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Bob,
I did remove the bow light/chock to get the trolling motor centered and to keep the bow platform unobstructed. I bought a burnt out 16' bass boat back in the 80's. I bought a transom mounted trolling motor and found some terrible quick release bracket to mount it to the bow. It was not centered and to me, it was hard to track straight. I either went too far one way and then too far back. So when I decided to put a trolling motor on the Montauk, it was important to me to have it centered. I do not keep the motor down because over the years, the oyster shells ate the paint off of the skeg on the old 90 Yamaha. So, when I weighed it out, the trades offs were acceptable and it was important to me to center my trolling motor. I, like I hope most of us do, is research, research, and research. So when fellow whaler owners ask for advice, I try to share my experiences and opinions on how I solved an issue. By no means is the way I did something the only way. So, if your trolling motor is off center and your boat tracks straight, it may not be as important as I think. We can just give our advice and hopefully our fellow whaler owners can make the right decision for them. Bob, I look forward to reading your future post and happy boating!