Hello from Southeast Missouri

Being new to this site I just wanted to say how good it is that there is a place for us old airbags to visit with each other and swap information.  Thanks to those of you that maintain this site and the members that keep it interesting.  As the title says I'm from SE MO and I'm privleged to live in an area that has a multitude of waters in which to dip my 'toons.  I recently retired from my job as a Technology Coordinator at a small school district and am looking forward to spending lots of time fishing and floating. I purchased a CA Colorado XT toon last week and am in the process of doing some modifications.  First I fabricated a jackplate so I could mount my trolling motor in the center of the back rail (so its less likely to come into contact with the pontoons), I raised the seat 4" and installed a swivel to make it easier to  reach things and fish.
What I would like to do is secure the motor into a locked position (moving me straight ahead) and create some type of rudder to steer with. Has anyone tried to do this with any success. I look forward to any comments and suggestions, eespecially from any CA pontoon owners.

Thanks again for the site.
D Reese

Welcome to the forum. I'm sute someone will be along soon that knows an answer for that.

Welcome! You found a great group of guys.

Hello and welcome.

BigGreenPontoon51 wrote:Being new to this site I just wanted to say how good it is that there is a place for us old airbags to visit with each other and swap information.  Thanks to those of you that maintain this site and the members that keep it interesting.  As the title says I'm from SE MO and I'm privleged to live in an area that has a multitude of waters in which to dip my 'toons.  I recently retired from my job as a Technology Coordinator at a small school district and am looking forward to spending lots of time fishing and floating. I purchased a CA Colorado XT toon last week and am in the process of doing some modifications.  First I fabricated a jackplate so I could mount my trolling motor in the center of the back rail (so its less likely to come into contact with the pontoons), I raised the seat 4" and installed a swivel to make it easier to  reach things and fish.
What I would like to do is secure the motor into a locked position (moving me straight ahead) and create some type of rudder to steer with. Has anyone tried to do this with any success. I look forward to any comments and suggestions, eespecially from any CA pontoon owners.

Thanks again for the site.
D Reese

Easy there, Reese-y, with that whole "old" thing! LOL   
I'd like to see your rudder idea in action. Just about everything has been tried for powering pwrsonal inflatables. Fore and aft motor mounting, cable motor steering, rudders, etc. Some with success, some not so much so. A general consensus today has developed that steering with your fins is simplest and just as effective.
Other people deck over their pontoons and so get a more high and dry position. They seem to prefer a conventional rear mount, swiveling motor.
Also, google the terms "personal pontoon modifications" and "inflatable motor mounting" and and check out the images that result. All sorts of ideas will present themselves.

There is a group at bigfishtackle.com that is really into powering their toons and tubes. You might want to visit their ongoing discussion on the matter:

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Sounds like a good idea to me.

Welcome! Me and my bros help lower the average age of the site so nobody will think you are that old when they look at the average age.    

Part 2 --- More of what I've seen others doing...

Some people have the skills to separate the control head from a 40 range (or 55) lb thrust trolling motor
and attach it beside them. The motor and battery remain behind.
With that accomplished, you could then adapt a tiller extension or cable steering scheme to the motor head.
But probably the simplest set up I've seen is to add a swiveling SEAT to allow you to more easily access the motor while underway. Some guys add a piece of flex conduit to the motor control handle to make manipulating it even easier.
But whatever you do to arrange for motoring, consider it only an expedient method to arrive at the fishing grounds.
The next thing is to arrange for a foot deck suspended from the frame rails, a foot below the main seat. Once you've arrived at the fishing grounds, move from the main seat to THE FISHING/FOOT DECK for fishing. Then, your fins are used to move around the fishing area. It also moves the bulk of your body lower, so your less likely to be "sailed" by the wind. Here's how it looks:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
This not me, so thanks to whomever this is!

* 40 range and 55 lb thrust motors seem to be a
more commonly available with LONG SHAFT drive units. This is needed because your pontoon sits high above the water. And for the record, 40 lb range motors turn out to be more efficient than 55's. The latter are more powerful, but so little of the toon is actually in the water that less power is needed to achieve similar results. This reduced drag means the motor works less, so results in lower drain on your battery. Extended power cycle time, i.e., time under way, is increased.

Welcome aboard mister!
So just a few thoughts about powered toons...
I just recently sold my 9' Bronco. I had been modifying it for years. (it started life as an 8 footer)
I have had other toobs and toons as well over the years but this one I kept the longest and modified the most. Here are a few things I learned that may help you.

1) Perhaps the slickest (maybe not the easiest) ways to deal with controlling a motor that is mounted behind you is to change the mounting angle of the control head. I removed the head and rotated it 45 degrees clockwise. This puts the control head tiller off of your right shoulder while the power head points directly forward. Then I purchased an articulating tiller extension from Cabelas. After installing the extension I was able to have full steering and motor control right at my fingertips and did not need to turn around.

2) I experimented with hard mounting a Minn Kota Endura to my boat and used my rowing oars as steerage. Worked darn well, BUT..... Well let's just say that after working with tillers, rudders, daggerboards, remote controls for steering and power, blah, blah, blah,... I returned to plan A.

Now a few dynamics...

1) I have found that for the most part 36lb thrust is plenty for most toon set ups.
2) Longer toons seem to perform better under power. I like 9' for 36lbs of thrust
3) To maximize speed and agility,
  a) keep your toons fully inflated, and pressure balanced from one to the other.
  b) This is a tricky one, but extremely important, keep your weight centered along the midline as much as possible, and set your frame for and aft to balance the boat while under way. (full throttle).
After much experimenting I found with my boat that when I used the motor, (with the added weight of the motor and battery) that I had to mount my frame 2-3 inches more forward than without power, or my boat would sit bow high and plow under way. You can adjust this a bit with motor trim but you may still have to reposition your toons to get the best result.

Well I hope this helps...     bodfish

bodfish wrote:Welcome aboard mister!
So just a few thoughts about powered toons...
I just recently sold my 9' Bronco. I had been modifying it for years. (it started life as an 8 footer)
I have had other toobs and toons as well over the years but this one I kept the longest and modified the most. Here are a few things I learned that may help you.

1) Perhaps the slickest (maybe not the easiest) ways to deal with controlling a motor that is mounted behind you is to change the mounting angle of the control head. I removed the head and rotated it 45 degrees clockwise. This puts the control head tiller off of your right shoulder while the power head points directly forward. Then I purchased an articulating tiller extension from Cabelas. After installing the extension I was able to have full steering and motor control right at my fingertips and did not need to turn around.

2) I experimented with hard mounting a Minn Kota Endura to my boat and used my rowing oars as steerage. Worked darn well, BUT..... Well let's just say that after working with tillers, rudders, daggerboards, remote controls for steering and power, blah, blah, blah,... I returned to plan A.

Now a few dynamics...

1) I have found that for the most part 36lb thrust is plenty for most toon set ups.
2) Longer toons seem to perform better under power. I like 9' for 36lbs of thrust
3) To maximize speed and agility,
  a) keep your toons fully inflated, and pressure balanced from one to the other.
  b) This is a tricky one, but extremely important, keep your weight centered along the midline as much as possible, and set your frame for and aft to balance the boat while under way. (full throttle).
After much experimenting I found with my boat that when I used the motor, (with the added weight of the motor and battery) that I had to mount my frame 2-3 inches more forward than without power, or my boat would sit bow high and plow under way. You can adjust this a bit with motor trim but you may still have to reposition your toons to get the best result.

Well I hope this helps...     bodfish

Dunno about him, but this is awesome!

First off, welcome bgp! I have the same toon as you. Lots of good info here. I thought about this problem myself a while back. Ive seen some toons where they fashioned a cable system attached to the trolling motor. They cut a few blocks of wood, for guiding the cable, turning the tiller etc. But it would be a hassle to put together. Its bad enough for those of use who already have to put their toons together at the lake.

What ive done in the past is just use my feet, or the oars as rudders to steer. I didnt raise my seat, just put a swivel mount. If you find a solution, let us know!

Welcome to the jungle!  I see that some members have already chimed in with some help and suggestions for you! You found a great place!

Welcome BigGreenPontoon,

this place is awesome, great peeps that are full of knowledge    

Tony G

Welcome to the site. As you can see, their's a lot to be said.........Ya some of us are ole guys, but as the T-shirt says"Ole Guys Rule".

Ya you can give a shout out to Jeff, he's the guru that keeps this place hum-min and of course, all the members.

welcome aboard