Ocean Kayak Trident 11 Minni Kota transom motor?

[Yakfisher2256]

I am looking for a trolling motor for my trident 11 kayak. I am looking at the riptide transom from minn kota.

http://www.minnkotamotors.com/produc...e_transom.aspx

Is the digital maximizer useful or would I not need that? I will be using it in saltwater and will be going out in the bay on 4-5 hour trips. What kind of thrust should I get? I will be tra\/eling about 3-4 miles to a place called bug light and would like to get there in no more than 30 minutes. How should I mount my motor?Should i just use my hand to control it? or use a rudder with it. Please answer these questions and gi\/e me any information that I would need.

[JakeF]

Good luck. The smallest version of that motor, the 45/SC , would be more than enough for a yak, but mounting any standard transom mount motor on that yak in a way that is safe and effective is going to be a challenge for sure.

I've seen some folks fabricate a bracket that mounts in place of the rudder bracket, and rig the rudder controls to turn the motor, but w/o remote controls for the motor itself it's a pain to operate. There are yaks designed for trolling motors, and trolling motors specifically designed for mounting on the rudder bracket of kayaks that would be better options in my opinion.

Whatever way you end up going, make sure you have a tethered kill switch installed that will kill the motor if you unexpectedly exit the kayak while underway. Something like what is standard equipment on jet skis. You don't want it to keep on trucking if you're no longer aboard ;)

[Yakfisher2256]

Ok, thanks for the info I will look for a motor for a kayak.

[NWill]

Check out Torqeedo ultralight. It's made specifically for Kayaks. A bit pricey but loaded with cool features. Good Luck.



NWill