- Joined
- Apr 27, 2010
- Location
- Bethlehem, Georgia
I ordered a Trolleze from ebay. Paid $86 with shipping. You will need to pickup some Silicone Sealant (I bought gutter / flashing sealant. It matched best for this application), & a disposable putty knife.
This was my first install of a trolling motor tray. If you can handle power tools, then this is pretty easy & straight forward. I was able to complete the install in 5 hours. I would have completed it sooner, but I had to stop & take pictures along the way for this thread.
Tools used: Jigsaw w/ extra blades, Shop vac, Drill & assorted bits, Screwdrivers - Flat & Phillips, Putty Knife, Tape, Utility Knife w/ extra blades, Sawz all, Extention cord, hole saw, Caulk gun, GE Silicone Sealant, work gloves.
The kit comes with instructions, template, screws, tubing, & the tray:
First step is to remove the mounting screws for your TM pedal(I had 3 screws):
Next lay out the template in the area you want the tray. I sat in my boat seat to get an idea where the tray should go. I decided as far forward as I could get it. Use tape to hold it down.
Once you have it taped down where you want it. Use your Utility Knife to cut through the paper & press down hard to cut through the carpet. As the template says, Cut inside the line! You will do some shaving later.
Once you have cut through the template & carpet. Leave the template in place.(the part poking up was from a gust of wind)
Next use a flathead screwdriver to push the cut carpet, till you can grip it with your hand. Any that didn't get cut, use the utility knife & cut through the carpet at the edge of the template.
Work the carpet back. No worries if the backing comes off or the glue doesn't come up.
Now the carpet is removed. Use your drill & 3/8" bit & drill holes in all four corners. Make sure you stay inside your template
Use your Jigsaw to cut along the template line from one hole to the next. I used it on hi speed and took my time cutting. Don't over work the saw. You may need to replace the blade so have extras on hand. I was going to use the sawz all here, but the jigsaw was easier to control.
I had to pry the cut section out. The plywood was stuck to a fiberglass piece. It took some prying & working my way down the wood.
Once the plywood is removed. This is what I found. The white area is a ledge at the front of my front livewell. I use this livewell for storage only. I thought I was going to have to cut some of that out. But I had enough room. The area I had to remove was the foam area.
I tried using different things to cut out the foam. A metal putty knife seemed to work best. I wore work gloves while digging out the foam, to keep fiberglass particles from sticking my hands
I had to bring the big guns out. My Bosch Sawzall. There was a 3" tall piece of fiberglass that needed to be removed.
The fiberglass section was removed removed & the foam dug out
Do a fitting to see what needs cutting. I needed to trim the edges of the hole with my jigsaw. Hitting the high spots. Till the tray slid in.
My test fit. The front was poking up some & I needed to dig out some more foam.
I had to dig out an area for the tray's drain tube.
The drain hose goes towards the front of the boat. I removed my switch panel in the bow & found a drain pipe. I had to cut a hole in the foam towards the bow.
The tubing that comes with the tray will need to be cut to fit. If you cut it too short you can get replacement tube at Home depot or Lowes.
After vacuming (I used the vac along the way) all the loose particles & foam. Next you need to put some silicone sealant on the exposed plywood. Be generous with the sealant. I bought for $5.97 @ Home Depot, GE Clear Silicone gutter / flashing sealant. Sealant that is good for hot, cold, & wet conditions.
Run a bead of sealant along the plywood & use a disposable putty knife to smear it on. I let it sit about 10-20 minutes before continuing. Take a break get some water. I also ran a bead of sealant under the lip of the tray.
I put a piece of tape over the hole after I installed the tube to the tray. To keep foam & stuff out of it till the install was complete. **Be sure to remove the tape before you install your pedal**
Drill pilot holes. Smaller holes than that of the screws. I used a 1/8" bit.
Put in the screws that come with the drain pan (#8 SS screws)
I put my TM pedal in the tray to see where it fits best. I'm putting mine more to the leftside front of the tray, so I can access the speed dial easier. I put the pedal in there & didn't have anything to mark the holes with. The holes are to deep & narrow, nothing would fit. So I scuffed the metal with the drill bit, a couple of revolutions. Now to drill the holes. I drilled 1/8" pilot holes like the instructions said. But the screws stripped when I tried to screw them in. I think a pilot hole almost as big as the screw would be better. I upped the size & it worked much better.
When the job is finished. Sit back with your favorite beverage & think about your job well done! And the money you saved doing it yourself!
(I still need to do a good cleaning with the carpet)
This was my first install of a trolling motor tray. If you can handle power tools, then this is pretty easy & straight forward. I was able to complete the install in 5 hours. I would have completed it sooner, but I had to stop & take pictures along the way for this thread.
Tools used: Jigsaw w/ extra blades, Shop vac, Drill & assorted bits, Screwdrivers - Flat & Phillips, Putty Knife, Tape, Utility Knife w/ extra blades, Sawz all, Extention cord, hole saw, Caulk gun, GE Silicone Sealant, work gloves.
The kit comes with instructions, template, screws, tubing, & the tray:
First step is to remove the mounting screws for your TM pedal(I had 3 screws):
Next lay out the template in the area you want the tray. I sat in my boat seat to get an idea where the tray should go. I decided as far forward as I could get it. Use tape to hold it down.
Once you have it taped down where you want it. Use your Utility Knife to cut through the paper & press down hard to cut through the carpet. As the template says, Cut inside the line! You will do some shaving later.
Once you have cut through the template & carpet. Leave the template in place.(the part poking up was from a gust of wind)
Next use a flathead screwdriver to push the cut carpet, till you can grip it with your hand. Any that didn't get cut, use the utility knife & cut through the carpet at the edge of the template.
Work the carpet back. No worries if the backing comes off or the glue doesn't come up.
Now the carpet is removed. Use your drill & 3/8" bit & drill holes in all four corners. Make sure you stay inside your template
Use your Jigsaw to cut along the template line from one hole to the next. I used it on hi speed and took my time cutting. Don't over work the saw. You may need to replace the blade so have extras on hand. I was going to use the sawz all here, but the jigsaw was easier to control.
I had to pry the cut section out. The plywood was stuck to a fiberglass piece. It took some prying & working my way down the wood.
Once the plywood is removed. This is what I found. The white area is a ledge at the front of my front livewell. I use this livewell for storage only. I thought I was going to have to cut some of that out. But I had enough room. The area I had to remove was the foam area.
I tried using different things to cut out the foam. A metal putty knife seemed to work best. I wore work gloves while digging out the foam, to keep fiberglass particles from sticking my hands
I had to bring the big guns out. My Bosch Sawzall. There was a 3" tall piece of fiberglass that needed to be removed.
The fiberglass section was removed removed & the foam dug out
Do a fitting to see what needs cutting. I needed to trim the edges of the hole with my jigsaw. Hitting the high spots. Till the tray slid in.
My test fit. The front was poking up some & I needed to dig out some more foam.
I had to dig out an area for the tray's drain tube.
The drain hose goes towards the front of the boat. I removed my switch panel in the bow & found a drain pipe. I had to cut a hole in the foam towards the bow.
The tubing that comes with the tray will need to be cut to fit. If you cut it too short you can get replacement tube at Home depot or Lowes.
After vacuming (I used the vac along the way) all the loose particles & foam. Next you need to put some silicone sealant on the exposed plywood. Be generous with the sealant. I bought for $5.97 @ Home Depot, GE Clear Silicone gutter / flashing sealant. Sealant that is good for hot, cold, & wet conditions.
Run a bead of sealant along the plywood & use a disposable putty knife to smear it on. I let it sit about 10-20 minutes before continuing. Take a break get some water. I also ran a bead of sealant under the lip of the tray.
I put a piece of tape over the hole after I installed the tube to the tray. To keep foam & stuff out of it till the install was complete. **Be sure to remove the tape before you install your pedal**
Drill pilot holes. Smaller holes than that of the screws. I used a 1/8" bit.
Put in the screws that come with the drain pan (#8 SS screws)
I put my TM pedal in the tray to see where it fits best. I'm putting mine more to the leftside front of the tray, so I can access the speed dial easier. I put the pedal in there & didn't have anything to mark the holes with. The holes are to deep & narrow, nothing would fit. So I scuffed the metal with the drill bit, a couple of revolutions. Now to drill the holes. I drilled 1/8" pilot holes like the instructions said. But the screws stripped when I tried to screw them in. I think a pilot hole almost as big as the screw would be better. I upped the size & it worked much better.
When the job is finished. Sit back with your favorite beverage & think about your job well done! And the money you saved doing it yourself!
(I still need to do a good cleaning with the carpet)
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