Last Updated on July 15, 2022 by Ecorf
Fishing is one activity that has been around for as long as history itself, and would pretty much be around for as long as my mind can think of. It isn’t just something you do when you have mouths to feed, it has become a hobby; something we do to relax.
Fishing doesn’t always have to be stressful. You could fish just from the shores of the waters and you could also take out your watercraft, canoe, kayak or whatever it is, and head offshore to fish. When you fish offshore, you have the advantage of being able to explore the water while still having your own wonderful fishing experience.
However, one thing that gets tiring when you go fishing on a watercraft like a canoe is that you need to paddle to get anywhere. Except the water currents and the wind are going in the direction that you want, you would have to be doing a lot of paddling. Although paddling itself is a relaxing activity that also helps keep is fit, but let’s face it, not many of us are cut out for that.
But there is good news. Fishing has been around for a really long time and it isn’t likely that you have new problems that no one has encountered before. And for as for a replacement for paddling, trolling motors are the solution.
Table of Contents
What Is A Trolling Motor?
A trolling motor is simply an electric motor that gets you around while your hands are either too tired to paddle or busy doing some other important stuff.
Trolling motors often come with a propeller that goes underneath your canoe. Electric voltage is used to power these propellers. The three most common voltages that the propellers are powered by are 12V, 24V and 36V.
Trolling motors are unlike an outboard engine whose power is measured in horsepower. The power of a trolling motor is measured in pounds of thrust. The higher the electric voltage powering the propeller, the better your propeller is in getting you through the water.
Trolling motors can either be electricity fueled with batteries or with gasoline.
What Are The Advantages Of A Trolling Motor
This isn’t really meant to completely replace paddling. Rather, it is best used to complement paddling. But still, there are some really great advantages that come with mounting a trolling motor on your canoe.
- Quiet on water: A Trolling Motor that makes a lot of noise would be going against the whole idea of fishing as it would easily scare away the fish. That is why trolling motors are designed to be as silent as possible even when they are doing some heavy work.
- Saves you from strenuous paddling: Of course, paddling could be regarded as a way to keep fit but it can quickly graduate from that purpose to something that gives us more stress and gets us so tired. So, instead of having to paddle the whole time you’re on the water, you can use your motor to guide your canoe around instead.
- A great alternative for paddling: As I said earlier, a trolling motor isn’t meant to completely replace paddling itself but rather to complement your paddling. Imagine you lost your paddle to the water somehow, you would be stranded offshore without anything to guide you back to shore (well, except you have another paddle with you). A trolling motor could be just that thing that saves you from being stranded.
How The Trolling Motor Works
The three main parts that make up the trolling motor are the motor, the propeller, and the controls.
The Motor
This is the engine of your whole trolling motor. It is what powers your propeller. Its power is measured in volts, and the higher the voltage, the more power would be fed into your propeller to help push you around. Motors are kept in a waterproof compartment and before they go into the water so that they don’t overheat.
The Propeller
These are the blades that go into the water. The propellers work pretty much the same way as those of other watercraft like ships do. The propeller often has blades ranging from 2 to 4.
The Controls
Of course, there must be a way to guide your ways. There are three types of controls that often come with the trolling motor; hand controls, foot controls, and wireless controls. These controls have their own advantages and disadvantages.
- Hand Controls – Easy to use. Really inexpen, but marshaling the hand controls always means you have one less hand to do your stuff.
- Foot Controls – You would always have both hands free to do stuff, but it is not as easy to use as the hand controls.
- Wireless Controls – Easy to use. Both hands are free, but it is quite expensive and difficult to master.
Things To Consider In A Trolling Motor
As it is with every other thing you want to buy, here are always things that you should consider before heading out to make the purchase of any particular trolling motor.
Canoe Size
This is quite self-explanatory, isn’t it? The size of the canoe determines how powerful the motor would be. Already, the size of the canoe determines how much load the canoe can carry so the trolling motor definitely has to complement the size of the canoe.
Where You Are Canoeing
I often advise people that they should use freshwater kits in saltwater. Saltwater easily corrodes your metal kits. So, kits that are made for the saltwater are coated with stuff that makes them resist corrosion.
Just like every other kit, your saltwater trolling motor propeller should be different from the freshwater trolling propeller.
Shaft Length
The shaft of the motor should be long enough to be completely submerged in the water. Only then can it do its work properly. And on the other hand, the shaft length shouldn’t be too long because you don’t want it to be hitting the bottom of shallow water.
Power
The powering voltage of your trolling motor should be considered. If your canoe is a big one and you always carry a lot of stuff with you when fishing or just exploring the water, you would need to mount a trolling motor that is powerful enough to get the job done.
Best Trolling Motor Mounts
Old Town Standard Canoe Motor Mount
Really, Old Town have been around for a long time and they are known for making reliable watercraft and their kits. In fact, they are a household brand when it comes to stuff like these.
The Standard Canoe Motor Mount is a really strong mount and is designed to hold both electricity fueled and gasoline-fueled trolling motors. The mount itself is made of aluminum which gives it a lightweight of just 6.9 pounds and can conveniently accommodate engines that have up to 3HP.
Another great thing is that this mount can be easily used by both southpaws and right-handed people because of its reversible orientation. Although Standard Canoe Motor Mount is made.specifially for Old Town Canoes, it is still versatile enough to fit in any other brand of canoe.
Pros
- Withstands heavy-duty works
- Durable material
- Lightweight
- Reversible orientation for left and right-handed people.
Harmony Canoe Motor Mount
Here is another great trolling motor mount that can be found on the market today. The mount doesn’t take up much space and may not look like it, but it can support a trolling motor that weighs up to 35 pounds.
It is made with a heavy-duty anodized aluminum and hardwood oak that help it to be able to withstand just about anything. You don’t even need tools to attach it to your canoe as it has clamps that hold it to the body of your canoe securely. It also has reversible orientation for ease of use for both right-handed and left-handed people.
Pros
- Reversible Orientation
- It can securely carry a motor or 35pounds.
- Affordable
- You don’t need tools to install it.
- Stable and durable
Brocraft Canoe Trolling Motor Universal Mount
A mere glance at this mount would give away the fact that it is really durable. Mae with marine-grade alloy, stainless steel, and nylon clamps, there is almost no weight of trolling motor that this mount couldn’t take on.
Another feature that this mount has going for it is that it is adjustable to fit just about any hull width. The reversible orientation of the mount also makes it great for both right and left-handed users. Finally, the ease of installation and dismantling is another good thing that attracts a lot of people to it.
Pros
- Easy to install and dismantle
- Adjustable to fit different hull widths
- Reversible orientation
Conclusion
Of these three effective mounts, the Brocraft Canoe Trolling Motor Universal Mount is my pick, and for a good reason. Apart from the fact that this mount is a really tough one, it easily fits onto just about any kind of canoe. Also, this mount has a sleek look which totally works for me.
If you have any questions, enquires or further additions, please make sure to drop them all at the comments section below and I would be glad to attend to you.
