Trolling motor on the Oasis

A rough estimate including battery, motor and hardware (whatever you need to mount the motor to the kayak) would be:

Battery: 40lbs - 60lbs
Motor: 15lbs - 20lbs
Hardware: 5lbs - 10lbs

So, you're looking at around 60lbs - 90lbs of additional weight on your kayak.

Hope that helps!

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Jorhyne, I really appreciate you posting this. I've been kicking around this idea for a while now... and your installation is exactly what I was looking for. Something not fancy and removable.

I had originally included "cheap" in there as well, but I retracted it when I saw what that Minn Kota motor costs. Darn, that's outta my range for a fun experiment. I would love to motorize my kayak just for kicks, but I was hoping I could do it all for under $300.

Keep us updated though!

@Skadar - You can get a used trolling motor online cheap. And by cheap I mean around $50 bucks, or even less. They will not be in "like new" condition, but for experimenting you can't ask for more. I bought a 28lbs thrust minn kota trolling motor for $20 bucks and a 28lbs thrust motorguide for $30. I ended up using the motorguide because the minn kota is controlled by a foot pedal and did not have a transom mount. I've gone in the water at least 5 times with no problems. The day it dies, I'll look for another used one.

Besides the motor, the other big expense is the battery, which you can get a new one for around $80 bucks, or start with a used one for around $20 bucks to see if it works for you before getting a new one.

I mount the motor to the stabilizer bar that came with my outriggers (from Spring Creek) and run the wires to the battery which sits inside a plastic rubbermade tool box (easier to carry) that I put on the front passenger seat. People ask me if I have beer there because it looks like a cooler.

As far as performance, at speed # 5 it moves as if 2 people were pedaling full force. On speed # 3 I can troll. How long does the battery last? No idea. Maybe 2 to 3 hours? I have not run out of juice yet. I do plug the battery to a charger every time after using it.

Hope that helps!

_________________
Legal Disclaimer: Any information provided should not be construed as legal, financial, medical or spiritual advice and may cause retina bleeding if read incorrectly.

Great stuff Ricky! Thanks for the info. I'll start paying attention to Craigslist more closely. heh.

Ricky, thanks for the info - it sure does help... that's a lot of weight ! I will now weigh my little motor but I know it will be a lot less because it is smaller and lighter than my Honda 2hp which is listed at 12 kilos.

If I take the listed weight of the Honda to represent the weight of my smaller outboard plus whatever mounting bracket I can invent then add to this ~1kg for a litre of fuel I reckon the maximum weight will be ~13 kilos = 28.7 pounds.

...the only question is: do I really have any interest in converting my pedal/sail-powered kayak into a 2-stoke motor powered stinkboat. (Answer: probably not but it might be interesting to prove that it could be done )