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Motor mount for Scadden Predator

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3K views 20 replies 16 participants last post by  Ron McNeal 
#1 ·
Last week Roper was kind enough to pick up my new Predator in Bellingham and haul it over to his ranch in Oroville for me. After returning home I put the boat together and started rigging it to my satisfaction. There were some warts but I corrected them and turned my attention to a motor mount. Scadden sells one for $149 but my impression of it was that with the straps pulled across the boat it had elements of the OHSA cowboy about it-not a very neat installation. I designed a mount that fits the boat more precisely and attaches with two NRS cam lock straps that are completely out of the way. It is hell for stout being made out of Baltic birch with maple cross pieces. Inset with dados, glue and screws it is strong enough for me to stand on yet weighs only 2# 10 oz.

I found the little cooler chest that does triple duty as a battery box, cooler or with the plastic bucket removed works as a gear bag. I built a frame that fits tightly in the bottom that holds the 35 amp hour wheel chair battery in place. Again, I priced bags that were custom built for frameless pontoons and as you can imagine they were 60-80 dollars but this one for $19 matched the boat and fits perfectly. The shoulder strap is captured by the seat straps so it can't come loose or shift around.

In order to provide plenty of friction so the mount could never rotate around the boat I used 2 things that are easily obtained in many stores. Flex Seal is the stuff that is usually advertised as a gutter seal -you've seen the ads of the boat with the screen door bottom. The other thing is the soft perforated rubber shelf liner that keeps things from skidding around in RVs. I cut 3 pieces that just fit the crossbars of the motor mount, sprayed them on one side with Flex Seal then placed them on the crossbars. Once they dry they can't be peeled off and are super tacky. If your anchor mount, rod holders or Fishin'Buddy holster have a tendency to creep around your inflatable try gluing some of this stuff on the contact surfaces and they will stay where you put them.

I think I am going to like this boat. completely rigged with the carbon fiber oars, anchor mount, seat, stripping apron, 2 strap on pockets Fishin'Buddy holster, motor mount and battery box it still weighs just 24#. That is less than half the weight of the pontoon boat I have. I bought an electric pump that fills the bladders quickly to about 1# and made a bayonet fitting that locks in the valve so filling is hands free. A few pumps at the end brings the boat to the correct pressure. After all these years of blowing up boats I finally bought a gauge so now I am getting it right the first time.

Now it' time to go fishing, hopefully some reports to follow.
 

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#4 ·
I'm assuming you turned the head around on the motor so you are pulling yourself around? Also, do you have a handle extension? This will allow you to control the speed and direction without having to turn around and reach behind you. I added a 1/2" drive universal joint to mine. This allows it to be off to the side at a angle and still control the motor.
 
#8 ·
I put the boat and new motor mount through it's paces today and it was just flawless. I have the motor set to pull the boat, I just lock it in position, turn it on and steer with the oars. Only slight outward pressure is needed on the oars to make steering corrections. It is pretty fast on high!

I quickly got to the far end of the lake, anchored up and caught fish for several hours. In the immortal words of George W. Bush-Mission Accomplished. In this case it actually was.
 
#17 ·
I don't know how Iveoflone created the curves, but here is how I plan to do it. You can get a thing that is a piece of lead bar encased in plastic. You can bend it around a surface. When you remove it, it retains the shape. You can then trace the shape onto a work-piece or template. There are also fancier, more stable devices that do the same thing.

I imagine he wants to go backwards so he can troll with it. It might track better that way too.
 
#14 ·
Ive, masterful work! The engineering and design is most impressive, the compound radius on the back of the raft is not an easy thing to match. I'm sure you spent a fair amount of time on the mockups. I have made several motor mounts for different rafts, always with C-Board, and while they have worked very well, they pale in comparison. Easily the finest design and piece of work I have ever seen!
 
#19 ·
Dry Magic, I sure did! Two slits 1/8" wide x 1'' long and 6'' between centers as close to the inflated bladder as possible. If you read Scadden's instructions for attaching straps he recommends running the straps through the two small drain holes Those holes are 4'' away from where they optimally should be. I have been involved with well engineered products since I was 18-59 years now-and can't recall a more bogus piece of advice. Using the holes provided is certain to rip the fabric and won't allow sufficient tightening to support a motor with out slippage. On a $1,000+ boat the least I would expect is hot cut slots from the factory right at the fabric/bladder interface and grommeted slots should not be out of the question at that price point.

I like the boat and am not knocking it but after a career in R&D, prototyping and product development it is obvious that some engineering gaffes and oversights have taken place. It's kinda like getting a new Mercedes with black steel wheels and chrome hub caps.
 
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