Any Great Minds Out There?
 

I'm going to mount this on one of my kayaks. I got a pretty good idea of what I want to do. Just wondering how hard it would be to cutout and fuse a different configuration in the plastic. Any ideas, suggestions, concerns?


How cool would this be if I get it right? :sifone:

Ha! classic response Steveooo:D.........sorry to hear you lost your arms......and legs.

If I were tackling this I would be confident in cutting and welding it into place but would be concerned with how to back and brace it as it would be putting a lot of stress on that weld when lighting that candle. Then there is the launching and landing to take in to account. The cut out like on the mirage drive to make it removable would be ideal.

Years back a friend of mine took a part a 30# thrust motor and mounted it so it was not seen in the least. He acted like he was leisurely paddling as he nearly kept up with a rowing crew when he took it out for a test run in the bay. We are no longer friends, but I don't think that had anything to do with it.

Thanks for all your information, big help:rolleyes:. Kind fun to think outside the box sometimes is'nt it.

Thanks Andy. I was going to use aluminum bracing around the inside. I was thinking of a way of flipping it up like the hobie peddles. The thing does'nt weigh anything.

Andy, is there flat pieces of the plastic available that are maybe used as patches?

I think bolting that on to a Costco foam surfboard would be more entertaining?! How much was that badboy?

We save all the rod holder and hatch cutouts to do color matched repairs. I have plenty of scrap.

I wouldn't even go to the trouble of mounting it in the hull. Too many modifications + gas motor in a confined space:eek: The vertical drive limits options on a yak. If it doesn't weigh much, I'd make it an outboard. All you would have to do is mount a very sturdy bracket at the stern. Put a 2-axis articulated mount on the bracket and attach a tiller. Then just attach a mounting plate or clamp to the end of the tiller. You would have to work out the angles on the tiller and motor mount to make sure that the drive has the correct attitude in the water and is easily controlled from the cockpit. Starting and stopping might be problematic. You could extend the pull cord, but how do you shut it off? That throttle cable could be extended up to the tiller handle.

The advantage of doing it outboard-style is that if you don't want to use the motor you still have a perfectly good kayak. Also, if you screw up the installation, you still have a perfectly good kayak. It might take some work to modify the drive unit, but you are still left with a perfectly good kayak.

You'll need to register the yak once it is powered.

I did a quick drawing to show what i had in mind. It is a little hard to see, but hi-res is available on request.

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegall...or_Medium_.jpg

If you want to make a powered vessel out of a kayak, the best way to go would probably be an electric trolling motor. I've seen a number of yaks with Minn Kota trolling motors attached

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegall...21_Medium_.jpg

http://www.akff.net/forum/download/f...7048&mode=view

http://www.akff.net/forum/download/f...f195&mode=view

http://www.kfdu.com.au/forum/download/file.php?id=4574

http://images.traderonline.com//img/...mb_550x410.jpg

I think both the X-Factor and the OK Prowler Elite 4.5 (NZ/Oz version) have a flat spot on the tank well for mounting a Minn Kota trolling motor. I'm pretty sure that the Prowler 4.5 even had the nut inserts for mounting the trolling motor.

The battery is heavy, but it's still got to be better than having a gasoline-powered motor.

controls similar to a rudder. Like these. A guy who does contracting work for Malibu came up with a cool design that was like Bass yaks, but was way lighter.


http://www.bassyaks.com/

Doug, that's a good idea with the outboard on the back. I like it. I'm not worried about ruining a kayak. I would still like to make it fit around the center hatch of my mini-x.

I'm even thinking on putting on a oldschool longboard.

Hey, that is a fun looking little motor.

Where do you get those?

Gotta be kind of strange to have to register a blow up toy though...

I would not install a gas motor inside a hull unless it could be ventilated. Where is the exhaust on that thing? You would also have to rig an exhaust line overboard. How hot does it run?

The big concern with mounting it in the hull is sealing the drive shaft. That dive shaft is a couple inches wide. It looks wider than the flat width of the keel. Since the bolt flange on the drive is even wider, you would have to make some sort of adapter to fit the drive to the keel. With a fixed drive shaft length, that would require the motor to be way down inside the hull. Remember that you will also have to support the motor inside the hull so it doesn't shift and break the hull seal. Mounting it inside the hull also means that you are always going to have a big-ass drive sticking out of the bottom of the hull. It probably wouldn't be wise to rest it on the drive unit, but what is the alternative? If you flip it over you could have gas leaking out of the tank.

Given the existing design of the drive, I can't really think of how it could be effectively mounted in the hull. Maybe a "great mind" could figure it out, but I can't.

I agree with Doug. Gas, around a yak? Plan on any electrical connections? Mounting a blower inside the hull, by chance?
After catch celebratory sea-gar (:sifone:)

Change your name to Kareemed Korn Kabob...:doh:

I'm not mounting it in the haul. I'm mounting it thru the haul. It 's in it's own little case, see. The exhaust is thru the small outdrive.

Oh...I didn't realize you were mounting it thru the haul.

But if you do mount it thru the haul, how would you hull it to the launch?

If they are using an inflatable as an example, what does that say about it's thrust?
Could it actually push a semi-loaded yak ?
What would be the gas consumption with the added weight and planing speed needed ?

I say you go full bore and mount a jato...:sifone:

lol a jet would be bad. I think I've seen someone post one before.

It's a 2.5 hp motor. It's solid, the casing is solid and is sufficient for any torque that it gives off. It's totaly waterproof on the inside. It's 14" x 20" and would fit on my x-factor in the center. I'd put it on a hinge/lockdown like the hobie peddle assembly while launching/landing

Ad to your design
 

http://www.mongabay.com/images/indon...lawesi7634.JPG
Bob Shultz (shown here) has developed his own mount, which resembles the hind legs of his Pug. Thus the Pug Mount Engine Mounts for all applicationsffice:office" /><O:p></O:p>
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Is that Thailand? I saw some badass boats with drives like that when I was over there. Some of those boats weren't much wider than my X-Factor, but were about 20' long. They had gimbal-mounted motors with those long drive shafts. They looked like a V8 powered weed whacker. Those boats could fly.