07-14-2004, 07:00 PM
[cool][blue][size 1]Not being a tooner, a troller or a motor propelled guy, I can't provide any first hand input. However, I have been trying to keep up with what is going on in those areas.[/size][/blue]
[#0000ff][size 1]If you like trolling, the only negative to getting an electric motor on your craft is the requirement for registration once you are motorized. After that, go head on 'til your head hurts.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]True, adding a trolling motor and the battery or batteries necessary will add weight. However, if you can drive up to your launch area, a couple of extra trips to load up ain't a problem. The key will be setting up a secure box or frame to hold the batteries and a proper mount for the motor. A lot of 'toons these days come with a rear deck and/or motor mounts. If not, they are easy to fashion and attach to a good frame.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Propulsion with a trolling motor is a matter of thrust vs drag. This is not flying, so we do not have to consider lift, as with an airplane. If your toon rides high, and you do not have baskets, nets or too much of your anatomy dragging in the water, a decent electric motor will propel you across the water nicely.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]What if the wind comes up? Most of us can deal with a certain amount of wind. A motorized toon can cut through small waves and power you against a modest breeze. However, because it rides high and is prone to catch a lot of air, it can be a summagun to power in a straight line against the wind. Still, it is better than trying to work a canoe into the wind, with a side mounted electric. The "catamaran" stability of a toon actually aids in straight tracking.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]The 40 pound thrust motor would be a good choice for a toon. It will still run on a single 12 volt battery and it will move you up to about 5 miles per hour. That's plenty fast for trolling. For walleyes (and even picky trout) you sometimes need to slow down to a crawl. Most trolling will be best at about 1.5 to 3 mph.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]The fun part comes in rigging the trolling motor so that you can reach the controls easily without cracking your back. If you had a bass boat, you could rig it up with a bow mount and foot controls. In your pontoon, you will have to work with it until it fits and works well for you.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]By the way, that is a tale of woe about the two kitties being given an unscheduled release on Bountiful Lake. All you can hope is that somebody else snags the bag and either releases or makes good use of the fish before they die.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]I once caught a stringer with six lively trout on it. I also caught a five pound channel cat with a rope stringer in its mouth. Also, when there used to be water coming from the Geneva bubble up, people waded out in the spring and caught lots of white bass and kept them on stringers hanging off their waders. On one cast, I hooked a stringer with what must have been over fifty small white bass on it...all still alive. Nobody else was around so nobody claimed it. I donated it to some kids fishing along the shore who hadn't caught anything.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]You might PM Jedburton. He just got a used Minn Kota 47 pound motor for his toon. He is also working through some of the same issues you are.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][size 1]If you like trolling, the only negative to getting an electric motor on your craft is the requirement for registration once you are motorized. After that, go head on 'til your head hurts.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]True, adding a trolling motor and the battery or batteries necessary will add weight. However, if you can drive up to your launch area, a couple of extra trips to load up ain't a problem. The key will be setting up a secure box or frame to hold the batteries and a proper mount for the motor. A lot of 'toons these days come with a rear deck and/or motor mounts. If not, they are easy to fashion and attach to a good frame.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Propulsion with a trolling motor is a matter of thrust vs drag. This is not flying, so we do not have to consider lift, as with an airplane. If your toon rides high, and you do not have baskets, nets or too much of your anatomy dragging in the water, a decent electric motor will propel you across the water nicely.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]What if the wind comes up? Most of us can deal with a certain amount of wind. A motorized toon can cut through small waves and power you against a modest breeze. However, because it rides high and is prone to catch a lot of air, it can be a summagun to power in a straight line against the wind. Still, it is better than trying to work a canoe into the wind, with a side mounted electric. The "catamaran" stability of a toon actually aids in straight tracking.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]The 40 pound thrust motor would be a good choice for a toon. It will still run on a single 12 volt battery and it will move you up to about 5 miles per hour. That's plenty fast for trolling. For walleyes (and even picky trout) you sometimes need to slow down to a crawl. Most trolling will be best at about 1.5 to 3 mph.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]The fun part comes in rigging the trolling motor so that you can reach the controls easily without cracking your back. If you had a bass boat, you could rig it up with a bow mount and foot controls. In your pontoon, you will have to work with it until it fits and works well for you.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]By the way, that is a tale of woe about the two kitties being given an unscheduled release on Bountiful Lake. All you can hope is that somebody else snags the bag and either releases or makes good use of the fish before they die.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]I once caught a stringer with six lively trout on it. I also caught a five pound channel cat with a rope stringer in its mouth. Also, when there used to be water coming from the Geneva bubble up, people waded out in the spring and caught lots of white bass and kept them on stringers hanging off their waders. On one cast, I hooked a stringer with what must have been over fifty small white bass on it...all still alive. Nobody else was around so nobody claimed it. I donated it to some kids fishing along the shore who hadn't caught anything.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]You might PM Jedburton. He just got a used Minn Kota 47 pound motor for his toon. He is also working through some of the same issues you are.[/size][/#0000ff]
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