With more fishing lochs not allowing a traditional outboard (and I do not have one anyway ) I am thinking that after six (!) neck and shoulder ops it is time to think about getting motorised.
What to consider .. best make .. what weight are they .. how heavy is the battery etc etc ??
I guess the higher power rating models are the ones to go for.
All advice welcome please !!
I have a Minn Kota that has served me well in flat calms.
BUT, the battery alone weighs way, WAY more than an equivalent petrol outboard engine.
I have a Minn Kota 36 lb thrust which is adequate in flat calms but struggles if there is any wind. I'd go for a much bigger one knowing what I know now. As Ken says the weight of the battery is a major issue if lugging the thing to a loch.
Do not have one but have used a Minn Kota Endura & it was fine. When I fished Lomond my boat partner had one clamped to the transom along side his Mercury 10 Outboard. The electric was just used to position & correct drifts & for that it was ideal. Saved a lot of clanging about with the oars.
If I was going for one I would look for around 40lb thrust. It really depends on what you want to use it for.If it just for moving the boat to correct the drift & suchlike then this or a 30lb thrust will do fine. Anything other than that then a greater thrust would be advantageous especially going against anything than a bit of a chop..The battery is the most important purchase, a deep cycle "Leisure" type is what you want. Most caravan outlets will have something that you can use. They are not cheap in comparison to a car/lorry battery. Plenty of info online.
Tight Lines
On big lochs with big wave potential I am likely to have a boat (if I have a boat rather than the float tube) and it would likely have an outboard of sufficient size. For a big loch you need a bit engine .. nuff said .. anything else is out of order !!
I have in mind more of the smaller waters where you save your back/neck with a bit of battery power and you have the oars as well.
For small more sheltered lochs an electric is vastly superior. They are brilliant for making quick and precise position / drift corrections.
No particular idea yet for model and make but with the quality probably being a bit made-to-a-price with these little outboards I wondered if ebay was the right place to go looking !! Other posts have talked about gears sripping and other problems.
Trolley wise I had been thinking along those lines with maybe a smallish ball-barrow sort of thing.
some of the smaller lochs only allow electric motors Vaughan. worth bearing in mind, which i'm sure you have already!
That was indeed the original point, that a suitably sized petrol outboard would normally come with a bigger boat on a big loch, so what to get as an electric for smaller waters? Seems like there is certainly no weight saving and there do not seem to be many motors to choose from. Maybe Minn Kota are the name because they really are better made ?
How about a Shakey Sigma?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL2E2r8gusU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL2E2r8gusU)
Hi, I've had two Minn Kota motors over the years and never had a minute's problem with them; I presently have a 50lb thrust having previously used a 30lb. I would advise the maximum thrust you can get/afford as no one has ever complained of having too much power. However regardless of what you pay for the motor don't scrimp when it comes to the battery, I've watched far more people row off the lough because their battery has run flat than row off because of a problem with their motor (regardless of make). As others have said you will require a deep cycle leisure battery, normal automotive batteries will not hack the multiple deep discharge and recharge cycles. I would go for a minimum of 85AH but advise larger if you can. The main problem is as you up the rating you also up the weight. I have in the past used a 120AH battery which has been perfect giving a long days service with a 50lb thrust motor on a largish lough without any problems. However a battery of this size is really a two man lift if getting it any distance from the car, so another solution is to parallel up a number of smaller batteries, I for instance when fishing alone and especially when on loughs that require transporting batteries for some distance use three 35AH batteries in parallel, this provides 105AH but makes for three very easy lifts. The downside is that a 35AH is not unfortunately a third the cost of a 105AH, but I've got to the stage that saving my back and hips is more important than the cost. If you do parallel up batteries ensure that the jumper cables are of sufficient current carrying capacity, go bigger rather than smaller if in doubt. make them exactly the same length, and always use the batteries in parallel, and charge them in parallel. This will maximise the charge and discharge efficiency. Finally and also very important match your charger to your battery or batteries. I know this all seems a bit over the top but get it right and your battery or batteries will last you much longer. Lastly carry a spare shear pin, just like on a large petrol motor, clip an underwater stump or rock and you may end up on the oars.
Has anyone tried the torqueedo motors? Look good (expensive!), but not sure how practical they are?
You might just have blown Corsican Dave's 2015/16 gear budget !!!!!!! :D :D
Quote from: Bobfly on August 06, 2015, 11:41:10 PM
You might just have blown Corsican Dave's 2015/16 gear budget !!!!!!! :D :D
if I could afford one of those i'd go on a road trip to spain for a couple of months :lol: besides which, it's not just the budget that's blown at present, so that's any plans for road trips out of the window.... :(
Oh Dear ! :( :( :( That does NOT look good.
Brilliant !! I shall set to work tomorrow with my old Ryobi and some bits off a broken pallet.
It looks just the business for crossing a canal in a canoe !!
But NO, hang on !! Actually this electric drill jimcrack nonsense is not the way to go at all since it has put me in mind of converting a petrol powered strimmer. That already has a proper motor and a long shaft that can be held in the water at any angle or held backwards for reverse and the reverse threaded head is already fitted cranked at the end of the shaft. Just a prop head instead of the line cassette head and I am good to go for thirty minutes between refills. :D :D :D :D
hmm, looks like you guys may not be the first to think of this. google "duck boat mud motor" and it all gets rather weird.... (this photo isn't my boat, btw; there's loads of 'em out there)
I actually have one of these brush cutters in the garage and I have to admit i'd thought about it more than once. be very afraid
Anytime I see a documentary about the Amazon, Congo etc the natives always seem to have a "brushcutter" type outboard on their canoe - must be a good reason for them being so popular; better in shallow water? Could be ideal for the Spey :lol:
I like the idea of a pedal powered one, something like this:
http://h2proped.com/about-h2pro-ped.htm (http://h2proped.com/about-h2pro-ped.htm)
Edit: just looked at the price, perhaps not then!
Thinking about this, a lot of people like to take their dogs with them, I wonder if you could setup some form of track for them to run on and power the prop....