52" Fortrex on 07 201??

I bought a used 52" fortrex 112 off the boards for my 07 Stratos 201. It had a Maxxum pro 101 on it before. My problem is, I didn't realize the mount for the fortrex was so much longer. It's around 9" longer at the base than my old one was. It wouldn't be a problem but my boat has the raised panel all the way around the bow where the switches and front graph are located. So the end of the mount sticks out around 8-9" from the front of my boat which looks kinda dumb. Has anybody else done this and is there anything I can do to tuck it in further, or do I need to just live with it? I will not trim that panel on the boat. Thanks in advance.

http://www.bbcboards.net/attachment....d=264989&stc=1

That trim panel on the boat is padded Vinyl. You need to slide the base back so the front is only overhanging by the proper amount and line up the holes. So the back will riding over the panel - no trimming required. It will leave an indentation in the panel from pushing it down, but better than trimming it.

I trimmed just the foam backing and not vinyl to get mine to sit right

Honestly I would buy a slab of Aluminum and sandwich between mount and bow.

I made the exact same mistake. I didn't realize the MK shaft was 45"...when I upgraded, I purchased a 52" shaft. Like yours, the housing on the new TM stuck out about 8-9 inches past the bow. All I did was move the housing back a bit. I had to redrill two holes, but that was after making sure there were four holes that matched the original holes from the old housing unit.

My TM still sticks out about 5 inches past the bow. I have already broke about an inch off the TM housing, but it's just cosmetic. I wasn't paying attention trolling up to the boat ramp. If you don't find a way to trade your TM for a shorter shaft, just be careful when moving towards boat ramps/fishing docks.

I cut a riser or spacer out of uhmw (1/2 inch thick) and put my trolling motor where it should be which allows the foam padding to be undisturbed so if you ever need to get into front console wiring you do not have to remove the trolling motor.

Thanks for all the help. I found and ordered a mka-23 quick release bracket, which is 1" thick. I need about 7/8" rise to clear that panel, so I'm hoping the bracket gives a clean look and raises it enough for me. I really don't want the motor sticking out that far from my boat.

THOEFT- could you post a picture of how you did yours? My panel seems harder than just foam, but I haven't paid attention to the back side of it when I had it off. It feels more like hard plastic to me. Thanks.