Trolling Motor

After spending 5 hours on the water, much of it in an ocean inlet (Jones on LI) and fighting the tides, my legs are totally shot. Being 65, it takes it's toll. I'm thinking about a trolling motor to help me out, but don't have 2K for the Hobie unit. Being newer to the sport, I am looking for a few suggestions on what works for everyone. I fish from a Revo13.

One possible alternative - get a sail kit.

Here’s an option that is super cheap. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHjteqNflS4

perfect....thanks.....now all I need are the tools to get this done....

JohnsYak....I hope you have turbo fins on your Revo.

Don't get disappointed quite so soon.....speaking from experience, pedaling a Revo 13 is much easier than my PA-14, down rig fishing with a 4.25 pound weight, trailing a 4" to 5" quickfish that is 25' to 110' deep. I have you by almost 10 years !

The point I am trying to make is you need to "work up" to improving your endurance......and there are other important factors to consider.

I normally cover 7 + miles and I do get tired after the 9 mile mark because my last food supply has been burned up!
A short break does wonders....but more important is "fueling your body" + drinking enough water while on the water.

As an example, I am on the water by 7:15 am......I eat a bowl of raisin bran around 5:30 am and then drive to my favorite lake.......by 9:30 am of constant trolling, I am hungry and then consume a "Crunchy Peanut Butter Cliff Bar"....this 260 calorie bar has 11g of protein and it really perks me up until I eat my prepared sandwich around 10:45 to 11 am....

I usually quit around noon time and make the drive back home.....I have learned from experience the 9:30 am snack is critical to extending my time on the water + drinking water as needed.

Don't give up and keep plugging away as your endurance will improve!

_________________
Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

Thanks.....my legs are pretty strong right now. I am on the water once a week, and also ref soccer, so I'm doing a good bit of running. I also hit the gym if not yaking or reffing. I'm fine when I stay back in the bays, but if fishing is slow I head to the inlet, and it's pretty rough out there. I also want to extend my range, so I think a motor will be a big help. I do take breaks if necessary, and they are a big help. I always have plenty of water with me, but guess I need snacks as well. I applaud your endurance at your young age !

JohnsYak...one last ting I thought of is the information a GPS provides......My Humminbird 768 has this feature and it really helps, on a real time basis, to know how fast you are actually going and your track....if you do not have a GPS, I highly recommend investing in a sonar/fish finder that has this feature.

Thanks for your comments!

_________________
Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

I have a Lowrance Elite4 that has a speed indicator. I normally cruise at +/- 2.5
I can kick it up to 5 on calm water but not for long stretches...

Not sure when these will be hitting the market (says summer 2016 in their promotions). But might be worth looking into, I know I'm very interested.

http://bixpy.com/?gclid=CLSewqS68c4CFcFbhgod_K0D-Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8aiNlTgkNs


I'm hoping to see them at the surf expo show in Orlando next week.

FE

That Bixpy looks pretty cool. At 750 much less expensive than the Hobie, but much more expensive than the do it yourself. I'm guessing it comes with a battery, but it seems pretty vague on that point. Not sure if it;s just a battery box, or battery included.

I think you are missing the point alltogether, the whole works including battery is only ten lbs. The most efficient underwater shape is the torpedo shape, a ducted fan is much more efficient than an open fan (and way safer). Back in the 70's I worked for the company that pretty much invented high performance perminant magnet motors and things like PWM. Kind of following my fathers footsteps, who was a magnetics expert and in charge of all those areas, lol you haven't lived until you've hand pulled a few hundred 1/8" in square copper windings around armatures, probably why I have such strong fingers now (lol). With Intel I was on the team that made the first CNC machine utilizing their 4004 processor, utilizing our new at the time perminant magnet motors and drives (now called servo motors). I spent many years designing and building CNC machines and programming systems as a sideline business (mostly just for my own entertainment).
This goes back around ten yrs, my wifes sister and her husband bought an inflatable boat, he was an extreme left college professor, I'm about as far right as you can get (industrialist), so as you can imagine we didn't get along all that well (lol). But my wife and her sister were very close (my wife is extreme left also). We would travel all over the country together, with us (me, wife, and kids) all on our Hobie mirage sailing kayaks (just fyi we have never, not even once ever taken a Hobie kayak out on the water without a sail kit strapped to the side of the kayak ( we actually alway bought the sail kit with every single kayak)).
They had their inflatable and a Minnkota enduro 30# trolling motor, and not one but two 75lb batteries. I suspect I was only invited along because I was the only one capable of lifting those 75lb batteries (strong fingers). We always had a blast adventuring with all of my fam kayak sailing our hobies, and them with their faithful inflatable with the trolling motor. Without fail nearly everytime out they would run out of battery and guess who had to tow them the 3-5 miles back to launch, yep me. To make matters worse once we got back, who do you think had to carry the stupid batteries to the back of their SUV (yep you guessed it). Now fast forward to today (10yrs later), that exact same Enduro motor is still out there (whoever designed it should have been shot 30 yrs ago IMO). The battery tech has not advanced one inch since then, you can today buy the exact same battery (now with AGM (woowoo)).
I vowed at the time to never go down that road, it was extremely frustrating to me towing them home every time, then having to carry their batteries (strong finger curse). Pretty much every other industry has advanced, look at electric bikes, golf carts, wheel chairs, toy robots, even cars, etc. most of this stuff is now very inexpensive (you can now get a nice PWM controller for $30-50 bucks).
I just think all of us are being taken for a ride, until just recently.
FE

Everyone points out, yea but none of that stuff has to go in salt water, that's the biggest bunch of crap.
Case in point, around 30 yrs ago with my heat conductive overmolded plastics crap, we figured out how to injection mold submarine motors for deep water submersibles that propel an entire submarine drawing less than half the current of the smallest trolling motors out there today. Here is a video of something along the same lines, but not mine. None of this 6 ft crap, these bad boys are going miles under water. Today you can buy that exact same PWM controller for $50 bucks (just sayin).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te_xejpriFM


Yea I'm hyper critical of a fat and lazy trolling motor industry, not keeping up with now 50 yr old technology. Designing everything there is out there to fit that one elusive 3000 lb bass boat at 15% duty cycle at 2-3 mph. I think we deserve better, and it's all been out there a really really long time, we shouldn't have to pay any more for it.
Of course all my opinions are my own.

Just my two cents here...but my cruising speed on my new Revo 16 is 4.5 mph. Just easy peddle...No rush. I've been climbing in and out of Shinnecock inlet and the new inlet at Bellport against incoming currents and wind w no problem. This thing cuts through wind and chop like butter. Don't even see a need for a trolling motor on this yak. Just a thought. I know you're in long beach...could test drive my yak anytime you want. Just say the word

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk