Old Town Sportsman Autopilot experiences?

Best setup I’ve seen is Greg Blanchard guy on YouTube. Torqueedo e.motor 3hp with almost lightweight native 10 ft kayak.

Just throwing out another option. I built this from an old trolling motor yesterday. It only took about 2 hours. It’s an Oldschool Minnkota though…no spotlock haha. The battery is the heaviest part (fortunately I scored a 12v 100ah lithium for free…otherwise I’d be using a 60+ lb group 24 deep cycle 12v battery from my aluminum boat’s trolling motor ha!)

A few years back, this was a somewhat popular mod for Hobies.  Should still be a few "How To" videos on YouTube.  Maybe it didn't catch on widely back then because of the weight of a standard deep cycle battery?  It's still a neat option.  Good work.

Thanks for everyone’s input! I’ve been watching a bunch of review videos and written reviews and for the most part everyone loves them. There’s a handful of bad reviews that seem to be isolated problems that were handled by old town in warranty. Overall I’m liking what I’m seeing but I’m going to keep looking into my other options before I spend the money. Thanks again peeps!

Thanks for everyone’s input! I’ve been watching a bunch of review videos and written reviews and for the most part everyone loves them. There’s a handful of bad reviews that seem to be isolated problems that were handled by old town in warranty. Overall I’m liking what I’m seeing but I’m going to keep looking into my other options before I spend the money. Thanks again peeps!

There will always be a religious argument on motor vs non-motor.  But do what's best for you.  I strongly suggest for you to demo one in person and see if the yak is calling you.  Sometimes you want it to be the yak, but you may have nagging doubt about something is not right.  If that's what you encounter, look some more.  No kayak are perfect, but imho, best to spend your money upfront on a yak that you fit you the best.  You will safe lots of money in the future.

...fortunately I scored a 12v 100ah lithium for free…

How much does that weigh?