Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

[RonBurgandy]

We recently inherited a old (1980s) white water canoe that is very heavy and hard to paddle in the lake.

I would like to add a small trolling motor but not sure if this is possible or advisable since it does not have a flat stern. I assume I would need some type of mount to attach to the side of the canoe?

I just got back from the Bass Pro Shop and priced out these components:

1. 30lb Trolling Motor - $100
2. Marine Battery - $110
3. Charger for Battery - $75
4. Side mount for canoe - $99

Anything else I will need? Do you think the motor will be strong enough to get a good speed going on the canoe?

Thanks!

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

Is the canoe aluminum, fiberglass, kevlar...? I've used my 30lb. thrust MinnKota on a 17' aluminum canoe and it works awesome. I've used a motor mount and also just attached the MinnKota transom-mount to the side of the canoe. Aluminum would be the best as it is very strong and durable.

Both ways worked just fine. The motor mount is just one more thing to deal with and it really isn't necessary in my opinion(at least for an aluminum canoe). You may find that on a fiber or kevlar canoe a motor mount advantageous to keep the canoe in good shape.

As far as the motor I think 30lbs is adequate and a 30-36'' shaft is enough to keep the prop underwater. This is one of my favorite things to do on Lake Huron when the water is flat like glass as the canoe really cruises due to excellent hydrodynamics. Faster than my 12' boat at least. I'm curious how my buddy's 55lbs thrust MinnKota would do on a canoe. We'll find out soon.

One thing to add...don't tip the canoe since the deep cycle battery won't be the easiest to drag back off the bottom while diving.

Hope this helps. Good luck to ya!

 

[RonBurgandy]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

LOL. I will try not to tip. I didnt realize those batteries were so heavy.

The canoe is not aluminum. I am not sure what its made out of to be honest.

Can you explain more about mounting the motor directly on the side of the canoe? I was wondering if this was possible and they guy at the store told me I needed to buy the special canoe mount. I would think if you mounted the motor on the side without a proper mount the shaft would head into the water at a strange angle, no?

 

[RonBurgandy]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

Also, I saw this post on craigslist
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/boa/1128285538.html

Do you think that battery will be too wimpy to handle this motor? Is that a marine battery they are selling with it? Good deal?

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

LOL. I will try not to tip. I didnt realize those batteries were so heavy.


Can you explain more about mounting the motor directly on the side of the canoe? I was wondering if this was possible and they guy at the store told me I needed to buy the special canoe mount. I would think if you mounted the motor on the side without a propler mount the shaft would head into the water at a strange angle, no?

I wish I had a picture- that would be easier than explaining. Basically my MinnKota is designed to mount on the transom with the tiller forward and that is how most motors attach. What I've done is take the motor and simply attach it to the side of the canoe roughly even with the bow seat. I used a piece of 4"x3"x1/2" wood to widen the mounting area since the aluminum is only like 1 centimeter thick.What happens is that the MinnKota bracket allows for the motor to spin 360-400 degrees either direction so you just point it the way you need to go and you're all set. The other feature of the bracket that allows this is the 5-position adjustment for trim. You will be able to do this by pressing in a little thumb-sized tab that unlocks the motor when is needs to be raised or lowered. This means that if the canoe is slightly angled in as some are then you can adjust the tilt so that is is very near 90 degrees or whatever you or conditions require.

I piece of 1/2" wood placed in between boat and MinnKota mount
I I / on the inside(since motor is designed for a 1/2-3" transom)
I I /
I II I<<<This is where the motor is mounted
I II X<<<This "x" is the prop facing aft
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I

It is pretty easy to steer the canoe from the front as when placed on the side in the stern she wants to kick right or left too much. If you're familiar with bow-mount trolling MinnKota then you'll know what I mean. It makes steering easier that way.

I hope this helps out. Bottom line- buy the motor mount for fiberglass and other canoes, aluminum canoes do not require it. If you make sure that you are running the prop as deep as possible then you will not experience issues with the prop wanting to graze the canoe itself. If you run it too shallow it will graze the canoe on turns so be aware of that.

If you don't want to deal with this problem then buy the motor mount. Also if you may consider buying an outboard 4-8hp to throw on the canoe you will need a motor mount for that.

The guy selling it probably has never used one unless you go to a small business sporting-goods store.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

Also, I saw this post on craigslist
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/boa/1128285538.html

Do you think that battery will be too wimpy to handle this motor? Is that a marine battery they are selling with it? Good deal?

That battery is called "Everstart" so I would bet money that it is a crank start battery used to start engines on jetskis and the like. What you want is a "deep cycle" marine battery or a "dual-purpose" marine battery since they have the ability to be totally discharged from running a MinnKota for hours and can still be fully recharged.

If you take a battery like that it will work for a short period of time but will totally lose it's ability to be recharged. This is not good.

I spent $80 on a deep cycle marine from Autozone and it's been perfect for this application. You can get a smaller one for less $$ but you said the canoe is heavy duty so I'd recommend a large one(I love to cruise around rivers and lakes for hours and hours w/out running out of juice). Of course bringing a paddle or a person who loves to swim is a good alternative as well.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

Also, I saw this post on craigslist
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/boa/1128285538.html

Do you think that battery will be too wimpy to handle this motor? Is that a marine battery they are selling with it? Good deal?

-That motor is probably worth $100-120 brand new
-The battery($50? is useless unless you have an electric start engine you need to replace the battery on

-The boat is probably worth $100 but I don't like boats that can pop or get poked and sink- since I keep seeing 17' aluminum canoes for sale on craigs for $150 I'd recommend that over the inflatable- rafts are good for swimming pools or kids though

 

[RonBurgandy]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

Thanks again Huron.

What type of battery do I need? The guy at the store said "Deep Cycle". Can I just got to any Walmart or Sears and ask for a Deep Cycle battery?

How do you compare which ones are better then others?

Thanks.

 

[John_S]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

I run a 30lb thrust on a 17' alum canoe with a mount. Plenty of speed, and very seldom go above the "3" setting (out of 5). If you do try to go with more, recommend selecting infinite variable speed control, so that the "1" setting is not too fast for shallow water. Going fast in the canoe requires setting the motor deeper, because an air pocket is formed behind shaft and prop will start to cavitate. Also, you start to get some shaft vibrations at the highest speed that are more noticable in a cooe vs a boat.

I also recommend a battery box and tiedowns, such that hitting a large boat wake or wave doesn't shift its position in the canoe.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

Thanks again Huron.

What type of battery do I need? The guy at the store said "Deep Cycle". Can I just got to any Walmart or Sears and ask for a Deep Cycle battery?

How do you compare which ones are better then others?

Thanks.

In my opinion they are all pretty identical. You can get a Optimax "glass-mat" deep cycle if you want to pay more but I'd recommend a regular lead-acid deep cycle.

Walmart, Autozone, Advanced Auto parts or Sears will all have what you need. You should look for a reasonably sized battery in the $80-120 price range. Just make sure it is deep cycle or dual purpose or else you will kill the battery within a few months of use.

I agree with the other comment that you may want to secure the battery on the floor of the canoe with a box with a top(keeps water out as well). Canoes lean and rock and wakes will jar the battery around and cause further issues with balance.

It is also awesome to be able to hook up a fish finder to the battery while canoeing escpecially if you fish. Knowing how deep it is and where the fish are can be very helpful. They are waterproof and lightweight.

I actually just bought a portable Humminbird and I love it almost as much as my MinnKota.

How heavy is your canoe by the way? I just bought a 12' canoe that weighs about as much as my 3-year-old son- 40lbs or so. Makes it easy to carry at least. Haven't used the MinnKota on it yet, just paddled it a little.

 

[NV Fisher]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

What about balancing the canoe? I assume the battery goes in the middle, the trolling motor at the stern, and I usually sit at the stern, too.....does the weight of the motor cause problems? Should I move to the middle of the canoe?

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

What about balancing the canoe? I assume the battery goes in the middle, the trolling motor at the stern, and I usually sit at the stern, too.....does the weight of the motor cause problems? Should I move to the middle of the canoe?

Just put the beer cooler in the front of the canoe or find a special lady friend to ride in the front(not too heavy of a lady though, jusk kidding).

Electric trolling motors don't weigh very much, the battery is the bulk of the weight.

 

[John_S]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

Electric trolling motors don't weigh very much, the battery is the bulk of the weight.

Most transom trolling motors only have the minimum length of wire for the electrical connection, which forces you to have that heavy battery next to you. To put the battery at mid-canoe, you will need to make an extension. You could make the extension long enough to reach the front seat area, such that it will provide better balance on those solo outings, without adding un-needed ballast.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

Most transom trolling motors only have the minimum length of wire for the electrical connection, which forces you to have that heavy battery next to you. To put the battery at mid-canoe, you will need to make an extension. You could make the extension long enough to reach the front seat area, such that it will provide better balance on those solo outings, without adding un-needed ballast.

Have you made an extension like this? I'm curious what the easiest, cheapest and safest way to do this as I agree it is difficult to use the factory cord in that way since it is only about 4' in length. Thanks.

 

[John_S]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

Have you made an extension like this? I'm curious what the easiest, cheapest and safest way to do this as I agree it is difficult to use the factory cord in that way since it is only about 4' in length. Thanks.

I haven't made one specific for the canoe, but did for flexibility on a 14' lite alum boat using a 37lb MG transom mount. I have said to myself, the few times I use the trolling motor (30lb) w/canoe each year "How come I haven't made one yet???".

For that 14'er, I used the quick connects and the auto-breaker in the link below. I cut the original wire about a foot above the aligator clips. This allowed me to use aligator or the 6ga extension cable which used ring terminals with the breaker. If you didn't want the flexibility, you could forego the quick connectors and just make good splices.


http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&parentId=cat21380&id=0001110

 

[AZcamperguy]

Re: Adding a trolling motor to side of canoe

I read on here where, someone else (sorry, I forget who - so thanks to them first and foremost) said they used battery jumper cables to extend theirs. I had the same problem in my 12' aluminum boat. I bought some jumper cables for 10 bucks, cut off one end, bought the appropriate sized connectors for inside the motor, and it worked great.

Edit- I believe it was CATransplant that made that recommendation