Patent attributes
A trolling motor includes a head unit, a propulsion unit, and a shaft coupling the head unit to the propulsion unit. A shaft support couples the shaft to a mount base, which may be coupled to watercraft's deck. The shaft support is pivotable with respect to the mount base to move the trolling motor between a deployed position and a stowed position with respect to the deck. The trolling motor further includes a spring and damper combination coupled between the mount base and the shaft support, wherein a spring portion of the spring and damper combination provides a spring force to assist in pivoting the shaft support away from the deck, and a damper portion of the spring and damper combination provides a damping force to slow pivoting of the shaft support towards the deck and/or a metal-reinforced, self-lubricating bearing pivotably coupling the shaft support to the mount base.
