need to consider doing before I lay the fiberglass to it. I know I need to get rid of the wrinkles on the duck tape. I do have screen but that would be a real bugger to deal with.



This side (the link above) is bulged out due to the gear box of the motor being poked out of the side a little bit but I don't think it's going to hurt. I'm not really going for looks as long as it's about symmetrical (about perfect shape) and not leaning to bad to one side, although it would be nice to have it wrinkle and bubble free. I also have the lexan glass to mold into the cover. I got a small threaded rod and a arrow to act as the indicator for the trolling motor. I have the rod bent to when it comes to the top of the cover of the gear box bend to a 90 degree goes for another inch and bend back up to another 90 degree than I attached the arrow to it. The steering has been tested with the indicator installed and it does seem to work so far. I have the wires coming from the lower unit running through a very short piece of PVC and a 90 degree elbow so the threaded rod (for the indicator) would not get hung on, rub, or damage any of the wires in any way. I may have a little more trimming to do on the cardboard as you may can see. I got to thinking instead of painting the indicator arrow with red paint maybe I need to put some red reflector tape on it, this way it will almost be like an LED lighting up the arrow.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

sounds good to me.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Good deal. Hopefully I can start the glassing tomorrow and get it done before the rain moves in in the day after or two.

 

[wildmaninal]

Update to Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Update to Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Hey guys I'm working sort of slow on this project now a days, I just thought I would post a few pictures of the cover I made up for the trolling motor. It doesn't look that bad considering this is the first time that I molded something out of fiberglass. I thought about adding the rubber coat metal trimming like some boats have around there live well and storage compartment doors. Anyhow I thought about adding that to the cover. I still got to cover up or box in the cover as you can see. I did some shaping and trimming with a dremel tool. I got some more work to do on it. I also would like to paint it. You can view the template that I made in post number 14. I still have some holes to patch also. I also need to know how to get this darn resin off of the lexan as for I accidentally got some on the glass. How do I get that off?

P.S. And no it doesn't have the fiberglass fuzzies all over the newly molded cover lol. And the black line you see at the bottom of the cover on the the picture of above is the line I drew to show where I need to trim the cover.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Update to Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Re: Update to Need help on modifying my trolling motor cover

Looking good so far.