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That sounds like quite the project as 400 watts of solar panels on a canoe is a lot. As long as you had some sun, you'd never run out of power for a 50 or 55 lb trolling motor. And yes the price on Lithium batteries has come down. I see a lot of companies are now making 200 and 300 amp hour batteries. I still like the 100 amp hour Lithium battery due to its weight.

Thanks. If you have any questions about the canoe, just ask and I'll do my best to answer them. Overall I'm happy with the canoe and would buy it again.

Thanks, glad that you enjoyed it.

I've only ever discharged the lithium battery 30% while out fishing on day trips, so I haven't had the need to use solar while on the canoe. I have a solar system installed on my truck (setup video th-cam.com/video/wZsbYChb29c/w-d-xo.html) and also have a 600 watt inverter that I could use to power my Noco charger for charging the trolling motor battery if I'm out camping.

They recommend running the trolling motor 12" below the waterline and with the NewPort Kayak series, the deepest I could get it was 11", which is what I believe led to all the vibration issues. With the Minn Kota, it has a 36" long shaft so I have much more shaft length to play with - I do have it mounted with the top of the motor a little higher above the transom than I'd like, but I have to, otherwise the motor would be running 20+ inches below the water line and I run in pretty shallow water a fair bit. Given that you have a side mount, you'd definitely want at least a 30". I think that you'd run into vibration issues running a 24" long shaft as the motor wouldn't be far enough in the water.

Thanks! You spared me from the 24" experiment and finding out the hard way. Looks like 30" minimum is the way to go for a canoe.

100%. Always good to have a backup motor, even if it's an electric trolling motor.

This was a small river North of Sudbury. I normally don't do a lot of river fishing. In the fall my brother and I will fish the Ottawa River and do pretty good catching walleye.

Thanks. I've posted the links in the video description for the Garmin LiveScope Plus Lithium-ion Ice Fishing Bundle (PART NUMBER: 010-02690-35) and Summit Fishing Transducer Pole and Boat Mount that I bought.

It's made in North Bay, Ontario.

@@4wheelfishing ok I was interested in them. Wanted to make sure it wasn't Chinese.

No. It already has a back plate (plywood) on the transom for supporting the motor.

I added the Battery Box/Extension Cable build list/links into the video description.

Hi Steve, I actually haven't tried to drain the battery down to 0% state of charge yet using the Minn Kota. So far at trolling speeds (1.5 - 2.0 mph) and running for 3-4 hours, I only drew it down 30% (or 70% charge remaining) on the 100 Ah lithium battery. Without having tested the battery down to 0% state of charge, I would still be confident in saying that you should be able to get 8-10 hours of trolling with a 100 Ah lithium battery as technically you could run it down to 0% state of charge. I'd recommend a lithium battery over lead acid/AGM due to the ability to discharge it much lower, without damaging the battery. I bought an Amazon lithium battery, but if I were to do it over again, I'd probably go with a name brand such as Dakota or CanBat. They're not cheap, but those batteries come with a 10-year warranty vs. the 5 year warranty from the typical Amazon battery. Hope this helps you out with your decision.

Great information thank you Steve

And are you willing to share the exact battery you purchased?

So far the battery has held up. The only issue I had was last fall I was using it around freezing (0 degrees Celsius). It would make a "clicking" sound, once every few seconds. I was a bit concerned so I emailed the supplier and they wanted me to take it apart and inspect it...since the battery wasn't expanding, smoking or anything, I interpreted it as it doesn't like the cold, even though they claim it will work in down to -5 (C) temperatures. The model I bought is the SCREAM POWER LiFePO4 Battery 12V 100Ah. The Amazon reviews seem to be hit or miss.

Thank-you. Glad that you enjoyed it.

Thanks

Yeah during the day there was a fair bit of traffic...during the night it wasn't bad though.

This was about an hour north of Sudbury.

Thanks for the tip. I ended up throwing in the towel on this gas outboard. I bought a 50 lb Minn Kota Electric Trolling Motor and 100 amp hour lithium battery to replace it, and I'm very happy that I made that change.

Real "spaceman fog"! Thankfully it cleared up mid-morning.

My canoe only weighs 55 lbs and is 38" wide so it doesn't take much to push it through the water. I'd guess that your Jon boat is a bit heavier and wider, so would take more energy to move it? As long as you spend most of the time trolling and not going full blast with the trolling motor, you should get very good battery life. One thing that I've noticed is that the 50 lb thrust model draws less current than the 55 lb, but there's no real difference in top speed with my canoe. The 50 lb thrust model of the Endura Max has a maximum draw of 42 amps vs. the 55 lb thrust is 50 amps. At lower speeds the draw is less too. At first I was worried about going with the 50 instead of 55 lb thrust model, but now I'm glad that I did.

Actually during the speed testing I didn't adjust the trim. That's a very good idea. Next time I go out I'll do that and will report back.

Update - I adjusted the trim to various degrees and it did not improve the top end. In fact when I trimmed the motor too much, it decreased the top end speed.

I'm in Northern Ontario (Canada). I fish mainly around Greater Sudbury.

Yep, gotta love the stealthiness of the electric motor.

Minkotta 30 is what I have on my Sportspal.

Yeah it's a gravity fed fuel pump so I can see how that would happen. I've since switched to an electric trolling motor. No more "starting" or "stalling" issues.

I previously had a Helix 5 G2 portable, which came with a soft case. I was able to fit (barely) the Helix 7 into the same portable, soft case.

Generally I'm only fishing on day trips, so I believe that I should be okay as I can run the lithium battery all the way down to 10% state of charge without issue. If I do go camping, I have a solar system installed on my truck (setup video th-cam.com/video/wZsbYChb29c/w-d-xo.html) and also have a 600 watt inverter that I could use to power my noco charger, for charging the lithium battery. This weekend I'm going to play around with the depth of the trolling motor to see if I can get rid of the vibration. Apparently the vibration can be caused by either being "too deep" or "too shallow".

The swivel seats take a little bit of getting used to as they sit higher than the stock cloth seats, i.e. the centre of gravity is higher, so it makes the canoe a bit tippy. You just have to be mindful of that, but you get used to it pretty quickly.

At what depth (how many inches below the water line) do you run your trolling motor? I'm trying to figure out if I'm running mine too deep or too shallow, as this can be causing my vibration issue.

I run mine at least 12-18 inches below the waterline. Any shallow water I have it tilted or use paddles. I plan on quick release mounting my seats. And lowering the base, not to sit so high

@@volkshead18 Thanks for the feedback on your trolling motor setup. I tested mine today with a new 2 blade propeller (I installed it with the new shear pin, washer and lock nut that came with it), testing with the propeller just below the waterline, adjusting in 1" increments to all the way down (11" below the waterline) and it still vibrates at all depths. I reached out to Newport Vessels again with my findings. I'm thinking that it's either the Kayak Series doesn't have a long enough shaft for the Sportspal, or there could be a warp/defect in the propeller shaft. Once I get it figured out, I'll upload an update video.

Thanks. It was fun having that pike pull the canoe around. I just made the move to an electric trolling motor setup on my Sportspal. I'll be releasing a video over the next couple of days showing my setup and giving my initial thoughts.

Thanks for the tips. I bought a 55 lb thrust electric trolling motor and a 100 amp hour Lithium battery which I hope to test this weekend as a replacement to my small outboard. Saves me all the hassles of a gas outboard, however I know that the battery is the limiting factor. Based upon the current draw, at full speed the battery should last 2 hours. At trolling speeds, should last 5-6 hours. I'll be sure to review the electric setup and performance.

From Cabela's. It comes with both the base and quick release bracket for the seat. www.cabelas.ca/product/123053/bass-pro-shops-quick-release-seat-swivel

Yes the Cabela's seats that I installed are definitely higher than the stock seats, and make it a bit tippy. I find that you get used to it and I've never had an issue, especially with the Sportspal being so wide. I've actually only fished for Splake a handful of times during the winter (ice fishing) and haven't been able to figure them out. I'll have to try them in the fall as you suggest.

Okay thanks for the tip. I normally run Shell V-Power (non-ethanol, 91 octane) with Sta-bil 360 Marine fuel treatment.

I ordered the seats and swivel brackets from Cabelas when they had a sale and they were 40% off. Here's the seat, www.cabelas.ca/product/123431/bass-pro-shops-padded-folding-moulded-boat-seats The swivel bracket is www.cabelas.ca/product/123053/bass-pro-shops-quick-release-seat-swivel The seat takes a little bit of getting used to as they sit higher than the stock cloth seats, i.e. the centre of gravity is higher, so it makes the canoe a bit tippy. You just have to be mindful of that and you get used to it pretty quickly. I'd suggest glueing the bolts from the swivel (quick disconnect) that go into the bottom of the seat. Originally I didn't glue them and they became loose to the point that a buddy actually had the seat come off the base while he was sitting in it....luckily he fell backwards into the canoe and not overboard. I used JB Weld so that those bolts won't ever come out again.

Great thank you

100% Half the adventure is just getting there.

It's a small unnamed lake. NW of Sudbury.

Thanks, I'll have to check them out. So far the only issue I've had is one of the ribs in the bow came loose, but that wasn't hard to fix.

Thanks. It was fun to land without a big enough net. But managed to do it.

Rapala Rippin' Rap, Rapala Scatter Rap, Worm Harness and Swim Baits.

For this trip I was using a Rapala Rippin' Rap a lot as I was trolling. I "pop jig" it as I troll. I also had some luck trolling a Rapala original floater.

Greater Sudbury area, sometimes North Bay area too.

@@4wheelfishing not too far from where I’m from. Keep up the great videos.