Canoe/ trolling motor

[NewAngler]

so i bought a canoe.

nothing special, but wanted to get a motor to put on it. im gonna get a 30lb thrust torlling motor. and my question is, how fast can it go? i weight 180, and usually fish solo. i wont be going backwards if the wind is in my face will i?

can i put a fish finder on this thing?

[Fishing Rhino]

No, you won't go backwards. If the wind is that strong, you shouldn't be on the water.

Fish finder. Yes, you can. You can mount the transducer on your trolling motor. Or use a suction cup mount. You can mount it as it comes, on the transom.

Mine is an Eagle Cuda portable. Uses 8 AA batteries. It will probably run fifty hours or more before you need to change batteries.

That's just a guess. When I had it on most of the time, the batteries would last a month. Average more than twenty hours per week fishing.

[mudkart]

We got a similiar scanoe a while back, a 16'6" Pelican.  I got a 55 lb Traxxis (Minn Kota) last weekend, and a Group 27 Everstart battery from Wally World.  It runs like a champ.  $50 rebate on the Traxxis motors until July 1st.

[Lard_Bass]

I bought a canoe several years ago and pimped it out. I caught lots of fish on it and really had a blast before I got a boat. I found myself fishing with my back turned to the front of the canoe. I used to adjust the trolling motor (30#) in reverse. That gave me a better feel as if I were fishing from the bow of a boat. I also put a fish finder on my canoe to try to find structure.

My only suggestion is you may want to get a bigger trolling motor. I drained my battery quickly on a 30# thrust and I think if you ran a 55# thrust on lower settings you would get more time on the water.

Enjoy the canoe.

[ArcticCat500]

so i bought a canoe.

nothing special, but wanted to get a motor to put on it. im gonna get a 30lb thrust torlling motor. and my question is, how fast can it go? i weight 180, and usually fish solo. i wont be going backwards if the wind is in my face will i?

can i put a fish finder on this thing?

good luck with your new ride, and yea, no problems you can do a nice motor on that. buy what you can afford for the larger size motor, extend the power cables and put the batt up front so you dont dump all the extra weight in the back. This will keep the bow down a little more and make it easier to control on windier days and cut nicely.

As far as a fish finder, you betchya.  take a look at this.

http://store.humminbird.com/ccombo-ccomboBuddy.html

[Lard_Bass]

Yeah, definitely put the motor battery at the front of the canoe to balance out the weight. You can get cable extensions at Gander Mt for $14. Also, I just got a regular fish finder and mounted the transducer on the trolling motor with an O-ring. You can hook up the fish finder to the cable extenders going to your deep cycle marine battery.

One other thing I forgot to mention, get some outriggers like the ones you see in my photo. Someone suggested that in other forum and they were the best thing I ever bought. I stood up in my canoe really easily to fish. Also, in some harsh weather or dealing with big wakes, I had no issues. I never felt I was going to tip over.

[t0n3]

One other thing I forgot to mention, get some outriggers like the ones you see in my photo. Someone suggested that in other forum and they were the best thing I ever bought. I stood up in my canoe really easily to fish. Also, in some harsh weather or dealing with big wakes, I had no issues. I never felt I was going to tip over.

That IS a pimped out fishing canoe!  I have a trolling motor and sonar on my gruman 17 and have been considering my options for outriggers to add some stability so i can stand.   I find myself using the canoe backwards, sitting on the front seat backwards while facing the motor which is mounted on the front of the canoe (which i use as the back).

[nashontheriver]

that boat is so cool!

[Grey Wolf]

If you can afford it , get a 55# thrust motor.

[A-Jay]

If you can afford it , get a 55# thrust motor.

x2 - You'll be glad you did.

I fish from an Old Town Predator Square back just under 16ft. (pictured) with a #55

on the transom. I fish exclusively out of this canoe and I love it.

I'm about your size and fish 1/2 the time solo.

My gps says I make just at 4 knots.

You won't be zooming all over the lake.

If the wind is blowing less than 15-20 you'll be able to get around OK

(while your battery is fresh.)

I carry 2 - and yes I've fried them both a few times on all-nighters

- which is what the paddles are for.

I high recommend the Minn Kota battery boxes. They have 2 separate circuit breakers

built in to them. One each for your trolling motor and one for accessories

(fish finder, spotlight etc)

This will prevent frying anything - I hate it when my electronics start to smoke

The Minn Kota charger has been very dependable as well. (Links below)

I've made some Mods/upgrades on the Predator that have made a decent difference

in the vessels effectiveness. PM me if you'd like.

A-Jay

http://www.minnkotamotors.com/products/accessories/battery/trolling_motor_power_center.aspx

http://www.minnkotamotors.com/products/battery_chargers/portable_chargers/mk110p.aspx

[Turtle.]

I have a 30lb thrust trolling motor I use on my bass raider and on my 16' sconoe, I have fished all day and then some and have never drained my my battery.

Now I don't break any speed records but it get me around just fine.I had a 55lb and it would suck the life out of my battery.

Rolo explained it very well in another thread.

The 30 ft/lb thrust motor should do just fine.

What many forget is that an electric-powered boat functions as a "displacement hull".

This means that maximum speed is a function of the waterline perimeter and not ft/lb thrust.

Virtually all electric-powered boats have a top-speed around 3 to 6 mph regardless of thrust.

And regardless of thrust, no electric-powered boat is going to buck strong winds or strong currents.

Granted, you need enough thrust to reach top-speed, to push surface vegees aside,

and buck light breezes. But beyond that, using a motor with more than necessary thrust only shortens battery life.

A notable exception is a Minn Kota motor with a "Digital Maximizer, where extra thrust

only drains the battery according to the throttle setting (they're a godsend).

Roger

[spinnerbaitking]

I have a 16' & 17' canoe that I don't use enough now that I have a 14' boat, but my 3 yr old grand daughter is going to be starting canoeing this year, good enough reason to get back at it, I bought a Fishing Buddy yrs ago & the problem with it is it shakes the whole canoe when you are moving any speed at all & in rapids you always had to lift it out,

I thought of out riggers but I like going backwards down the river as much as possible & thought they would be a pain in the butt in rapids or shallow water

Sbking

[shootermcbob]

No, you won't go backwards. If the wind is that strong, you shouldn't be on the water.

Fish finder. Yes, you can. You can mount the transducer on your trolling motor. Or use a suction cup mount. You can mount it as it comes, on the transom.

Mine is an Eagle Cuda portable. Uses 8 AA batteries. It will probably run fifty hours or more before you need to change batteries.

That's just a guess. When I had it on most of the time, the batteries would last a month. Average more than twenty hours per week fishing.

Fishing Rhino, that is one sweet setup.

[Lard_Bass]

So, I am getting a lot of questions about my canoe (glad to see people want to copy my rig). Here's are the specs of my rig:

Canoe Type: Radisson (called Sportspal in Canada, and NOT to be confused with Sportspal in the US, however both canoes are identical in my eyes). (approx $550, I got from a local dealer that was clearing out stock)

Length: 12'

Trolling Motor size: 35lb Thrust ($100)

Deep Cycle Battery Size: 27 ($90)

Marine Charger: Minn Kota MK 105P ($45)

Outriggers: $170 (my local guy was clearing them out too but you can find them at Cabelas or Spring Creek Canoe online).

Fish Finder: Eagle 320 ($120)

Chairbacks: $50 ($25 each)

Rod Holders (Horizontal): Cabelas/Scotty Superlite ($30 - $15 each) - attached with cable ties ($2)

Vertical Rod Holder: Berkley 4 rod holder ($10) - attached with cable ties

Drink Holder with holes to hang lures - $7 - attached with cable ties

Canoe dolly: $40

Total approximate cost: $1215

I kept some of my cost down but only jumping on deals when stores were clearing inventory. Also, a lot of the gadgets that I purchased (like the fish finder and canoe dolly were done later than sooner). The must haves (canoe, trolling motor, deep cycle battery and charger, and outriggers) ran me about $955.

I love my canoe and it gets me places where many boats can't go. Also, the canoe has banged up on rocks and has some dents now. However, I do not have any concerns with aluminum, it has handled banging on rocks and stumps with no problem. If you are going down rivers or streams with lots of rocks, then this is NOT the setup for you. I use mine only on lakes. I have recently stepped up to a fishing pontoon since I moved to Minnesota. However, I am registering my canoe this year so I can use it on a lot of the small lakes around here.

Hope this helps.

[shootermcbob]

Lard_Bass, thanks for sharing. That is a sweet rig.

[Goose52]

So, I am getting a lot of questions about my canoe (glad to see people want to copy my rig). Here's are the specs of my rig...

Thanks for the info - good stuff. Prices have gone up though - a good price on the canoe is now $799

[Lard_Bass]

Yeah, the canoe I bought had been sitting on the lot for almost 2 years and the dealer ran a 20% off anything in current inventory during the fall and off an already marked down price (which was around $680). He also ran a deal on the outriggers too so I went back to get them too. I was debating getting a porta boat but this deal was too good to pass up.

BTW, check craigslist.  I missed out on the same exact canoe for around $500 because I was on vacation.  The guy listed it and sold it within a day.    There are plenty of canoes on craigslist.

[IwillChooseFreeWill]

nice... but for that price may as well buy a jon boat with trailer that includes that stuff already. It will be a lot more stable and less chance of tipping and ruining $500 worth of electronics...

Also need to remember, most states require anything with a motor or engine of any kind to be registered... versus if you go without the electric motor, you can get away without registering it saving plenty of money.

[Goose52]

nice... but for that price may as well buy a jon boat with trailer that includes that stuff already. It will be a lot more stable and less chance of tipping and ruining $500 worth of electronics...

Also need to remember, most states require anything with a motor or engine of any kind to be registered... versus if you go without the electric motor, you can get away without registering it saving plenty of money.

There's more to consider than just the "fishability" of the craft. While the jon has some advantages, it also has some disadvantages for MY purposes. I'm getting ready to rig a canoe similar to Lard_Bass' boat. Some considerations for me were:

Storage - I can put the canoe up on top of some cabinets or hang it from the ceiling. The jon would consume one of my garage bays or be in the driveway.

Transportability - the canoe weighs 34 pounds - I don't need a launching ramp and can just stick it in the water anyplace. I can get a canoe dolly and portage it back from the road a ways and get into small ponds if I want. I can car-top it and load it myself (if my bum shoulder heals soon...). The jon would be mostly a launching ramp deal.

Versatility - I can paddle the canoe if I want, or run the trolling motor; I can run the outriggers or not; my fishfinder will be a portable so I can run it off a small battery if I'm paddling, or off the trolling motor battery if I'm fully rigged. The jon would be mostly a fully-rigged, heavy, trolling motor (or gas motor) proposition.

Leisure - the canoe makes a better leisure craft and the wife and I can have fun paddling and sightseeing around the lakes - a bit more fun than rowing a heavy jon around the lake.

Everything is a compromise - and the canoe was the studied solution...

On registration - the fees in Tennessee are pretty cheap - $13 a year.

[Lard_Bass]

Goose52,

You pretty hit the nail on the head with everything I considered (storage, versatility, transportability).  My canoe is hoisted to the ceiling of my garage.  I can rig it up myself and cartop it anywhere (I didn't feel the need for a trailer).  Plus, registration in PA was somewhere around $30 for 2 years.  The only other thing I thought that was comparable was a porta-boat.  However, they were much more expensive.

One other issue for me, many lakes near me in PA were trolling motor or no motor at all.  Hence, my comment that my canoe could go where boats couldn't.  That's a huge plus for fishing some smaller lakes and getting to fish that were not pressured as much.

Lastly, with the outriggers, I had zero issues with tipping over.  I only venture out on decent days and the worst I usually deal with is some bozo on a bass boat who's 9.9 hp motor is really a 50+ hp motor with a fake sticker on.  I have dealt with some bad wakes and my canoe never had an issue (if you see those waves coming on, just turn right into them).   I wish the game warden were around to bust those guys.

[IwillChooseFreeWill]

Thats good that all options were looked at...

and I wish my canoe was that light... mine comes in somewhere around 100+ pounds, but it has thicker aluminum supports.

[NeedAnewScreenName-587943]

run a 14.5' Kevlar square-stern canoe, 55lbs boat weight, and it is a boat.

i've run a 40lb, 55lb, 80lb and 101lb trolling motor on the stern at various times. All Minn-Kota Maxxums except for the latter, a 36v Vantage.

1) use a lead wire to put the batteries up front. you boat will go faster and be better balanced. I do this for even the 12v motors.

2) 24-volt 80lb Maxxum is the best overall, good speed (5.5 mph GPS), and great endurance. On days when I'm planning to cover 10+ miles, I take two sets of two batteries. Most of the time I don't need to hit the second set (but they are very liberating to have). Once a man experiences a 24 volt trolling motor, there is no turning back, even on a canoe.

3) 36-volt 101 got me low 6mph range, not worth the extra setup/takedown time.

check out these likeable yahoos that put a 10hp on a canoe:

A torqeedo might get you up on plane. ;D

[IwillChooseFreeWill]

I need to find a larger scale just to see how much mine really weighs... I would say somewhere around 110-120 lbs., plus myself coming in around 220 lbs. Luckily it is 14' long and 36" at the center widest point.

I have been looking at 12V systems locally on craigslist, I can find running 5-10HP gas motors for $100 or used trolling motors for $150+ (although there is a 46lb one here for $40, wonder whats wrong with it).

[BassNut]

very nice set up on your canoe!!

No worries of flipping that bad boy!!

I have those same outriggers on my wavewalk yak with a 30lb thrust trolling motor.