Went out this evening in my newly rigged canoe.  

Still the same old town Osprey 14' but now with Trolling motor.  I rigged up a pulley system to make it easier to load in the pick up.  Thank you Archimedes.  It worked great.  I have two pulleys in the front of the p/u bed and a double attached to the front of the canoe.  After running the rope through it moves like it's on wheels.  Loading was really easy.  the front sits on a 100 gal. cooler which is almost as high as the tailgate, so with the motor on board and my tackle boxes it was a breeze loading up.  Rods and My group 27 deep cycle battery (66lbs.) were in the back of the truck.  The trojan deep cycle marine AGM is expensive, but after extensive research, it seems that this battery is actually underrated at 100 Amp hours and 175 Reserve Capacity, so I paid the price and got the best.

Unloading at the ramp was pretty easy.  There is this grassy mound, so I backed up to it and just slid the canoe out and lifted it down on the mound.  Not quite as easy as the cooler but easy enough.

Then I loaded in the battery in the bow (for trim) the rods in the back (out of the way) paddled out a little ways and hooked up the motor.   I don't want to load and unload the canoe with the motor attached.  My canoe is a double ender so the TM is side mounted.  It's a 43 lb motor and I don't want to overstress the gunwale's.

I really thought alot before getting this particular motor.  It's the Minn Kota Vector 55 3X.  It's heavy for a canoe, but I wanted the features.  First it came in a 36" shaft option which is a big help, it has a battery maximizer, 3x steering, 55 lbs thrust variable speed, a killer weedless prop (a BIGGIE in weed chocked SE Florida) , a lighted directional indicator and a lighted battery meter.  It has a few convenience features that came in handy like a tiller extender and tilt tiller operation.  These were nice, but the previous ones mentioned are vital. Especially for night fishing.

The most important safety feature that I added is clearly the stabilizers.  I would recommend these for anyone using a TM in a canoe or small jon boat.  They add incredible stability to the platform.  Just think I have a 42 lb motor hanging off the side of a 65 lb canoe.  Not good right?  sure I can offset my takcle etc, but still waaaaaaaaay out of balance.  One false move and it's davey jone's locker for sure.  The stabilizers cover up all your dumb moves, twitchyness, sliding around,  reaching over, and best of all standing up.  They are an absolute must.

Well,  that's it for now.  As you can see I am really proud of how the "Tendonitis guy" improvised, adapted, and overcame.  

I love my new baby.

If y'all are interested I'll snap a few pix, if we can ever get a sunny day.

thanks for being there during my time of distress.  Things are looking up.

Your BassResource.com bassin buddy,

avid

That 8 lber is shaking in his boots ......fins.

Yes, be sure to snap some pics.  I think it's cool to see everybody's custom set-ups.

Bring on the pictures.

avid -

where did you get the stabilizers? can you stand up and cast with these?

I would love to be able to stand and cast from my canoe.

Thanks,

Mike

[http://www.canoegear.com/catalog/product.php?productid=544&cat=0&page=1/quote]

Spring Creek will set you right up.  They are very friendly family owned business. Ask questions and give them a good idea of what your conditons are.  They guide you to tbe  best product to suit your needs regardless of price.

They get Avids   highest recomendation

I'm still working on the boat and loading/launching system.  It's really turned into quite the project, but I'm having alot of fun with it.  you won't believe some the contracptions I assembled.  My garage is looking like work actually gets done there.

A serious oversite that I promise you was totally NOT intended,

It will be ready for he "unveiling" soon.

Thanks for the info on the stabilizers. I think these might be in my future.

If there was one addition only that I could make to a canoe for fishing it would be the stabilizers.  I can't overstate how they add stability and confidence.  Attaching them took 5 minutes.

Update.  I was having some problems with the block rope slipping off  to the side and twisting so I bought a polyurethane boat cleat and mounted it up toward the nose of the canoe.  I raised it up on a 1/2 inch of plywood so it would clear the nose completely.  It worked better but still some slippage.  So I found a round piece of decorative garden fencing and cut it into a tight fitting semi circle.  Using a friction fit and LOTS of rubber cement, I secured over the top of the cleat and attached by hooking the ends around screws that I drilled into the side of the bow.  The rope can't slip out and it seems very secure.  (problem with canoes is lack of supports to drill into)

I also found a very secure footed, adjustable stand, similar to a saw horse but with a roller on the top.  I was ecstatic.  This should make reloading the canoe at the ramp much easier.  (I actually use the grassy area next to ramp  as my launch/landing site).

Also, gobs of silicone spray, made the bed really slick so the canoe slides right in.

I'm having nearly as much fun, putting this contraption together as I am fishing from it.  8-)

It should be finished, but I need another shake down cruise to be sure.