Trolling motor on old town saranac 146

[trick worms]

Has anyone used a Tim on this canoe or any other 14 foot canoe? Is it recommended? Thanks

[Goose52]

There are at least two board members who have TMs on 14/15 ft. Old Towns, they should be along sometime soon to chime in...

Is a TM on a canoe recommended? It all depends on YOU and what you want to do with the boat. Canoe purists insist that a canoe should ONLY be used as a paddling vessel. On the other hand, some anglers are just looking for a "mobile fishing platform" and outfit the boat to fit their needs. A powered canoe gives you a combination of having a smaller watercraft that doesn't require a boat ramp, has enough room for a considerable amount of gear, is powered so you can fish instead of paddle, lets you use the motor to better handle wind conditions, all in a smaller form-factor that is easier to store than a jon boat or other larger watercraft.

So, you have to give some thought as to whether motoring a canoe is something that works for you.

For me, I motor probably around 98% of the time. The only time I paddle is on a couple lakes where in the summer months the curly-leafed pondweed gets so thick in many areas that I have to raise the TM out of the water (and bring up my sonar transducer as well) in order to get though the slop...

 

[trick worms]

5 hours ago, Goose52 said:

There are at least two board members who have TMs on 14/15 ft. Old Towns, they should be along sometime soon to chime in...

Is a TM on a canoe recommended? It all depends on YOU and what you want to do with the boat. Canoe purists insist that a canoe should ONLY be used as a paddling vessel. On the other hand, some anglers are just looking for a "mobile fishing platform" and outfit the boat to fit their needs. A powered canoe gives you a combination of having a smaller watercraft that doesn't require a boat ramp, has enough room for a considerable amount of gear, is powered so you can fish instead of paddle, lets you use the motor to better handle wind conditions, all in a smaller form-factor that is easier to store than a jon boat or other larger watercraft.

So, you have to give some thought as to whether motoring a canoe is something that works for you.

For me, I motor probably around 98% of the time. The only time I paddle is on a couple lakes where in the summer months the curly-leafed pondweed gets so thick in many areas that I have to raise the TM out of the water (and bring up my sonar transducer as well) in order to get though the slop...

 

Appreciate the reply, is a TM bad for a canoe as far as damaging it?

[Goose52]

1 hour ago, trick worms said:

Appreciate the reply, is a TM bad for a canoe as far as damaging it?

Not as long as a well-designed motor mount, that properly distributes the load to the hull, is used...

[keeganzpapa]

Trick Worms, I am a new member, and don't want to chime in inappropriately,  however, I own a Old Town Guide 147. Just received it this year used as a Christmas present. I have only had it out once, and loved it.  I have a small trolling motor on it, that came with it, mounted to my left side (port side). The standard motor comes with power cables that are just not long enough to let you get away from the cables and battery, so I spliced a cheap 12' jumper cable set onto it so I can lay the cables to the side, and extend the battery to the bow, for better weight distribution, otherwise when you turn the motor off to cast, the wind tends to turn you in circles because the bow is somewhat lifted out of the water if you and the battery are in the back half together, unless you have a passenger in the bow. I would give my eye teeth to have Goose52's rig, but you just gotta do what your present situation permits.  Hope this helps.

[Goose52]

34 minutes ago, keeganzpapa said:

Trick Worms, I am a new member, and don't want to chime in inappropriately,  however, I own a Old Town Guide 147. Just received it this year used as a Christmas present. I have only had it out once, and loved it.  I have a small trolling motor on it, that came with it, mounted to my left side (port side). The standard motor comes with power cables that are just not long enough to let you get away from the cables and battery, so I spliced a cheap 12' jumper cable set onto it so I can lay the cables to the side, and extend the battery to the bow, for better weight distribution, otherwise when you turn the motor off to cast, the wind tends to turn you in circles because the bow is somewhat lifted out of the water if you and the battery are in the back half together, unless you have a passenger in the bow. I would give my eye teeth to have Goose52's rig, but you just gotta do what your present situation permits.  Hope this helps.

Battery forward is the way to go if you're fishing solo.  As you did, I ran extension cables forward through the gray conduit that you can see in this photo:

[keeganzpapa]

Looks Great! Wish I had thought of the conduit.  Do you use an anchor? What kind.  The guy that sold my wife the canoe had a milk jug filled with cement, but I really don't want to be laughed off the dock.

[Goose52]

OP - we're drifting off your topic but this is probably stuff you're interested in anyway...

Yes, I use an anchor - a 5lb dumbbell !  Heavy enough to hold relatively well (in high winds it won't hold however), cheap enough to replace if I foul on the bottom and have to cut-off. I use a Scotty Anchor-Lock to control the anchor line. You can see the Scotty and the dumbbell on the port side, aft (just behind the seat), in the below photo.

As far as getting laughed off the dock - rig the boat the way you want it and "just fish"...   

[trick worms]

4 hours ago, Goose52 said:

Battery forward is the way to go if you're fishing solo.  As you did, I ran extension cables forward through the gray conduit that you can see in this photo:

Thanks for all the help, I will be fishing with 1 and 2 people. Should I put the battery in the middle? Thanks

[Goose52]

33 minutes ago, trick worms said:

Thanks for all the help, I will be fishing with 1 and 2 people. Should I put the battery in the middle? Thanks

Sure - put the battery where it balances/trims best...

[keeganzpapa]

Thanks..

[Neil McCauley]

Another Old Town + TM here. I have a Guide 147 and MK 55lb tm that works well for me.. The OT Saranac is similar but 2" narrower, flatter bottomed, 9 lb heavier, a little less stable in rougher water. It would probably still work great with a tm.

The important thing with these canoes is, like Goose52 said, having a strong and secure motor mount. The motor puts a lot of torque on whatever attaches it to the boat and any flex/motion there is lost forward thrust. So the mount should be built rock solid. Also wiring the battery correctly is important. You will likely need 6-8ga wire long enough to put the battery in the bow of the boat for balance if you are ever alone. I used 15' jumper cables for a long time. Anything that long in 10ga or smaller will heat up and could melt your hull or start a fire.

Other than those 2 things though canoe/TMs are very convenient and actually awesome fishing systems. No other type of boat can cruise around so easily with just a silent electric motor, yet still be stable enough to stand up and fish from. I've covered up to 20 mi in 1 day of fishing in mine. And if you get the hang of it you can still use the TM the way most boats do...slowly move parallel along a shoreline or contour lines while you stand and make casts.

The main limitations to me are winds >10mph and rough waves, the weight of having a 2nd person PLUS 2 deep cycle batteries, and having to buy at least 1 new battery every year.

 

 

 

 

 

[the reel ess]

14 hours ago, keeganzpapa said:

Looks Great! Wish I had thought of the conduit.  Do you use an anchor? What kind.  The guy that sold my wife the canoe had a milk jug filled with cement, but I really don't want to be laughed off the dock.

I've been laughed at while fishing from the kayak, but I have the pics to prove it works, it's cheap, it's good exercise, it doesn't require a trailer and I can go places even jonboats cannot, which puts me in zero competition all for the grand total of $600. You can laugh all the way to the fish.

When I was a kid, we used a 26' pontoon to fish for crappie and we used a concrete block for an anchor. On really windy days, we'd use 2. We called those days "2-block days"  I'm sure it looked funny, but you couldn't buy an anchor that did the job as well and if you lost it, who cares???

[keeganzpapa]

After reading Goose52's response, I went out last night, spray painted the milk jug black (actually it is the bottom half cut off and filled with cement with a piece of rope in it like an upside down "U") and is about 4-5 lbs. I went out today and it worked great. Nobody looking could tell the difference between it and store bought unless they were to pick it up. Held the canoe just as well in about a 7 mph wind.  Thanks.

[Neil McCauley]

I use a couple 3-4 lb irregular shaped rocks tied to 40# bankline as an anchor. Really don't need much for a canoe. If the wind is that bad you have bigger problems.

["hamma"]

A friend of mine is a pro target shooter and being one he re-loads his own bullets. He bought a mold for a 8 lb downrigger ball, filled in the fin part of the mold and made his own 8 lb round ball anchors, for his canoe, and a couple for me as i was supplying him lead at the time, and have a bass hunter. They work great in mud or weeds, and somewhat in rocky areas as well as sand

[bralexander]

I'll just back up what everyone else is saying. I have a 14' old town flat back canoe I use a 32# minn kota on. I have also extended the wires with a cheap set of jumper cables to place the battery in whatever position levels out the canoe, according to  passenger(s) load. I get 3-3.5mph which is good for small lakes but not so great in a river or larger lakes. I bought the largest marine deep cycle battery I could find locally and am pretty happy with how much time I get between charges.

I rarely use an anchor,  but I do carry one. It is an old window weight. In my opinion, these are perfect for canoes and kayaks. You can find different sizes and they already have a molded in loop to attach you anchor line. I tried a small dumbell at one point, but the window weight is easier to use.

Make sure you research your state laws before going out, because some places you must register/title as soon as you put a motor on.This is the case in Florida, where I am at.

Bruce

[dean2287]

Great info here, I'm looking at side mounting a 30 lb Minn-Kota on an Old Town Sarnac 146.

[A-Jay]

9 minutes ago, dean2287 said:

Great info here, I'm looking at side mounting a 30 lb Minn-Kota on an Old Town Sarnac 146.

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

There's Loads of great information here

A-Jay

[fishnkamp]

Hello and welcome to the board. Years ago I fished from two different canoes. Both of them  had a tm on a bracket. They work really well. Just before you do that check with your states boating regulations. I found out the hard way, that as soon as my canoe had a motor on it ( the state did not care if it was electric, gas or solar powered lol) they wanted to dip into my wallet as deep as MD. can, so it had to be registered.  One day a very polite DNR officer was happy to tell me and also allow MD to dip into my wallet a little extra bit. Wasn't he nice!!!  Of course MD is the state that taxed its citizens for the privilege  of rain falling from the sky!  I can not wait to become a citizen of Tennessee soon. Oh and by the way  those side pontoons look cool. 

[Goose52]

30 minutes ago, fishnkamp said:

...  I can not wait to become a citizen of Tennessee soon...

Tennessee, like most states, require powered vessels (and sailboats) to be registered. So, you're not going to escape that by moving.

Registration costs a whopping $13 a year for vessels under 16 feet. NOT a big deal...

[fishnkamp]

No, but if you live in TN already you have no idea the ways states in the east get in your pocket. My crack about MD taxing the rain was not a joke!! Our governor O'malley had such a tax, along with thousands of others. His nickname was OWE'Malley! The property tax on my 1/4 acre property and a 1600 sq. ft house is over $2000 a year. The property tax on a much bigger house and larger land parcel we looked at near Cookeville was about a whopping $300 annually. Since a republican governor took over (only the second time in my lifetime) some of the taxes were repealed, but it is still too expensive to live and play here. I do love it out there.This April we spent 10 wonderful days on Dale Hollow and we have stayed on Center Hill about 4 years ago. The next lake on my to do list is probably going to be either Chicamagua or Tims Ford. I am trying to decide for next April. Have you fished either?