Trolling motor bow mount

A mount for a trolling motor, the mount comprising:

• a base assembly adapted to be mounted to a boat, the base assembly including a first one of a male member and a female member;
• a chassis adapted to be coupled to the trolling motor, the chassis including a second one of the male member and the female member, wherein at least one of the male member and the female member is movably coupled to at least one of the base and the chassis for sideways movement between an engaged position in which the female member receives the male member and a disengaged position while the chassis overlies the base;
• and
• a locking assembly including:
• a first actuation surface coupled to one of the base assembly and the chassis;
• and
• a second actuation surface movably coupled to the other of the base assembly and the chassis, wherein the second actuation surface is moveable between a locking position in which the second actuation surface engages the first actuation surface to retain the male member and the female member in the engaged position to lock the chassis to the base assembly in at least one direction, and a releasing position in which the second actuation surface is disengaged from the first actuation surface to permit the male member to be removed from the female member such that the chassis may be released from the base assembly in at least one direction.

A trolling motor adapted to be mounted to a base having a pair of spaced side channels in a bow of a boat, the trolling motor comprising:

• a lower propulsion unit;
• a shaft supporting the lower propulsion unit;
• a chassis supporting the shaft, the chassis including a pair of spaced side projections;
• an actuator adapted to move the side projections in at least one sideways direction into the side channels;
• and
• a retainer adapted to releasably retain the projections in the channels.

A method for releasably mounting a trolling motor to a bow of a boat, the method comprising:

• providing a base on the bow of the boat, the base having a pair of spaced side channels;
• providing a trolling motor assembly having a pair of spaced projections;
• lowering the trolling motor assembly onto the base such that at least one of the side projections extends between the pair of spaced side channels;
• moving at least one of the side projections and the side channels in a sideways direction relative to one another such that the projections extend into the channels;
• and
• releasably retaining the projections in the channels to releasably mount the trolling motor to the bow of the boat.