Watersnake Kayak Motor Mount Review 3 Out of 5 Stars

I picked the Watersnake Kayak Motor Mount to add an electric motor to my kayak. Here’s what I learned from using it.

Keep in mind, your kayak might be different, so your experience could vary from mine.

Some cheaper kayaks on the market claim to be more capable than they really are.

The thickness of your kayak’s gunwale can make a big difference in how well a motor mount like this works.

What works for one kayak might not work for another.

So, it’s really important to do your research and take careful measurements before buying.

Why A Kayak Motor Mount?

I’m pretty new to kayaking. Actually, let me put it another way…

I’m a complete beginner when it comes to kayaking and kayak fishing.

Since I have chronic asthma, adding a motor to help with paddling just made sense.

I checked out a few different brands and ended up choosing the Watersnake T24 electric motor.

The specs say it’s enough to move an average-sized kayak at about 5 km/h.

There are tons of YouTube videos about DIY mounting brackets and kayak motor mounts, but most people just use the standard transom mount that comes with the motor.

Just so you know, ‘kayak motor mount’ and ‘trolling motor mount’ mean the same thing.

I came across the “Watersnake Kayak Motor Mount” kit and thought it made sense, since it’s designed for this purpose and even patented by Watersnake.

You can buy the mount in two ways: as a kit with the motor and bracket, or separately. I recommend buying them separately to avoid the problems I’ll mention below.

Looks Good, Sounds Good – Ooops

Now for the downside.

Things didn’t go as planned. To be fair, it wasn’t all the manufacturer’s fault—I made the mistake of buying the boat and motor together. I trusted a big box store salesperson who said, “no worries mate, it’ll fit fine.” (Don’t make the same mistake!)

The problem was that the gunwale—the side of the kayak, as shown in the photo below—wasn’t wide enough for the mount.

That is, without that, I would have to give up a rod holder, which I really didn’t want to do. I’ve included what I’ve included; you can see how it’s supposed to go.

But, sadly, not on my kayak. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work on my kayak.Buying the Watersnake Kayak Trolling Motor Mount “kit” does not include the transom mount.

This leaves you in a tough spot. I haven’t been able to find a transom mount sold separately yet.

You start to think some of the other commercial and DIY options would have been a whole lot easier, to begin with!

I quickly wished I had just bought the standard transom mount instead.

It’s a shame to include this negative point, because the product really does have a lot of potential.

Having To Get Creative With The Watersnake Kayak Trolling Motor Mount

This is where I had to get creative.

After trying to mount it without the mounting foot—just using the bar—on a PVC pipe rod holder, I realized it wasn’t going to work. The bar needed more support than the PVC could give.

Next, I bought a cheap PVC cutting board from The Reject Shop, which is like an Australian dollar store, and tried to make a platform out of it. I attached the base to the cutting board as you would when mounting it on the gunwale. I would have felt pretty clever if it had actually worked. But it didn’t—there just wasn’t enough support, again because my gunwale was thinner than average. Meanwhile, I made another purchase I’d been planning for a while.

Adapting The Mounting Bracket With Kayak Outriggers By now, I’d learned that my small kayak, which is stable when paddling, needed extra help with a motor attached. I spent hours watching YouTube videos and looking at Pinterest posts about outrigger setups.

I decided to buy mine, not impressed by the pool noodle-and-PVC-pipe DIY jobs I’d seen.

I bought a set of well-made outriggers, which you can find here (not an affiliate link), as shown in the photo. They also come in different colors.

So it’s on. I ended up attaching the plastic chopping board to the cross-bars that hold the outrigger.-bolts to hold it on. With the U-bolts, I was able to use the steel bar that comes with the kayak motor mount.

I slid it into place and tightened it with wing-nuts. It was basically a homemade transom board.

It definitely took a lot of effort to get there.

Watersnake Kayak Trolling Motor Mount In A Nutshell Overall, the idea behind this product is solid and clearly well planned.

However, the fittings could be stronger and need more attention to detail.

Also, Watersnake says this kayak motor mount “fits most kayaks,” and I think that’s true for high-end models. But many budget kayaks under $1000 have thinner gunwales, which makes mounting harder.="/images/reviews/watersnake-kayak-mount.webp" width=“500” alt=“Watersnake Kayak Motor Mount” class=“float-right ml-8 mb-4” imgclass=“rounded-xl shadow-lg ring-1 ring-white/10”

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Some customers have said online that the mount slips during use, but I haven’t had that problem so far.

Once it’s mounted, this kayak motor mount is very flexible. There are lots of ways you can adjust it.

To repeat, I recommend buying the kayak motor mount separately from the motor.It doesn’t cost much more, and you can switch to the standard transom mount if you need to.

If you’d like to find out If you want to learn more, check out the mounting bracket and motor at this link: Mount Bracket From BCF. Product Rating

Pros

• Neater and tidier than most DIY mounts.
• Designed to make lowering and raising motor easy
• Relatively simple installation

Cons

*Joints could be more robust *Only really suitable for kayaks with wider gunnels. *Well-nuts instead of the supplied nuts and bolts would improve strength and mounting flexibility

Summary

Overall, the idea behind this product is solid and clearly well planned. Attention to detail on the strength of the fittings is required.

Watersnake says it “fits most kayaks,” and I think that’s true for high-end models. Budget kayaks under $1000 often have thinner gunwales, which can make mounting tricky. Once it’s mounted, though, it’s very flexible.

There are lots of ways you can adjust it, which is great.

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