Chronic Tinkering

[Pinch]

So I went to BPS to get one thing, a roll of 50lb braid. Next thing i know im walking out with another battery, a battery box, 2 spools of marine grade wiring, an accessory plug, 2 tandem rigs, 2 small plastic planer boards, a battery selector switch and a horribly obvious case of add. My original goal was to head out to the bay bridge this week to do some trolling but as i sat and thought about heading all the way out there i came up a crazy idea. What i ended up doing is striping down my yak to reduce the weight and adding a 65AH battery in addition to the 79 ah battery currently powering my torque. With the addition of this new battery i should be able to run at full throttle for 6 hours. i made it so that when i do go trolling i can strap in the extra battery and just plug it in. When my primary dies i know i have roughly the same amount of time left out give or take 30 minutes. Due to the weight i would only be taking the essentials, removing the live well, crate, and other odds and ends. I also bought a new prop the MKP-2 which will give me 0.5mph more at full speed without any additional amp draw........Pictures coming soon.




PS..Anyone want to hit the bay bridge and do some trolling? i was thinking doing circles from the bridge to the Light house.

[surfdog]

easy for you to do troll down to thomas point light thats where the fish are

[MetroMan]

Nice! I was planning on upgrading my prop this summer. Where are you gonna mount the second battery?

[Aesiegel]

I'm off all week and might be looking to do some feesh'n. I'm manual powered but would like to try trolling the bridge. Let's look at the weather and pick a day.

Ed

[Pinch]

about to take pictures

Nice! I was planning on upgrading my prop this summer. Where are you gonna mount the second battery?

hard to describe ill go take those pictures. its external though.

[MetroMan]

The section right behind the seat looks like the perfect dimensions for a group 24 battery

[Pinch]

yup

The section right behind the seat looks like the perfect dimensions for a group 24 battery

thats what i thought too, however the battery box i got was a tad big so i mounted it in the tank well behin the dividers. i used the space it made to hold extra lures for the ominous snagg monster.

[Grilled]

haha....thats why i stopped going to BP during lunch. I work about 10min away and everytime i go there i always walk out with a bunch of stuff that i really dont need. its like putting a bag in front of a crack addict...no resistance!!!!

[MdFisher]

I also bought a new prop the MKP-2 which will give me 0.5mph more at full speed without any additional amp draw........Pictures coming soon.

What prop did you "upgrade" from?

[Pinch]

a v1 weedless wedge, the MKP-2 is a "power prop" recommended on OK's website.

[MdFisher]

a v1 weedless wedge, the MKP-2 is a "power prop" recommended on OK's website.

sounds good - I have a Tarpon 140 Bassyak and just picked up the MKP-2 on ebay for $8 + $4 to ship it.

[Pinch]

awesome, i got one for $15 from BPS. at least now i can use the weedless as a backup.

[DOGFISH]

The section right behind the seat looks like the perfect dimensions for a group 24 battery

You don't need a battery box for a battery in the area behind the seat. I put my second battery back there without being in a box. A little bit of water will not hurt the battery. I have now gone two seasons with the battery back there. Before that I used to put my single battery back there for my side mount electric. Without the box, you can put a 105 amp hour battery in that area. Go for the gusto.

In my Big Game Prowler, I carry two Group 31 batteries, one in the bow and one behind the seat. I can troll all day with that set up. I use a selector switch. I have an access hatch in the area in the rear of the load well. I mounted an electric motor plug in the center of the hatch. That way all I have to do is plug in the additional battery. The current will find its way.

[MetroMan]

Thanks for the tip dogfish.

With the added weight, I wonder how much harder would the yak be to flip. Did you secure your rear battery to hold it in place in case of "oops"?

[DOGFISH]

I have a strap that goes over the battery. Of course most of the time I forget to use it. The one thing that I have noticed is that the bow of the kayak is heavier in rough water, due to the bow battery. Overall, it does not affect me that much. I choose wind, weather and where I go for conditions. Eight hours of trolling is no problem with the rig I now have.

I would be curious if the power prop makes that much of a difference. Power and speed are two different things. With more power, you may actually loose some speed. However, pushing through waves and wake would be easier. I may already have a power prop on my motor. It does not look the same as the weedeater type props. In any event, trolling with the rig that I have is great fun. I have never been a fan of trolling from boats. Trolling from a kayak is for great for using lighter tackle and is quiet. It is a great tactic for finding fish. Following my starting fishing from a kayak, I realized just how many fish are in the shallows. The kayak is perfect for not scattering the fish, as one would would do with an engine.