MICRONAUTICAL BOAT DESIGN

I now have rigged a Minn Kota electric trolling motor that works great for positioning an runs to a spot or back to dock. With the W, I can through it on the back of the F150 and get a 2-3 hour fishing trip in before dark.
This seat sits a little higher, and it’s much more comfortable than the rigid seat I had added before.
Ray

More about motorized fishing kayaks >

I have made some modifications to the motor mount designs out there, and this is what I have come up with. I have to thank Bruce Ramsey at Action Marine and Welding in Cape Coral for the fine aluminum work.
The wood used in the mount is Oak, which I will be treating with a Marine Grade Finish. I have added two bolts on each side for increased stability.
I also made some gaskets out of an old tire and cut them to fit between the mount plates and the Kayak to reduce any potential vibration and slippage.
The Oak was used on the mounting plate to increase traction for the motor. On the back side there are 2 layers of 1/2″ oak. One of the layers has 1 and 1/2″ holes cut out where the mounting screws for the motor can be inset. In the unlikely event of these bolts coming loose, this will prevent the motor from slipping to the side.
This is only designed for the 20″ Honda 2 HP.

Jeff Taubes, Florida

• More about Wavewalk’s standard transom motor mount for fishing kayaks >
  More about motorized fishing kayaks >

Kevin is a fly fisherman who fishes mostly standing up in his W kayak. He paddles and poles his kayak while sight fishing for red fish >
He’s also a prolific designer and craftsman when it comes to rigging his fishing kayak, and making wooden paddles for it.
Says Kevin:

-“I finally finished that paddle I’ve been building forever, and have paddled it a bit. It’s working out quite well for the W kayak.
I laminated the shaft out of one layer of poplar in the center for stiffness, and a layer of cedar on each side.
The blade is a lamination of two different colored cedars along with a maple tip to take a bit more abuse.
The blades have fiberglass cloth epoxied over both surfaces, and the shaft is finished in Tung oil (China wood oil) over the bare wood.
I also included a ferule for the shaft so I can break it down, as well as feather the blades left or right.
The paddle is nice and light, and really moves the boat along well. I’m liking it a lot so far.
I’d like to build one with carbon fiber paddles at some point, but who knows how many years that would take a the rate I put this one together.”

More about rigging your kayak for fishing >

It seems like many anglers who rig their kayaks are concerned about drilling holes in them. Generally speaking, drilling holes in a kayak isn’t a good idea, especially in conventional kayaks (SOT, sit-in) whose waterline is so close to the deck that they hardly offer any free board. We assume that common sense rules out the possibility of drilling holes below waterline – After all, you don’t want to test your luck when the odds are stacked against you, and the consequences of being unlucky could be that you’d never get a second chance to try…

However, modern fishing kayaks offer considerable free board, which allows for drilling holes without creating any safety of structural problem. This opens a wide range of possibilities for attaching fishing gear and accessories to your kayak without having to use eyelets (tie-downs) or cleats.

Says Gary, a seasoned kayak fisherman from Florida:
-“Having seen some of the elaborate modifications W kayak owners employ to attach paddles and other gizmos to their W’s, I thought I’d share a really easy, low-cost, no-weight method that I use.”

Read more about drilling holes in your fishing kayak >>

Russ, from Connecticut, purchased a W502 in the fall of 2011, and installed a 2hp 4-cycle Honda outboard on it (read his initial motorized fishing kayak review >> ). Then came winter, which in New England is pretty long even in clement years, and Russ turned his W502 into a high tech fishing system –

Russ needs both types of motors (electric and gas) since some lakes & ponds are for electric motors only.

Russ installed a fish finder, compass, a radio, and racks to hold the paddle and push pole. He also put another bolt in each side of the motor mount, to make it more stable and rigid.
Russ also installed a small seat from a rowing machine on top of the W saddle, as well as two electromechanical jiggers. -“It’s overkill, but it’s what I want to fish” he says…
Russ plots out the lakes before he fish them, marking the outline of the proper depth for his type of fishing with buoys on his GPS screen.