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Treasure Hunting Kayak With Trolling Motor Project


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In the latter part of the Summer/early Autumn I found myself thinking more about a kayak for river hunting and magnet fishing. It was probably all those Aquachigger videos that did it. So I set my mind toward finding one before the leaves began to change much. I found a barely used Sundolphin Aruba 8 SS for $100. Next I began looking at sources of propulsion. I found a used Kota Minn 17ib thrust trolling motor for $35. I pulled a battery from a klunker for a trial power source and installed it hidden behind the seat. I cut a 7"x7" slit to slide the battery in on top of a thick foam seat pad. Then I found an old wheelchair to cut down and use as a kayak dolly to tow behind my mountain bike. Also, as a second source of propulsion I've rigged up a cordless drill trolling attachment, which works far better than I could've imagined. Everything else has worked on a rudimentary level so far, but some refinements are needed.

The motor Kota Minn 17ib thrust does power the kayak sufficiently enough, but I find myself wishing I'd gone for a used 30ib thrust. And there are now wireless remote kits for trolling motors these days. Secondly, because I have a very light sit-in kayak the back end sags in the water more than I'd like, so I have to increase the boyancy back there and possibly even move the battery up to the very front of the boat. I'm intent on keeping the motor mounted in the back and out of my way when I use it. The Sundolphin Aruba 8 is the only sit in kayak I've seen that can mount a trolling motor (with a special kind of dual vice) in the back without cutting a bunch of holes and creating more fuss. I also need to settle on a way to steer the boat. For now I've extended the steering handle above my head and it works well enough, but is awkward. I've seen some guys use bicycle wire attached to pedal, some use remotes etc. I'm also considering the drill method as a more permanent power source with some electrical refinements. It is actually just as powerful as a trolling motor, if not more. A trip to Harbor Freight could net you a drill and several batteries for less than $60. Each battery powers the boat for 20 min or so at a speed of around 4-5 mph. A full sized trolling motor and battery will power the boat for around 2-3 hours on max speed of a few mph or so. 

More photos and and video will follow, but here's a couple pics from early on in the projectIMG_0913.thumb.JPG.3b814ac5e4124ab94d72241a9e3e67b4.JPGIMG_0912.thumb.JPG.3e0440174d5e52e518a2881173ecc635.JPG

IMG_0911.thumb.JPG.1d418a6c9975d461c2becfc5f3113f43.JPG

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This idea for added boyancy in the rear was submitted to me. Looks like one idea. Under the kayak is also a space where a mount could be connected via PVC and built out into an optional stabilizer system, so I think a neater version of this could be created and mounted without drilling a single hole. Could also be removed when I'm not using the outboard. 

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I live in upstate NY unfortunately, so no alligators for me haha. I live in the Schoharie Valley, which is absolutely stunning landscape with plenty of Native American, Colonial, and Revolutionary War history. I'm about a 20 minute walk or 5-10 minute bike ride from an awesome kayak trail. It's a blessing and a curse. All of that is a blessing, but the curse is that we have very harsh winters, so the water is either frozen or close to it from as soon as November to as late as April. I might have a good month or two at most to get in the water and mess around. Then I'll spend the winter preparing for next year. I'll be doing as much tank/hookah diving and kayaking for treasure as I can and I'll be pretty new to both forms. This winter can't pass fast enough with all the gear I'm assembling 

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I enjoyed your write up. Thanx for sharing the pics too.

I really envy you MD'ers on the East Coast. You are living in a part of the country so rich in US history. 

I hope I can hunt that part of the country some day. 

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That is cool that your kayak has a provision for mounting the trolling motor. I was not able to get one locally with a squarish transom like that, though I did get one that holds a milk crate in the back.

I will use your feedback about the lbs thrust, I will get at least a 30 lbs trolling motor. I'm not sure what I will do about the battery, as you have found they are heavy and tricky to get the balance right. I was thinking about looking into a lithium battery from an E-bike or something.

That drill setup is very interesting. You are making me thing that I may not even need a trolling motor. I usually only paddle 15-20 minutes away so a couple of drill batteries plus a spare could do me for a day. I had to google those things, they are neat.

Steering with the drill attachment could be done with just a rudder I suppose, you got the wheels turning now.

Your kayak looks small, but it has the right transom and the price was right, easy to transport too, just watch the capacity. Adding those sponsons actually helped the capacity by a decent amount, they could be mounted as outriggers if further stability is needed. For a regular boat I think they take the volume of water displaced if you sunk the boat to the point of water spilling in then divide that by three. Dont quote me on that but its a useful guideline in these situations were every pound of capacity is needed. For your kayak you could measure to the flat part at the top rather then the neck part that you sit in as that doesn't add to the flotation. You could just fill it with water then add on the displacement of the noodles. (Then divide by three)

I came close to getting a square transom Sportspal this year with an outrigger for security, but decided another sit on top kayak was the way to go again. The canoe would have been easier to casually throw gear into, but it was longer, more money and needed the outrigger to have the comparable piece of mind of the SOT kayak. The SOT kayaks are self bailing if they get swamped or flipped. I'm talking worst case scenario here but I like to feel prepared if the situation turns. Things can get serious real quick in the water, you can feel pretty insignificant out there.

This will make for a fun winter project.

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