help! i broke my brand new trolling motor

[keakar]

im not used to bow mount trolling motors and this is the first one I ever owned because I always used transom mount motors and made a bracket to use them on the bow.

anyway I installed my new great white SW82HB trolling motor in its bracket and raised it up in the stowed position to check the clearances on the mount, propeller and the head overhang and such but when I came to remove the motor, I wasn't aware or used to the idea I had to put it in the down position to release tension on the mount first so I just loosened up the clamp and heard a loud SNAP! because the spring pressure broke the bottom lip off of the friction tube flange.

no biggy I thought, I figured it was a lesson learned and now I know better so I would just go online and buy a new friction collar for it but when I look up the part motorguide says its part number "part no longer available"?

never mind, I found the part (I was originally asking for help locating the part)

how can brand new motors still being sold today and manufactured today, have parts that are listed as out of date and no longer made? I could see if this motor hadn't been made for 5 years but c'mon! is the assembly line going to shut down because they stopped making parts for the brand new motors they are still making and selling?

I finally went through 3 newer revisions of part numbers only to find its only available through mercury as a mercury part number because motorguide will make them for mercury brand motorguide trolling motors but not their own!