Bulldog 54 Transom Mount Foot Controlled Trolling Motor

[wallrat]

Hi all, I bought a BullDog 54 for my Pond Prowler 10' 2 man scamp. I wrote a review on BassPro but thought I would share it here. There is typically 1 complaint on this motor, the cable is *way* too short. Well, I have 2 solutions. One is to simply purchase the 84" extended cable from MotorGuide. However, I prefer the second option, modifying the motor for bow mount.

Directly from my BassPro review:

"Most of the reviews you read regarding the BullDog speak very highly of this motor except for the very short control cable. I wholly agree, however, on the Pond Prowler 10', if you alter the motor to mount and run on the bow, the cable is more than long enough. I'm not sure if it voids the warranty and the risk is all yours, however, it was very simple to modify, needing just you, a helper to hold the lower unit, and a phillips screw driver (a stubby screw driver helps for the underside cover screws).
Remove the top cover of the unit by removing the 4 screws on the underside. Next, remove the 6 or 8 screws holding the rack gear down (the long, straight gear covered with a black plastic cap). After you losen the rack gear, raise the gear up so it no longer makes contact with the pinion gear (the round gear connected to the shaft & lower unit). Now, rotate the lower unit 180 degrees. Have someone hold the lower unit in that exact position while you replace the rack gear. Finally, rotate the direction "arrow" on the top cover to point in the direction of the lower unit and replace the cap.
This entire process takes just 5 minutes and it works perfectly! Good luck and enjoy! It is just as easy to reverse the process if you later decide to move this motor back to the transom, just reverse the steps above. If the screws on the rack gear don't tighten well, add a bit of RTV silicone sealant to them before screwing them down. This will hold them in place, nice and tight. Don't over-tighten the screws as plastic can strip!
The BullDog 54 steers well and is very peppy on the Pond Prowler 10'. Unless there are heavy winds, power level 3 or 4 is more than enough to run between spots and power 1 or 2 is great for slow trolling or throwing search baits."

If you would like pictures or have any questions, please let me know. This thing screams on my PP 10'. I ran it all day last Sunday (at least 9 hours) and ran all over the coves. When I got home and clipped the charger on to my BassPro 185 Deep Cycle battery, the charger reported 70% remaining capacity. I know this is simply the charger's best guess, but still impressive. I'm super happy with my entire purchase.

Happy Crappie Fishing!!
-Bill

[Mike X]

Hi Bill,
I recently bought the Bulldog 54 thrust for my 10 foot Pond Prowler. I am completely new to boats and motors and dont know much about them. The bulldog's bracket swivels and so does the head(where the arrow/bulldog emblem is). So I was wondering why you had to modify yours? I can put mine on the bow without having to make modifications. I bought the bulldog at Basspro and they asked me how I was going to use it and so I told them on the 'bow' but I dont think they modified it..
Thanks for the your help