Easy Homemade Rudder

I have been looking for a decent transom TM mount to make a rudder since i got my boat. I had asked friends to ask friends etc. to try and find me an old dead TM. so i could just cut off the motor and head and use the mounting bracket, shaft. Well I ended up finding just the mounting bracket part on craigslist, it had just posted. called to make the deal on price and to meet. came home with an almost new Minnkota bracket that the guy had taken off to use the TM on a bow mount.

So heres what i came up with, stuff I had at home.

Roughly 30" of 3/4" pvc conduit
2- 2"x 1/4" SS bolts,poly nuts
small piece left over plywood from boat moddin
and 2 very large zip strips to run thru the shaft holes because i only had the 3/4"pipe and the holes are for 1 1/8





And there it is for now. I plan on getting a piece of aluminum or a piece of glassed balsa to replace the ply and the correct diameter shaft, preferably keep it plastic. So if any of ya have an old dead MinnKota TM with the composite shaft, i'd be interested in about 24"-28" piece of it.

Neat idea! 8)

just out of curiousity, what are you using the rudder for?

very innovative! :beer:

thats kinda new

I'm with you "ShadowWalker", whats the rudder for? #-o

ShadowWalker said:

just out of curiousity, what are you using the rudder for?

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Well since i only run a trolling motor (TM) I dont have an outboard motor on the back of my jon boat. which when trolling, the back will swing from side to side as you adjust trying to keep in a straight line. the rudder stops the side to side swing of the rear (stern) of the boat

Thanks Modder, I'm still learning.

My 16' rig used to do that (fishtail) slightly also when using the front tm. After getting the rear tm it hardly does it. Seems that since the MK tm has such a long profile to it, it tends to function as a rudder when I'm using the front tm now. I keep it in the vertical position and "set" on the centerline position where it won't move, unless I need to use it.

Actually, I have an old composite shaft for a minn kota.

WTL said:

Actually, I have an old composite shaft for a minn kota.

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SO what would it take to get it or a piece of it from ya?

Shipping charges for fedex. I think in the area of 10 bucks is what it would cost. I was fixing to throw it away anyways.

sounds good to me