Cordless Drill Propulsion

Have any of you made a propulsion unit out of a cordless drill and a trolling motor prop? If so, does it work well? Any issues with lake permits or launch fees?

I made one and works great never been stop for using it

By the way it work great with the Cumberland and with my pontoon its a lil harder to control

Interesting...can you post a pic?

Possibly useful for those times I feel lazy and have a long kick home against the wind...

I will try to get a pic up but its a rod 3 feet long (should have done 4 ft instead) with a pro from a trolling motor (you can get a walmart ) and a piece of 1/2 inch PVC pipe for holdingon to if need be plus it wont tear up your tube when it spins

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here are the picture not hard to make if you have the the tools

I finally used it Saturday night it works great.

Looks easy, what style and size drill motor did you use? Like Lithium 18 volt or...? Dewalt, Rigid, ...?

1/2 inch aluminum rod (for weight reasons)
18 volt dewalt 3 speed ( I use 2 second gear. 1st is to slow , 3rd kills battery real fast and is to fast)

Lithium-ion Battery?

what ever dewalt uses

ed5000x wrote:what ever dewalt uses

Older ones use nicad batteries and newer ones use Lithium Ion. The reason I asked is because lithium ion batteries are much stronger and last longer on a charge. I'm thinking they would be necessary to get the job done.

Ed made mine and it works killer! Lithium batteries are the way to go...

I never checked cause I have several battery's for my drill

ed5000x wrote:1/2 inch aluminum rod (for weight reasons)
18 volt dewalt 3 speed ( I use 2 second gear. 1st is to slow , 3rd kills battery real fast and is to fast)

Thanks for posting the pics.

About how long does a battery last?

There are 12V chargers for some drill batteries.

LOL I started thinking about making this prop, and having backup batteries, and charging back at the car, then bringing, a small 12v battery and charging the drill batteries on the water...

then I remembered that I have a beatup old trolling motor and a 12v battery in a waterproof case that I use for my kayak fish finder...I'd just have to find a way to mount the trolling motor on my float tube...maybe a PVC tube like for my FF, with a slit, and another, shorter section of tube with a slit that I zip tie in place to prevent the trolling motor from falling out the slit, on the right side of my float tube, and the battery in the area behind my seat...hmmm...

Interesting I too have an old trolling motor and was going to try to mess around with the tube and see what I can do to make it as hide as I possibly can

Just remember, in good old California anything with a motor attached is a vessel that must be registered. Also, you will be subject to launch fees in many lakes. Stupid, I know, but true just the same.

This drill contraption is a stealth way to accomplish the same thing.

fisheromen wrote:Just remember, in good old California anything with a motor attached is a vessel that must be registered.  Also, you will be subject to launch fees in many lakes. Stupid, I know, but true just the same.

This drill contraption is a stealth way to accomplish the same thing.

i agree

I would like to know how long these last as well.
Around here people are out on the water 5 to 7 hours normally and run a motor 98% of that time.
But I can see that on a tube space is limited.
I used a motor on my Caddis donut 25 or do years ago, but I used a smaller tube to hold the battery and the motor called a Power Float.
I ran a Minn Kota 28 and a Deep Cycle battery. It attached to the back of the tube and pulled me. Hardest part was that the two tubes had to be in at least 1 foot of water because of the motor, and getting in and out of a donut, then trying to put fins on was a challenge. The U tubes came out...Wooohooo.

My plan is to only use this for the long hauls or against strong winds or currents. For the most part I will still be kicking. I need the exercise! When not in use this unit will be in a bucket behind my seat.

I used mine to pull 2 other tubers back in, it's that strong.

fisheromen wrote:Just remember, in good old California anything with a motor attached is a vessel that must be registered.  Also, you will be subject to launch fees in many lakes. Stupid, I know, but true just the same.

This drill contraption is a stealth way to accomplish the same thing.

Yes, I know about the registration thing but I also don't know of anyone that's been popped for not having their CF # displayed and at least one person that was sorry they did register.

Places that I do don't have a lake patrol, probably one reason I don't fish Big Bear Lake...they don't allow me to fish before 6 a.m. because you have to wait until someone can inspect you and issue a permit.

I think one reason I don't mount a motor is because that will be one more thing to drag down to the water.

Still wondering how long one battery lasts

I'm wondering how "stealth" a 4 foot rod with a prop on it can be

"Obi-Wan: These aren't the droids you're looking for.
Stormtrooper: These aren't the droids we're looking for. "

I use mine when I got to go to the lil boys room and back to were I was pulling in the big fisheis

NulodPBall wrote:

fisheromen wrote:Just remember, in good old California anything with a motor attached is a vessel that must be registered.  Also, you will be subject to launch fees in many lakes. Stupid, I know, but true just the same.

This drill contraption is a stealth way to accomplish the same thing.

Yes, I know about the registration thing but I also don't know of anyone that's been popped for not having their CF # displayed and at least one person that was sorry they did register.

Places that I do don't have a lake patrol, probably one reason I don't fish Big Bear Lake...they don't allow me to fish before 6 a.m. because you have to wait until someone can inspect you and issue a permit.

I think one reason I don't mount a motor is because that will be one more thing to drag down to the water.

Still wondering how long one battery lasts

I'm wondering how "stealth" a 4 foot rod with a prop on it can be

"Obi-Wan: These aren't the droids you're looking for.
Stormtrooper: These aren't the droids we're looking for. "

Me too.
I live in the Rocky Mountains. You are required to license anything you put a motor (no matter how big of motor) on. Some still choose to NOT do this. But, I also know of ONE that got popped. Not cheap.
It is a written law, whether enforced or not, and will eventually catch up to you as motorizing tubes and toons are becoming more popular.
As for letters and numbers, they must be displayed in visual site just like a boat. A plastic plate about 20" by 4" works. A piece of vinyl house siding was my choice.

Renegade wrote:

NulodPBall wrote:

fisheromen wrote:Just remember, in good old California anything with a motor attached is a vessel that must be registered.  Also, you will be subject to launch fees in many lakes. Stupid, I know, but true just the same.

This drill contraption is a stealth way to accomplish the same thing.

Yes, I know about the registration thing but I also don't know of anyone that's been popped for not having their CF # displayed and at least one person that was sorry they did register.

Places that I do don't have a lake patrol, probably one reason I don't fish Big Bear Lake...they don't allow me to fish before 6 a.m. because you have to wait until someone can inspect you and issue a permit.

I think one reason I don't mount a motor is because that will be one more thing to drag down to the water.

Still wondering how long one battery lasts

I'm wondering how "stealth" a 4 foot rod with a prop on it can be

"Obi-Wan: These aren't the droids you're looking for.
Stormtrooper: These aren't the droids we're looking for. "

Me too.
I live in the Rocky Mountains.  You are required to license anything you put a motor (no matter how big of motor) on.   Some still choose to NOT do this.  But, I also know of ONE that got popped.  Not cheap.
It is a written law, whether enforced or not, and will eventually catch up to you as motorizing tubes and toons are becoming more popular.
...

True, but this is the CA DFG we're talking about...oh, sorry the CA DFW...they would rather spend several million dollars to have a politically correct name rather than properly research MILPA laws.

Not saying I'm advocating breaking any laws, but I've never been checked for a PFD, and I have friends that have paddled out to the oil islands in Long Beach without even being stopped for a stupidity check...FYI: that is the Pacific Ocean we're talking about...technically the city Lifeguards and the Coast Guard patrol that area.

Actually, the only time I've been stopped and checked were on lakes that you have to pay to fish on...the lakes that I avoid, except for LNL, LMV, and Cuyamaca...and then, they only cared about lake specific rules. LOL, one ranger wanted to make sure I was keeping all the trout I was hooking (fly fishing) and not throwing back the trash fish I was catching that theoretically had limits. They had actually quite a few other rules that he didn't bug me about.

The only time I ever see DFG/DFW around the water is at the docks...which if I'm float tubing I rarely see.

They used to patrol the sand in surf fishing areas but I haven't seen a report of a DFG encounter for a long while...and I wave at Harbor Patrol/Lifeguards when they go by.

Although I do believe there is Karma: A friend was telling me I should stop paying for entry to Lake Mission Viejo because all Summer and Spring long, they never checked me...not once, then after that comment, now that Summer is over, I have been checked every time...I think they are "listening" :PSeriously, I think the residents report to "Lake Compliance" 'cause I've seen the patrol boat zoom over with lights flashing to locations that there was no way they could put glass on.

Oh, and at night I do have a light on my hat, I have nav lights available, a strobe, a PFD, and now a PLB (not quite an EPIRB) plus a noisemaker...trust me, even with lights most boaters narrowly miss me until I say something...one woman thought I was a buoy.

Just sayin'