New trolling option...

[Go Aweigh2452]

Looks pretty neat!!! Anyone know about this gizmo?

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp;jsessionid=B4T4OHCM3BYZTTQSNOLSCOWOCJVYQI WE?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166&id=0036106018200a&navCount=3&podId=0036106&parentId=cat601319&navAction=push&catalogCode=IG&rid=&parentType=i&_requestid=104650

[SomeSailor]

I think a replacement EZ-troll would be easier :)

[bill2452]

I guess it's about time I posted something here, been registered and lurking for awhile. Here's something I posted over at BOC quite some time ago. It was a fun project and the thing still works! Let me know if you'd like more details.

http://p076.ezboard.com/fbocwebfrm26.showMessage?topicID=29.topic

Bill

[pkrogh]

Bill, that's a darn nice and neat unit. The issue is one I have just started to
consider and then here's a great solution!!

Thanks,
Pete

[SomeSailor]

I always though a hydraulic pump would be an easy way too. Nice because you could use a trim cylinder which are readily available and stainless.

How much did that linear actuator cost? Those are sweet gizmos. Looks like a neat installation.

[pkrogh]

Mike,
Are you thinking hydraulic like a simple two-cylinder steering rig? That might
be an interesting alternative.

Pete

[bill2452]

I got the actuator from Great Lakes Skipper, it was on eBay. I actually bought 2 cuz I didn't know if it would hold up in the wet location. It has plenty of torque and the neat thing about this particular ram is that the motor is built right into the end of the unit, not hung on the side like a lot of them. They had it advertised as a "12 volt lifting ram". The guy I talked to at Bennett had several reasons why using the existing pump for a hydraulic ram wasn't a great option. Something about the speeds would be different depending on direction/cylinder actuation length, been a long time ago and I don't remember the details. He asked me to call him and we talked at length, was very congenial, and we pretty much determined that I should take a different approach. This electric linear actuator is so simple and really mimics the KISS principle. There's no extra oil pump/cylinder/reservoir/oil/solenoids/hoses, you guys know what it would take to do this with hydraulics. I just went through my Pay Pal file and it looks like I paid $73.00 (that's definitely a bargain) for the ram. I bought it on auction, then bought another one outright for around the same amount.
Bill

[Randygh]

My kicker is a very heavy, old 9.9 Merc. long shaft. It runs like new and is mounted on a adjustable (manual) bracket on the transom. It's a real pain in the butt to reach over the transom's gunwhale, unlock the bracket and raise or lower the motor. Do you know the lifting capacity of the cylinder arm? From what I see I bet a could make a nifty lift using the ram arm, a small pulley and small cable.

[bill2452]

Dunno Randy, it has plenty of torque for my steering but I'd sure hate to stick my neck out and tell ya that it would work for your lifting application. I just don't think it's that beefy. The heavy duty Garlick mount that I have works pretty well with a Yamaha 15/4 attached. Definitely agree with you that it's a pita to lean over and pick those things up, especially when it's raining and your belly gets soaked!
Bill

[SomeSailor]

We saw a really slick lifting trolling mount at the boat show this year. It was a hydraulic unit that used a small hydraulic ram underneath.

Bill; Do those actuators seal against water? I wonder if you could enclose it in a shock boot or something to keep the salt out?

You need to interface it to a flux gate compass now. :)

I must admit that once I fished on a boat that had autopilot... it'll always be on my short list of cool gadgets. :)

[Go Aweigh2452]

ya mean like Spud's?

[SomeSailor]

Yeppers.

That was sweetest gadget for trolling. You just get the trolling motor(s) started, engage the autopilot... and then make corrections as needed with the +/- key. It takes ALL the stress out of trolling. Just sit around and wait for the fish to show up. :)

Also... I think since you're holding such a straight line, other fisherman see you so much further out and avoid you. I found we were steering to avoid other boats a lot less. You could pick a line through the crowd from a mile or two out and off ya go.

Spud has a fishin' machine in Fish Tales. :D

[Numbknots]

Randy,

Ditto on the PNA of lifting/lowering the 9.9 merc. I have the LS bigfoot 99 vintage on (what looks like the same lift/mount that you have Bill. I bought my 99 trophy with a 125 main motor and the kicker already on. It I put an EZ steer on it so at least trolling I could steer from the helm. I use the boat for Diving and it is not only worthless but unsafe to have the trolling motor this way as I can not shut it off or shift it without leaning over the transom. I was with SS at the show when we came on the "Easy Lift" sold by IMC "Island marine Center". http://yachtworld.com/leaving_yw.cgi?url=http://imceasylift.com
It was well built and looked to be a good solution for the lifting part of the problem. I am looking into the remote steering/ shifting controls for the 9.9 as well.

Sure looks like you are onto something good with the linear ram (especially I like the built in motor)

SS, closed on the sale of the house so I am getting a lot closer to getting that "Miller setup". sure is hard making the decision to outfit my shop with a vertical mill, metal lathe, Tig engine, bead blast cabinet and 4 post car lift ----or---- start on the office addition to the house????????????????

Don't know but I better get to ordering before the Admiral has all new furniture, carpet, drapes and invites the kids to a vacation in the Caribean.

Tim

[bill2452]

Mike,
I don't know how good the ram is sealed. I use it in the briny about a month out of the year, the rest of the time i'm in fresh water and it hasn't failed me yet. I've thought about the fluxgate but that's as far as I ever got! Here's what some of the guys with the bucks are using around here:
http://www.nautamatic.com/ the TR1 Gold is the one for the trolling motor.
It's a really slick setup. You can get it wired or for more $$$$ they'll sell you wireless. I think the low priced one is around $2k. It uses a small hydraulic pump and ram and clamps to the lower unit of the outboard. The comments I've heard are nothing but positive. If I had lots of extra change I'd take the plunge. Went down to the boat over the weekend and my dock neighbor has a new one he got for xmas,,,,,,,I'm jealous.
Bill

[SomeSailor]

Reading a flux compass from a Stamp chip would be easy. You could build your own kicker autopilot then, since you've already done the hard part. Sounds like you're pretty electronics savvy... check out parallax.com for some ideas. They're slick little computers on a chip and there are all sorts of modules you can add on (flux gate, gyro or GPS). They'll read NMEA data streams as well. You could run it from a handheld GPS. :D

[bill2452]

I didn't see the salmon magnet interface module :roll:
Bill

[Randygh]

I'm planning a fishin' trip to Lake Chelan the last weekend in Feb. and I'm still thinking about building a lift for the kicker. The one listed above looks great, but I can't put out 17 boat dollars until the last child is done with college. :cry:

What I'm thinking is this: I would like to mount a small electric winch that has forward/reverse on the inside of my transom. I'd run a small cable from the winch to a pulley mounted to a bracket inside the boat. The pulley would be well above the height of the kicker mount when it is raised. I'd drill a small hole at an angle with a metal guide or small wheel through the transom to feed the cable to the mounting bracket. A clam shell would be mounted over the small hole through the transom. I would wire the winch to a remote control electric switch. Don't need wireless. Any ideas where I can get a small electric winch? I looked on ebay and they are all too big.

By having the winch inside the boat only the cable would be exposed to the elements.

I have an EZ steer and it works great.

[bill2452]

Randy,
That's a cool idea. No idea where you'd find a small winch but wouldn't the motor have to be ignition protected? Sorry to be the pessimist :(
Bill

[SomeSailor]

Now were talkin fun shadetree cypherin' stuff...

Since sparks are a problem... how about a Harbor Freight winch... pulling against a spring? Mount the winch outside and pull against the spring.

$39.99 (it's smaller than it looks too)

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/43300-43399/43331.gif

[bradvo]

Trolling option was subject, thought this was a new down rigger for those big fish in Chelan :lol:
Brad

[SomeSailor]

It's those Lakers Randy now has the secret sauce recipe for :)

[Randygh]

Today I purchased a 1,500#, forward/reverse remote switch winch on ebay today.
http://cgi.ebay.com/PORTABLE-ELECTRIC-WINCH-1500LBS-NEW_W0QQitemZ4435885468QQcategoryZ632QQssPageNameZ WDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It is new and made in China. Winch=$25.00, shipping $38.00. The motor appears to be sealed. I'm sure it is not the quality of Warn but it should work fine for my occassional usage of raising/lowering my kicker. I checked out my bilge and transom, it looks like it will be a fairly straightforward procedure to mount the motor on the transom, run the cable up to a stout pulley and then back down through the transom to the kicker mount.

When I told the Admiral my plans, she gave me the rolled eyes and said "it'll look like a white trash setup." When I told her I can build a hoist that will save my back for <1 boat unit, she just grunted. I think it was a grunt of approval.

[Fred P]

You must be talking 1/10 of a boat unit. Or are east side boat units smaller than west side boat units. One boat unit = $1,000.00. It is ez-er to sell a 1/10 of a boat unit, than one boat unit.

The lift sounds good. Gas, Diesel or electric is 100% efficient in place of the old back.

Fred P.....................

[bradvo]

You bought the winch cheaper then ya could have bought block and tackle, not bad. Grunt , grunt
Brad

[Randygh]

Fred--I agree that it sounds much better to say 1/10 vs. 1. :D The Admiral thinks a boat unit is $100.00 and I'm sure's heck not going to tell her any different.

[Fred P]

You got me thinking about the kicker steering. I had or have plans to build a link between the out drive and the kicker. Now you have me thinking about a linear actuator and steering by wire. It should only cost about a tenth of a boat unit. I hope you let us know how your's works.

Fred P...................

[Fred P]

Take a look at this http://cgi.ebay.com/Firgelli-6-Stroke-110lb-Force-Linear-Actuator_W0QQitemZ7584903645QQcategoryZ55826QQtcZp hotoQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I am still thinking and looking, but this looks cool. It would not take much to make it in to a steering unit.

Fred P.......................

[bill2452]

Fred,
I just read the entire description of that one you're looking at,,,,that's a cool unit. Wireless remotes, corrosion resistant, I really like the looks of that guy. Price is right too. Hope the stroke is long enough.
Bill

[Fred P]

I was thinking that a DPDT spring to center off on the end of a cord would work just fine. The one on ebay has a built in remote. If it is like the TV I would lose the remote. I can see it now: We are going to hit the ......... turn port. where is the remote? Has anyone seen the remote? You had it last. Turn PORT!!! Where is the remote?

Maybe it would be good thing to hang it on a string around my neck.

I think that I will think a little more before I start bidding. I do not think that it would take much of a stroke to work. 150# should turn a 15 hp OB.

Thank you all for the input.

Fred P.............

[Randygh]

My EZ steer arm works very well, but it sure would be nice to have a remote control throttle on the kicker. Anyone have any suggestions other than to purchase a throttle cable and lever?

I don't think a conventional throttle cable would work because my motor mount raises and lowers at least 12 inches. I'd need a huge loop of slack cable outside the transom.

[SomeSailor]

Nicest setup would be a stepper motor connected at the throttle and a wired or wireless connection. Would be a pretty simple device. You could use a rocker switch to bump RPM up or down.

[Randygh]

Mike--What is a stepper motor? My ol' Merc kicker has the typical rotating handle throttle on an arm that flexes at the motor.

[SomeSailor]

It's a small DC motor that "steps" through its range of motion based on the type of signal you supply it. You could even have one rigged in use with the linear actuator to drive the throttle to various servo positions for desired RPMs. Since the throttle itself is a very slight little arm, you could control one very easily.

[Randygh]

Now the next question: how would you attach the small stepper motor to the rod beneath the arm that runs from the handle grip to the gear where the arm flexes? Would you install small cogs on the rod and electric motor shaft and run a small chain? Or would you mount the motor elsewhere?

[SomeSailor]

Probably easiest under the cowl. It depends a lot on the action that you'd need.

There are a lot of robotics sites out there that sell actuators and servo motors. Simplest approach would be to use a STAMP controller. They are EASY to program and accept inputs from as simple as potentiometer or switch. They also have compass modules and even have GPS modules that plug right in... or you can feed data in from a existing gps. Fun to program too.

I have a couple and sit here and play with them on my laptop. Once they're programmed, they're stand-alone little computers on a chip.

Check their website out. www.parallax.com

[Randygh]

Today I installed the 12v winch to raise and lower my kicker motor. It is really kick-ass. Works perfectly.

I lined up the center of the wood the kicker mounts on, then marked the transom. The top 4" of my transom stick out about 1" more than the hull and where the two are joined is a horizontal bend in the fiberglass. I drilled a small hole in the fiberglass bend for the 3/16" cable and inserted a hard plastic grommet in the hole. Inside the boat, I mounted a pulley above and infront of the hole. The cable lines up almost perfectly straight with the pulley so there isn't friction where the cable goes through the hull. I mounted the winch, which weighs 12#, to the inside backing sheet for the kicker motor mount. The cable goes straight down from the pulley to the winch. The winch has a remote control up/down switch.

I attached a small spring to the locking mechanism on the kicker mount. The locking mechansim is notched and spring loaded to keep the lock engaged. I attached a stronger spring to hold the locking bar from engaging.

The cost of the project was limited to the winch and pulley. I already had all the necessary nuts and eye bolt. Total cost of the project=$75.00.

[SomeSailor]

Ingenuity strikes again... :)

Now ya gotta figure out how to steer it :)

[Randygh]

My EZ steer bar from the kicker to my outdrive works well. I like turning the outdrive when I turn the kicker because I think the boat is more responsive when the outdrive and kicker steer in synchrony. Now I just need a remote controlled throttle!!