> -----Original Message----- > From: John Williams [mailto:jwill_at_hiline.net] > Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 5:43 PM > > I fish a large area of sandbars called "flats". Has anyone > ever replaced their rudder or augmented it with a trolling > motor. I have a seakayak--not an ocean or "sit-on-top". I'd > like to know any bad experiences and or what type of trolling > motor used. Thanks in advance. Ok, I'll bite. First go buy a 45 lb. marine battery then figure out a way to securely mount it in the rear compartment, making sure that it cannot come loose during rolls. You'll need to drill a hole through the deck for the leads from the trolling motor and you'll want to seal this hole quite well since you want to eliminate the possibility of water intrusion. Now install a one-way vent in the rear compartment to vent any gases created by the battery. You're done with the easy part. You just created a hi-tech version of a Canadian Ballast Rock (TM) The next thing is the motor mount.... Since most trolling motors are designed for use with boats with MUCH more freeboard than a kayak you'll quickly notice that a standard length shaft will place the prop far too deep into the water. Given that trying to convince the trolling motor manufacturer to develop an Ultra-Super-Short-Shaft model targeted at kayakers will be akin to trying to fly by running down a hill flapping your arms you may find that it is easier to have someone fabricate a motor mount that simply lifts the mounting point to a height so that the prop is the appropriate depth under water. A custom welding shop should be able to fab something up in aluminum so that the motor can be mounted approx. 16-18" above the kayak deck. This mount should be bolted directly behind the cockpit and hold the motor a short distance away from the side of the boat - a counterbalance on the other side of the boat will counteract any tendency of the motor weight to lean the kayak. Be sure to use some sturdy backer plates under all bolt locations - kayak hulls aren't designed to take the type of stresses this will create. Reaching up and behind you to steer will enhance your shoulder flexibility - or pay for a year of your orthopedic surgeon's daughter tuition at Harvard Law. The motor mount may interfere with paddle placement or paddler entry during paddle float re-entries. This might be a good reason to develop a new paddle float rescue using paddle placement in front of the cockpit. Seriously now - this would be a fairly easy proposition even in a canoe - there are bolt-on motor mounts widely available or even square stern canoes. Trying to do this with a seakayak strikes me as somewhat akin to trying to turn a Pentium III chip into a toaster - you can do it, but why? There are boats designed for flats fishing, and even boats that aren't specifically designed for flats fishing that would do quite well. For a fairly modest sum I'd bet you could find a used 14' jon boat (square bow and stern, flat bottom) and a small used outboard and trolling rig. I think the saying goes something like, "there's a proper tool for every job". Dave Seng (who fishes frequently although not elegantly from his kayak - but breaks out the skiff for "serious" fishing - if there is such a thing) Juneau, Alaska *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 04:46 PM 5/23/00 -0800, Seng, Dave wrote: >> -----Original Message----- >> From: John Williams [mailto:jwill_at_hiline.net] >> Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 5:43 PM >> >> I fish a large area of sandbars called "flats". Has anyone >> ever replaced their rudder or augmented it with a trolling >> motor. I have a seakayak--not an ocean or "sit-on-top". I'd >aren't designed to take the type of stresses this will create. Reaching up >and behind you to steer will enhance your shoulder flexibility - or pay for >a year of your orthopedic surgeon's daughter tuition at Harvard Law. While I agree that a trolling motor sort of offends the purpose, I have once or twice thought about the little electric trolling motor that I think it is Wilderness Systems has available for the back end of the Pungo. I have heard of an elderly couple that likes to get out on moderately placid streams with this rig, and head upstream until the battery runs out, then paddle back downstream. One time, while thinking about this, I noted the empty rudder bracket on the back of my boat and got to thinking how it would be possible to mount a small trolling motor in this bracket, with some modifications, naturally, and then using rudder pedals and lines to steer the motor. I don't know how you'd handle the speed control, though. -- Wes *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Wes Boyd wrote: > > While I agree that a trolling motor sort of offends the purpose, I have > once or twice thought about the little electric trolling motor that I think > it is Wilderness Systems has available for the back end of the Pungo. I > have heard of an elderly couple that likes to get out on moderately placid > streams with this rig, and head upstream until the battery runs out, then > paddle back downstream. > > One time, while thinking about this, I noted the empty rudder bracket on > the back of my boat and got to thinking how it would be possible to mount a > small trolling motor in this bracket, with some modifications, naturally, > and then using rudder pedals and lines to steer the motor. I don't know how > you'd handle the speed control, though. > Lest I offend anyone, my post was in the main quite tongue-in-cheek. Sorry if I got carried away in jest. Dave Seng Juneau, Alaska *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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