Haines Hunter has recently installed a Minn Kota trolling motor on one of its 660 models.
Minn Kota has been around for a long time, and Haines Hunter has fitted a couple of its boats with them over the years, but what the company has done now is turn an electric trolling motor-equipped Haines Hunter into an ex-factory, production option within the range.
Haines Hunter has fabricated a fibreglass moulding that gets glued to the front of the boat, so it’s incredibly strong. What Haines tried to do was make it blend into the boat as much as possible so that it wouldn’t stand out. A stainless bracket then goes between the moulding and the trolling motor, which gives Haines Hunter the ability to deal with any future changes to Minn Kota electric motors or fit motors from other brands.
“We have other suppliers,” says Haines Hunter CEO Denis Kendall. “We have Navico and Garmin coming into this part of the market, so we are keen to be able to accommodate them as well.”
The new mount can also be supplied as a retrofit kit. For boats with a normal bow rail, Haines Hunter cuts the bow rail; the kit will come with the front part of the rail. The kit can be fitted to any existing Haines Hunter 660 or 725 out there in the marketplace.
“We’re getting more and more demand [for electric trolling motors] from our customers, particularly where they’re into deep drops. More people are trying to hold their boats on-station when they’re out there in 300 or 400 metres of water.
The advantage that a lot of people see in this is the fact that it [an electric trolling motor] holds your bow into the wind, so you can fish pretty much as we used to fish off the back of the boat. That gives you the shelter, and your lines are clear out the back of the boat.” BNZ
