Bow Mounted vs. Stern Mounted Trolling Motor on a Kayak

[RLinNH]

I have been kicking around the idea of installing a trolling motor on my 2018 Hobie PA14 now for a couple years. Buddy of mine purchased an Old Towne 12 with the auto pilot. That was the gentle nudge I needed as watching that kayak power around really was impressive. My question is for people that have experience with a trolling motor mounted to a kayak. Is your motor bow or stern mounted? How do you like the mounting position? If you had to do it all over again, would you do it differently? 

     Looking for as many different opinions on this topic due to the fact, as we all know, mounting a trolling motor isn't cheap. I'd like to make the most advised decision as I can. Thanks for looking and looking forward to the comments. 

[Hawkeye21]

I have the Motorguide Xi3 GPS model mounted on the bow of my NuCanoe Frontier 12.  I don't think I would change a thing.  It's by far the best accessory I've added to my kayak.  Being able to anchor changes everything for me.

[flyfisher]

All depends on your intended purpose and what you are trying to accomplish.  I see people with the spot lock and front mounted motors and they love them but to me they are slow and not as powerful as a rear mounted for my use.  My dad has one of the old town with the spot lock and when we are lake fishing and cruising to our next spot i would be at half throttle and he would be full blast.  On the rivers, it didn't give enough juice to go upriver in many spots but the spot lock is pretty awesome.  

I wouldn't change anything on mine except maybe going with the NK300 over the NK180 but it wasn't available when I got mine 3 years ago.  Mine is set up for both foot and stick steer too which is nice to have for me.

[Bankc]

Yup.  Stern mounted for speed.  Bow mounted for control.  If you have spot lock, you'll want to mount it to the bow.  It'll hold position better that way as it wants to face into the current/wind.  Stern mounting a spot lock TM will likely cause it to rotate in circles on you, because the kayak hull is designed to go forward, not backwards.  But a stern mounted TM should be faster, as it should raise the bow a bit a higher speeds and reduce drag.  Also, stern mounted TM's tend to be less in the way in actual use, as you're more likely to use the space in front of you than behind you.  

 

Mine is stern mounted.  It's just a regular Endura C2 30, so it doesn't have anything fancy like spot lock.  I had it side mounted for a while when I first got it.  You lose a good bit of speed and control doing it that way, but it's the easiest way to install it.  For me, I primarily use my trolling motor to get from point A to point B.  So stern mounted makes the most sense in my case.

[flyfisher]

The other thing to consider on a front mount is the weight off the front of the kayak.  Sure trolling motors don't weigh much but if it is my primary propulsion and I am in bad weather, that added weight could cause issues with any type of chop on the water.  

[Koz]

5 hours ago, flyfisher said:

The other thing to consider on a front mount is the weight off the front of the kayak.  Sure trolling motors don't weigh much but if it is my primary propulsion and I am in bad weather, that added weight could cause issues with any type of chop on the water.  

 

What he said. You need to take into account the construction of your kayak and the shearing forces generated by a motor on the bow. Is there a bow mount made specifically for your make and model of kayak or will you have to come up with something on your own?

 

I looked at putting a trolling motor on my old pedal kayak, but ultimately decided that the shearing forces would end up damaging it. So now l own an Old Town Sportsman 120 Autopilot.

[RLinNH]

14 minutes ago, Koz said:

 

What he said. You need to take into account the construction of your kayak and the shearing forces generated by a motor on the bow. Is there a bow mount made specifically for your make and model of kayak or will you have to come up with something on your own?

 

I looked at putting a trolling motor on my old pedal kayak, but ultimately decided that the shearing forces would end up damaging it. So now l own an Old Town Sportsman 120 Autopilot.

I am running a Hobie PA14. I have found that One Objective makes a mount for my Kayak. Thanks to all in regards to the bow mounted motor, but I am going in that direction. Only Bass fishing here. Not taking the kayak into the salt.