airshot

I was refering to typical electric trolling motors, the Torqueedo is not a typical trolling motor, it is an electric outboard motor so to speak. The difference between a typ 40 lb thrust and a 80 lb thrust won't be much difference on something light weight. My 12' alum jon boat runs a 36# or a 55# trolling motor, less than 1 mph difference.

both the 55 and 80 is overkill. Electric motors only go so fast even when power rating is doubled. Around 5 mph is top speed, adding more lbs of thrust will not increase the speed ! Even a 40 lb is probably overkill for a kayak and remember...the more thrust the motor has the more battery power it uses....

When the ads talk about electronics/ accessories, check how good they are. Trolling motors can be cheap basic models or fancy auto pilot with spot lock. Same for fishfinders, are they cheap 150 dollar units, or are they expensive gps units with down scan that can cost well over a thousand dollars for a new one. Look at as many as you possibly can tto get ideas about what you like or disslike. Research heavily the best methods for checking out hulls and outboard motors as these skills can save you thousands. The more you look, the more you will learn !! Believevwhat you see for yourself not what someone tells you...ask for reciepts when they tell you work has been done. Ask for service manuals...owners that are serious about caring for there outfits will have factory service manuals and reciepts. Good luck

Look at a set of side guides for a V bottom boat, they attach to the traiker frame with U bolts and come up the side. Might be enough to clear your kayak then a rod locker can be added on top. Gonna take some simple tools to assemble, but no major fabrication. Just a thought here, the pic did help !!

I have a BassPro near me, shopped there a couple years back, they made all kinds of offers about changing or up grading items was readily availiable!! Now, many upgrades were a bit pricey as there inhouse shop had to make the changes, but I could have most anything I wanted !!! Ended up going used after an almost 4 month search but found a like new used outfit.

They often skimp on electronics, trolling motors, etc when they have big sales. Then they add on prep, and a host of other expenses to get the price back up where it used to be. Just be carefull and don't let new boat fever cloud your thinking......

If you lived closer ,I would gladly help you out....retired, so always looking for fun projects. Look in your area, small fabrication shops are all over, many are small mom and pop operations, building the frame would be the easy part, how it would attach to your trailer may be the challenge.....good luck..

Easy enough to fabricate, but mostly depends on the trailer and how it could be attached.

Yea, gwtting a 50 hp onto a 16" boat might be a trick...however at todays prices that 14k sounds pretty good....but like everything, it all comes down to the details !!! Wonder what the cost might be to upgrade to an actual 16' .....lol....

Mine hangs just like this only from the ceiling in my pole barn....

That is a nice work boat, not a smooth riding pleasure boat !! Designed for a purpose !!

Unfortunately, todays society still believes they are part of the " it won't happen to me" society... "it only happens to those that aren't paying attention". Or the best one is...."must be someone elses fault"......

Finally put the boat to bed for the winter, stored all the electronics inside and bid farewell until spring. Got yp to the house and there was UPS with my new power prop I had ordered. Well I"ll be d**n.....gotta wait until spring to see if it improves my performance!!!! How lucky .....

I was a decent swimmer in my younger days, but having been raised on or near water, I also learned to respect it !! While I may not always have my safety gear on when in my bigger boat, it is right beside me. When I had my Kayak, alwsys had my safety gear on.

My neighbor has a collection of old muscle cars from 60-70's. Superbee, 440 six pack, chargers, approx 12 of these performance vehicles. Cleaned carbs and fuel systems and upgraded fuel lines, has used E10 fuel in all of them, gas even sits in the tank for a year as these do not go out in snow or bad weather!! No issues at all. Maintenence is key !!!

We can't fix stupid, when are we going to realize that ! The human "herd" is becoming much weaker as we continue accepting stupidity as the normal.

Ethenol is a cleaner and a good one...fuel mfgrs have stated from the begining to clean the carbs and change out the fuel lines before switching to E10 fuels repeatedly....but very few followed that advice, hence all the complaints !! Stations don't change there filters as they should and and don't clean their tanks either, so if you have E10 issues, change stations or clean your own system...

Corn gas is not the big issue many claim...more important is where you buy your fuel ! Use popular stations where fuel is fresher, never buy gas when the trucks are filling the inground tanks. If you have fuel issues, go to a different station !! Been using E10 in all my old equipment since it came out without any issues. Add a couple oz of stabilizer and your good to go...far cheaper than buying the other stuff which over time will still cause issues....gumout was sold by the gallons long before E10 came out !!

From my research, the airplane propellors work well on small lighter weight boats. They are less effiecient on heavier boats. Row boats, car toppers and especially kayaks are prime for airplane props. Thanks for the recomendation, just might try one.

Many thanks for all the suggestions so far....knowing that the power prop improves speed is a plus, MK stated it wouldn't. Most if my trolling is around 1.5 to 2.0 mph, which my electric can achieve but at almost 75-80% throttle, a slight improvement in speed from a prop will allow me to mabey run 50-60% rather than 75% for longer run times. I do have a small 2.2 hp kicker that works really well, especially when used with the MK for steering !! When I find active fish and return thru the pack, I generally get more action with the electric only...thus my reason for slightly better speed. MK calls for a model 37 power prop as the replacement for the wedge2, might just order one and try it. They also list a couple others like the 2 and 6 but give no details or information as to dia or pitch, so those would be a shot in the dark. About to be a long winter here, so any other suggestions or ideas will be greatly appreciated !!

I have a bow mount MinnKota power drive V2 12 v trolling motor with the wedge2 weedless prop. I never fish in weeds so the weedless feature is useless for me. My boat is a 16' aluminum hull side console weight is around 1200 lbs total. I use this primarily for trolling for walleye in lake erie. Not much in prop selection from MK, so ....does anyone have any tricks, hacks, or other ideas to improve the speed ?? I know the weedless props loose speed but MK tells me the power prop doesn't increase the speed either. Not looking to ski here, just looking for max performance and efficiency from my trolling motor. Will be moving up to lifepo4 batteries next summer, but hoping others have some real life experience with prop changes.

Only using it a couple times a year is a problem looking for a place to happen !! These things are made to be used regularly...when they sit, issues crop up. I always tell people, if you can't use your boat at least once a month, don't own one !! The reason being is just having it sit, will cause problems and you will loose interest due to having to keep fixing things !! Same with motor homes, they sit all year long then people wonder why they have issues when they want to take a vacation. Use it or loose it, or be prepared to spend time and money instead of having fun.

Take someone along that knows how to properly check the hull condition....no matter who the seller is, they all have boats with "not a single problem"...

What do you " need" to fish the way you want.. Buying stuff just because you want to is a poor way to handle finnances. First off should be having everything in proper working order, then safety, anything need fixed or replaced for your safety ?? Once the boat/ motor/ trailer is all up to par, then you can look at your wish list. Spend wisely, look at resale value, is it something you need, or something you want ?? At your age don't go down the credit card hole, very hard to get out once you fall in. Good luck...and yes, we like pictures !

When in open water and a 10-15 mph wind, that paddle wont do much, the wind/ waves will choose your path. I keep a small kicker motor and a bow mount electric with my main motor, no more paddling for this old boy !!