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Okay, I took the plunge and got a bigger toon so I have a little more room for my junk and so it's time to set up a new boat again... I liked my last toon, but always looking for new ideas... What feature do you really like on your toon that you don't want to fish without... For instance I love the five pole rod storage plus a net storage rack.... The pole holders while fishing are okay, but I don't typically use them all the time... Could be due to incorrect rod angles so they don't fish real well.... TD if you don't mind showing me your rod holder design I really liked the way you have done that with lots of adjustment.... I am going to have to come up with a new fish finder mount since the new boat doesn't have the same open ended pipe to connect to... New boat is an Outcast 9' wearing the Sportsman's warehouse green wrapper....
How do you rear power folks steer your boats, I had a front mount motor and I'm not sure I'm going to like trying to reach back to steer... May have to come up with a new front mount hook up, but I will try it first before I switch because I know this is a hot issue...
Probably will forget the redneck down rigger on this one however, I might try a mast for running the side planner... Will include the anchor, fish basket and bump board... What else from here would you recommend.... If you don't mind post up a picture to help me understand.... Thanks J
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Sounds like you have hit the ground running. Might want to post this on the Float Tube forum as a lot of good ideas come from outside UTAH.
My only suggestion is don't drill holes in the frame[  ] Check welds as per Idahoron.
Steering, real simple. FINS. Don't need fancy ones if just steering with them. A lot of us fin nuts actually use them at times so longer ones for that. And turn the head of the motor 180 degrees.
All I got.
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[#484848]TD can show you a flex hose for your motor that works great, Just hang it over your shoulder and it is there all the time.[/#484848]
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Here are some pics for ya. Also as FG stated turn the head of the motor around. Use fins to steer. The only reaching around that I do on my motor is to turn it on or off. One great item I use to attach a FF is  dle clamps.
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Thanks FG I hadn't thought of the other forum having a larger base to draw from so I'll check it out. Thanks for the other tips as well, I'll have to try the fin steering. Later J
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I didn't notice how TD did that. Guess I need to be more observant. Thanks for the tip. J
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Thanks for the tips that's a nice ride. Later J
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Like FG said, fins are critical. I use browning fins and they are great for propulsion as they are very sturdy. You can use them to vary speed and not touch the motor control. Do not use the motor to steer. Like they said, turn the motor head around.
I asked a friend about drilling into my frame. There is hardly any stress on the side rails and small holes should not cause failure. Sorry FG, I know that is a no no in your book, but it works great as you can see from my pic. No issues whatsoever.
TubeDude has some pics to show you various setups and great addons. Enjoy.
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[quote chinook]Like FG said, fins are critical. I use browning fins and they are great for propulsion as they are very sturdy. You can use them to vary speed and not touch the motor control. Do not use the motor to steer. Like they said, turn the motor head around.
I asked a friend about drilling into my frame. There is hardly any stress on the side rails and small holes should not cause failure. Sorry FG, I know that is a no no in your book, but it works great as you can see from my pic. No issues whatsoever.
TubeDude has some pics to show you various setups and great addons. Enjoy.[/quote]
I agree on the holes 3/16 or so have hurt nothing on my Sportsman 9,which is the boat in question . Been in the steel business for over 40 years those small holes will hurt nothing on a round tube like on the Sportsman 9. Big drawback to this boat is there is no place for much of anything once the battery is sitting on the back platform, I replaced it with a aluminum platform similar to the ones that come on the Scaddens ,but a little larger, plenty of room now for the battery, small cooler, net etc etc. As said I also added one rod holder along with the hole to hold it, plan on one more rod holder on the other side along with a hole that will not hurt anything.
OP can PM me if he would like to see a couple pictures of what I have done with the Sportsman 9
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The only reason I say do not drill into frames is they are like conduit. I have seen some bad effects.
Granted could take 5 or more years to show, but why risk it?
There are so many other ways to attach things without drilling.
But, your boat....do what you want.
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Okay lets stick to the subject. Sportsman 9 that the OP ,and I have. I won't venture out on anything here put the subject.
I am talking about 3/16 to 1/4 holes in the frame ,mind you I am talking about two of these holes 10" rearward of the existing 1/4 holes that the boat has for the existing rod holder on the upper frame . The existing holes have the coating on the inside of the holes whereas the new drilled holes do not, can they rust yes, if worried coat the inside edge of the hole, and it will probably last about as long as the original coating on the existing holes after that clip or bolts has rubbed it off from travel ,and use. So now we are faced with possible rust starting from the new drilled holes ,and all the other holes drilled in the frame, which are more than just a couple holes for rod holders.
The frames appear to be dipped they have coating on the inside, but the foot rests, the clips etc are going to rub off the finish in time, and IMO the frames are going to start rusting from the inside out. When I pull out my foot rests there is visible rust . So 5-10 years maybe that frame rusts thru don't know haven't had it 10 years yet, but is over 5 years.
My point here is 1/4" holes at the max, no drilling around the welds to create a cracked weld, no large holes to weaken the strength of the frame. Those 1/4" holes will do nothing to the integrity of that frame , not in five years, not in 20 years. Rust or physical damage is the ONLY things that are going to do that frame in, NOT drilling a couple 1/4 holes, which is all I am advocating.
A lot of people do a lot of things they shouldn't ,whatever the Idaho guy did to his boat, have no idea . It wasn't two 1/4" holes for a rod holder if welds broke.
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I'm going to try the fin steer as soon as I get the motor on, since I haven't tried that before I don't know what to expect, but I'm sure with as many fans as there are it must work very well.. This toon is very robust in frame design so I'm sure you are probably right about the holes as well... I'm too lazy to do a stress analysis on it, but if I decide on an attachment I need to tie in, I'll probably try it unless it's in a critical load path... I am thinking serious about using the PVC tool rack from my old toon with a few mods if it will fit... That will avoid a lot of hole requirements... I'm thinking about turning my rod holder into a fish finder mounting location if it clears the oars okay... Might switch it to the opposite side since that's what I'm used to.. Always hate trying to think through all the what if's and how's it used options since I tend to miss something and it bites me... But thank you for the input it is much appreciated.... J
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I too use the Browning fins, and are fairly long like the flip fins, and control the boat very well, only issue is a windy day I may have to turn the motor a little off center which ever way to make it easier to control the boat with the fins. Other then that I never touch the motor unless to turn on or off.
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So which motor do you have and how fast does it take you in the different speeds on the motor? I'm a little concerned because the new toon seems much easier to move than my old toon with the extra flotation I had to add... Anyway my reason for asking is I many times I want to troll slower than the slowest speed on my motor and I'm in too shallow of water to kick to speed... Maybe have to drag a foot to hit slower speeds... Just hate to burn battery to be wasted towards drag... Thanks J
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I have the Motorguide Varimax 40 goes as slow as you want or fast, don't care much for the 5 speeds had one . Been a great motor . Very easy on the battery with the digital maximizer .
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[#0000FF]You have a good craft. Lots of options. But you need to work backwards. First locate your motor and battery. Then decide how much you will use the oars and what considerations you need for locating sonar, rod holders and other goodies.
Never a good idea to drill holes in a steel tube. But there are a lot of tubers and tooners that have done so without adverse affects. The holes I drill are less than 1/8", for pilot holes for self tapping metal screws. You can seal them with silicone during or after the install. As long as you do not drill on a weld or major stress point you will not compromise the strength of the frame. Manufacturers drill more and bigger holes than the few little ones you might use for add-ons. FlyGoddess lady disagrees. So be it.
We need to meetup somewhere so I can go over your new ride with you and show you some of your options.
Simple to reverse the head on the motor. One bolt to undo...rotate the head 180 degrees...rebolt. Pulling yourself backwards makes it easier to troll for kitties...or anything else. Steering with fins becomes automatic after a trip or two. But having the motor handle extension helps for speed control...or on and off. I also have a "BigFoot" on and off switch at my left hand to shut off the motor without having to rotate the handle. Great for when you get a bite while trolling. And also a good idea to prevent the motor from starting up while you are installing everything. That can be an oweee.
Here are some pics...including closeups of Chinook's install.
[/#0000FF]
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That sounds like a great motor, been dreaming of ipilot on my toon or boat, but ly its not in my budget range. Sure would be fun to try anyway. Thanks for the info. J
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I have a friend in CA that put an I pilot on his Skykomish. Pontoons do not track like a boat so it was all over the place. Plus the length of the shaft was a big problem when coming into shore.
As for fins for steering, with a motor you can steer with just your feet, however you need to be going a littler faster and it is not as responsive.
On a pontoon you can get away with shorter fins as I said. You have oars and a motor as back up.
You say you want to go real slow, THEN fins are a must. Longer fins work very well and require little energy.
Here it is in a nut shell, with your 9' boat
A #27 battery (Walmart for budget)
You can use a Minn 30 (I have). You are limited on speed and time.
Next, again a #27 battery either Walmart or AGM but remember you need the charger for the AGM. Still use an Endura C but bigger like 40 to 55.
All sorts of power and a good day worth of juice if used wisely
Last: A #27 AGM or a wheel chair battery and a Maximizer motor in 40 to 55.
TD, company's do use bigger holes, but they know where to put them and why. Not sure Dave would warranty that frame anymore. There are other options.
The frameless models will make you think outside the drill.
BUT, again, your boat...do what you want.
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I prefer a AGM 24 not as heavy or big as a 27, I have used both the Costco marine 27 battery, and a good quality AGM 24. Yes more money, but a better battery. The AGM I have last's longer then my Costco 27 on the water.
Granted the variable speeds are a little more money, we got ours on sale for around 140.00, might find a Minn Kota 30 5 speed on sale for around 90.00. The variable speed Minn Kota with digital maximizer are a bit more spendy.
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I've been using a SAMs club 27 battery deep cycle and I really like this one. It doesn't last all day but I never get to stay past 1:00 so it works for me. That motor is really interesting I figured they would be more expensive. I'll have to look into them. Thanks for the tip. J
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