I posted a bunch of times on here saying that the Kota won't do much on water with either a tide, chop or wind. For a lake you would not need anything more then that Kota. I went out with sinistre today. Used my zodiac and used his 15hp Johnson. The tide and chop was rough so we only stayed out about 2 hours. I managed to dunk my iPhone in salt water also. So bad day for us also we did not catch anything but did come back in soaking wet from the Jamaica bay. Sorry no pictures.
How much does the 15hp Johnson weigh (and gas)? I think the Kota Riptide 50 is probably a bit under 100lb with battery. For those of you with a M4 the specs limit the boat to 3hp gas engine. Kota Riptide 50's max thrust is supposed to produce the equivalent work of a 1.75-2HP engine (according to Minn Kota). I saw some uTube videos of people that built their own motor mount and put a larger gas engines on the M4. I guess it all depends on where you want to go with it. I was just exploring the limits with what I have.
Regarding your iPhone:
I purchased 2 of these cases from Amazon for $12.99 each. They are great. I am able to take video and pics above or under water. I couldn't see spending over $100 for the nice form-fitting cases like the otterbox since I am not on the water that often.
Amazon.com: Black Waterproof Case with IPX8 Certificate for iPhone 4G/4S/5G/3G. One Stylus Included and One ECO-FUSED Microfiber Cleaning Cloth Included (Black): Cell Phones & Accessories
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I still want to get a 4-5 hp gas motor to use as an accompaniment to the electric.
Took M4 on the Delaware River today for the first time. My Riptide 50 was just fine near the bank and on the calmer sections of the river, but stood still trying to move through the wing-dam channel, and some flat rapids. I have come to the conclusion that the M4 with any 12volt electric motor is perfect for lake, ponds, reservoirs, and calm bays, but fast running water is the wrong application. The raft is perfectly fine. Its the electric motor that does not have the power. The floors were excellent, way better than the factory included slatted floor insert. I placed the battery at the front of the boat this time. And have to admit I did not feel a significant gain. I weigh about 155lb, so that could be the reason. Shifting the weight of the battery (65lb?) to the front might not have been a huge win. If I were over 200lb, or alone in the boat then I think it would help. I used my new Intex electric pump. It does inflate the chambers slightly faster than I could do it using the manual pump, but I had to top them off by hand afterwards. The pump did not have the power to put that last bit of pressure needed. I still like it though. It allows me to work on some other task while the chambers get 90% inflated.
Oh... We didn't catch anything either :-(
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I took mine with my family of 5, 2 adults and 3 small kids to Pitt lake in BC, Canada for the first time on Sunday. I had 2-3knot current, choppy water, wind, and wakes from boaters. M4 on a 1984 Suzuki DT2 worked like a charm. It probably did 8-10 knots down current, and 5-6 going against it. Definitely go for a 2 cycle reliable engines like Tohatsu, Suzuki or Nissan from 80's are great. The price of riptide and maxx are very tempting but where I live it's not verso talkie enough. We have the ocean, rivers and lakes.
This can become very confusing. I would need to try one out. Your Suzuki is a 2hp, which is "supposed" to generate a bit more power than my 50# thrust. Perhaps the info from Minn Kota is not accurate. Maybe the 50# thrust translates into much less power on the water in contrast to the HP rating of a gasoline engine. Will need to google this when I have time.
Are you using the Intex standard motor mount or did you mod/build your own?
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I'm using intex hard plastic mount.
See this post for minn 50# to hp conversion. http://forums.iboats.com/electrical-electronics-audio-trolling-motors/pounds-thrust-hp-conversion-288827.html
This is what got me to go for a small gas powered. It's not too late, put yours on Craigslist and get a 2-3hp used for the same price. The motor weighs about the same weight as a 24c batter.
all I have to say is the 55lb kota did nothing on a little bit of wind in the local bay, using my zodiac. using your m4 will be different because theres almost 100lb weight difference. a 3.5hp Nissan or any newer two stroke will put your kota in the closet to collect dust. Once you see you can enjoy cruising on the water in addition to fishing will change all your minds. Just please do not buy anything to old and do a lot of research on what to look for when buying a gas ob aka outboard. buy a compression tester and know a good compression rating for the specific engine you want to buy. before even the person test runs it, pop the top cowl and look inside, the bottom of the cowl with tell you what kind of condition person kept it in, look for dirt lose wires oil, remove spark plugs look into the hole for oil, look at the spark plug make sure they are not burnt (all these are bad signs) start it in a garage run for 10 min and try all the gears and check how good the pee hole workI have the plastic mount too. Seems to flex into the back chamber at full throttle with my Riptide 50.
I will keep the Riptide because its perfect for lake and other calm deployments. Plus its totally silent and I do like trolling. I will look around for something stronger for the river. In the past, with friends, I usually anchor on the river anyway so gas engine is actually not a bad idea.
bottom line is: could take two months finding a good outboard but when you do it will change your boating experience for ever
I would like the gas motor for cruising on some of the larger lakes around. I would use both at separate times depending on where I chose to go.I guess you would need to mount the gas motor on the rear, and electric to the bow. That might be a bit much for the M4. Has anyone implemented that config?
I have the plastic mount too. Seems to flex into the back chamber at full throttle with my Riptide 50.
I will keep the Riptide because its perfect for lake and other calm deployments. Plus its totally silent and I do like trolling. I will look around for something stronger for the river. In the past, with friends, I usually anchor on the river anyway so gas engine is actually not a bad idea.
@ Cyber6 - Went out on a different lake today. This time I used the "10cm" screen printed gauge on the chambers to estimate the pressure. Much better. Flex was reduced and there was little variation in motor shaft pitch between speeds 1-4 and 5. We were on the water from 10am-2:30p. Most fishing boats we encountered had electric or both electric/gas. All of them were equipped with fish-finders (that we could see). The ones that had gas motors were clearly able to cover more territory than us, but we had no trouble with the Riptide 50. In contrast to my experience on the Delaware last weekend, I am convinced gas engine is the right tool for the river.
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Looking at the "Garmin? Echo 150 Sonar Unit" $100. ... does the spending ever end? lol
Oh... didn't catch anything today :-(
You do realize that boat is an acronym for@ Cyber6 - Went out on a different lake today. This time I used the "10cm" screen printed gauge on the chambers to estimate the pressure. Much better. Flex was reduced and there was little variation in motor shaft pitch between speeds 1-4 and 5. We were on the water from 10am-2:30p. Most fishing boats we encountered had electric or both electric/gas. All of them were equi
ped with fish-finders (that we could see). The ones that had gas motors were clearly able to cover more territory than us, but we had no trouble with the Riptide 50. In contrast to my experience on the Delaware last weekend, I am convinced gas engine is the right tool for the river.
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Looking at the "Garmin? Echo 150 Sonar Unit" $100. ... does the spending ever end? lol
Oh... didn't catch anything today :-(