I do just use the standard motor vice screws to hold it onto the fiberglass and hadn't had any damage for a couple years.
I do just stuff the batter center up in the cuddy, but I have plenty of stuff up there... and oar, extra cushions for when we beach, boat bumpers that I use to roll up beaches etc. So I'm actually setting the center up out of any sloshing water (which is minimal) and it's braced by all the other stuff so it's not banging and flailing on it's own. Works great. I stuff the motor up there as well if you hadn't thought of that.. you will want it out of the way in good wind. I put it in prop first then there's a swing maneuver that gets the handle in. The battery center goes in last.
I can send pics sometime if you can visualize the functional mess up there.
Transom flexes but hasn't cracked or anything in all the years I've motored. Your making me feel guilty enough to add in a slice of marine plywood (plastic) for protection but no, never had damage beyond that windy wild spin that ended up twisting/scraping/chipping that small piece that I still need to epoxy over.Awesome thanks for the info! I ended up getting a nice new 40# Minn Kota saltwater motor this afternoon. Also bought the Minn Kota power center battery holder and a 100 Ah Group 29 battery deep cycle marine lead acid battery. So I should be set for some long days out on the water sailing and trolling around!
Two questions for you:
-My transom is hollow and I have a hard time imagining that those clamps won't wreck it, even if I put some wood in between the planks to distribute the load. Do you know if your transom is hollow? Does it flex much? I can make it flex with just medium pressure from my hand.
-Have you capsized with your battery/motor up there? I'm pretty certain I'll be doing some capsizing over the summer and am afraid of the damage both to the cuddy and to the battery/motor...
Thanks!!
Hahah I have another friend telling me that I shouldn't go out without the Catalina Direct factory mount or else I will destroy my transom! Such different opinions. Well I'm going to take your route and go out today with a couple wood planks and the motor just sitting on the transom. Will report back.
Thanks for all the helpful advice!!
Likewise I have the same motor. Initially built a nice little box just inside the cuddy with wing nutted lid, circuit breaker, gauge showing the % of charge, and plug in the back of the cockpit close to the motor. Battery is the Odyssey 680, smallest size they make. Easy to handle at the expense of lower running time. Fine for about 80% of what I do, but it would be nice to have more juice for bigger lakes or windy days. I like the motor for the ability it gives to deal with traffic when docking or hoisting / lowering sails. I had slugs installed in my main (as well as reef points) so I can motor out with sail tied to the boom and do the rest while underway. Got a tiller tender which locks it in place so I can leave the helm. And on calm days I'm going to have a canopy made that could go across the boom for sun protection. Then I could do a lazy motor excursion. So the solution was to make provisions for a second 680 battery, run in series with the first. Now I have the capacity to run the Minkota at power level 2 for 2.5 hours before batteries in series show low charge on my gauge. That equated to 20% left on them as shown on my charging unit. If anybody's interested I could send some pics.......I have a Minkota 30, I keep the battery in the cubby and used heavy duty bumper cables which run from cubby to motor mounted on the transom. I used proper connections at the battery, and a plug at the motor. Simple and has been trouble free.
Barry
What I have in mind is a few lightweight (PVC?) transverse rods spanning the width of the boat that would support an also lightweight opaque fabric (white) and have grommets placed as needed to tie down to the two rear mooring cleats plus a few strategically drilled holes receiving the tie downs as needed. They could be small sized, the line doesn't have to be too thick. Run the canopy the length of the boom. As far as support goes, I currently use my Boomkicker to keep mast up while motoring. It's a bit springy so I'll clip to main halyard to the rear of boom and hoist up a bit. Then you can tighten down on the mainsheet and the boom becomes very solid indeed. I'll be relocating to St. Louis next year. Their mid-summers are super hot with dead winds. On those lazy days I would do slow motor trips around my medium sized lake and put up the canopy. Would not even plan on putting up the sails on days like that. And I have a nice swim ladder so I can drop anchor in the middle and jump in as needed. Adapt!!Hi Aqua - so on the canopy over the boom idea, what is holding the boom horizontal under that weight? Thanks!
Hi Emerald Isle Sailor,Just bought a 14.2 Capri and planning to add a Newport vessel kayak series 36 lbs. trust engine on it. the shaft is 24". Is that enough or should I go for a 30"?
Thanks for the replies.
Chris
I know this is a fairly older post but hopefully it is still active. I purchased a 1085 mod 1 last year for freshwater lake. The boat ramp is really hard to launch a sail boat from so I wanted to add the Minn Kota 30 as suggest. What size shaft should i consider? Also since i have a hollow tanscom any recommendations on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated. Think about adding a solar panel for recharging also. Anyone done this? TIA2 hp would be more than adequate for the 14.2 . heck, you could probably ski behind thatI'm not familiar with the particular motor you mention, but weight is a always a concideration on a boat this light. it's so easy to move through the water that even the smallest motor will propel it very well. I'm not a fan of any gas powered units for the Capri however, due to the vibration imparted on the light weight, and generally hollow, transom, the hassle and pollution factor of the fuel, the weight, etc. If you plan to do a LOT of motoring, then the gas may be best for you, but in most cases you'll just use it a couple minutes each day to get on and off the dock, wile the rest of the day you're just dragging it along with you for the ride, so smaller and lighter is almost always better. For my money, we picked up a lightly used MinnKota 30 for $50.00 and an Odyssey pc680 battery. the Odyssey is fully sealed and could be mounted upside down without leaking or negatively affecting it in any way. I did have one occasion to need it to get us back to the dock from far across the lake last summer, and it made the 2-2.5 mile voyage to within a few hundred feet of the dock before it began seriously slowing down due to low charge. those batteries are made to be drawn down over and over again, so it's no worse for wear after a quick recharge.
.02
Russ
I know this is a fairly older post but hopefully it is still active. I purchased a 1085 mod 1 last year for freshwater lake. The boat ramp is really hard to launch a sail boat from so I wanted to add the Minn Kota 30 as suggest. What size shaft should i consider? Also since i have a hollow tanscom any recommendations on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated. Think about adding a solar panel for recharging also. Anyone done this? TIA
I have this exact motor as well - we don't go very fast but with a tiller tamer I can confidently hoist my own sails into the wind. I have a Catalina direct factory motor mount, and felt it needed plywood reinforcement. I also felt that I needed a sturdy place to store my sailing juice. 2 birds, one transom reinforcement beer holder.Amazon.com : Minn Kota Endura C2 30 Freshwater Transom Mounted Trolling Motor (30" Shaft) : Electric Trolling Motors : Sports & Outdoors
Amazon.com : Minn Kota Endura C2 30 Freshwater Transom Mounted Trolling Motor (30" Shaft) : Electric Trolling Motors : Sports & Outdoorswww.amazon.com
Style: Endura C2 30
That's the one I bought years ago and it's still happy. Listing says 30" shaft.
Re: ladder on Capri 14.2. There is no need to cut port holes, or access holes, in a Capri Inorder to add a ladder. It can be done by simply by bolting thru, using expanding foam, and bracing plates. The less holes the better, and the smaller holes the better.
Bdh333
Great idea! I just purchased the same mount for a Mod 2 (yr2000). My mount from CD has 3/ea side (total 6) bolts for the transom. I noticed you only have 2/ea side? Did you mount have 6 bolts for the transom?I have this exact motor as well - we don't go very fast but with a tiller tamer I can confidently hoist my own sails into the wind. I have a Catalina direct factory motor mount, and felt it needed plywood reinforcement. I also felt that I needed a sturdy place to store my sailing juice. 2 birds, one transom reinforcement beer holder.View attachment 38244
Thanks!2000 would be Mod 3.