Kayak Trolling Motor, Battery, & Mount....done!

[seabeejason]

Figured I'd share this. I've been pondering adding a trolling motor to the kayak for quite some time. I've battled with it simply because I didn't want to add a trolling motor to something that is made to be human powered. The whole point of a kayak is to do some exercise, right? Well, after using it for several days recently on a medium sized lake I came to the conclusion to add a trolling motor. Why? One simple explanation....TIME. Having this option allows more time for fishing. I can get to spots faster & get back to the ramp faster just before dark. Several of the lakes around me are awesome bass fishing lakes, but have 9.9hp limits. Which keeps me off the lake with my larger 150hp bass boat.

Simply put, adding a trolling motor to the kayak gives me the ability to access these lakes & efficiently fish them. Why not buy a small jon boat you may ask? Well, I already own the kayak for one. Two, is that I can still easily access lakes that are inaccessible by regular boats. Which is the case at one of my favorite fishing holes.

Now that I got all that out of the way, on to my install. I have an Old Town Predator 13 kayak. I done an absolute ton of research into trolling motors, mounts, batteries, etc.

The biggest questions were as follows:
1. What size trolling motor?
2. What size battery?
3. Most importantly, how do I mount it without spending a ton on a special mounting set up from a retailer ($150+)?

Solution:
1. Minn Kota Endura C2 30lb Trolling Motor. I chose this motor from a couple aspects. It's short at 30" in length. It's light, compared to other trolling motors. It gives me plenty of power for a kayak. I looked into an Endura Max because of the digital maximizer. I decided against it due to the added weight & shaft length. Not to mention it costing $130 more.
2. I chose a Wal-Mart EverStart 27DC Marine Battery. Considerations were cost, good reviews, more power (109ah), & how well it fit into the Minn Kota Trolling Motor Power Center I purchased for the battery. The power center gives me containment, a battery meter, accessory power, & circuit breakers. It's a bargain for what it does.
3. Mounting. My biggest conundrum. For this, I went to a local steel place & purchased a 40"(ish) piece of 1/8" angle iron. I simply drilled two holes in each end to bolt it to the kayak, then two more holes into one end (on the vertical angle) to mount a piece of wood for clamping on the trolling motor. I drilled 5/16" holes & used 5/16" bolts & lock nuts with washers. I did spray paint the angle iron with truck bed liner to keep water off of it (stops rusting). I already had it, so that is what I used. All told, the mounting bracket cost me about $6.50. Not bad considering most retailers use the exact same thing & charge $70.00+.

There you go. Hope it helps those of you pondering the addition of this set up to your kayak. I'd like to also note that this is very easy to remove if required. Another thing to remember is that adding a trolling motor does (in most instances) require that your kayak be registered with the state. I'll have to register mine. This is because the kayak is no longer considered a "human powered" vessel once you add any type of motor. It's not a big deal to me, especially considering my kayak came with a statement of origin. I simply bring that, pay for the documentation, get my stickers, & I'm good for three years.

[Subaqua Adinterim]

Very nice. From the picture, it appears that the motor will be right behind your seat. So you just reach to the side and control it with your left hand? Do you have a rudder? Just wondering how you control direction.

[AdamsEye]

Looks like a job well done, and I think it looks pretty clean and sharp too. 

[flyfisher]

nice job.   I will also be interested to see how it floats with the battery, motor and your seat all in the same area of the boat.

[Dogmatic]

Has anyone given you warnings about side mounting your TM on a yak?

[flyfisher]

i know a lot of people do it that way.

[Caliyak]

Do you have license your yak now? I was told, in California, you add a motor, stand in line at the DMV. Any truth to that?

[Subaqua Adinterim]

So just a few questions.

Why would there be a warning for side mounting the trolling motor as one poster suggested?

If it is ok to mount one this way, then how do you control direction - do you need a rudder?

Thanks for helping me understand this more.

[seabeejason]

Very nice. From the picture, it appears that the motor will be right behind your seat. So you just reach to the side and control it with your left hand? Do you have a rudder? Just wondering how you control direction.

 

I reach and control it from the side with my hand. The handle actually extends out, but it is not extended in the first picture. If you look at the second picture (just added in the original post) you can see the handle extended. I still have to turn my body slightly to the side and reach behind me if I do a 90 to 180 degree turn, but that is something I find negligible.  

 

Looks like a job well done, and I think it looks pretty clean and sharp too. 

 

Thank You!

 

nice job.   I will also be interested to see how it floats with the battery, motor and your seat all in the same area of the boat.

 

It floats just fine. It does make it a bit heavy in the rear and some water does enter through the scupper holes, but it is not a major problem. I lightened the load a bit by not carrying so much tackle with me. Another advantage is that I only weigh 160 lbs. So with the trolling motor, battery, and me it probably brings the weight up to around 210 lbs or so. Well under the weight capacity of the kayak. I could see this potentially becoming a bigger issue for someone in the 200+ range though. I should also note that Old Town does make a Minn Kota edition of this kayak. It has a 45lb Minn Kota Max built into the center of the kayak that is removable. So, you get the option to remove it on the days that you just feel like paddling. It is also a salt water trolling motor. The kicker is that the kayak with that option is $2,799.00. 

 

Has anyone given you warnings about side mounting your TM on a yak?

 

This particular kayak was engineered with a side mounted trolling motor being an option. It balances just fine. I tested it on the water already.

 

Do you have license your yak now? I was told, in California, you add a motor, stand in line at the DMV. Any truth to that?

 

Absolutely! Most states require that you register any vessel if you add any type of motor to it. Here in Missouri, you simply take your retail receipt/bill of sale, statement of origin for the kayak, and your latest personal property tax receipt to the drivers license bureau and register the boat. It cost me a total of $38.00 for all the paperwork. Make darn sure to bring that retail receipt though. In Missouri, if you can't prove that you paid the tax they will tax you again when you register it.

 

So just a few questions.

Why would there be a warning for side mounting the trolling motor as one poster suggested?

If it is ok to mount one this way, then how do you control direction - do you need a rudder?

Thanks for helping me understand this more.

 

For some kayaks (usually smaller lightweight ones) adding that kind of weight to the side can destabilize the kayak. Making it much more likely to flip in the event that you become unbalanced. For my kayak, the Old Town Predator 13, this is not an issue. I can stand in it without a problem. It is 33 inches wide and extremely stable. Controlling direction is done via the handle on the trolling motor. You simply rotate the trolling motor to control direction. The trolling motor itself also has five different speeds and also has reverse. A rudder is definitely an option, but I have not added one to my kayak. 

[Dogmatic]

So just a few questions.

Why would there be a warning for side mounting the trolling motor as one poster suggested?

If it is ok to mount one this way, then how do you control direction - do you need a rudder?

Thanks for helping me understand this more.

Like Seebee said, and there is a general warning that just the torque from a TM can flip you, (heard some horror stories). But if your yak is designed for it, then it's probably ok.

[Subaqua Adinterim]

Thanks guys for the explanations, I definitely learn a lot here.

After seeing this trolling motor option, it looks like a great alternative to one of those kits that puts the trolling motor at the back of the kayak with the pedal controls. This is much simpler and as long as you can control direction well with this way, it's a good option to consider.