Fishing - Use a Rowboat or a Canoe for Fishing in an Electric-Motor-Only Lake?

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Use a Rowboat or a Canoe for Fishing in an Electric-Motor-Only Lake?

I would like to fish in some small lakes or reservoirs (New Jersey)
that only allow the use of electric motor. I am wondering whether I
should use a rowboat or a canoe. Regardless whether I will use a
rowboat or a canoe, I will mount an electric trolling motor to its
stern as the primary propelling power.

I need some info in order to help me to make a decision:

o Is this realistic to use a trolling motor to push a rowboat for a
distance of 1 mile back and fro? I have a feeling that the combined
weight of the rowboat, two adults, an anchor, and the wide
cross-section "may" be a drag for the trolling motor. Will this be OK
afterall? And I don't intend to use the oars as the backup propelling
power because I don't have any luck doing this.

o Seem like we cannot put too many stuffs inside a canoe as comparing
to a rowboat. This may mean that I cannot put a big trolling motor and
big batteries into the canoe. Does this restrict the distance that the
canoe can go to less than 1 mile back and fro?

o How do we anchor a canoe in the middle of the lake? Putting an
anchor inside a canoe "seems" like putting a lot of weight of the
canoe. This "may" make the canoe hard to control if the anchor is not
placed at the dead center of the canoe. Will the use of an anchor and
cross-blowing wind cause the canoe to capsize?. Am I worrying the wrong
things? Do people have a different mean to anchor a canoe without using
an anchor?

Thanks for any info in advance.

Jay Chan

wrote in message
oups.com...
I would like to fish in some small lakes or reservoirs (New Jersey)
that only allow the use of electric motor. I am wondering whether I
should use a rowboat or a canoe. Regardless whether I will use a
rowboat or a canoe, I will mount an electric trolling motor to its
stern as the primary propelling power.

Get the biggest trolling motor you can afford.

I need some info in order to help me to make a decision:

o Is this realistic to use a trolling motor to push a rowboat for a
distance of 1 mile back and fro?

Sure, it can do it. I run a 20' bass boat miles and miles on the electric
int he course of a day. Then I am running a 36Volt off three batteries in
series. My 24 Volt motors running off two in series work ok too.

I have a feeling that the combined
weight of the rowboat, two adults, an anchor, and the wide
cross-section "may" be a drag for the trolling motor. Will this be OK
afterall?

Its not too much, but if you go with a small cheap motor you won't go very
fast, and you may find a strong wind will over come the force of your motor.
Go big and you won't have that problem.

And I don't intend to use the oars as the backup propelling
power because I don't have any luck doing this.

You need to practice using oars on a row boat because there is always the
chance your motor or batteries could fail on you at an important time. A
cnoe ont he other hand paddles much easier.

o Seem like we cannot put too many stuffs inside a canoe as comparing
to a rowboat.

Depends on the canoe and the people using it. My Unlce Paul and I used a 16
foot Old Town wood frame and fiberglass canoe for two day river trips with
waterproof stuff bags filled with sleeping bags, a tent, cooking and camping
gear, and food for the trip. We also fished along the way. With a little
planning I imagine we could have done upto about five or six days
comfortable. With a water purifier and a little luck fishing more.

This may mean that I cannot put a big trolling motor and
big batteries into the canoe.

Well, a canoe moves so easily you won't need as a big of a trolling motor.
Batteries on the other hand are quite heavy. If you plan your load well you
can easily handle a couple batteries. You may need to make some long cables
so that you can position the batteries far forward if running solo, or int
he middle with a partner. You can offset this with how you load the rest of
your gear. We carry a quite large icechest in the middle of my 16 foot
square back (profile of an 18 footer) lake (wider beam than a river canoe)
canoe. As you can tell canoes can vayr widely from one model to the next.
In general a canoe will move a lot easier than your rowboat, but the row
boat (depending on its profile) will be more stable.

Does this restrict the distance that the
canoe can go to less than 1 mile back and fro?

Battery life, trolling motor size, speed selected, and craft selected will
all be factors to determine your range. A canoe will move further and
faster on the same batteries and motor than a row boat.

o How do we anchor a canoe in the middle of the lake? Putting an
anchor inside a canoe "seems" like putting a lot of weight of the
canoe.

You don't need much anchor to hold a canoe in place. I used a relatively
light mushroom anchor in mine it works fine in any circumstances I have
tried so far. When you consider your weight, the weight of your partner and
all your gear the weight of a small mushroom mud anchor is negligible. If
the weight still bothers you there are other tpes of lighter anchors that
may be of use to you. My Uncle Paul has an anchor that looks like a big
grappling hook. It has a pull ring in the middle. If you pull the ring the
hooks fold flat to take up less space.

This "may" make the canoe hard to control if the anchor is not
placed at the dead center of the canoe.

Weight may be an issue, but the nice thing is you can shoft your ass on the
seat and make huge adjustments on the position of the canoe. Much more than
the position of a tiny little anchor. I usually leave my tiny anchor in a
handy location near the bow so the guy in the front can deploy it easily.

Will the use of an anchor and
cross-blowing wind cause the canoe to capsize?.

DO NOT ANCHOR FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE CANOE. Waves and wind will hit you
broad side and you will risk capsizing. Anchor from the bow, and be ready
with a knife to cut loose if current or wind pushes you down against the
anchor rope. Deploy plenty of rope and this is also unlikely. My canoe has
a bow eye. I run my anchor rope through it and then tie off the rope inside
the canoe. This way any pull is directly against and inline with the canoe.

If you anchor from the middle of the canoe. ABSOLUTLEY. You will sink
eventually. If you anchor from the bow as I described. I doubt it will ever
be an issue.

Am I worrying the wrong
things?

No, you are worrying the right things. Canoing is a great way to cover
water, but you must take the time to practice and learn how to do it safely.
By posting your questions and concerns here you have already demonstrated a
higher than average intelligence and some of the proper steps towards safe
boating or canoeing.

Do people have a different mean to anchor a canoe without using
an anchor?

In shallow water I have seen guys clamp a steel tube to the front of their
canoe. The carry a light weight piece of ten foot conduit around with them.
When they get someplace they want to fish they slide the long piece of
conduit down through the tube and stick it into the mud below to hold it in
place. I have no opinion about this as I have never tried it, but I don't
think it would very well anyplace there is strong wind or heavy current. I
imagine fishing swamps and bogs it might work great.

Thanks for any info in advance.

Jay Chan

You are welcome. Now can I suggest something else. If your primary
motivation fishing go larger. Get a big wide beam flat bottom john boat
with lots of room to fish. Mount a fishing seat in the front and go with a
bow mount foot controlled trolling motor. I have a 65 lb thrust mounted on
a Waco 2050-16 and I can fish all day with it going almost non stop. I am
using two group 27 Trojan batteries on that boat. By the end of an 8 hour
tournament its getting a bit weak, but it does the job. Its a very stable
boat and I can keep fishing even when the wakes of passing wake board boats
start to bounce me up and down. I do have to hold onto my fishing seat.
LOL. I think the basic boat is less than 2 grand, and mine can also handle
upto a 50HP outboard (which I have on mine) There are other jons in that
size range which can be had cheaper. Mine has a conxole, 20" transom, and
an extra platform mounted up front for the trolling motor. Eliminate these
and possible look for another boat and you can get the price down further.

Waco 2050-16
http://www.wacomfg.com/205016.html
Dealers will sell it for less than the suggested price.

Tracker of similar size
http://www.trackerboats.com/boat/ind...v=15&boat=1542

Note: The wider the boat the more stable it will be.

--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message

Waco 2050-16
http://www.wacomfg.com/205016.html
Dealers will sell it for less than the suggested price.

http://www.directboats.com/16aljonbo.html
These guys show the basic boat for $1699

My local dealer beat their prices overall when I bought mine.

--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

Consider getting a Portaboat.

http://www.porta-bote.com/

My first 'boat' was a used 12' Portaboat. I used 2 deep cycle batteries
and an old 27# Minn Kota and it did great. Lots more stable than a
canoe and light enough so I could carry it by myself. A 12 footer will
comfortably seat 2 adults and has a capacity of 670 pounds. They come
with 2 - 2 piece oars and oar locks although only the kids ever used
the oars for fun. I still have mine in the backyard. Takes up hardly
any space and I like having a backup. Here's a Yahoo group where you
can find more info.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PortaBote/

Another nice feature of a folding boat is than you can strap it to the
roof of your car and do 70+mph on the freeway if you propery secure it.
d:^)

-phish

OK Buddy here is my take. I have been fishing all the north Jersey Lakes for
years. I had a 15'long by 42"wide jon boat the 40lb thrust minkota hand
operated trolling motor moved me the boat and my fishing partner along with
all our gear. The boat was about 275 lbs. it had a casting deck and wood
floors that I made, it had the largest deep cycle battery sears made in it,
along with anchors.and my 9.9 evinrude 4stroke. all this stuff including us
and we trolled, ran the lights, fish finder and spot light for never less
than 5 hours and had power to spare. go buy a cheap lightweight jon boat get
a good battery and trolling motor and go get em. (PS I just bought a new
Lund and my old john boat fully rigged with trailer is for sale if you or
anyone in nj is interested, it's a great monksville rig)
wrote in message
oups.com...
I would like to fish in some small lakes or reservoirs (New Jersey)
that only allow the use of electric motor. I am wondering whether I
should use a rowboat or a canoe. Regardless whether I will use a
rowboat or a canoe, I will mount an electric trolling motor to its
stern as the primary propelling power.

I need some info in order to help me to make a decision:

o Is this realistic to use a trolling motor to push a rowboat for a
distance of 1 mile back and fro? I have a feeling that the combined
weight of the rowboat, two adults, an anchor, and the wide
cross-section "may" be a drag for the trolling motor. Will this be OK
afterall? And I don't intend to use the oars as the backup propelling
power because I don't have any luck doing this.

o Seem like we cannot put too many stuffs inside a canoe as comparing
to a rowboat. This may mean that I cannot put a big trolling motor and
big batteries into the canoe. Does this restrict the distance that the
canoe can go to less than 1 mile back and fro?

o How do we anchor a canoe in the middle of the lake? Putting an
anchor inside a canoe "seems" like putting a lot of weight of the
canoe. This "may" make the canoe hard to control if the anchor is not
placed at the dead center of the canoe. Will the use of an anchor and
cross-blowing wind cause the canoe to capsize?. Am I worrying the wrong
things? Do people have a different mean to anchor a canoe without using
an anchor?

Thanks for any info in advance.

Jay Chan

On Sat, 20 Aug 2005 23:26:33 GMT, "HankCoen"
wrote:

OK Buddy here is my take. I have been fishing all the north Jersey Lakes for
years. I had a 15'long by 42"wide jon boat the 40lb thrust minkota hand
operated trolling motor moved me the boat and my fishing partner along with
all our gear. The boat was about 275 lbs. it had a casting deck and wood
floors that I made, it had the largest deep cycle battery sears made in it,
along with anchors.and my 9.9 evinrude 4stroke. all this stuff including us
and we trolled, ran the lights, fish finder and spot light for never less
than 5 hours and had power to spare. go buy a cheap lightweight jon boat get
a good battery and trolling motor and go get em. (PS I just bought a new
Lund and my old john boat fully rigged with trailer is for sale if you or
anyone in nj is interested, it's a great monksville rig)
snip

Check ur email. =)

Harry J aka Thundercat
Brooklyn Bill's Tackle Shop Fishing Team
http://www.brooklynbillstackleshop.com
Share the knowledge, compete on execution.

You going to get a boat Harry?

Rich P

"Thundercat" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 20 Aug 2005 23:26:33 GMT, "HankCoen"
wrote:

OK Buddy here is my take. I have been fishing all the north Jersey Lakes
for
years. I had a 15'long by 42"wide jon boat the 40lb thrust minkota hand
operated trolling motor moved me the boat and my fishing partner along
with
all our gear. The boat was about 275 lbs. it had a casting deck and wood
floors that I made, it had the largest deep cycle battery sears made in
it,
along with anchors.and my 9.9 evinrude 4stroke. all this stuff including
us
and we trolled, ran the lights, fish finder and spot light for never less
than 5 hours and had power to spare. go buy a cheap lightweight jon boat
get
a good battery and trolling motor and go get em. (PS I just bought a new
Lund and my old john boat fully rigged with trailer is for sale if you or
anyone in nj is interested, it's a great monksville rig)
snip

Check ur email. =)

Harry J aka Thundercat
Brooklyn Bill's Tackle Shop Fishing Team
http://www.brooklynbillstackleshop.com
Share the knowledge, compete on execution.

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 09:04:32 -0400, "Rich P"
wrote:

You going to get a boat Harry?

Rich P

Almost bought one earlier this year, but didn't pull the trigger when
the tranny on the truck s**t the bed.

Harry J aka Thundercat
Brooklyn Bill's Tackle Shop Fishing Team
http://www.brooklynbillstackleshop.com
Share the knowledge, compete on execution.

Thanks for all the great information people here have shared with me! I
didn't expect to receive so much relevant and helpful info all in one
message thread. I appreciate the help that people have offered.

o Is this realistic to use a trolling motor to push a
rowboat for a distance of 1 mile back and fro?

Sure, it can do it. I run a 20' bass boat miles and miles
on the electric int he course of a day. Then I am running
a 36Volt off three batteries in series. My 24 Volt motors
running off two in series work ok too.

... Its not too much, but if you go with a small cheap
motor you won't go very fast, and you may find a strong
wind will over come the force of your motor. Go big and
you won't have that problem.

... I am using two group 27 Trojan batteries on that boat.
By the end of an 8 hour tournament its getting a bit weak,
but it does the job.

8 hours of running time on a trolling motor is _much_ more than I
expect to use. Great! This means using a trolling motor on a rowboat is
quite practical for my very moderate use as long as I use a powerful
trolling motor with enough number of batteries. I have a question
though: What does "two group 27 Trojan batteries" mean? How many
batteries are we talking about here? How many in a group?

Well, a canoe moves so easily you won't need as a big
of a trolling motor. Batteries on the other hand are
quite heavy. ... You don't need much anchor to hold a
canoe in place. I used a relatively light mushroom
anchor in mine it works fine in any circumstances I
have tried so far.

Good to know these. This means canoe is also a practical alternative.

DO NOT ANCHOR FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE CANOE.

Thanks for pointing this out. I will keep this in mind.

If your primary motivation fishing go larger. Get a
big wide beam flat bottom john boat with lots of room
to fish. Mount a fishing seat in the front and go with
a bow mount foot controlled trolling motor. I have a
65 lb thrust mounted on a Waco 2050-16 and I can fish
all day with it going almost non stop. I am using two
group 27 Trojan batteries on that boat. By the end of
an 8 hour tournament its getting a bit weak, but it
does the job. Its a very stable boat and I can keep
fishing even when the wakes of passing wake board
boats start to bounce me up and down.

Thanks for your suggestion. Based on your suggestion and other
suggestions in this thread, I have a feeling that using a rowboat is a
better choice for fishing. The benefits of using a rowboat a
1. As suggested by many people, a row boat can hold more stuff.
2. Moreover, it is a stable fishing platform. It is a big plus.
3. I can mount a gas engine on it and use it near coastal area.
4. I can permanently mount most of the devices on a rowboat.
On the other hand, a canoe will be mounted on the top of
my car, and I will not be able to permanently mount any
of the device on the canoe.

The downside is that I will not be able to use a rowboat in a river. I
expect to do some boating in a river. But I will only do this once a
year at the most. I likely will rent a canoe instead of using my own
canoe. Therefore, not able to use it in a river is not really a concern
to me.

Jay Chan

... I had a 15'long by 42"wide jon boat the 40lb thrust
minkota hand operated trolling motor moved me the boat
and my fishing partner along with all our gear. ...
all this stuff including us and we trolled, ran the
lights, fish finder and spot light for never less than
5 hours and had power to spare. ...

This sounds very encouraging. This means using a trolling motor on a
rowboat is a practical choice for an electric-only lake.

I probably will get a semi-V boat instead of a jon boat. The reason is
that I also intend to use it in protected coastal area (of course with
a gas engine).

Thanks.

Jay Chan

Just for your info, here in NJ you have to register any
boat that has power other than man power. Even an 8 foot
canoe, if under electric power, needs to be registered.
Any boat under 12' and man powered can go unregistered.

Thanks for the info. I didn't know that.

Jay Chan

Thundercat wrote:
On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 09:04:32 -0400, "Rich P"
wrote:

You going to get a boat Harry?

Rich P

Almost bought one earlier this year, but didn't pull the trigger when
the tranny on the truck s**t the bed.
Shouldn't you learn how to swim before getting a boat?

pat

wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks for all the great information people here have shared with me! I
didn't expect to receive so much relevant and helpful info all in one
message thread. I appreciate the help that people have offered.

Yer welcome

o Is this realistic to use a trolling motor to push a
rowboat for a distance of 1 mile back and fro?

Sure, it can do it. I run a 20' bass boat miles and miles
on the electric int he course of a day. Then I am running
a 36Volt off three batteries in series. My 24 Volt motors
running off two in series work ok too.

... Its not too much, but if you go with a small cheap
motor you won't go very fast, and you may find a strong
wind will over come the force of your motor. Go big and
you won't have that problem.

... I am using two group 27 Trojan batteries on that boat.
By the end of an 8 hour tournament its getting a bit weak,
but it does the job.

8 hours of running time on a trolling motor is _much_ more than I
expect to use. Great! This means using a trolling motor on a rowboat is
quite practical for my very moderate use as long as I use a powerful
trolling motor with enough number of batteries. I have a question
though: What does "two group 27 Trojan batteries" mean? How many
batteries are we talking about here? How many in a group?

Two as in the number of batteries in series necessary to supply 24 volts to
my 24 volt trolling motor. Group 27 is the size. Group 31 would be larger.
Group 24 would smaller.

Well, a canoe moves so easily you won't need as a big
of a trolling motor. Batteries on the other hand are
quite heavy. ... You don't need much anchor to hold a
canoe in place. I used a relatively light mushroom
anchor in mine it works fine in any circumstances I
have tried so far.

Good to know these. This means canoe is also a practical alternative.

It is somewhat practical, but a wide jon boat is much nicer to fish out of
due to increased stability.

DO NOT ANCHOR FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE CANOE.

Thanks for pointing this out. I will keep this in mind.

If your primary motivation fishing go larger. Get a
big wide beam flat bottom john boat with lots of room
to fish. Mount a fishing seat in the front and go with
a bow mount foot controlled trolling motor. I have a
65 lb thrust mounted on a Waco 2050-16 and I can fish
all day with it going almost non stop. I am using two
group 27 Trojan batteries on that boat. By the end of
an 8 hour tournament its getting a bit weak, but it
does the job. Its a very stable boat and I can keep
fishing even when the wakes of passing wake board
boats start to bounce me up and down.

Thanks for your suggestion. Based on your suggestion and other
suggestions in this thread, I have a feeling that using a rowboat is a
better choice for fishing. The benefits of using a rowboat a
1. As suggested by many people, a row boat can hold more stuff.
2. Moreover, it is a stable fishing platform. It is a big plus.
3. I can mount a gas engine on it and use it near coastal area.
4. I can permanently mount most of the devices on a rowboat.
On the other hand, a canoe will be mounted on the top of
my car, and I will not be able to permanently mount any
of the device on the canoe.

The downside is that I will not be able to use a rowboat in a river. I
expect to do some boating in a river.

Depends on the river. I run a 20' bass boat on the river here. I see no
reason a row boat couldn't be used on a river along with an appropriate
outboard. Now if you are talking lots of long shallow areas with lots of
rocks to dodge around a canoe would be better and a rubber boat might be
better yet.

But I will only do this once a
year at the most. I likely will rent a canoe instead of using my own
canoe. Therefore, not able to use it in a river is not really a concern
to me.

Knowing what you plan to do and the conditions you plan to do it in is
always best when making watercraft choices. As you can tell no boat is
suitable for all applications.

--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

wrote in message
oups.com...
... I had a 15'long by 42"wide jon boat the 40lb thrust
minkota hand operated trolling motor moved me the boat
and my fishing partner along with all our gear. ...
all this stuff including us and we trolled, ran the
lights, fish finder and spot light for never less than
5 hours and had power to spare. ...

This sounds very encouraging. This means using a trolling motor on a
rowboat is a practical choice for an electric-only lake.

I probably will get a semi-V boat instead of a jon boat. The reason is
that I also intend to use it in protected coastal area (of course with
a gas engine).

Thanks.

Jay Chan

Semi V or V-front is a good choice.

--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

... I have a question though: What does "two
group 27 Trojan batteries" mean? How many batteries
are we talking about here? How many in a group?

Two as in the number of batteries in series necessary to supply 24 volts to
my 24 volt trolling motor. Group 27 is the size. Group 31 would be larger.
Group 24 would smaller.

This means you have 4 batteries, and two in each group. This sounds
like more batteries than I have expected. May be I can make do with a
12-volt motor with 2 batteries (of course with a small rowboat, not a
20-ft boat).

Thanks for the info.

Depends on the river. I run a 20' bass boat on the river here. I see no
reason a row boat couldn't be used on a river along with an appropriate
outboard. Now if you are talking lots of long shallow areas with lots of
rocks to dodge around a canoe would be better and a rubber boat might be
better yet.

No, I am not likely to use a rowboat in the section of river that I
have in mind. That section of river is primarily for canoes. No
problem. I just have to rent one.

Jay Chan

Semi V or V-front is a good choice.

Yes, this is what I have in mind. Thanks.

Jay Chan

wrote in message
oups.com...
... I have a question though: What does "two
group 27 Trojan batteries" mean? How many batteries
are we talking about here? How many in a group?

Two as in the number of batteries in series necessary to supply 24 volts
to
my 24 volt trolling motor. Group 27 is the size. Group 31 would be
larger.
Group 24 would smaller.

This means you have 4 batteries, and two in each group. This sounds
like more batteries than I have expected. May be I can make do with a
12-volt motor with 2 batteries (of course with a small rowboat, not a
20-ft boat).

I have no clue how you got that.

Two as in the number of batteries.

In series. That means conencted end to end.

Group 27 is the size. Has nothing to do with a group or number of
batteries.

Two 12 volt (group/size 27) batteries connected in series provides 24 volts
adequate for using the 65 Lb thrust trolling motor on my 16 foot boat all
day.

On my 20 boat I have three batteries connected in series to provide 36 volts
to my 109 lb trolling motor.

(See the pattern here?)

In your case if you found that a single battery was in adequate to power
your 12 volt trolling motor as long as you need you could add a second
identical battery in parrellel.

Two 12 volt batteries in parrallel will still give you 12 volts, but you
will have increased capacity.

--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

... I have a question though: What does "two
group 27 Trojan batteries" mean? How many batteries
are we talking about here? How many in a group?

This means you have 4 batteries, and two in each group. This sounds
like more batteries than I have expected. May be I can make do with a
12-volt motor with 2 batteries (of course with a small rowboat, not a
20-ft boat).

I have no clue how you got that.

Two as in the number of batteries.

I read the original message wrong. I thought you said "two groups
(plural) ... batteries" when you actually said "two group (singular)
.... batteries". I should have understood what you said as: Two
"group-27" Trojan batteries. Sorry for the confusion.

This means you only need 2 batteries to achieve the long run time. This
is very good to know. In that case, this makes sense to use a 24-volt
motor with 2 batteries (like what your setup is) in a rowboat as the
primary propelling force of the rowboat.

Again, thanks for clarifying your setup for me.

Jay Chan