All trolling motors systems will get you from point A to point B but the Bassyaks Motor System does more, it allows you to lose the paddle, allowing âHands Freeâ operation whether youâre fishing or just cruising.
Bassyaks outfitted kayaks are some of the most maneuverable vessels on the water. With the propulsion on the transom the Bassyaks Systems motors can turn 90 degree allowing the best turning radius on the market. You can turn the kayak 360 degrees from a standstill. You get instant response in reverse and forward because the propulsion is directional, when engaging reverse while moving forward, the motor acts like a brake, you can stop the kayak in 10 feet.
With the paddle out of your hand you can concentrate on your fishing, youâre not fishing over your shoulder or under the kayak. You are able to pull a fish out of the weeds without getting pulled into the weeds with a paddle on your forearm and the rod in the other not going anywhere.
While trolling you can hold your fishing pole with 2 hands, not leaving your rod in a holder missing the strike, once the hook is set, you throw the kayak in reverse and perform a 3 point turn and face the fish actually having the drag on your reel work as if you were on dry ground. With larger fish you can use reverse to avoid getting towed around putting you in dangerous positions and exhausting the fish.
A Bassyaks kit it isnât just a motor, It is a fully comprehensive kit, including a custom laser cut aluminum powder coated mounting bracket, front and rear wiring harnesses with a kill switch, cockpit throttle control, and a Lift kit to allow you to raise the motor at any time, and steering is controlled with fully adjustable foot pedals. All pushed along by a modified Minn- Kota Motor which has been sealed and adjusted for maximum performance.
Bassyaks uses only brand new, out of the box Minn-Kotas, the standard kits use a 30 thrust lb motor and offer motor upgrades including 40,45, and 55 thrust lb motors. They are available in fresh and saltwater versions. Bassyaks also offers an array of propellers for various needs, whether for speed, power or weed less for fine tuning your style Bassyaks offers complete trolling motor kits for those who already have a kayak who want to install a motor on it yourself, or theyâll build you one. Most kits are sub-assembled for ease of installation. You supply the Kayak, battery, and time. Bassyaks motors are rated IP68 that means submersible, the wiring harnesses are IP68, everything in the kit is IP68!!
Optional Electronic throttle controls gives you greater speed control, with a hand held remote which thus allows you to control your thrust from anywhere in your craft, front seat, back seat , standing or sitting. Electronic throttle controls offer variable speeds and extended run times. By using a PWM throttle control it is able to extend run times up to 5X as long, run times can also be extended by adding a second 12 volt battery, actually doubling your run time. As far as speeds go there are many variables but you can expect at least between 4 and 6 mph in most conditions, the more efficient the hull of your vessel is the faster youâre going to go.
Assembly time is about 5hrs. With normal tools, everything is mounted in an ergonomic place, keeping in mind not to ruin your kayak if you decide to remove the systems. The trolling motor can be removed in 10 seconds and the kayak will perform as it did before you made the modification. And the complete system adds 18 lbs to the weight of your kayak. Battery weight has also been a question, the battery we suggest for most applications is a 12 volt AGM 22-NF 55Ahr which weights 38 lbs and will offer around 6 hours of run time. AGM or Gel cell batteries work the best, larger batteries arenât always the best, sometimes 2 smaller batteries work better.
With the Lift Kit option you can raise and lower the motor both vertically and horizontally from the seat at any time. There are 9 positions to choose from, this can be done with the optional Lift kit from the seat. Drop the motor after launching from the beach or raise it when beaching the kayak. No need to stand in the water like other designs. Weeds or underwater obstructions are not a problem, just raise the motor, and fling off the weeds, drop and go. The motor will run in as little as 6 inches of water so thereâs a good chance your keel will touch before the motor does.
Whether used by itself or in combination with paddling or peddling, a Bassyaks System will complete your boating experience.
What are the challenges of designing one motor for many brands of kayak?
The Bassyaks is a simple but effective design and will work with almost every kayak out there, we require three things, there must be foot rails or a place to install them, a hatch to stow the battery inside the kayak, and a transom that will accept a motor mount bracket. Basically if the kayak can be ruddered, it can accept a motor. Some of the unique designs like the Freedom Hawks Pathfinder or Jackson Kayaks Coosa required a little more thought. With the new Thermoform lightweight kayaks hitting the market will require a little more attention on mounting brackets
How have you overcome them?
With having kits for about 80 different kayaks, we have elected not to design kits for some of the smaller or entry level kayaks, or kayak which would perform better without the motor such a Sea or Touring kayaks. If a kit doesnât perform to the level of our proven kits we will discontinue the kit, an example would be the Hobie kits with the motor replacing the rudder, when you wanted to use the Mirage drive the steering was bad and the motor was a drag, so we decided that it would be better to delete the product rather than putting something out there which wasnât right. On the other hand the Hobie Pro Angler makes an exceptional candidate for a motor with a separate rudder system leaving the transom room for a motor. Now youâre asking yourself âIf you have a Mirage drive, why do you need a motor?âBecause youâll get hands free operation, reverse, and maneuverability all which you are missing.
What are the advantages to your system?
All trolling motors systems will get you from point A to point B but the Bassyaks Motor System does more, it allows you to lose the paddle, allowing âHands Freeâ operation whether youâre fishing or just cruising.
Bassyaks outfitted kayaks are some of the most maneuverable vessels on the water. With the propulsion on the transom the Bassyaks Systems motors can turn 90 degree allowing the best turning radius on the market. You can turn the kayak 360 degrees from a standstill. You get instant response in reverse and forward because the propulsion is directional, other motor systems with the motor midship canât come close to this maneuverability because they are waiting for the force of the propulsion to hit the rudder before they can turn. And reverse is something that most kayakers dismiss but itâs a very large part of fishing with a motor. When engaging reverse while moving forward, the motor acts like a brake, you can stop the kayak in 10 feet.
Another overlooked feature of a motor is the ability to hold your position while in current, the motor works like an anchor when fishing rivers or bridges and jetties. With the paddle out of your hand you can concentrate on your fishing, youâre not fishing over your shoulder or under the kayak. You are able to pull a fish out of the weeds, not getting pulled into the weeds with a paddle on your forearm and the rod in the other, bumbling around usually losing your fish in the weeds.
While trolling you can hold your fishing pole with 2 hands, not leaving your rod in a holder missing the exciting strike, once the hook is set, you throw the kayak in reverse and perform a 3 point turn and face the fish actually having the drag on your reel; work as if you were on dry ground. With larger fish you can use reverse to avoid getting towed around putting you in dangerous positions or exhausting the fish from towing you around eventually killing the fish.
The optional Motor lift kit allows the kayaker the ability to raise the motor either vertically for shallows or horizontally for launching or beaching or for flinging weeds off the propeller. On most models the motor can be raised above the keel, allowing you to you the minimum draft available. Another option would be to raise the motor out of the water if you wish to paddle. If you happen to strike an underwater obstacle the motor would deflect upwards and stay there until the release lever is pulled allowing the motor to return to a vertical position avoiding damage to the motor and kayak. The motor can be removed or installed in 30 seconds.
What do you say to paddle purists?
Just look into the forums, youâll read âitâs not kayakingâ, my finial answer after all of the redirect is âyou can always paddle if you wantâ itâs kind of funny, I tell them the sport called Kayak Fishing, It is not a paddle sport. Its fishing and the kayak is a tool. Putting a motor on a kayak transforms a versatile fishing vessel into an even more versatile fishing vessel. Many are offended by the motors and feel there is no place for it and that a motor defeats the whole purpose of a kayak. But after using one, I have to say that it compliments it and just eliminates some of the disadvantages that kayaks have, without really sacrificing the advantages. In the 8 years weâve been doing this I have seen the attitude change considerably, and itâs growing daily.
What does the future hold?
What I would like to see is a manufacturer Bassyaks option similar to what Jackson is doing with Yak Attack and Go Pro. At the present time many manufactures support Bassyaks with referrals which works for both us and their sales. I think most manufactures will have at least 1 motorized option in their catalogs, whether itâs a motor mount, a complete motor system, or a drop in motor. Many manufactures have already tried the motor idea, some as early as 1997. As the battery technology gets better and the brushless motors are utilized the system will become lighter and more powerful.
What should anglers consider when choosing a power system for his kayak?
Put a system on a kayak you like and one that will suit your needs, donât put it on a kayak you already have and arenât happy with to begin with. Think on where and how you plan to use it, Saltwater or Freshwater, calm or rough, if there are big currents then you opt for a larger motor, it you plan on trolling many look into a variable speed control. If you not concerned with speed get a smaller motor and get longer run time. If you kayak is limited on the room for a battery and think about a smaller motor and variable speed control to increase your runtime up to 5 times as long. Ask questions!
What are some tips/keys to installing your system in a kayak?
âIf youâre not sure ask !â everyone is nervous about drilling holes into their $1000 baby, and rightfully should be. I ask that every customer to lay everything out on the deck and see what goes where and think about how theyâre going to proceed, I want them to know how to fix it when something happens on the water, if I do everything for them theyâll have no clue when something happens. As with mounting anything on a kayak ergonomics should be considered, are you right handed or left, which hand do I hold the rod with? Youâre going to use that opposite hand to control everything else, so plan it that way.
What type of angler is using your system? Whom does it appeal to?
We see a few groups, the anglers who are getting up there in age, the baby boomers, who canât cover the range they once did, Anglers with shoulder problems, or medical issues. And a group of savvy anglers who recognize adding a motor to a kayak makes a better fishing platform. Within the past couple of year we have seen a Female presence starting to form which is very encouraging for the sport. We are starting to see a large interest in Photographers who need both hands free, sneaking up on wildlife with a quite motor.
Why do you think alternative propulsion systems are popular with kayak anglers?
Because it allows them to catch more fish and thatâs the reason we started fishing from kayaks in the first place. And then there a few out there who like to âPimp their Rideâ as a hobby, it allows them to express themselves and have fun doing it.
What are future advances to alternative power systems?
Eventually the battery technology will catch up and weâll have light, inexpensive batteries and the advancement of Brushless motors will increase the power output.