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Can You Put A Trolling Motor On A Kayak

Over the past few years, kayaks have gained popularity. Once used strictly for going down rapids, they are now being widely used for fishing. In fact, you can use a kayak in a pond, stream or river.

In addition, people have started to successfully mount trolling motors to their kayaks. This combination of trolling motor and kayak will take your fishing to the next level. A kayak with a trolling motor will be much cheaper than a typical bass boat, and you still have the ability to paddle out to deeper water and not be stuck at the shoreline. This will also save your arms from paddling and let you go faster. So yes, you can put a trolling motor on your kayak.

Can You Put A Trolling Motor On A Kayak

Can You Put A Trolling Motor On A Kayak

Will a trolling motor fit on my kayak?

The first thing you will need to check if you are serious about mounting a trolling motor, is if your kayak you are has the mounts on it . Mounting a trolling motor can be easy, but you must make sure that the motor will have room to clear the kayak.  You can use 2 poles to mount the motor. As long as you have the right holes in your kayak, you can mount a motor with ease, and it will take only a few hours to do. You can easily test it because trolling motors are not water cooled. You will hook up the motor to the battery and turn it on. Do not drill any holes into your kayak just to make it fit. That is a job for a ship builder or someone with boat building experience.

Battery Usage

When deciding whether to mount a motor on your kayak, another consideration is what type of battery you might need, and how long you can actually run your trolling motor with it. Trolling motors use a 12-volt battery, with around 35 amps. It is crucial that you purchase a marine battery, and not a normal car battery. The reason for this is that car batteries are designed to turn the motor over and that’s it. A trolling motor is going to require a deep charge battery. Another essential will be a watertight battery box that will keep your battery dry in case water does get in; this is especially useful if you were to fall out of your kayak and it flipped upside down in the water. There are some battery boxes that include extra features like a place to plug in a charger for your phone. The longevity of a battery really depends on how fast you go and how long you are using it. Here is a breakdown of the

  • Full throttle, Speed 5: You can bet that you will get about 2 hours of run time for full throttle no breaks.
  • Speed 4: You should average about 4 hours of run time.
  • Speed 3: You should average about 8 hours of run time.
  • Speed 2: About 12 hours of run time.
  • Speed 1: About 16 hours of run time.

Can you legally add a trolling motor?

Yes, you can legally add a trolling motor to your kayak, just like you would to any other boat. Keep in mind that you must still follow all the normal boat safety laws. Just because it is a kayak, does not mean that you are not responsible for all boating laws because its smaller and a one person craft. Usually It is not necessary to show proof of ownership like DMV registration unless your boat is bigger than 12-14 feet, and has an outboard motor of 10HP or more. However, you should always check with your state agency with regards to laws since they can vary from state to state. This could mean that typically you do not have to pay registration, and do not need to have a sticker on the side of your kayak. Make sure to also check for regulations regarding using the kayak in freshwater versus the ocean.

Is It Safe To Use A Trolling Motor On A Kayak?

Even though some kayaks are all made differently, they are pretty safe to be on the water with a trolling motor attached. There is a big difference though between a flat bottom kayak and a rounded, V shaped kayak. If you are planning on using the kayak primarily for fishing, is a very good idea to get a flat bottom boat. This will help to keep you from rolling out of it while you are reeling in a big fish on the line If you are new to using a kayak, it is a good idea to take it to a pond and test it out first, before you go add a motor and head out fishing.

How Fast Can You Go?

The key to thinking about trolling motors, is that you should think about the thrust first, and not really the speed. There are a variety of motors with different models of thrust. One model is the 30-pound thrust motor, and the other is a 55-pound thrust motor. Both of these are very common for almost all trolling motors. The maximum speed of a trolling motor is designed to top-out at a speed of 5 mph. The reason for this is because of the thrust. Remember that he bigger your boat, the more thrust you will need to move it at 5 mph. It is very important to remember that even though you are in a kayak, you do not torque the throttle down, and just stay at a safe speed for fishing. Faster is not always better, so when looking to mount a trolling motor on to your kayak, a 30-pound thrust motor should be more than sufficient to meet your needs unless you have loaded your kayak down with heavy gear.

Conclusion

Kayaks are popular boating choices and can be used for fishing in freshwater as well as the ocean. If you are looking to get a little more power out of your kayak, it is possible to add a trolling motor . Make sure to follow local regulations and you will take your kayaking to the next level.

When Should You Carry Arrows In The Nocked Position?

Archery and bowhunting can be a fun sport, but it can also be dangerous. You don’t hear about bow accidents as much as gun accidents, but they can happen. In this article, we are going to look at one way they can happen, and that is carrying an arrow nocked. We are going to talk about what this is. Then, we are going to answer the question when should you carry arrows in the nocked position.

When should you carry arrows in the nocked position

When should you carry arrows in the nocked position

What is nocked

Before going into the answer to the question, it is important first to know what a nocked arrow is. The nock is a part of the arrow. It is the little plastic piece on the end. When an arrow is in the nocked position, it means that it is attached to the string of the bow. The bow does not have to be drawn for the arrow to be considered nocked.

How to nock an arrow

It is important to know how to nock an arrow properly. It is pretty simple as bows are made to show you where to nock the arrow. All you do to nock an arrow is hold the arrow between your index finger and thumb. Use your other hand to hold the bow parallel to the ground with the string towards the body. Then rest the arrow on the bow’s arrow rest. Align the cock father up, which is normally the one that is a different color, and then align the slot in the nock with the string. After that, just pull the arrow back until the string locks into the nock making the arrow ready to fire.

Nocked arrow

Nocked arrow

When to carry a nocked arrow

So, now we can get to the question of when should you carry arrows in the nocked position? The only time you should carry an arrow this way is if you are approaching game cautiously. You should also make sure no one is in front of you. It doesn’t matter if the bow is drawn or not. If you are carrying a drawn bow with a nocked arrow, then you need to be extra cautious. You don’t want to shoot yourself or someone else.

If you are not slowly approaching the game, then you should not be carrying a nocked arrow. Following proper bow safety is important. If you are experienced or hunting alone, then you can get away with carrying a nocked arrow. Also, carrying a nocked arrow on a hand-drawn bow is a lot safer than on a crossbow. That is because crossbows are cocked as soon as the arrow is loaded. If hunting with a crossbow only carry a nocked arrow if you are going to shoot at the game soon.

Conclusion

The question of when should you carry arrows in the nocked position is a really easy one to answer. It doesn’t take a lot of explanation to tell you to only carry it when about to shoot some game and only if no one is in front of you. Following bow safety, while hunting is important as bow and arrows are dangerous weapons. You may not hear about bow accidents as much as gun accidents, but that doesn’t mean that bows can not cause you harm. They can, and that is why it is important to use them responsibly and to not carry a nocked arrow unless you are about to fire it, even if the bow is not drawn.

Is Spring Water Safe To Drink And How To Determine If Safe

Have you ever been out hiking and came across a spring and wondered if it was safe to drink from?

Well, the answer is it depends. After reading this article you will have a better understanding on what makes spring water safe to drink and how to determine if the spring you found is safe to drink from.

Water is always safe to drink if you boil it, but sometimes you don’t want to have to take the time to do that, so learn these tips, and you will be able to determine if the water is safe or not.

Is Spring Water Safe To Drink And How To Determine If Safe

Is Spring Water Safe To Drink And How To Determine If Safe

Spring Water

What is spring water? Well, spring water is water that comes out of the ground. It can come from a cave and flow out like a creek or it can just seep thru cracks in the rocks on the side of a cliff. Pretty much any water that appears to be coming out of the ground is considered spring water.

How is it safe?

The reason spring water has the potential to be safe to drink without boiling or filtering is because the earth filters it as it flows thru the ground. The dirt and rocks catch particles that could be in it and traps them, so then once the water reaches the surface it doesn’t have much in it. Also, since it is flowing under the ground and isn’t exposed to the surface it has a lower chance of having human or animal pollutants in it.

Where are springs?

Springs can be found anywhere.

Normally they are found in areas with surface rock, and it helps if the rock is a karst type.

Karst rock can be ate away by the water which allows it to escape from the surface.

Sometimes springs can be right beside roads though, and they don’t just have to be in the middle of the woods. Springs in woods are normally prettier though and safer to drink from. Springs tend to have really clear and fresh water.

How to Determine if safe?

How to Determine if safe

How to Determine if safe

So now that you have a better understanding of what spring water is and why it might be safe to drink fresh from the earth, we can get into some information to help determine if it is safe.

The first thing when considering if you should drink water without boiling is if it is flowing. You never want to drink water that is stagnant or just sitting around. Water that is sitting and not flowing can grow bacteria and have other harmful things in it. For water that is fresh it must be flowing.

Secondly you need to find where it is flowing from. If you come across a creek or stream and think it is spring water, then you need to confirm this before drinking it. The best way to do that is to follow the stream up to where it is coming from and see if you can find the source. If the source can not be found, then it would probably be better to boil the water, even if it looks clean.

The next thing after making sure the water is flowing and finding the source is smelling the water. If the water has an odd scent to it, then it should not be drunk. Some areas are high in minerals that can make you sick.

One such mineral is sulfur which smells like rotten eggs. If the water has an odd scent, then you should not drink from it. Another thing to consider is the area that you are in.

If you know the history of the area, and know that their were mines around, then it might be best to avoid drinking the water because it could be coming from a mine and the water might not actually be getting filtered by the earth.

Another thing that has to do with knowing the area is if it is an area with a lot of farm lands. If there is a lot of farm lands around, then farm chemicals such as pesticides might be getting into the water source.

Another form of contamination is animal waste, so if it is near farm lands, then you have to consider that too. To find water that is less likely to be contaminated by different surface problems you should find a spring source at as high of elevation as possible. By being at a higher elevation it is less likely for the contamination to have reached it because water always flows to the lowest point.

Another thing to do before drinking from a spring and to help you determine if it is safe or not is to look at the surrounding area. If you find signs of animals, such as tracks leading to the water, then chances are better that it is safe to drink. This isn’t always the case because animals tend to have stronger stomachs and immune to certain things, but it is a sign that should help. Also, you don’t have to worry about animal signs meaning that there is animal waste in the water because animals are smart enough not to leave waste near water that they are drinking.

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Conclusion

Spring water can be just as safe to drink as purified or boiled water. This is because it has been flowing under the ground, sometimes for hundreds of miles, and it has been naturally filtered.

The larger particles get trapped in the bigger rock and as it flows the smaller particles get trapped in the smaller rocks. Also, since it is below the surface it hasn’t have the chance to get polluted by surface contaminates.

You should still be cautious though with spring water and make sure that is what it is when you come across a stream or creek. The best thing to do is find the source, but if you can’t there are some things to consider.

Remember to make sure to find the highest source of water possible because water flows down, so if there are surface pollutants, they will not have got into the water. Also, consider the area so you can know if you have to worry about mine water or farm lands.

Another thing is to make sure the water has a good flow, so bacteria can not build up and consider the smell of the water to make sure it doesn’t have any noticeable odd odors. Lastly, look for signs of animals drinking from the water. If animals have been drinking from it, then it increases the chance of it being safe for you, especially if it passes the other test.

Now that you know these tips, you should be able to determine if spring water is safe to drink. When in doubt boil the water so you don’t get sick, but use these tips to eliminate doubt. Next time you are out in nature or hiking, you can determine if the spring water is safe, and if it is then enjoy a refreshing drink of earth made fresh water.