Great White trolling motor

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Drifting Yak
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Re: Great White trolling motor

Post by Drifting Yak »

Finally got the chance to try out the 24 Lb Water Snake trolling motor (cut down to fit into the PA-14 mirage drive). Was running 2-2.5 MPH on low and 4-4.5 MPH on high. Also ran the motor on both high and low speeds for about 5 hours total and had 35% battery life left when I got back to the launch (more on battery below). Too early to tell how it's going to hold up but can say that I really like this little motor that could!

As for a battery, I struggled with whether to go with lead (low cost but heavy) or with lithium (high cost but light & with a longer life). Also wondered about how many Amp Hours I'd need. So I did a little research (ok a lot!) and found that a 24 lb Water Snake draws approximately 9 amps on low speed and 18 amps on high speed. So guestimating that I'd need about 3 hours run time on high speed (1 hour out, 1 hour back and 1 hour safety factor) I used 55 Amp Hours as a starting point (18 amps X 3 hours = 54 AH).

Ultimately I weighed all of the options and determined that for me, the lighter the better (considered lifting, handling, storing on the yak, etc.). So I purchased a 50 AH Lithium Iron Phosphate battery that weighs in at a whopping 12 lbs. It also has a relatively small footprint (7.7"w x 5"d x 6.2"h) which will fit nicely in the PA's center hatch. Happen to catch this particular one on sale so got it for a shade over $400 shipped. https://www.ebay.com/itm/VMAX-Lithium-I ... 2995079187
I know that sounds crazy to some (most?) but figured it should outlast many, many lead batteries. Might even save a few back and shoulder injuries!

Have learned a ton putting all of this together (thanks for the post gents!) and will share more as the Water Snake gets put thru its paces.

Tight lines everyone!
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kickingback
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Re: Great White trolling motor

Post by kickingback »

Awesome! Nothing wrong with paying more for a lighter battery. I would if I had the bucks! Heck, two of those in parallel would only be 24 lbs. What I have now is a 105 Ah AGM sealed battery (in case it goes in the water) buts it's heavy at 75 lbs.
I can get 12-15 hours of use getting to and from locations or trolling slowly around lights all night and morning. I come home from a night time trip to the causeway and Tiki (all the way around in every canal), launching at 7 pm and recovering at 8 am. I have a little over 55% left on my battery when I get home and hook it up to recharge. I do it after every trip and have not seen any degradation of the battery life.
Let us know how it works!
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shoffer
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Re: Great White trolling motor

Post by shoffer »

Thanks for the battery info, D. Yak and K. Back. [You guys sound like a rap duo].

I like the PVC mount idea that I posted about, but the one thing it is not good for is storage - when you pull it out, there is no good place to put my trolling motor since my crate and battery are in the way - hence my need for a smaller lighter battery. I am NOT doing without my crate, so I researched and found this little kayak bracket for the smaller Watersnake motors (https://www.amazon.com/Watersnake-Kayak ... B071LM6P5K) and I think it will fit my 30lb. thrust Bass Pro motor I got (called a Predator 30). I will install it this weekend on the Hobie Outback, and see how it does and report back. Here is a video showing this thing in action.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZcLLKIBYmI
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Drifting Yak
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Re: Great White trolling motor

Post by Drifting Yak »

That mount should work out just fine on your Outback. Let us know how it goes!
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kickingback
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Re: Great White trolling motor

Post by kickingback »

Make sure to put a bigger backing on the screws that mount to the deck so the TM does not hit shell or rock and break the screws out of the plastic.
I was looking at that as well a while back. I thought about having the TM AS WELL as my mirage drive so I can get double speed to get out of danger fast if I need to.
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shoffer
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Re: Great White trolling motor

Post by shoffer »

Charlie - on the backing, do you mean when installing the nuts inside the hull of the kayak, use some washers first? If not, what do you suggest for backing?
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kickingback
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Re: Great White trolling motor

Post by kickingback »

Yeah. Use larger washers that will spread the load over more plastic area to prevent it from ripping through a smaller hole. Those will work to spread each screw contact area.
If you can make a round flat metal piece and drill the holes for the screws and nuts that would make the entire area stable and very hard to damage. Of course you will want stainless steel no matter how you go. :wink:
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Drifting Yak
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Re: Great White trolling motor

Post by Drifting Yak »

Three more adds for the White Snake trolling motor (TM).

(1) Added a Young's T-12 Aluminum Propeller: This is a great upgrade and a perfect fit for the Water Snake. Just remove the original blade, push the T-12 propeller onto the shaft, add a stainless steel nut and you're in business! Did a ton of research here and found that the T-12 has the proper 5/16" shaft with a 5 1/2" diameter blade that rotates counter clockwise (which you need). Also the shear pin location allows the propeller to mount easily onto the TM shaft and gives you good clearances all the way round. And for around $22 it won't break the bank! Bought it on eBay from a place in Amarillo.
Youngs T-12 Aluminum Prop.JPG
SS Nut Side View.JPG
(2) Added PVC Below the Cassette: Most people have been adding a hose clamp on the bottom side of the TM shaft to provide a stop - which basically stops the propeller from hitting the bottom of the cassette. I did not like the way the hose clamp (which is metal) would rub on the bottom of the cassette so I removed the hose clamp and simply added a small section of 1" PVC (painted black in above propeller picture). The PVC now acts as a stop, does not wear up against the cassette and won't rust!
Originally had SS Hose Clamp_LI.jpg
Added PVC Below Cassette_LI.jpg
(3) Glued the Original WS Plastic Clamp to Top of Cassette: I wanted the ability to firmly hold the TM in place while under full power (it will torque up and spin to the right if you're not careful). I also wanted the flexibility to easily turn the trolling motor if and when I wanted to. So I took some Goop and glued the plastic clamp to the top of the cassette. Now I can easily clamp the TM in place or I can quickly loosen the clamp and use the TM to steer the yak. Note that I greased the shaft when I glued the plastic clamp to the top of the cassette to prevent the Goop from sticking to the shaft. ALso I keep the clamp loose in general and only tighten it up when I am under full power. The Goop holds very well but am trying to minimize the pressure on the glued area.
(Not sure how to add more pics here so will place a few more in a separate post)
Last edited by Drifting Yak on Sun Sep 02, 2018 1:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Great White trolling motor

Post by Drifting Yak »

More pics for the previous post....

Pic of the original plastic clamp glued to the top of the Cassette
Glued Top Clamp to Cassette.jpg
Pic of my Water Snake Trolling Motor as of today
Torlling Motor Complete.JPG
Hope this helps!!
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shoffer
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Re: Great White trolling motor

Post by shoffer »

shoffer wrote:Thanks for the battery info, D. Yak and K. Back. [You guys sound like a rap duo].

I found this little kayak bracket for the smaller Watersnake motors (https://www.amazon.com/Watersnake-Kayak ... B071LM6P5K) and I think it will fit my 30lb. thrust Bass Pro motor I got (called a Predator 30). Here is a video showing this thing in action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZcLLKIBYmI
So, this would not install well on my Outback with my other stuff, so I decided to send this back, and make my own mount. I got the idea from these videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oot1YPMOUe8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoXfv9AzxWI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUOzqU0 ... 7MqplaBLYQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMBZVT9 ... 7MqplaBLYQ
I started out with a 1x4 for the board but decided I wanted to use a 2x4 for the board for more stability and ruggedness. I also added some rod holders for later. Here is the finished product:
2018-09-02 13.15.34.jpg
2018-09-02 13.16.17.jpg
2018-09-02 13.16.35.jpg
2018-09-02 13.17.24.jpg
I have tested it out twice and it was worked great.
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