I am having Keven Dismuke install one of his aluminum TM systems on my new Big Rig. I'll only use it in certain and limited circumstances. I thought it'd be neat to cover more of Lake Athens, other lakes, too. I'll review the results as soon as I can get it and put it on the water.

My Big Rig weighs 99 lbs. with its seat. I carry along me (250 dressed) and go out pretty light so another 12 lbs. so my non-TM weight is around 262 lbs give or take a few pounds. The TM itself will be a Minn Kota 30 and I already have an Optima Blue Top battery. Those two items, and the aluminum pieces Kevin has built, wiring, etc. will add about 75 lbs. as an educated guess. I'll be well under the Big Rig's capacity.

Why a 30 when I already own a 55? My friend, Tony Sebren, who builds TMs for Hobie PAs where he mounts them in a cartridge that slips into the area where the Hobie drive mounts, well, he uses a little 30 from a different manufacturer. It pushes his much heavier PA 14 around at a very good clip, doesn't burn the "electrons" that a bigger unit would. My feeling is that if I mounted the 55, I'd run it up to max speed, get just a bit more top end out of it but use more battery. Diminishing returns, hull speed limitations, usage preferences . . . these all factored into my decision to go small.

Set-up wise, I'll have to decide today whether to just let the battery ride, strapped down, back in the tank well area, that, or place it inside the bow hatch running longer wires to it. I believe my battery is 54 lbs. and it'd probably make for a better ride, better balance, to put it up forward.

Kevin's units have an actuator to raise and lower, to trim the TM prop, all done right there from where you are seated. Too, his can be raised out of the water and laid back flat. He goes "simple" and uses some sort of relatively thin fiberglass pole mounted on the right side to steer. Fine with me.

Yep! Registration and numbers for the vessel. I like the decals that one can purchase instead of individual stick-on numbers.

My first test? I'll go out sans fishing gear and check for any handling differences. And, I want to see how the Big Rig's paddling is affected if I raise the TM up. How much will the added weight slow me down? Too, I want to see how long the battery will last at a few speeds, say a 3 mph clip, maybe a test at full throttle (if it is faster than 3 mph). Calibrating this, as best I can, will be good knowledge to have before I get way out on the other side of a lake and have no "get home electrons" left . . . a dead battery.

Long post.

Brad

Should be pretty cool. I have a big rig and man that things a beating in high wind... I would have given my left arm for a TM last time I was on Falcon with it. Got down the dam, wind picked up and son...that paddle back about killed me.

Keep us posted!

Brad R: I have a MinnKota 40, that I set up for my kayak, but I'm using it on my 12-foot aluminum skiff, that I call my Low-Tech Poling Skiff. I got it with a broken prop, and read on this Forum about using a model airplane prop. The trolling motor props are designed to pull around a 2000 pound bass boat. I bought a 12" model airplane prop, cut it to 10", and adapted it to my TM. I made a "prop spinner" out of a plastic wine glass, so it's pretty smooth. The model airplane prop was pitched opposite the original, so I reversed the two big wires that go from the speed control to the motor, and it gives me 5 forward and 3 reverse speeds, as designed.

It pulls my 400 pound skiff around nicely, and doesn't use much battery amperage. I have never come back from a fishing trip with under 12 volts in my(35 amp-hour AGM) battery. According to the Austin guys that dreamed this up, the measured amp draw was like 1/3 of the original prop set-up. You won't go any faster, but you're using a lot less juice. I self-cleans(of grass) very good, by reversing the direction a couple of times.

The prop cost me under $4.00. Fifty cents for the plastic wine glass. I don't have any pics, but could take some to show you the finished project.FYI

IslandJim

That is some good customization, IslandJim!

For the Minn Kota C2 30, the stats are

Motor spd setting/Amps/Thrust in this order:

1 8 4
2 10 6
3 14 10
4 20 15
5 30 30

So, from motor setting 1 to 5, with the 66 amp-hr battery I have, I can get, in hours, 8.25, 6.6, 4.71, 3.30, or 2.20 hours at full speed. Or, I could use some combination.

What I am curious about is how the hull speed limits affect speed at various settings. So, if I can use setting 3, half the thrust of 5, bbut get 75 or 85% of the speed . . . I'd use a lower setting.

And, some of the guys swap out for a 3-blade prop stating that it makes for more torque and jack rabbit starts, same top-end speed . . . but it appears to burn a bit more power. One guy liked it but reverted back.

Once I get it back, get it registered, I'll report back my results. I may need to try that model airplane prop, who knows?

I know others here, me too, would love to see some photos if you can shoot soome!!!

Brad

Brad R: I'm trying to upload 3 pics, but the above locations are all I can paste into the reply. I posted pics here before, but that was before Bill Gates' Microsoft Terrorists ate my Windows program, because I refused to eat Windows 10!


I'll keep trying, if I can find a twelve-year-old to help.

Island Jim

SHAZAM! It worked, except for the up-side-down pic of my 58 year-old Not Very Technical Poling Skiff my Dad bought new in 1959! It will do 14 MPH with the 1961 Johnson 5.5 SeaHorse Twin. I've never clocked the skiff with the troller, but I almost never run it over the 3 Forward setting. It really pushed my 12-foot Pescador along nicely.

IslandJim

With what you are trying to do I looked at some forums with electric only lakes and a lot of them switch to metal blades for better balance and thrust.

Might I suggest the Kippawa propellers here is the one for your motor,

http://www.kipawapropellers.com/store/p1/Kipawa_314_Three_Blade_Propeller_-_Minn_Kota.html

This is another prop builder that I don't have much information on but see it on some of the electric only forums,

http://www.youngprops.com/minnkota.htm

Bert, I have seen those Kippawa props with the three blades. Pretty cool!

The general consensus is they take a vessel up to top speed quicker but don't actually increase it. And, these after-market props work the reverse speeds much better than the stock prop. Finally, many comment they cut through grass and vegetation much better than the stock props.

The downside? Minn Kota warns, some users confirm, that it causes the motors to pull more amps than they are designed for and it can burn them up. It voids the warranty, not a big deal at $99 for a 30 lbs. thrust if the odds are low.

Those are interesting photos, IslandJim!

*** My Big Rig was dropped off this afternoon and I'll get it back in about a week. I look forward to giving it a spin.

Brad

The main reason I mentioned them is they are smoother and quieter than the plastic stock props, while the 3 blade will pull more amperage it will handle vegetation better as well.

Bert, that is what I have heard and, whew!, do we need to cut through vegetation down here on Lake Athens.

Two friends went out to Wheeler Branch just to bank fish, got there, walked down to the water and it was so covered up with vegetation, they really couldn't fish. So, they went back and asked if they could get their entry fee back. The attendant said, sure, that he understood, that it had been a problem out there and they were looking for a solution but hadn't figured it out yet.

Now that there are no large boats allowed, and bank fishermen are very limited, it must be a kayaker's paradise!

Brad

Does he have a website?

T-Gill,

Kevin has a presence over on Facebook but not much else.

Here is his contact info below.

Brad