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[#0000FF]Welcome aboard. The Endura is probably the most popular motor for tubers and tooners. Reasonable price and good performance.
In your picture you are showing how the motor will arrive in the box. That will push your toon forward in the forward gears...which makes it difficult to steer. You will want to turn the head around 180 degrees as shown in the attached writeup. That will PULL you backwards in forward gears.
Some tooners decide they would rather go forward after all and set up their motor mounts in front of the seats. That works but it makes fishing more difficult and is potentially hazarous to your lower extremities if they come in contact with the prop.
About the 5 speeds. Those are achieved by rotating the control handle and feeling for the clicks. In the lower ranges there is no great noticeable difference. But when you shift to top speed there is a noticeable jump. The lower speeds are good for slow trolling, bottom bouncing or just slowly working your way to another location. Top speed is for getting a long way from where you start to where you want to be.
Come on back if you have additional questions.
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Thanks for the great reply!
So, here's my fishing set up. I fly fish out of my Southfork pontoon boat. I mainly troll using a full sinking line moving backwards by kicking with my fins. Using the trolling motor for this would be very, very limited, if at all.
Here's how I see using the motor, going forward to get from one location to another and heading back to shore. In view of this, would you still recommend turning the motor top around?
Thanks!
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[#0000FF]As with all things, it will be largely a matter of personal preference. Most tooners prefer the pulling backwards style...and steering with swim fins...hands free. Also, if you DO want to troll slowly...at low speeds...it is easier to do moving backward than forward.
The main reason most of us have a motor is for the long hauls...not routine fishing. So your intended use will be no different.
If you need to convince yourself, start by putting the motor on so that it moves you forward. Try that for a trip or two. Then remove the single connecting bolt, turn the head around and try it that way. It only takes a few minutes to make the change and it is not a permanent thing if you decide to go back.
Good luck. Let us know how you do and send us a couple of pictures when you get everything set up the way you want it.
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TubeDude is the Man when it comes to this stuff but if I may...
I started doing what you're talking about. Kicking backwards with fins slow trolling with a full sinking line. That is great and works wonders. However if you're on the water long enough (that is different for everybody) your trolling motor gets (I'm referring to your legs) tired and your fishing suffers.
AND you can troll faster with a motor than you ever could kick especially for extended periods. Little story: I was using my brand new motor in the limited fashion you describe you'll be using yours. I was not having any success so I was going to leave but the ramp was cluttered with people putting in/on the water. My sinking line was still in the water and so I turned up the motor to full speed and headed back out to where I wanted to be.
Well while at full speed and not yet to where I was going I caught a fish. That was a hard hit and a lot of fun. I immediately turned off the motor and landed that fish and went back to full speed and caught another fish. That went on until my battery ran out but by then the ramp was open and I went home the proud catcher of 17 large rainbows.
Now I have never done that well at that speed again but that day it made all the difference and I still turn it up all the way once in awhile. At least for a few minutes.
Get the motor, turn the head around, mount it on the back of your tune and once you learn how to use it you will be glad you did.
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You might be able to right an extra long pivoting extension handle to the troll motor tiller. Lots of DIY videos on u tube show how. Basically use a piece of radiator hose with a screw clamp tightened at the motor tiller and another screw clamp to a PVC reducer attached to a 2 ft length of 1 in. PVC handle. The hose acts like a universal joint with the stiffness controlled by hose length. You can control steering and speed with some practice while facing forward.
PM
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I have flipped the head on my motor and it works great. I can turn with my flippers and have hands free fishing. I added a trolling motor kill foot switch that I operate with my hand. Makes it easy to shut the motor off when playing a fish. The only time I need to use the motor handle is to change speeds. Really love this set up for fly fishing.
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Welcome aboard and may I say you have a popular boat.
Not to blow my own horn but I have been motoring Tubes and Pontoons long before anyone else here. From float tubes to just about every pontoon out there, I put a motor on it.
I am also a fly fisher.
I pretty much started the idea to turn the motor head around and use feet to steer.
BUT, I row to out of the way fishing spots then use the motor for smaller more subtle maneuvering.
You can troll with the motor and leaves you with much more hands free. Plus you can land the fish while still moving.
Extending the handle can be nice as well.
My preferred fishing boat is very hard to reach the motor so I have learned to use that.
One other thing, I found also as far as trolling, sometimes the oar strokes seem to trigger bites as well, so always have oars even with motor.
ONE MORE piece of advice, I put a removeable pin through the motorhead bolt, so I can turn the motor either way very quickly as we also use them on a boat.
All that is left is deep cycle battery and licensing...then FISH ON.
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as the motor has 5 speeds.
