Kayak with trolling motor

[footballlife_81]

Hey guys im thinking of finding a trolling motor to mount on my malibu mini x or buying a used kayak with a trolling motor. Any thoughts?

[Raskal311]

I thought long and hard about putting one on the PA and decided not to mainly due to the extra gear. I already pack too much for a day trip as it is.

[Sdspeed]

Originally Posted by footballlife_81

Hey guys im thinking of finding a trolling motor to mount on my malibu mini x or buying a used kayak with a trolling motor. Any thoughts?

Total Weight, and don't forget to register it through the dmv because it will be considered a boat.

[Dannowar]

If yer gonna sell out, get a skiff

[YakHanded]

Originally Posted by Dannowar

If yer gonna sell out, get a skiff

Dannowar you're a legend hahah.....but seriously 4,500.00 gets you a dank center console, just have to factor in gas, maintenance, registration, storage, etc. no big deal

[dc1983]

I put a trolling motor on a stealth 14 and sold it within 2 months. As said before a ton o extra gear and weight for little gain and more of a headache over all.

I really enjoyed the stealth up till I put the motor on it. Then it was more of a burden to go fishing than fun. I also lost a lot of maneuverability around the kelp beds and when in a little wind on the drift.

The only upside was reverse but you get that with paddling anyway

[ccacher1]

jet powered???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGnnxAivEhA

[Dannowar]

Originally Posted by ccacher1

jet powered???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGnnxAivEhA

Could you imagine doin doughnuts in the middle of the la jolla pack during a solid yt bite?

[ccacher1]

Originally Posted by Dannowar

Could you imagine doin doughnuts in the middle of the la jolla pack during a solid yt bite?

If you weren't shot I'm sure you'd end up knocking yourself dead at some point anyways.

[makobob]

Bye, bye MR. Tax Man catch me if you can!!

[lowprofile]

Originally Posted by Dannowar

Could you imagine doin doughnuts in the middle of the la jolla pack during a solid yt bite?

hell yeah, especially when those PBers run up on you on a bait ball.. just turn that sucker on and do doghnuts! WHOOO HOOOO!!!!! then go back to fishing like nothing happened.

[dniss]

Have a Minn Kota 30 fresh water I sometimes put on my (don't laugh guys) OK Malibu 2 tandem. I made a crate with a 2x4 to mount it and hold the ridiculously heavy marine battery and attached it with turnbuckles. Only use it in South Bay when I feel like motoring around with my dog aboard. He's heavy and I'm too lazy to paddle his ass around. South Bay is calm with little boat traffic, and my pig of a yak is beamy and stable. I tried putting it on my OK Frenzy, about the same size as a mini X. Battery made it real unstable, ready to roll if I didn't counterbalance. I guess you could sacrifice range for weight by going with a smaller battery. Bassyaks.com has galleries of their installations, some of which are pretty sweet, not sure if they have a kit for the Mini-X. What others have posted about the extra gear, plus setup time, is true. I do like trolling with it and have gotten a few corvina dragging a spoon and spooked a halibut into the air a few weeks ago motoring along by the Cays, kinda bitchin' to see. If you get a fresh water motor, run it in a bucket of fresh water after each use. Had mine a couple years, still going strong. Can't see dropping 500 bucks on a saltwater motor (though I've read of Motor brand SW units for pretty cheap) for a once in awhile cruise.

[oneyedeer]

Originally Posted by footballlife_81

Hey guys im thinking of finding a trolling motor to mount on my malibu mini x or buying a used kayak with a trolling motor. Any thoughts?

maybe on a bigger model....mini x is slow to start with maybe get something with a lil bit more performance....if thats not for you then get a hobie

[Fish Taco]

Lots of opinions here... and that's what's great about forums like these, gives you much to weigh out and make a decision from.

An EK isn't for everyone, (as dc1983 can attest to) but thus far I've enjoyed mine. I've had it for a few years now and I'm happy with it. Is it perfect? No, I don't think any kayak is "perfect" in every way... but do I enjoy it?... yes, I do.

I too (like dc1983) have a motor on my Stealth 14. It is a Bassyaks (46# thrust) motor. If I had to do it all over again, I probably would choose a slightly smaller motor, b/c I don't think you gain that much in thrust for the extra weight of the motor. Bassyaks could probably hook you up for your kayak - go to their website and see if he has a kit for your yak. I'd be surprised if he didn't, he has kits for almost everything out there.

That being said, I don't fish SoCal ocean waters (yet...) as I'm out here on Long Island, NY. I fish mostly the L.I. Sound, and bays, estuaries, etc. that are nearby. I'm moving to Redondo Beach in the next 3 weeks however so all of that is about to change. For now, I hope to launch out of King Harbor and scoot out to the Pacific there - but will have to get things dialed in once I'm there.

I now use (2) 22-NF (55Ahr) batteries instead of the (1) Optima Blue Top D27MI used to use. I just made the switch but it seems to give me a bit more run-time while on the water - plus I can distribute the weight a little easier. The 22-NFs are the size of those wheelchair batteries.

CJ at OEX Mission Bay did a great job rigging my kayak with everything, and had it shipped to me in perfect shape.