My trolling motor needs new bearings/bushings. Anybody know where I should take it?
Not sure where to take it, but I completely rebuilt a 101 lb MinnKota. Got all my help from these guys: http://www.northlandmarine.com/
I was intimidated at first as the trolling motor had been dropped in the water and needed all new parts. In the end, it was really quite simple, and was able to replace every part except for the housing for only a couple hundred dollars. I’m pretty sure they sell seal kits for all the trolling motor models, but if you are in doubt, just call up the guys at Northland and they will help you out.
Thanks I’ll give them a call
The crappie hole in chapin worked on my copilot. Great guy and had it done in two days.
War Eagle 115 yamaha 4 stroke
Thanks blackhawk. I hope I don’t have to go that far though. Might be a nice drive though
Minn Kota lists an authorized repair shop in Charleston and one in Savannah. I was hoping to get it done locally though.
I looked at a schematic/drawing and I believe it is the rear bearing nearest the prop because the shaft has about 1/4 inch of play in it and the motor is quite noisy. The drawing inicated that an authorized shop should replace this particular part. Not sure about that though.
I hate to junk it because it works OK other than the noise. Hard to sneak up on a fish with a buzzer in the water under the front of your boat. Sounds quiet until it’s under load in the water.
If you’re careful with disassembly and reassembly, you should be ok. Some of the MKs and Motorguides can be tricky with brush circuit boards and field core wires, etc.
I’ve worked on all of 'em, but don’t offer service. I had Motorguide problems under warranty and was sent to Rincon GA as closest authorized repair center. Now, 3 months & 14 calls to Burns OB plus 3 to Mercury/Motorguide and I finally have mu TM back and working. They did not even repaint the foot! 
Anyway…along the way I learned that Barrier Island in Chas is an authorized Motorguide repair center…so they may also do Minn Kota. If I’d known, I could have taken my motor to them locally at their Bft store.
As for the Crappie Hole in Chapin, Mark Danque, who runs it, is a good friend and he really knows his Minn Kota trolling motors.
Good luck…
Well definitely don’t junk it. Depending on which model you have, I’d gladly take it off your hands with the mindset of refurbishing it and saving a few dollars on my next trolling motor… I’m sure there are others that would be willing to give you something for it as well. As for doing it yourself, I called and talked to a nice guy at Northland and asked him whether or not I should be able to do the work. It could be that your model is different from mine and more complicated, but I feel pretty sure that those guys would give you a good idea of what you would be getting into.
Motor repaired. Thanks for all the replies.
Good for you on your trolling motor, Bill.
NN
07, 23 Key West, Twin 115 Yammys
“Coastal Bound”