Bow mounted trolling motor for 22' islander

[buster107]

I want autopilot for my islander(22') . I do not have hydraulic steering . I found a motor guide xi-5 trolling motor with a 60" shaft. Has anyone put a trolling motor on their islander?? Will 60" shaft be long enough! This motor will used to steer the boat when salmon and walleye fishing and an anchor system when perch fishing.

[tgafish]

It won't work. Bow is too far out of the water. If I had to guess I would say it's 48 inches from bow to water in dead calm water, Any wave action at all and you're prop is out of the water 1/2 the time.

[DIRTY DOG]

If your looking for a auto pilot for a Islander try the Raymarine x5 sport pilot, I got one 2 seasons ago and love it. I do have to run a small set of trolling bag to hold the bow down to prevent drift.

[Priority1]

They do make a electric trolling motor that goes on the outdrive. I know some that use them but I'm not familiar enough to make a recommendation. There are pros and cons to everything.

Fishing with me you probably already know I'm not a fan of kickers or trolling motors on larger boats. They work fine in ideal conditions but when it gets just a little rough boat control will suffer. Of course I like trolling against the waves at times, because it's productive and you can work some active fish without pulling lines to go with the flow. Pulling and setting lines is work, and you know I'm lazy.