Dinghy Sailing: Trolling Motors for Backup Power

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Backup Trolling Motor on a Catamaran

Many people know that our Newport Vessels Trolling Motors  are great with inflatable dinghies such as Newport Vessels Inflatable Boats , but what they may not know is that the motors are versatile enough to mount on smaller vessels such as kayaks, canoes and small sail vessels. One such popular vessel is the Hobie Wave Catamaran. 

One of our customers had detailed how he enjoys sailing the Wave, but sometimes they are four or five miles from the boat ramp and the wind dies and they need a way to return to the ramp without having to use paddles. He found that Newport Vessels Trolling Motors are a great solution for these cases when used with a custom-mount for his Catamaran.

    

Below are the steps to build this mount:

Materials Needed

(These can be easily found at your local Home Depot or large hardware shop)

  • 3/4" Plywood 8"x8" for the base
  • 3/4" Plywood 8"x6.5" for the fill
  • Two 8" long 3/4" x 3/4" wood
  • Two bolts 4" x 3/8" plus washers and nuts
  • One metal support plate
  • Four tubes of quick Plastic

    

Construction

 

  1. Glue the 3/4" rail to edge of the base.
  2. Hold the base horizontally under the cross bar - with the rail facing the bow, mark the location of the second rail on the stern side of the crossbar.
  3. Glue the second rail tot he base - glue the 3/4" fill to the base.
  4. Drill the two 3/8" holes through the base and the cross bar - the base plate must be horizontal.
  5. The holes should go through the thickest point of the crossbar.

    

NOTE:  The motor mount should ideally be installed slightly off-center to allow the mast to be stored during transit.

Time and time again, Newport Vessels Trolling Motors have proven to be extremely versatile tool for many of your marine sports needs. With a little creativity and vision, you can adapt it to any application like illustrated here.

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