Building transom for my Aquapod

D

David Stern

Active member
Off season project. I have a old 4hp with the weedgaurd prop (Slightly turned down) that I want to put on the back of my aquapod. The question is where should the prop be in proportion to the hull. I know in a regular boat the cav plate should be even or a little high to the bottom of the hull. Well, the shape of the aquapod is a not your normal boat hull. Plus the way the prop sits on the motor itself is abnormal. Any thoughts.
Also, what is the proper oil/gas mixture on the old Johnson?

Thanks
Sterny
 
Hi David. Can I assume that when you say that your "prop is turned down" you mean you have an older Johnson or Evindrude with what they called the Fisherman lower unit? Instead of the prop pointed dead aft, it is pointing downward at approx 30 degree angle? I've had several of those and found them to be great motors. They're not real fussy motors. You can run them with the motor tilted for long periods or in the fully down postion.

If it were me trying to match up an Aquapod and one of those motors, I'd put the Aquapod up on saw horses and make a mock up of the motor with 2 pieces of wood, one that represents the shaft and one that is joined to it to represent the prop coming out at an angle. At this point you have to make a guess as to where the waterline would be. By holding your mock up at the point where you think the prop will be 6" to 8" below the water will tell
about how high above the back deck you need the bracket to be. Then you find somebody to weld you up a decent "L" shaped frame with decent sized gussets between the upper and lower leg of the frame for support. If you make the bottom leg of the "L" long enough, you should be able to bolt it on without too much issue. I would also bolt on a piece of hardwood to the upper leg of the "L" for the motor to clamp to. Then as a safety measure, I would either bolt the motor to it or get a safety chain to go between the motor and mount in case it ever falls off.

John in Vt

PS, I allways ran a 50 to 1 mix on the motors I owned.
 
Great advice. So the 6" to 8" mark is what I am looking for? Is that the measurement at the hub or the top of the blade or the cav plate?
Sterny
 
Hi David. Working from memory here....which always a dangerous thing.....I'd say 6 to 8" to the top of the blade. Thats assuming of course that we're talking about a motor with the Fisherman lower unit and weedless prop. Is that what you've got?

John
 
Whooooa...a 4 hp on an Aquapod? My Momarsh is rated for a 2.5 HP max and it has a built in transom. I would seriously consider safety first before mounting a motor up high on a kayak. Just my 2 cents...it sounds like a bad idea.
 
Dave this is a transom I built for the 10' Aquapod I had. I put a 2.5 Johnson outboard on it and it scared the B-Jesus out of me. Motor was way to heavy and I didn't have an extention so the combined weight of me and the motor caused the boat to damn near submerge in the stern. Be care with that 4 hp motor. It has to weigh in almost twice the weight of the motor I had.

Take care,

Ed L.

View attachment pod2.JPG

View attachment pod2.JPG
 
You know, I got so caught up in the "how" to do something, I sorta forgot to consider the advisability of doing the thing. My friend that has an Aquapod had a 2.5 air cooled something or other on his, and it too ran with most of the stern underwater. A 4hp probably would be too heavy for that boat's stern.
John
 
Good advice guys. A couple of more facts. My Aquapod is a 12 footer, which puts more weight forward. Also, I do not know if it is a 4hp or 3hp. I forget. I plan on using this to push me and my dog or me and a friend in sheltered waters. I know of someone who runs a mudmotor on the back of their's, so I did not think twice about it. You have now given me some thought. I would not try this in the winter, I want to try this in the summer when the water is warm. Putting a tiller extention on should be easy. I just looked at my records and it is a 3hp Johnson. This should weight in at about 32 pounds. Is that too heavy?

Stern
 
I have seen this all over the hunting sites, guys putting transoms on their little marsh boats. I am just not a fan. I also do not support running a motor on the boat that is bigger than what the boat is rated for. No one wants to paddle miles against the current. If you want to go miles up river, take a boat that was built for a motor. I like little marsh boats. They have their place, like areas with no boat launch.

I truly believe that if most people would try a BBSB style boat they would quit trying to put motors on little marsh boats. A BBSB is low profile, easy to camo, built for a motor, and seaworthy. Just know the difference between a planing hull and and a displacement hull before you buy one. It does not matter how much you over-power the displacement hull, it is not going to be a planing hull. I live in IL and have never used a BBSB on "Big Water" but on the rivers, marshes, and potholes they work great as long as there is a boat launch. Just my opinions, and you know what the say about opinions.

On a side note, I bought Ed L's aqua pod and took the motor mount off when I got home. Have used the boat the last couple years on a lake and it works great just with a paddle.
 
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David-

I think you scratch the idea altogether and start looking for an airboat! The neighbors will love you and think how cool it will look parked on the upper east side of Manhattan!

Seriously, I like your idea, but think we can manage a safer alternative if it doesn't pan out.

John T.
 
John: Just another fun summer project. I was thinking of using it when we just wanted to launch from the bank. If we have the blinds in the marsh already, I thought we could just put put to the spot and be done. No ramp bs.

Stern
 
Jim D. I think you missed the point of what I wrote. I am not indicating an aqua pod is like a BBSB. I am trying to make the point that if some of these folks looking to hang a motor on the back of a little marsh boat would buy a BBSB, they would not be toying with putting a motor on the back of a swamp canoe. I do not live on the east coast and I am certain you have more experience with BBSB's. I have run plenty of miles on the river with 2 different BBSB style boats. I also have 2 aqua pods. There is no comparison. That was the point I was trying to make. Sorry I was not more clear in my post.
 
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Thanks guys. I will proceed with caution. Is it the hp that is a concern or all of weight in the stern? This is a 12 ft pod and I would be putting a tiller extention on it. If it is the HP that is of concern than what would a 44# thrust electric convert into for hp?
Stern
 
Not sure about the answer to the trolling motor HP question but I like the idea better.

The electric motor is going to require a (heavy) battery that you can shift forward however you need to balance the load.

Just my opinion but a 44 pounder ought to slide that little boat thru the water in a fairly brisk manner...at least on quiet water.
 
Been thinking about this since the thread started. I, personally, would NOT put a motor on an Aquapod. In fact, I wouldn't get INTO an aquapod. But then, that's just my humble opinion.
I had a customer who had one and took it out goose hunting, sitting amongst the decoys. The birds came in, swung to the side and the fella pulled the trigger twice....to the side and rolled the boat. He sold it the next day.

Another question, just in the lines of liability. Is the Aquapod RATED for a motor? If not, and you put one on it, and something happens......there's a big liability issue...beyond just the safety issue.

There was a fella in LSC who took a boat, rated for a 60hp and put a 90hp motor on it and loaned it to a friend of his. That friend hit the St. Clair River with it and lost control and one person died. The owner went over to the Sheriff's dept. to pick up his boat and was told that they couldn't release it since it was now EVIDENCE in the investigation (invol. manslaughter or whatever it was). Not a good thing.

I'm happy to see that there are others on the forum here who have had the same thoughts.
Lou
 
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Lou,

I have never had any trouble with the aquapods being tippy. Not saying you could not tip it over. I know that when we hunt with the boats pushed into the willows, they move back a foot or two everytime you pull the trigger. Out in open water we could probably blast our way across the lake.
 
I am one of the fools with a motor on my marsh rat. The motor is a 30# trolling motor. It pushes the boat as fast as I need to go. A 3 hp would be way too much. Also I only use the boat in very, very calm waters. The lake is totally protected and waves are very uncommon. IF there are any waves it is too windy to hunt anyway.

Liability won't be an issue with putting the 3 hp on your aquapod. Your family just won't have any one to sue after your funeral. 3 hp is just way, way too much. A lot of BBSB's are only rated for that much.
 
OK. I think you guys convinced me to drop the project. I just feel bad for this little 3hp sitting in the shed with no boat to push. Would it work at all as a backup for my snowgoose.Or is it too small. That is if I can get it down far enough on the transom. I think my snowgoose is a 20" and the little 3hp is a 15".

David
 
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