Glen-L.com

I'm designing a pontoon boat and I have a quick question I'd like some feedback on:

Whaddya think...a pair of transom mount trolling motors with the 'heads' removed and installed as azi-pods, or a couple of engine-mounted motors attached upside down to the underside of the hull with twin rudders ?

It'll be easy enough to make up a tiller arm to bolt to the cut-down shaft and a tie bar to steer them both. I'd probably have them retract into a recess in the hull to let me use a flat-decked trailer.

But Minn-Kota's engine mounted motors look like a no-fuss installation. For anyone not familiar, they're just a motor body with a bracket that attaches to the cav plate of an outboard. Has anyone used them as a primary drive ?

I sent an email to MinnKota as well but no feedback yet.

Thoughts?

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-Brian

"Do or do not. There is no try."
- Yoda

I'd say you can't beat the azi-pod system for maneuverability. The biggest cruise ships use them. I had a cruise in February on Liberty of the Seas, it was amazing how they could crank that huge ship around, back it into docks, never had a tug nearby. (Except to push in and pull away the fuel barge)

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Noah was a first-time boatbuilder

Actually I just got a short email back from MinnKota. Here's the gist of it:

"EM mount motors are not intended for use as a primary propulsion system. Also [be] advise[d] that EM, (Engine Mount), motors are intended to be mounted on the cavitation plate of an outboard engine or IO lower unit. In their intended application the motors are used intermittently for recreational fishing use not as a primary power source. We currently manufacture one motor, our E-Drive model, that is intended for use as a primary propulsion system, but it is not suitable for salt water use."

I really don't get the 'intermittent use' bit myself, as they are typically running for hours at a time (what more can I say, I like to fish!). Sounds a bit like a brush-off to me but that's ok, there are other manufacturers out there. I was planning on the warranty, R&D potential, and brand recognition of the MK's but c'est la vie.

I have a crusty old Merc 39 outboard with a toasted powerhead down in the shop that I'm looking at converting to electric. When I pull the flywheel off, I should be able to fit a DC motor that's 7" diameter by 8" long and still use the OEM cowl so the motor looks vintage. Anyone have numbers handy for golf cart motors ? At this point, any voltage (to 48V) is fine.

_________________
-Brian

"Do or do not. There is no try."
- Yoda

In their world, primary propulsion means everything up to continuous duty, 24/7. In our usage as recreational boaters, we seldom put that kind of demand on a motor. But as manufacturers, they would have to consider that somebody might want to push a boat non-stop for 17 days and nights, and that requires a different set of engineering standards. The beauty of our hobby is that we can try things that don't fit the confines of the corporate world.

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Noah was a first-time boatbuilder