Trolling motors...

[Fish123]

Hello all,

I have a Jackson big rig and I’m learning that trolling while paddling this beast is very exhausting and have only had the boat 9 months. I’m just looking for a way to do more fishing less paddling. Due to financial reasons I just can’t be swapping out for a pedal drive for a few years so I figured a sub 500 dollar trolling motor setup could be the ticket. I was thinking it would be best to side mount it so I don’t have to do any wiring for turning with foot pedals and what not and it just seems to be more convenient to remove. Anyways does anyone have pics of your setups and any drAwbacks you encountered? And if you do have one what pound thrust do you have? I was looking at a 36lb motor so I can get more runtime but am worried about if it would be enough in currents around the bay/rivers.

Thanks

Matt

[Oldbayrunner]

When you get into motorizing a kayak there is a whole lot to know to do it right for what you have. A side mount is the easiest & cheapest but the drawbacks make it not worth it for most kayaks. For starters having the motor off to the side makes the kayak tippy so it is necessary to counter act the weight. A lot say to place the battery to the opposite side but I found that didn't really help. Then you constantly need to adjust the motors steering in conjunction with a rudder which makes it not really hands free for fishing.

The next cheapest is to rig a transom mount motor by fabricating a mounting system or buying a system already made for your kayak. Although I am not a fan of this company Island Hopper makes a decent one for your kayak. I would recommend you look at least a 45# better yet a 55# for your size kayak. I've run into currents a 45# wouldn't pull my kayak in and wound up running it full and still paddling my butt off for a few miles to get back to my launch. By running a transom mount you can be using foot steering which leaves you for the better part completely hands free with the exception of needing to change speed or going from forward to reverse.

The next thing to be aware of is the controller to use. a standard 5/3 controller uses up to 5X the amount of amps to run the motor which cuts back on the runtime you can achieve out of your battery. So either getting a variable speed motor (more expensive) or adding a pulse width modulation controller can give you more time on the water with a smaller battery then it would take normally at also a weight savings.

Then comes the battery a cheap wet cell cranking battery is not recommended so a deep cycle is recommend as it can hold up to the constant recharging. As you look at batteries your choices are sealed sla, agm, gel & lithium. Cheap sealed sla will work, agm & gel are better but more expensive with Lifepo4 Lithium being the best but most costly. I run lithium but since you express a budget concern recommend your starting with an inexpensive sla..

Now comes the hard part trying to figure out what size battery you need to obtain for length of time on the water. It all boils down to what amperage your motor is drawing. if you have a 35ah battery and you are running a 30# motor at full speed it will draw around 17amps so if you ran it constantly at full then your battery would last approximately 1.75 hrs so battery management becomes a factor. Now factor in any two usage days wont be the same due to wind & currents one needs to factor over to compensate.

So it is good to know at what speeds your motor draws various amps in order to manage your time on the water to gain good use out of your battery. To figure what size battery is needed figure out at what amperage your motor draws at around 2mph then use this formula.. Let's say it draws 10amps @ 2mph and you want to be out there for 6 hrs , with an sla battery due to it voltage drop off you wont get the full use out of the battery. So take 6hrs X 10amps / .85 drop off factor = 70 ah battery needed but I would recommend a 100 ah battery to compensate for elemental factors that would require running at higher amps.

[Memory Maker]

I went thru all the things Oldbayrunner did and more. Then I got a Torqeedo and never looked back.

Side mounted engine was the cheapest way but the engine is heavy on 1 side. I almost turtled a couple of times and I was in a PA. The engine handle turned 90degrees away from the yak and when I leaned over to grab it, the battery shifted and I almost went over. The battery takes up a lot of space and has to be put somewhere to balance the engine so it takes a lot of space in limited locations. You also need a big battery to get some time on the water and didn’t have any safety features.

I also found that it cost a lot more to mount on the back when you had to get a speed controller and a way to steer it.

It took me 15 minutes using the Torqeedo to understand its value. It’s a lot more money but we’ll worth it. After spending all the money trying to do it the other ways, I bought a Torqeedo anyway and so did many others.

My suggestion is to save and get aTorqeedo. You won’t be sorry. Now I have 4. Jus sayin

[CHOC]

Sorry to say, since it’s way above your price range, but a torqeedo is the way to go if you want to power a kayak. For 2 grand you can have a motor that will push your big rig at trolling speeds for an entire day of fishing. The other thing is battery size and weight. The battery you’d need for a 55lb thrust trolling motor is just too big and clunky for a kayak. It’s gonna weigh upwards of 50 lbs. The torqeedo battery is 17 lbs.

Finance it if you have to. I’d also recommend you buy from Defender marine. Cheapest I’ve found and they ship quickly.

[CHOC]

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp...310&id=5479715

[Oldbayrunner]

Granted the Torqeedo now with the 915 battery is a great way to go. 4 years ago it wasn't if one didn't peddle and motor because to motor only all day one would need multiple batteries at a cost of $899 per battery. So at that I went a different direction which has worked fine for me. Also I agree if one uses a larger sla battery they are heavy but for less then what one of those batteries cost I have a 100ah 28lb battery that powers my 55# motor for a very long time.

[john from md]

I have both side mounts and stern mounted motors. On my small Vibe Skipjack, I have a side mounted Watersnake ASP 24. I made a PWM controller and put it inline with the battery. The battery I use on this rig is a 35AH which gives me about 3 hours(down to 50%) of running around at 1/2 speed. That is about 2MPH. I don't troll. I am talking about moving from place to place with some paddling. Paddling gets me an extra .5 MPH. I put a rudder on this and the motor only points forward. ( I put this rig together for low weight in creeks and rivers, not in the bay)

On my OC Trident, I have a stern mounted Minn Kota Endura Max 40. I made a mount and mounted it on the rudder post. My peddals move the motor which turns the yak. I also added a Rino rudder to the motor shaft for more response. It turns much better now. I use a 55AH battery with this motor and usually run it at 50 to 75% power. That gives me about the same time as the small motor rig. 50% speed is 3.5 MPH, full speed is 6 MPH. I use a Motorguide three blade prop on this for better performance.

If you are handy, modifying a yak is easy and there are many videos of people who came before us. If you are not, buy a Torquedo.

I usually limit my time on the water to 4 hours as I am an old arthritic fart.

[Steve6902]

Just go gas. Something like this,

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4WoxmcsW1Vc

[john from md]

Zoffinger is a Craftsman without a doubt. That said, I can't imagine every putting a 5HP motor on a yak.

[Steve6902]

Zoffinger Did not create that, I did. That is a Honda 2.3hp, 4 stroke air cooled outboard that I mounted on my PA 14. Top speed is 8.8 Mph. I run it at 4-5 mph at 1/3 throttle. I also made the transom mount and relocated the throttle control next to the seat.

[john from md]

Sorry, I was on two forums and got mixed up.

Here is the zoffinger link I was talking about on the other forum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcK_G_TCbLQ