I am looking to purchase a trolling motor for my Old Town Predator C160. I have already bought the side mount from LLBean. Any suggestions on lbs of thrust and type of trolling motor would be much appreciated. I will be fishing mostly small/medium sized lakes and ponds.
A 30lb thrust Minn Kota will do the job.
You got some answers to the question on the Advice forum.
You asked …
My suggestion is :
Don’t .
I can see a trolling motor on a fishing boat. I have two on my 16’ Jon boat, one on the front for positioning and one on the stern for trolling.
But, a canoe or a kayak is meant to be paddled. I know that there are square sterned canoes and side mounts, but you would be far better off if you paddled your canoe and motored your boat.
I also fish out of a kayak and it takes a little practice to use the paddle and hold the rod at the same time, but well worth the effort and time spent. The stealth of the whole thing has put me on fish that Power Boaters will never see!
And in most states you will incur the wrath of the “Registration Office” when adding power to a “non-powered” vessel. Without the Certificate of Origan for the boat, registration is tricky at best.
My opinion and worth what you paid for it…
Budd
The registration problem is the same
in Texas. Put a motor on an innertube, put it in public water, and it has to be registered. That said, trolling motors do have a place in canoe fishing. They aren’t for everyone, but try it if you want. I tried it, didn’t like it, and went back to paddling. Now, I fish exclusively from kayaks, gave up fishing from a canoe, the kayak is a much better fishing boat. The canoe sits lonely out back waiting for seat and thwart repairs, a job I’ll tackle soon so I can get my 3 year old grandson out on the water.
I use a TM on my 14ft Wenonah
I go with a Minn Kota 30lb thrust to push my Wenonah Fisherman. Fully loaded and including my weight, I’d say my TM is pushing around #350lbs. Not bad on small lakes or large lakes on a calm day. It’s also enough thrust on slow flow rivers, but I’m always wanting more thrust for going up river on faster flows. Whatever thrust you decide to go with, one thing I would definately recommend is a handle extention if you’re mounting it to the bow of your canoe. Having to twist your body and reach back to grab the throttle is more than just a PITA, it can compromise your stability. The first few times you’re cautious, but then you can get careless and end up wet with all your gear headed for the bottom.
FS
I’ve got a nice MinnKota-28lbs thrust,six forward speeds,1 reverse,telescoping control handle,height and tilt adjustable with the Stainless shaft and weed guard.Email me if your interested in buying it.
This would be a good size
For the 160 T.
More run time on the amp-hours too at this lesser thrust size, yet still plenty of thrust for the boat.
My Cobra Marauder
is getting a 45 # thrust that is radio controled from a toe pad. That allows me to run the downrigger and fish with my hands and let my feet do the steering !
Having a small machine shop in my garage will come in handy when it comes to fabrcating a nice mount for it. It will go directly on the stern, (side mounting is not a good idea, as one wrong move can cause the motor to dump you over).
Do it
I have Old Town Guide 147 and Minnkota 35#. Plenty of power for two people.
The battery also lets you run lights, GPS, fishfinder, radio, windlass, anything DC. I can go three or four hours WOT. All day, if using lower speeds.
Less time paddling means more time fishing.
Depends…
I used a 30# TM for years with canoe. You should learn capabilities and safety factors before jumping in with all fours.
I have 55# thrust now and use it on canoe and other light boat. With 110ah AGM I can fish all day or cruise (1/4 speed) half a day. Or paddle a couple of hours…(old fart here)
Have fun
HootHowell