Almarco pram question

[rh crank]

Has anyone experimented with a trolling motor/battery in an 8' pram. This would be for trout fishing on NorCal lakes not river stuff. Back problems keep me from rowing much anymore. I've yet to buy a motor but if familiar with these boats, the transom appears like it will require a plywood clamp adaption of some kind to position the motor correctly. More importantly, what would the effects of 80lbs in the stern of such a small craft be, suicide? Should the battery be midship instead? All new to me thanks, Shakelton

[tcorfey]

I have a 10' Olympian pram and have no issues with an electric motor. I put the battery mid ships. My electric motor is 45 lbs and the battery is around 50 lbs. However, lately I have been thinking of getting a small gas motor as the Mercury, Nissan type motors at 3.5 hp are just under 50 lbs and the Honda 2.5 motor is about 30 lbs. Looking at pictures on the web I see more people using small gas motors than electric motors so that caused me to rethink my propulsion. Those small boats react well to lowering the weight factor.

The bow mount electric motors are another option as they can be operated by a foot pedal or a key fob type device. Several guys place the foot pedal next to them on the seat and operate the foot pedal with their hand.

[Carl Blackledge]

11674
Has anyone experimented with a trolling motor/battery in an 8' pram. This would be for trout fishing on NorCal lakes not river stuff. Back problems keep me from rowing much anymore. I've yet to buy a motor but if familiar with these boats, the transom appears like it will require a plywood clamp adaption of some kind to position the motor correctly. More importantly, what would the effects of 80lbs in the stern of such a small craft be, suicide? Should the battery be midship instead? All new to me thanks, Shakelton

RH,

I have experimented very exclusivley with prams , electric motors and Gas motors on prams, On northern California and southern Oregon Rivers and lakes

I have several friends that have the pram you mention and all of them have finally converted to electric trolling motors, most of them have their battery in the rear of their pram and use 55 pound trolling motors. They seem to operate in rivers and lakes without difficulty.

I have a 8 foot Metalhead with a 55 pound thrust motor, however I chose to put my Battery (65 pounds) mid ship, When installing the battery mid ship you usually have to make a custom set of battery cables for the longer run. I think it's worth it.

On the transom just take the pram to the local welding shop and have a plate welded on, and or a brace. You could use plywood, however it's looks pretty funky.

For Motors I like the electric 55 pound thrust Minn Kota. I also have a brand new Yamaha 2-1/2 hp gas I use for commuting long distances from one hole to the next. For fighting big fish you can't beat the electric motor to take you in and out of harms way like underwater snags, other prams in your way and the bankies, the gas motor really sucks at that.

My opinion, spend whatever it takes to make you happy, a pram is almost part of the family and will let you catch more fish, and in some instances it's mandatory to have.

I hope something I posted here will help you?

Carl Blackledge

[rh crank]

guys, good stuff many thanks! I'm inspired to get moving and be ready for the opener.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Some 8 to 10 foot prams are fairly flat bottom with a straight transom for engines.

Some have lots of "rocker" at both ends for running rivers in moving water with oars.

The flatter ones like the Valco, Olympia, TP&L, Outback are better for lakes.

For lakes the bottom needs to be flat x flat like a sheet of plywood. Not real sex but super stable.

Ones with rocker at both ends don't go very fast with motors. Mostly the bow rises higher the faster you go.

Some prams have rolled sides like a canoe and are not stable for standing and casting.

Some prams are not very wide and they are unstable for standing and casting.

I have owned or been in most all types of prams.

We started selling the TP&L prams in the 1970s and we started fishing from them at that time in lakes and tide waters.

A good 8 foot pram for one person or a 10 footer for one or two on occasion is a great fishing platform.

Today I like a 14' by 48" on the bottom, heavy gauge all welded aluminum Jon boat with 8 foot oars and a 20hp 4 stroke Honda or Yamaha outboard on a trailer.....$5000 new...good cheap one or two man fly fishing boat.

It is very hard to find a good pram when you need one.

Very few are made any more.....

.

.

[Rockman]

I have been fishing in a 8' Valco the last few years with a 50 lb. Minn Kota with the battery centered in the back of the pram with no problems. I love this boat and the stealth of electric over the gas. These prams are wide and stable for stand up flyfishing. I have fished Davis on days that had every pontoon and float tube getting off the water due to the high wind waves, I stayed out in the pram, anchored over a pod of fish and caught fish after fish. The stability amazed me. I use a portable fish finder (Fishing Buddy 120), installed a 3 rod holder on one side of the boat and a 4th rod in my hand. I kept the battery in the back because it leaves the mid section of the pram unencumbered with "stuff". I also added the removable folding wheels that allows rolling it down to the water when no ramp is close by. Also made it quieter by adding interlocking foam floor pads and thick pipe insulation that goes around the entire top edge of the boat which protects my rods and keeps the pram quiet when fishing glassy "spookey" days.
I just sold my pontoon because it was just collecting dust. If you ever see a Valco for sale for under $500., buy it and use it as soon as possible. I bought mine at a yard sale on a whim because it was cheap. I used it to cover my firewood for years because I already had a really nice pontoon, and a backpackable float tube. That was one of my biggest regrets in my flyfishing life which started at the age of 7. I spent a couple of weekends two years ago and spiffed it up and also bought a 10' trailer to haul it and some extra camping gear.
One last benefit to share that everyone can relate to. When "nature calls", I don't have to paddle in, shed my waders and find a place to pee. I bring a cheep little factory made "piss pot" and can very discreetly kneel on the foam floor and pee into it without anyone seeing what I am doing, and still be fishing. I know that's probably more then most want to know, but when the fishing is good and you are on the fish, do you want to give up your spot? I don't.
Good planning and gear layout in a small pram will make your fishing trips more comfortable, productive, and safe. And last but not least, bring and use a PFD!!! If you want to see my pram for ideas, send me a pm.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Wonderful Rockman......you have one of the icon fly fishing prams.

Thanks for sharing your pram ideas.

Getting a good pram can really change you fly fishing experience.

[Steve S]

I have a 10' Almarco and wonder about a motor too. The tag does not indicate that it is rated for a motor but I have seen a photo on this board of a transom mount for a trolling motor posted by Tony Buzolich. The attached photo from his earlier thread shows a backer plate from outside the hull but it doesn't reveal if there is additional reinforcement on the transom's inside. Maybe Tony will chime in. With the Almarco an obvious concern is the flex along the unreinforced transom as it is not nearly as rigid as some of the other prams described here. I also have an 8' Valco pram and it easily accepts a 55lb electric trolling motor or my 4hp Merc outboard with no noticeable rigidity issues. I think a 55lb electric will be OK on the Almarco with a plywood or welded aluminum backer but that there will still be some amount of flex across the transom. A small gas motor on the Almarco will almost certainly require additional reinforcement.

[FRSam]

I started with a fiberglass 8 ft pram that I fished the hell out of here in Northern Ca as well as Central Oregon on some pretty big water. I really enjoyed that little pram. I could put in just about any where and it was light enough to carry if the need presented itself. I switched back and forth from a 4hp Seagull 2 stroke to a 55lb Minn Kota electric. Very stable for a small pram, no trouble standing while fishing and I always had my 70 lb Golden Retriever along with me.

Thought I'd share a couple of points you might find helpful. If you're out to cover water a small gas motor is going to do a much better job of getting you there. But having to pull start a gas motor can be hard on the back. As far as stealth maneuverability, as Rockman pointed out, the electric is far better than the gas. Regarding your back I think I'd lean toward the electric motor. I've got a terrible back and one of these days I'm afraid it's going to put an end to my fishing pursuits. With this in mind I'd recommend picking up a trailer. Pulling your boat off the top of a car or out of the back of a truck and then having to get it to the water is asking for trouble. With a boat trailer you can back it right into the water, no carrying or having to unload the pram. With a light set up like you have you don't need a ramp to put in. You'd be surprised what you can back into from the shoreline. One problem with the electric trolling motor is the battery...it's not light! With a bad back you don't want to deal with picking up and carrying a battery. The nice thing about the trailer is you can leave the battery in the pram. I had mine set up with the battery in the stern in a battery case with no problems.


I've got a fishing buddy 2255 bottom line side finder I used on this pram and really liked it. You might want to look into something similar, can't have too much information. I always had my oars on board, if that motor quits on you or the battery dies it's nice to have a way to get in. Here's what it looked like fishing out on Lake Davis.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/FeatherRiverSam/12FRS_fish.jpg (http://s140.photobucket.com/user/FeatherRiverSam/media/12FRS_fish.jpg.html)

Rockman I'd love to see what your set up looks like. You definitely took it a few steps further than I did.

Hope this helps.

Pete
Aka FeatherRiverSam

[Steve S]

Sorry the photo wouldn't upload.

Here's a link to the thread:

http://www.kiene.com/forums/showthread.php?36300-Almarco-10-quot-Pram-mini-drifter

[tfish]

I have a 9 foot pram and use an old 3 hp Johnson or 55# electric on. Both motors have pro's and con's. The gas motor is much quicker to get around in, but it's noisy and smelly. The electric is quiet and can go very slow. I place my large battery under the seat or some place in the center of the boat. Most of the time I have my 65# Yellow counter weight with me.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm307/tfish38/2pram.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm307/tfish38/pram2.jpg

Here is a video link of my son and I playing around with our prams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m42hrbVoOxU

Tony

[pgw]

I have a 8 ft Redwood Welding (Almarco) mini drifter. Adding a 3/4" high density plastic (Tap Plastics) 8" x 8" transom pad provided a secure mounting point for the 33 lb thrust Minkota and I do run the battery from a milk crate located in front of the seat. No issues, plenty of freeboard with me (260#), gear, motor & battery...keep the oars handy for when the battery power fades or to facilitate down stream travel on Fall River (many anglers have used their electric motors going downstream and then suffered the agony of having to row upstream to their put in/take out).

[rh crank]

How is that transom pad mounted, vertical or horizontal? Does the splay of the transom require an additional leg to square it up so the motor sits plumb? Maybe not important.
Is it dumb to remove the styrofoam beneath the seat so the battery can sit there?