07-14-2010, 11:09 AM
[cool][#0000ff]As I have posted, I have been experimenting with different motor mount frame designs for my recently "powered" Fat Cat. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I originally bought and installed a small 33 amp/hour battery for the Endura 30 motor and fabbed a simple frame and motor mount. Worked fine. Then I added a couple of boat bumpers under the rear section of my tube, under the open compartment, to provide more floatation for a heavier battery...and I tried my 80 amp/hour series 24 battery. It also worked fine...leaving my tube sitting almost perfectly horizontal on the water with both battery and motor installed.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]This past week I codgertated on how to be able to utilize the big series 27 battery I already had. It puts out over 100 amp/hours but weighs in at over 50 pounds. It was a tough fit to get it inside the limited space behind the seat with the frame/mount I originally designed. So...I redesigned the frame and added two bigger boat bumpers...5" X 22". [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Yesterday I tried out the new setup for the first time on Utah Lake. Success. Again, the tube floats almost perfectly horizontal with both battery and motor attached. And the additional floatation more than offsets the added weight of the big battery. Even with my "ample" body weight and all the rods, tackle, sonar and small battery I take out I still floated high and had no problems with mobility by fin power alone. In fact, I actually did not use the motor much at all on that trip.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In the attached pictures you can see that my new frame is lower profile and designed to allow installation of any size battery...up to about 18" wide. The series 27 battery box is only about 16" so it fit with room to spare.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I originally bought and installed a small 33 amp/hour battery for the Endura 30 motor and fabbed a simple frame and motor mount. Worked fine. Then I added a couple of boat bumpers under the rear section of my tube, under the open compartment, to provide more floatation for a heavier battery...and I tried my 80 amp/hour series 24 battery. It also worked fine...leaving my tube sitting almost perfectly horizontal on the water with both battery and motor installed.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]This past week I codgertated on how to be able to utilize the big series 27 battery I already had. It puts out over 100 amp/hours but weighs in at over 50 pounds. It was a tough fit to get it inside the limited space behind the seat with the frame/mount I originally designed. So...I redesigned the frame and added two bigger boat bumpers...5" X 22". [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Yesterday I tried out the new setup for the first time on Utah Lake. Success. Again, the tube floats almost perfectly horizontal with both battery and motor attached. And the additional floatation more than offsets the added weight of the big battery. Even with my "ample" body weight and all the rods, tackle, sonar and small battery I take out I still floated high and had no problems with mobility by fin power alone. In fact, I actually did not use the motor much at all on that trip.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In the attached pictures you can see that my new frame is lower profile and designed to allow installation of any size battery...up to about 18" wide. The series 27 battery box is only about 16" so it fit with room to spare.[/#0000ff]
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