Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

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FishingSETX
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Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

Post by FishingSETX »

Just finished testing out the new rudder for the ultimate 12. Gander mountain had a few on sale for $50 (regular $179), but they were not the native rudders so I had to build a bracket to mount it. The bracket cost all of $10 so that puts the total cost at $60 rather than the $300+ native asks. It works GREAT with the motor I mounted a year or so ago!! Did ~4.5 miles today on a local bayou just cruising on high. Average speed was 3.3 mph and I never touched the motor or the paddle. Going to ba awesome for hands free trolling banks while fishing! The lowest speed is a bit fast for my liking, but thats about the only negative. The battery showed ~75% capacity remaining when I hooked it to the charger afterward.

Total time/Cost for the upgrades was:

Motor ($100), mount (free), battery($60), etc - $180/2 hrs
Title/Registration - $50/0.5 hrs + $27 every 2 years (not a hassle at all)
Rudder - $60/1.5 hrs

Total - <$300/4 hrs

Sorry for the quality but all were shot with a cell phone camera







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Last edited by FishingSETX on Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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OrangeQuest
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Re: Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

Post by OrangeQuest »

SWEET!!! Nice work!
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Hippel
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Re: Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

Post by Hippel »

I'm thinking a trolling motor is going to be really nice to have!

So it's easier to change direction with the rudder vs. the trolling motor?

Is the pulley system hooked to the rudder hand or foot controlled?
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caldvn
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Re: Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

Post by caldvn »

One of the things I noticed when I mounted trolling motor to the side, was turning either right or left would net bigger or rather not equal radius turns. So if I turned right, or I turned left one of the turns would be much bigger. On windier days it would get little more complicated.

Good stuff. Look into Kipawa props, which is around 40 dollars if you want more speed.
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FishingSETX
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Re: Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

Post by FishingSETX »

Yea the turning radius is even more pronounced on the ultimate. With the rudder, I can turn right in about a 12' diameter and left in about a 18' diameter. Before the rudder it was probably 18' to the right and 25' to the left. The motor is mounted on the left.

It is much easier to change directions with the rudder and turning the motor and rudder at the same time doesn't really improve the turning radius.

The rudder is foot controlled just like any other kayak. Only time I could see a hand controlled rudder being a benefit is on the peddle drive yaks (Hobie mirage and native propel) where your feet are busy peddling. Being foot controlled, it allows me to fish and troll at the same time without having to constantly put the rod down to correct the direction!
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SteveK
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Re: Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

Post by SteveK »

You no better than a Hobie , your still using one hand to steer! You put it on the left side which you had too because you hold the rod with your right hand, the problem is that your landing fish on the left side now they'er getting tangled in the motor. The motor should be mounted in the rear, then your turning radius would be 6' and your kayak will track straight.
Here's what you should of done for $399, steer with your feet, ture tracking, hands free setup
Image

Tight lines
Steve
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FishingSETX
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Re: Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

Post by FishingSETX »

SteveK wrote:You no better than a Hobie , your still using one hand to steer! You put it on the left side which you had too because you hold the rod with your right hand, the problem is that your landing fish on the left side now they'er getting tangled in the motor. The motor should be mounted in the rear, then your turning radius would be 6' and your kayak will track straight.
Here's what you should of done for $399, steer with your feet, ture tracking, hands free setup
Image

Tight lines
Steve
Bassyaks.com
Nope steering with my feet not my hand, can be removed for river trips with rapids or for short trips on small water (IE no need for motor), Mounted on the left because my paddle holder was on the right and for no other reason than that, never had a fish tangle because thats what the rod is for (gotta know how to play a fish correctly :!: ), Actual cost was much less than $300 as I got the battery for cost, the motor was a gift, the mount is homemade, etc. You make nice kits and I contemplated buying one, but it didn't fit my needs/wants, and frankly they cost more than I wanted to pay ($558+shipping+Battery per your web site!).

My main reason for adding a motor was to extend my range and then be able to fish for tailing reds in much shallower water than a motor could run. My original goal was something that would extend my range and manuverability wasn't a big concern. It had to be easily removable and still leave room for a rudder for when I wasn't using the motor. I accomplished that goal and also opened up the door for smooth trolling while fishing in current and wind. Here is the result from its maiden fishing voyage on thursday with the rudder:

Image
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chuck203
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Re: Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

Post by chuck203 »

Are you in Texas? Did you get your boat registered? Just curious.
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Re: Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

Post by Ms addicted »

chuck203 wrote:Are you in Texas? Did you get your boat registered? Just curious.
In the first post he has the fees listed for registration.
FishingSETX wrote:Just finished testing out the new rudder for the ultimate 12. Gander mountain had a few on sale for $50 (regular $179), but they were not the native rudders so I had to build a bracket to mount it. The bracket cost all of $10 so that puts the total cost at $60 rather than the $300+ native asks. It works GREAT with the motor I mounted a year or so ago!!
Thanks for the pics of how you did the bracket. I am not interested in putting a motor on my ultimate 12 but have been thinking for some time that a rudder would be great. I have the drop-down skeg but I dont think that makes a difference either way with a rudder. The bracket you made looks relatively simple. I cant make one but my neighbor does stuff like that all the time. Hmmmm...food for thought. I cant believe you found a rudder for 50 bucks!! Thats a deal.
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Re: Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

Post by FishingSETX »

If you can use a hammer, hack saw and a drill, you can make the bracket. the aluminum is soft enough that you can lay it over something hard like a piece of wood, metal, etc and just hit it with a hammer to bend it. It is also very easy to drill through, and easy to cut with a hack saw.

Yes registered in TX. You can see the registration in the pics.
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Re: Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

Post by smellyhands »

Fishingsetx: nice job, man! Looks great

SteveK: that was an obnoxious post.
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FishingSETX
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Re: Rudder & trolling motor on an ultimate 12

Post by FishingSETX »

smellyhands wrote:Fishingsetx: nice job, man! Looks great

SteveK: that was an obnoxious post.
I have always respected steve, but i found that post annoying as well. Maybe it was said in jest? I also found it as a shameless plug for his system on a site that as far as I can tell he is not a sponsor of. If it wasn't for the fact Ive seen him trying to help others on other posts, I would call it spam. I still consider it as well as some other recent posts borderline spamming.
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