I wanted an easier way to get to the fish with out so much work. I notice Hobie has the evolve motor system and it gave me an idea of mounting one on mine. Since I don't have $2000 extra to buy the Hobie evolve, this was the next best thing. I end up buying a Minn Kota C2 30 here on TFF. I originally mounted the trolling motor on the side using wood braces and what not, i hated it because it kept getting in my way. Went on TKF and saw someone who mounted a a trolling motor on their rudder. So I stole the design. Here it is.







Here is the throttle control:



I bought a cabellas 178 amp deep cycle AGM battery. A 30lb thrust trolling motor is about 30 amp, so I should be good for 6 hrs at full throttle.

I like the rudder mount idea because I can still use my mirage drive. Thinking I can probably get 7mph when using both my trolling motor and mirage drive.

Here is the negative. The trolling motor is heavy and so is the battery. I think I added about 80lbs to the kayak. Also, since the motor is so heavy, I can't stow my rudder while in the water. So I better be extra careful while trolling or im screwed if i get a line tangle in my rudder.

Love it!!!!

Sweet, I just finished rigging mine but I used the drive hole, I'll try to get some pics

How did u get the trolling motor to fit in the mirage drive hole? Mine barely fits and I didn't want to mess with it while in then water

That would be nice to use to get back on those long trips!

Great setup, Very clean.

Way to go with the throttle control.

Ok, took it out for a test spin today at hubbarb. Looked at weather report last night and the forecast was for 7mph winds. I call BS, the wind was more than 25mph. My initial thought was that it was hard to steer because their was so much torque. After about an hour on the water, I found a way to resolve that by lowering the speed on the motor, move my rudder then increase the speed. Going against the wind was a challenge but was able to maintain a steady 4mph. With the wind, I managed close to 5mph but never going past it. Here is a positive about the high wind and waves, my kayak got a free power wash!

I as on the water for about 3hrs and the voltage of my battery never dropped below 10.5vdc. As a matter a fact, after 2hrs on the water, at full thrust, the voltage actually increased to 11.7vdc. I am not sure how accurate the FF at determining the actual voltage, but I have no doubt I can be out for an additional 3-4hrs.

Reverse works quite well going against the wind.

Conclusion, with this trolling motor, I will definitely get more slim on my kayak. I definitely recommend this for anyone who does alot of lake fishing or going BTB.

What was the process with TP&W to get the TX numbers for the yak? Do they go by the numbers on the motor or the yak. I've been looking into doing something similar to my PA.

Mine is rigged and ready to go... Can't wait to test it out!!

Are you worried about the extra stress on the rudder? That's a lot more weight and torque.

You need the s/n from the kayak. I think you only need to register the motor if its gas driven over a certain amount of hp. You can either bring them paperwork stating the s/n of your yak, take a picture if its clearly visible. I went ahead and used a pencil and just shade it through the paper.

considering the hobie evolve can be mounted on the rudder itself, I don't see a problem.

I'm willing to bet the eVolve is much lighter in weight than the TM you used even with the mods you did to it. With its weight & propulsion under the right conditions, either rudder or the rudder line is going to give...IMO. Great idea though evn if you "borrowed" the idea from some one else