[Rhodes22-list] Electric Trolling Motors

[TN Rhodey]

Dave,

I have seen electric trolling motor mounted to block on rudder. Owner had 
modified rudder and atached mounting block off set to one side. You hardly 
noticed because the block was quite small.

For me it seems like a hassle to carry around an extra motor but in the 
rigth conditions it would work.

Wally




>From: DCLewis1 at aol.com
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Electric Trolling Motors
>Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 11:58:20 EDT
>
>
>John, Ed, Mike, Robert & Michael,
>
>Thanks for your input re electric trolling motors as an emergency back up.
>
>John & Ed,   Perhaps I mis-communicated.  I’m not  looking for an 
>electric
>prop, or an electric outboard (if there is such a  thing).  I’m looking 
>to us
>the fishing trolling motors that are  commercially available.  There was 
>some
>good info in your references,  thanks.
>
>Mike, I’m not sure I followed your using the EM version of MinnKota’s
>electric tolling motor.  My concept was to mount a separate trolling motor  
>- only
>when needed - between the swim ladder and the rudder.  I’m not sure  the
>MinnKota mount can do that because of the lack of free space on the 
>transom,  but
>that was the concept.  Your input re what the MinnKota could  do was 
>useful,
>thank you.
>
>Robert, I concluded you actually made it work on the Potomac, but not for  
>an
>R22.  My notion for a river like the Potomac is to use the motor  strictly 
>as
>an emergency backup to get to a shore - where you may not be able to  pick
>which shore if the wind is blowing the wrong way.  At least it would  
>reliably
>get you and your passengers off the river.  I concluded you agreed  that it
>might work in that application - but I’m still not sure something like  
>the
>MinnKota would fit on the transom of the R22 - there’s so much other 
>stuff  on the
>stern.
>
>On the Chesapeake such a motor might be useful to get back into the marina,
>if you were close to the marina ( a couple of miles) and there was no  
>wind.
>But I can also see situations, where it wouldn’t save the day, i.e.  wind
>blowing off shore and it’s multiple miles to the other shore.
>
>Michael, I fully agree with your statement “it’s a sailboat, use the 
>sails,
>get an anchor and a Tows-R-Us card”.  But it’s common on the Chesapeake 
>to
>have no wind in mid-summer - and when that happens motoring back is a fact 
>of
>life.  If the motor fails and there’s no wind you’re stranded.  I’m a
>little antsy about Tows-R-Us in terms of needing them, waiting for them, 
>etc
>-maybe it’s because I haven’t used their service to date.
>
>But I guess the real issue is that no one appears to have tried it on a
>Rhodes 22.  It sounds like a no-power/low-power solution that might, or  
>might
>not, be useful in some situations - particularly no wind situations, but  
>I’m
>still not sure it can fit on the transom and that it won’t chew up the  
>rudder.
>
>Another approach might be to get a small backup OB, maybe 2 to 4 HP
>2-stroke - but as with the trolling motor, I’m not sure it would fit on 
>the  transom
>given all the other stuff that’s there.
>
>Maybe it’s because I’m new at this, but it seems to me that on the
>Chesapeake your OB is more than a back up to the sails - it’s what brings 
>you  home
>when the the wind dies.  And I just feel a little vulnerable with no  
>backup
>system for my ‘89 Yamaha.
>
>Thank you all for your inputs.   I may have to get my hands on a  trolling
>motor and make some mounting measurements.
>
>Dave
>__________________________________________________
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