Thank you for your educational videos great job in keeping them informational, trustworthy, and to the point A fun way to combine engineering skills with a hobby.
I love working on the solutions to different problems encountered on my 1946 Alumacraft duckboat riggings also..(Almost) as much as boating itself. Thanks for sharing your ideas! 👌. I now have a bow mounted remote controlled Motorguide GPS XI3..(after 4 other motor mount configurations)..it has solved all my needs, except the amount time I have to go fishing. (I also had to add a skeg because of weather cocking). Now I’ve added a mount for it on my kayak bow, but have yet to test it..more brainstorming ahead, I’m sure! 😂 Love your videos! Have a great week Steve and company!
I think you've definitely come up with the best method (DIY or factory) for mounting a trolling motor while still keeping the rudder. Since I don't have a rudder (first kayak I've ever owned that didn't really need one) I went with an Island Hopper transom trolling motor mount myself, but I think your way would've worked just as well for me at a fraction of the price and yet still looks good and solid. Great job!
Mines mounted on the stern and I've attached paracord to a pulley on the gusset. The way it's positioned, I can pull the motor assembly completely clear of the water and I haven't had to worry about pulling it forward and hacking the release lever. I don't have a steering system though, so I've had to rig one to my pedals and a steering arm on the motor.
I like it I bought something made for mounting a motor just like yours and it totally didn’t work. It just fell apart. The motor was too heavy for the rack that I had it mounted to. I like your ideas. A lot of very cool.
Good Stuff! Always look forward to your videos. If needed you could trim the 2x4 to a 2x3 for another inch deeper. 2x2 if you stagger the bolts and clamps.
Have you thought about angling the motor mount board at an angle so the prop center moves closer to the center of the kayak and rudder becomes even more responsive when under power.
Also if you hinged the mount it would allow the motor to swing up when it strikes an underwater obstruction. Of course that hinge reduces the power while in reverse but it's a worthwhile tradeoff.
You can always set up a simple pulley system if reaching back to the motor becomes an issue. Its what I did for my nucanoe when I used a transom mounted trolling motor and it was really convenient
I had tried the concept of a side/outrigger mount for my trolling motor last year and found it very inefficient for turning and maneuverability. My yak doesn't have a rudder so steering via the motor's tiller handle was always an exercise in inefficiency. I since placed the motor on the stern and added steering cables to the footpads and it really made a difference ... added over a half MPH to overall speed and decreased battery consumption tremendously as the overall propulsion is greatly improved from the new position ... will be putting together a video in the near future of my setup.
@@KayakhacksFishing you probably have the subscribers to support it I mean it's just free advertising for Old Town I'd give it a try Hope it works out. Always enjoy your videos very informative fun to watch
I’m thinking of trying it in a rear centre drainage hole? Means I won’t be able to pull motor out of the water, will stick down about 8 inches min below bottom. Should be ok for open water sailing.
…yes, but it could be lined with pvc/metal tube and sealant, to disperse the force over a greater area. However, I had another idea while fitting the motor today that will almost eliminate the lateral torque, which is simple to tilt the shaft at about 25’ so the propeller is under the kayak. At full extension it is only 7 inches away from the centre line. Propulsion will be however horizontal while tracking straight. Sea trials tomorrow in combination with the sail in Bantry Bay tomorrow….
@@KayakhacksFishing the modifications were a success, 10 miles in 3 hours, up to 5 mph with combinations of sail, motor and foot peddles. The motor shaft tilting worked better than vertical, able to steer with the rudder and less of the crab wise tracking and much better turn stability. Was drawing some air into the prop, but I can take the depth bracket off to drop the motor down another couple of inches should then be as good as vertical. Success.
Love the "Option 3" method. That said, I'm all about trying to make my kayak as light as possible. ( I have an Old Town 106 PDL) Instead of using the heavier wood, I might look into a PVC option or possibly King StarBoard or King StarLite. Your thoughts?
I installed this on my kayak and have a standard 20 pound Newport trolling motor. Right off the get go, it bent the heck out of the angle iron, especially if trying to adjust the angle. Did you do anything specific to reinforce the angle iron so that the weight of the motor doesn’t bend it?
I did not have an issue with that. But... maybe because I did not use it at full power. At any rate, I moved on to Option 4... which is the best solution since you can remove it! ua-cam.com/play/PL8egn41J7Go8ktbwm2npNZtAAJ3izoVmf.html
Hi. Did you say you locked down the trolling motor and only use the Jackson rudder? If so, are you using a Newport and how did you lock it down. My nv 45lb series will not lock steering.
There are two toggle screws on the 36lb thrust I got. One locks direction and the other locks height. But, in effect, they both do the same thing. You can see them on the picture - amzn.to/2QJyQ1d
@@KayakhacksFishing same for me on the 45lb. But the top one says it's only height and the bottom is steering tension. When I tighten the steering tension I can still turn it. Newport support said none of their motors will look a 100% is yours turntable at all?
When I mounted mine behind the seat it caused my yak to yaw terribly. Had to run with the motor angled to the right about 30 degrees so it bled off energy. I have no rudder
I'm the guy that reworked a schematic for Kevin Dismuke for rewiring a control unit to a control box for the trolling motor rather then the original head still being on the trolling motor. A must for having the trolling motor on the back. I talked with Kevin about you 2 days ago. Feel free to call him any time. He's looking forward to chatting with you about his product. 😁 m.facebook.com/kdkayakmotormounts/
Go get you a piece of angle aluminum plate then take London plate and bend it and have toward you have about 4" on the boat and 4" a sticking up screw that to the boat on the very back of the boat and then you'll have your trolling motor in the very back center of the bow kayak then you'll be perfect
I did that with our 2017 Hobie Tandem. Only trolling motor I found which would work was a Watersnake 24lb thrust. The larger Newport Vessels 36lb motor was too wide. The tandem yak has 3 pedal spots, so we can have motor and pedals the same time (got nearly 10mph at full motor speed, "sprint" pedalling, and full sail, but only able to maintain for about a couple of minutes and it nearly killed us out-of-shape yakkers). Unfortunately, I can't find the Watersnake 24lb anymore, and don't know what others might fit the 3" (ish) width requirement.
@@KayakhacksFishing The conditions were perfect for it, but I doubt we could ever do it again short of dropping off a waterfall. Our normal best maintainable speed is a little over 6MPH. The all-time-fastest was on Watauga Lake in TN (same lake our cover pic comes from); the wind was strong and favorable but since the lake is narrow there was very little wave action (we'd have been swamped on the ocean); and we both pedalled as fast as we could. The side-arm-mount Lowrance transducer wouldn't stay in the water which was a problem, but the real reason we stopped was that our legs felt like they were going to fall off and I was worried about the pedals and mounts breaking (but it was mostly the legs 😋). -- My apologies, my wife corrected me on which motor we used then - it was the 36lb mounted on the side and not the 24lb in the cartridge.
I love the way you update your ideas and not afraid to say, hey, my idea didn’t work but this person had a better idea! Keep up the Awesome work!
Awesome! Thank you!
Thank you for your educational videos great job in keeping them informational, trustworthy, and to the point A fun way to combine engineering skills with a hobby.
Next project: twin trolling motors, one off each side of the yak!
My brother made a really neat twin motor design for his kayak.
ua-cam.com/video/Mj4rgdvuC3w/v-deo.html
I love working on the solutions to different problems encountered on my 1946 Alumacraft duckboat riggings also..(Almost) as much as boating itself. Thanks for sharing your ideas! 👌. I now have a bow mounted remote controlled Motorguide GPS XI3..(after 4 other motor mount configurations)..it has solved all my needs, except the amount time I have to go fishing. (I also had to add a skeg because of weather cocking). Now I’ve added a mount for it on my kayak bow, but have yet to test it..more brainstorming ahead, I’m sure! 😂 Love your videos! Have a great week Steve and company!
Keep on hacking! Now that we can't work on cars, it's our only mechanical outlet!
Great job like always I’m definitely using the T track and angle iron.
Hes like the Gandalf of the kayaking world bet he was a teacher brilliant videos and cool workshop
I think you've definitely come up with the best method (DIY or factory) for mounting a trolling motor while still keeping the rudder. Since I don't have a rudder (first kayak I've ever owned that didn't really need one) I went with an Island Hopper transom trolling motor mount myself, but I think your way would've worked just as well for me at a fraction of the price and yet still looks good and solid. Great job!
Wait! Wait! A viewer just sent me another idea!
Mines mounted on the stern and I've attached paracord to a pulley on the gusset. The way it's positioned, I can pull the motor assembly completely clear of the water and I haven't had to worry about pulling it forward and hacking the release lever. I don't have a steering system though, so I've had to rig one to my pedals and a steering arm on the motor.
Also added a harken pulley to the motor mount side to keep the paracord aligned.
I need to try this with a few pulleys for mechanical advantage.
I like it I bought something made for mounting a motor just like yours and it totally didn’t work. It just fell apart. The motor was too heavy for the rack that I had it mounted to. I like your ideas. A lot of very cool.
Sorry to hear that
Good Stuff! Always look forward to your videos. If needed you could trim the 2x4 to a 2x3 for another inch deeper. 2x2 if you stagger the bolts and clamps.
Great point! Thanks
Have you thought about angling the motor mount board at an angle so the prop center moves closer to the center of the kayak and rudder becomes even more responsive when under power.
that is an interesting thought! I'll look at that. The issue is making sure the prop is far enough away from the hull
Great video. This solves all my problems. 👍
Glad it helped
Interesting idea. Practice makes perfect. Keep up the great work.
Also if you hinged the mount it would allow the motor to swing up when it strikes an underwater obstruction. Of course that hinge reduces the power while in reverse but it's a worthwhile tradeoff.
Hmmmm.... the motor already has a hinge that locks in place. I wonder if I could disable that somehow....
Kayak Hacks Fishing true. Never thought of that
@@KayakhacksFishing If your motor is like mine it has a pin that can be removed.
@@dougscamo2032 Thanks - I'll look
You can always set up a simple pulley system if reaching back to the motor becomes an issue. Its what I did for my nucanoe when I used a transom mounted trolling motor and it was really convenient
My next hack!
I had tried the concept of a side/outrigger mount for my trolling motor last year and found it very inefficient for turning and maneuverability. My yak doesn't have a rudder so steering via the motor's tiller handle was always an exercise in inefficiency. I since placed the motor on the stern and added steering cables to the footpads and it really made a difference ... added over a half MPH to overall speed and decreased battery consumption tremendously as the overall propulsion is greatly improved from the new position ... will be putting together a video in the near future of my setup.
Please share it!
@@KayakhacksFishing finally got it finished, here it is:
ua-cam.com/video/s7RLgDLd8ao/v-deo.html
@@butchmiller3970 Wonderful design and great video! I need to figure out a kill switch on mine as well.
I’m getting inspiration from this! Thanks.
Go for it!
Would love to see you reach out to oldtown to see if they would send you the new sportsman with minkota for a review.
lol! I will give it a shot
@@KayakhacksFishing you probably have the subscribers to support it I mean it's just free advertising for Old Town I'd give it a try Hope it works out. Always enjoy your videos very informative fun to watch
I’m thinking of trying it in a rear centre drainage hole? Means I won’t be able to pull motor out of the water, will stick down about 8 inches min below bottom. Should be ok for open water sailing.
It is always a risk to put any stress on the scupper holes. That is the weakest part of any kayak's plastic.
…yes, but it could be lined with pvc/metal tube and sealant, to disperse the force over a greater area. However, I had another idea while fitting the motor today that will almost eliminate the lateral torque, which is simple to tilt the shaft at about 25’ so the propeller is under the kayak. At full extension it is only 7 inches away from the centre line. Propulsion will be however horizontal while tracking straight. Sea trials tomorrow in combination with the sail in Bantry Bay tomorrow….
@@davidgriffiths7696 Sounds good
@@KayakhacksFishing the modifications were a success, 10 miles in 3 hours, up to 5 mph with combinations of sail, motor and foot peddles. The motor shaft tilting worked better than vertical, able to steer with the rudder and less of the crab wise tracking and much better turn stability. Was drawing some air into the prop, but I can take the depth bracket off to drop the motor down another couple of inches should then be as good as vertical. Success.
@@davidgriffiths7696 Wow! Great success! Congrats!
Love the "Option 3" method. That said, I'm all about trying to make my kayak as light as possible. ( I have an Old Town 106 PDL) Instead of using the heavier wood, I might look into a PVC option or possibly King StarBoard or King StarLite. Your thoughts?
I am not familiar with that product. From looking at the description, I think it would work if you get a thick piece.
Do you have to have a rudder on your boat for this to work? Or does it just make turns more difficult without a rudder? I like Option 3...
Yes, I have the upgraded Jackson rudder. Without it, a side mount would not work at all.
My side mount motor is just behind the seat but I just spin in circles. How far back do I need to mount it still allowing me to reach motor?
The farther back you put the motor, the better. Side mount just pushes the middle.... back is better.
I installed this on my kayak and have a standard 20 pound Newport trolling motor. Right off the get go, it bent the heck out of the angle iron, especially if trying to adjust the angle. Did you do anything specific to reinforce the angle iron so that the weight of the motor doesn’t bend it?
I did not have an issue with that. But... maybe because I did not use it at full power. At any rate, I moved on to Option 4... which is the best solution since you can remove it! ua-cam.com/play/PL8egn41J7Go8ktbwm2npNZtAAJ3izoVmf.html
Hi. Did you say you locked down the trolling motor and only use the Jackson rudder? If so, are you using a Newport and how did you lock it down. My nv 45lb series will not lock steering.
There are two toggle screws on the 36lb thrust I got. One locks direction and the other locks height. But, in effect, they both do the same thing. You can see them on the picture - amzn.to/2QJyQ1d
@@KayakhacksFishing same for me on the 45lb. But the top one says it's only height and the bottom is steering tension. When I tighten the steering tension I can still turn it. Newport support said none of their motors will look a 100% is yours turntable at all?
@@DavidBrownSC I have not stressed it. However, so far, it has remained in place when I am using it.
When I mounted mine behind the seat it caused my yak to yaw terribly. Had to run with the motor angled to the right about 30 degrees so it bled off energy. I have no rudder
Yep. My problem was not as bad as yours, but I can see how that could happen.
Love ur ideas I use some for my small vhull!!
Glad you like them!
Add some paracord to your motor with a carabiner so you can lift it up easier. Plus with the carabiner you can clip it in up position when docking.
I need to try that - thanks
@@KayakhacksFishing your welcome, hope it works
I run my Old Town Top Water 106 with KEVIN DISMUKES rear motor mount doing all the install myself. No rutter needed.
I need to look that one up.
@@KayakhacksFishing m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4896606020365048&id=100000470947200
I'm the guy that reworked a schematic for Kevin Dismuke for rewiring a control unit to a control box for the trolling motor rather then the original head still being on the trolling motor. A must for having the trolling motor on the back. I talked with Kevin about you 2 days ago. Feel free to call him any time. He's looking forward to chatting with you about his product. 😁 m.facebook.com/kdkayakmotormounts/
Why not add a rudder to your motor shaft?works for me!
My kayak already has a rudder, but your point is well taken!
Good thanks
Nice design, ya keep adding stuff to your kayak your going to need a bigger boat . Set the hook brother
bigger boat helps against bigger sharks!
Thank you sir 🙏
Thanks a lot
How to stop the kayak from spinning in circles when u turn it on to drive straight
As I mentioned in the other note, I use a rudder. I lock the side mount down so the kayak tracks straight.
Thanks
Good luck with Mod 3
Go get you a piece of angle aluminum plate then take London plate and bend it and have toward you have about 4" on the boat and 4" a sticking up screw that to the boat on the very back of the boat and then you'll have your trolling motor in the very back center of the bow kayak then you'll be perfect
It would be perfect, but I need to be able to reach the motor when I hit oyster beds
Nice !
Nice.
Thanks!
You can design a mount for your trolling motor that will fit where the pedal drive goes.
On the Jackson, the drive does not pull out like a normal drive. Besides, I want to pedal at the same time to get more mileage.
I did that with our 2017 Hobie Tandem. Only trolling motor I found which would work was a Watersnake 24lb thrust. The larger Newport Vessels 36lb motor was too wide. The tandem yak has 3 pedal spots, so we can have motor and pedals the same time (got nearly 10mph at full motor speed, "sprint" pedalling, and full sail, but only able to maintain for about a couple of minutes and it nearly killed us out-of-shape yakkers). Unfortunately, I can't find the Watersnake 24lb anymore, and don't know what others might fit the 3" (ish) width requirement.
@@2reelyakrz481 That was amazing speed!
@@KayakhacksFishing The conditions were perfect for it, but I doubt we could ever do it again short of dropping off a waterfall. Our normal best maintainable speed is a little over 6MPH. The all-time-fastest was on Watauga Lake in TN (same lake our cover pic comes from); the wind was strong and favorable but since the lake is narrow there was very little wave action (we'd have been swamped on the ocean); and we both pedalled as fast as we could. The side-arm-mount Lowrance transducer wouldn't stay in the water which was a problem, but the real reason we stopped was that our legs felt like they were going to fall off and I was worried about the pedals and mounts breaking (but it was mostly the legs 😋). -- My apologies, my wife corrected me on which motor we used then - it was the 36lb mounted on the side and not the 24lb in the cartridge.
It’s not called angle iron. That’s called Unistrut. One source is Fastenal. You can also get it in stainless or aluminum 👍
Thanks for the clarification
Or do I need a rudder
With the side mount, I recommend a rudder. the side mount is in the middle of the kayak, so it does not push well into a turn
Option 8: buy a Sportsman.
lol!
I have a old town Predator MK ... love it !!
@@Arty_left Nice boat!