Install trolling motor on kayak?

[Motoboss]

BIXPY   with Old Town power pole transom mount.
Easy peazy.

[stratos4me]

On 1/12/2023 at 5:18 PM, Gregorym38 said:

Hey everyone,

i plan on getting an old town topwater 120 and frankly think that the autopilot and pedal versions are way too expensive. Has anyone had any luck mounting a trolling motor on their kayak? Preferably, leaving no damage to the kayak, but im ok with some drilling and whatnot if thats the best option. I plan to use in saltwater and fresh if that makes a difference, please post pics if you have any! 
i have seen people make mounts for the front and back, but i have also seen people use the pole holders in ghe back to make a mount that holds the motor on the side, but that just seems impractical. Any ideas are welcome

I had a Nucanoe Frontier 12 with a bowmount Ipilot. Part of the reason I chose Nucanoe is that they offer a bowmount kit.

[Gregorym38]

22 hours ago, stratos4me said:

I had a Nucanoe Frontier 12 with a bowmount Ipilot. Part of the reason I chose Nucanoe is that they offer a bowmount kit.

I looked into them a bit, ends up costing a lot for the motor mounted on, but i guess it ends up working out well

[stratos4me]

On 1/28/2023 at 6:27 PM, Gregorym38 said:

I looked into them a bit, ends up costing a lot for the motor mounted on, but i guess it ends up working out well

I recommend the Frontier with bow mount TM if you're looking for more of a boat replacement. Some guys will use the bow mount TM and also clamp a small outboard on the square transom. It's actually rated to 2.5HP. If you're looking for something to paddle a lot, you need something with a narrower beam and less stability for standing

[Gregorym38]

6 hours ago, stratos4me said:

I recommend the Frontier with bow mount TM if you're looking for more of a boat replacement. Some guys will use the bow mount TM and also clamp a small outboard on the square transom. It's actually rated to 2.5HP. If you're looking for something to paddle a lot, you need something with a narrower beam and less stability for standing

Yeah i looked into it a bit, i dont know if a trolling motor would be the best option, i would have to register it, and places are more limited at my lakes. The sportsman i think would be good bc it is meant to be either paddle, pedal, or motorized, so i could do whatever i want really. 

[stratos4me]

You must be in CA. Me too. I had to register my kayak as a boat because of the TM. Then, since it was a "boat" my HOA made me insure it. What a fiasco.

[Gregorym38]

13 hours ago, stratos4me said:

You must be in CA. Me too. I had to register my kayak as a boat because of the TM. Then, since it was a "boat" my HOA made me insure it. What a fiasco.

Yeah that seems like a hassle

[flyfisher]

On 2/2/2023 at 2:20 AM, stratos4me said:

You must be in CA. Me too. I had to register my kayak as a boat because of the TM. Then, since it was a "boat" my HOA made me insure it. What a fiasco.

I think every state requires registration of any boat that is motorized.  Here in VA it was the same and was pretty inexpensive really.  What does suck, more out of principle than anything, is now that it is registered I have to pay personal property tax on it each year.  This year was around$40.

[Bankc]

2 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

I think every state requires registration of any boat that is motorized.  Here in VA it was the same and was pretty inexpensive really.  What does suck, more out of principle than anything, is now that it is registered I have to pay personal property tax on it each year.  This year was around$40.

In Oklahoma, you have to register all boats over 8ft., but not kayaks and canoes, so long as they're propelled by paddling.  And you have to separately register any motor over 10HP. 

 

Motorized and peddling kayaks aren't specifically mentioned, so it's not exactly clear where they fit in with all of this, according to the letter of the law.  It could be argued that you have to register peddle kayaks and kayaks with trolling motors.  But the way everyone treats the law (dealers, law enforcement, and the general public) is that you don't have to register a kayak, motorized or peddle powered, unless the motor is in excess of 10HP.  

 

Oddly enough, you also don't have to register a racing boat, regardless of size or horsepower.  Our laws were written to make revenue, not sense.  

[casts_by_fly]

3 hours ago, Bankc said:

In Oklahoma, you have to register all boats over 8ft., but not kayaks and canoes, so long as they're propelled by paddling.  And you have to separately register any motor over 10HP. 

 

Motorized and peddling kayaks aren't specifically mentioned, so it's not exactly clear where they fit in with all of this, according to the letter of the law.  It could be argued that you have to register peddle kayaks and kayaks with trolling motors.  But the way everyone treats the law (dealers, law enforcement, and the general public) is that you don't have to register a kayak, motorized or peddle powered, unless the motor is in excess of 10HP.  

 

Oddly enough, you also don't have to register a racing boat, regardless of size or horsepower.  Our laws were written to make revenue, not sense.  

I just had a read through the OK registration requirements and I think its pretty clear as written.  By default, a boat needs to be registered unless it meets an exemption.  There is an exemption that specifically says 'narrow sharp ended boats' like kayaks that are propelled by paddling.  There is no exemption for kayaks propelled by other means like a motor.  That means you have to register it.  Enforcement on the water of course is another story.  I'm sure that when this statute was written (1991) no one was even thinking about motorized kayaks, and PDL kayaks didn't exist yet.  Also, motorized kayaks and canoes are such a small quantity of boats that no one is going to put any effort into changing it.