pretty much sold on getting the ride135, curious if it would be practical to put a trolling motor on it. wondering if it would handle it and where the best place to mount it.i would mostly salt water fish but,just figured it could be handy especially bass fishing the freshwater side of bushy park.if i dont get run off by the alligators.
any ideas would be greatly appreciated…
the easiest way to mount a trolling motor on a yak is to put the battery in the crate in the tankwell and mount the motor to a 2x4 braced upright across the top of the crate. Yeah it would handle it though most of us would be more likely to hook one of your gators and let it tow us around before we would put a motor on a yak. I speak for my self but know there are others out there who think the same way. By the way, creep up the creeks on the salt side of bushy and you’ll find gators over there too.
Thats why they call it fishing, not catching
thanks for the reply,… sounds like you’d be the blacksheep of yaking w/ a trolling motor. i just happen to have one laying around from old boat, and just got use to it w/ largemouth fishin. it would have to be a easily removable set-up, i just wondered how controllable it would be. would any of u be scare to put in the fresh water side of bushy w/ all the gators, i’ve seen some huge ones…? i can’t find any kayak vs. alligators incidences on the net.
’
Don’t worry about the gators unless they sit up and bark at you like a dog, if they’re not doing that and you don’t have them cornered, they’ll leave ya alone. the trolling motor set up as above you just take out of the yak when not in use. some kayak models have problems with the motor pushing the yak to one side or the other rigged like that but a rudder should fix that.
Thats why they call it fishing, not catching
i watched an episode of bass tech one time and saw them rig a yak with a trolling motor, they took a 1" x 2" 3 ft long metal rod and mounted it behind the seat, it was made to be easily removed, but all you had to do was reach over to yourright or left and go with the flow, they cut a battery hatch in the back i believe.
bring em in
I believe that once you mount a trolling motor on a yak, you have to register it as a boat and pay taxes in South Carolina.
Paddlecraft are exempt from this requirement.
Not sure if the tax bill is worth the motor.
YotF
Those who can’t fish, spend too much on seafood!
I’m 61 and have been yak fishing for about a year. I have 2 yaks, 1 for the lake and 1 I use in the rivers in western NC for trout fishing where there maybe a little white water and a lot of rocks.
I have had mine to the coast and lakes. When I first got the one for the lake I thought about mounting a trolling motor on it, but after using it for a while I decided if I needed a motor I might as well have a john boat. I would have to register it, pay tax and so forth so why not have the confort and capacity of a john boat. Well I don’t have a john boat and I don’t have a trolling motor on the yak.
I have a 16 foot V bottom which has not been to the lake in 3 years.
I like my yak! Unless you have shoulder problems I would not think the motor is worth the trouble and expense.
My wife and I had a bad alligator experience in the Ashley last year - unprovoked.
Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, where the heck is the ceiling?
jerms,
was it you who told me that story in my restaurant with 23 sailfish?
“Live like you will live forever but live like you will die tomorrow.”
quote:
Originally posted by jermsMy wife and I had a bad alligator experience in the Ashley last year - unprovoked.
Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, where the heck is the ceiling?
Do tell!!!
JERMS…what happened, its probably my biggest concern buying this yak…
[b]
Don’t worry about gators!!! Give them some room and they will go their own way!!! I have been paddling since elementary school in Florida and now SC, and have never had a bad encounter. Most of the “gator tried to turn me over” stories are usually a gator trying to get off the bank into the water to get away, and might bump the boat as they swim under.
Come out to the Kayak Festival at James Island and paddle that Ride tommorow!!!
DD