WAVEWALK FISHING KAYAKS BLOG » trolling

Motor Mount For Kayak Electric Trolling Motor, By Gary Thorberg, Minnesota

W kayak — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:32:51 +0000

Gary Thorberg is Wavewalk Kayaks’ dealer in Minnesota.
Here is how Gary mounted an electric trolling motor on his W500 fishing kayak:

1. Clamp-on motor mount – Quick and easy. Gary chose to make this motor mount from Oak wood. The vertical part, to which the motor is attached, is hinged, in order to prevent accidents in case the motor bumps into an underwater obstacle.

2. Electric trolling motor mounted on the W500 kayak. The motor is mounted on one side of the kayak, and the battery is placed at the bottom of the opposite hull. This balances the kayak without reducing its stability.

3. Detail: Motor mount clamp: All metal components are inexpensive, off-the-shelf products found in any hardware store.

4. Electric trolling motor setup – General view: With this propeller shaft length, Gary can troll both seated and standing up. Since the W500 kayak is totally symmetrical frond and end, Gary can troll with the motor either in the front, or in the back.

More technical info >>

Read more about motorizing your fishing kayak >>

Danilo Russolillo, Offshore W Kayak Paddler and Angler, Rome, Italy

W kayak — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:32:52 +0000

From the beautiful, sunny Mediterranean, Danilo wrote us:

Yesterday and today I tested the wavewalk.
I am happy with the W. It is very stable, I went far away from the beach, I enjoyed standing up, I think it’s going to be very important to people who own a Wavewalk, and also the ability to lie down and sunbathe.
It is fast like a normal touring kayak, and to me it is perfect.
I’m not a fisherman, but today I tried trolling. I hooked a big fish, but it broke the wire and ran away!
Danilo

Opener 2011 – Minnesota Kayak Fishing Trip Report With 18′ Mothership

W kayak — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:13:23 +0000

Gary, from MinnYaks wrote the following fishing report on his Minnesota Kayak Fishing blog:
Opener 2011 was a success! (see photo gallery) Weather was lousy, but that made for good fishing. We caught and ate a lot of crappies, caught and released a lot of bass and northern pike. Didn’t really fish much for walleyes, but managed to catch and eat a few anyway. The W500 was really fun to fish from. I was able to go anywhere I wanted, and was never tired, even after hours of fishing. Trolling, casting, bobber fishing, and fly fishing were all easily managed. We tried transporting the ‘W’ with our ‘mother ship’, our 18′ bay boat. It was too easy! The long run into the wind to the fishing spot took only a few minutes! We will be doing that again. All in all, I can honestly say that fishing from the ‘W’ was one of my more memorable fishing experiences to date!

Airjet Motor on W500 Stand Up Fishing Kayak – Movie

W kayak — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:18:41 +0000

This movie shows a ‘proof of concept’ test we did with the W500 kayak.
The setup includes a 32 cc, 1.2 HP, 4 cycle gas engine we took from a small leaf blower.
4 stroke engines are easy to start, and less noisy than 2 stroke engines.
They produce very little fumes, and therefore are not as stinky as 2 stroke engines are.
You can run for a long time on a 1 quart tank, and carry more fuel on board.

Clearly, the W500 would benefit from a more powerful engine

This W500 setup presents many advantages, including the lack of both rudder and immersed propeller, which makes it ideal for shallow water, as well as for water where seaweed is abundant.
Naturally, it also makes beaching and launching easy.

You can keep paddling while the motor is running, whether you’re looking for more speed, or for better steering. Needless to say, that you can troll and fish with both hands while the motor is running.
Killing the engine is easy, just by pushing a button on the throttle.
Starting the motor is easy as well, and so is refueling.

Read more about motorizing your fishing kayak >>

Clamp Mounted Side Mount For Fishing Kayak Electric Trolling Motor

W kayak — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:16:58 +0000

Various vendors offer clamp mounts for electric trolling motors, for canoes. Some of these motor mounts fit our W500 kayak.

Here is an example of such mount that works with our W500:

The main advantages of this type of motor mount are -

Best Comfort
The steering handle is conveniently located on your side, and does not require that you turn sideways or backward, or hold your arm behind your back. This is the easiest way to steer by hand, and it’s preferable from an ergonomic standpoint.

Quick and Easy to Install
You attach this motor mount to your W500 fishing kayak using two clamps – It’s quick (takes about 1 minute), easy (no tools needed), and does not require that you drill holes in the hull.

Versatility
1. You can attach the motor on either side of your W fishing kayak, and easily switch sides. This can be an advantage especially if there’s a strong side wind blowing.
2. You can easily and quickly dismount the motor mount, and store it, as well as the electric motor in the W500 hull tips. It’s convenient in case you no longer feel like using the motor, or if you’re going in very shallow water where the propeller might be stuck, or damaged, or in water where seaweed is abundant, and where paddling works better than trolling with a motor.

DIY Clamp Mounted Mount For Electric Trolling Motor

Here is a schematic description of an easy to make DIY clamp mount for an electric trolling motor for your W500 fishing kayak:

Motor Mount Safety Device:

You can mount the vertical part of the motor mount on a hinge (see figure below), so that in case the motor hits an underwater obstacle, it would bounce up, thus reducing or altogether avoiding possible damage to it -

Optional Outrigger
The clamp mount for trolling motor featuring in Jim’s video is offered with an optional outrigger, with an adjustable height system. This device enables driving the kayak with the outrigger outside the water. Note: An outrigger is not a must-have, and you can drive the motorized W500 without it, as shown in the video. However, an outrigger may be useful in case you’re outfitting your W500 with a heavier, more powerful gas powered outboard motor.

Here is an example of an electric trolling motor mounted on such a mount:

For more info, see full article >>

NEW: read more about motorizing fishing kayaks >>