I didn't know that there was such a thing. I assume this applies to motorized kayaks and would apply to my AI, if I registered it...

Yes, unless you don't plan to launch in freshwater for the year.

Reviving this thread for recommendations for a private charter 4-pack or 6-pack in July or August. Two, maybe three, teenagers, and two adults. This group has been on a party boat before but would call themselves beginner anglers. They are staying in a downtown SF hotel so fisherman's wharf would be easy but they will have a car so Sausalito, HMB, Berkeley, etc. not out of the question. I'm thinking they will want to either fish SF Bay for halibut/striper or outside the bay for lingcod or maybe even salmon. I saw the older recs below and am searching fishing booker, too. Thanks for any recs.

Quote from: Tsuri on February 04, 2024, 12:30:44 PM

Don't slide it on the spoiler!

Get some roof rails and crossbars with or without cradles, drape a moving blanket over the rails and load from the side by placing the bow (or stern if you have a rudder) up on the blanket on the rail then walk back to the other end of the kayak lift that and then slide/rotate the craft into the cradles or final position upside down. If done right it's a great way to save your back however with the height of your vehicle you might need a small step ladder for the final steps.

Having your kayak in cradles upright is kind of a pain to tie down because of the height but would allow your hatch to open more.

I cartop on a minivan with a rear spoiler and I agree with all of the above.

There are many YouTube videos on solo cartopping a kayak from the side of the vehicle. You just need a basic roof rack (a pair of cross bars), straps and a moving blanket or even an old bathmat. A step stool is also helpful (even the little plastic kind that looks like an upside down box)

With a kayak on the roof, I can manually open the minivan rear hatch just enough to get under the hatch. But yeah, you should generally load up your gear in the rear compartment before you cartop your boat. A boat does limit how high you can raise that rear hatch.

Thank you, Sea-Bree. I re-read some of your and others' older posts and I think I now have a rudimentary understanding of what PWM does. The concept didn't make it through my thick skull on first read. If I had unlimited time, I think buying a motor and a battery, and figuring out how to rig it up and add PWN /ESC, would be a fun project. But I don't have unlimited time, so I am now rehearsing my answers when my wife sees the Bixpy charges on the credit card. Kayak fishing is a daaangerous sport!

Reminder to those thinking about bixpy: Engineering123 scored a 5% coupon for all NCKA members. It's somewhere in the archives here.

Bixpy has a new model, the K-1. Not sure how it is better than the J-1 or J-2 yet. But with the battery, it is $1299, and you still need to figure out the mount, either DIY or possibly aftermarket. With tax and registration, this would end up costing almost as much as my Compass!

The Watersnake 24# is about $130 I believe, and a comparable battery is maybe $200-300. And there is some DIY with PWM/speed control but the PWM unit seems to be cheap, say $20-40. But you're talking about a third the cost of the Bixpy setup, if I'm not mistaken.

I'm reviving this thread because I'm in a similar boat (pun intended) as the OP. I ride a Compass too. And I want a motorized option (electric not gas). I still want to pedal part-time but I also want a little help from a motor getting back to the launch against the tide, and for some salmon trolling, which is getting to be too much for me for very long at the proper speeds. It doesn't need to be fast but hopefully it is simple and cost effective to install, own and operate.

I'm thinking of copying Jimmy's setup. The Watersnake 24# is less than $150 (as is the Newport 36#). The WS weighs only 5# and the motor itself gets good reviews. Apparently, the WS side kayak mount is crap, which I would address either with a cassette installation like Jimmy's, or a PVC rodholder setup, or a Railblaza side kayak mount. (I don't want a rear transom mount.) Some of the other electric motors discussed on these boards like Bixpy (Engineering123 and others), Newport 180 (Plug-n-Jug and others) and Minn Kota (Sailfish and others) are much, much more expensive, yet some here apparently believe those are better values. Am I "missing the boat" here? Is it the PWM issue (which to be honest I don't yet understand) the disadvantage of the WS?

Thank you guys for any advice. This board is the best!

 

To get this thread back on track... I usually bring two PBJ's made with whole grain bread, not because I prefer eating whole grain bread but it seems to be the only bread I can find in the house. Heavy on the peanut butter (Kirkland) and jam (strawberry, homemade).  I cut the sandwiches in half.  The only time I ever eat PBJ is on the water. Mainly because the night before a fishing trip, I am too busy getting ready to go fishing to do anything more complicated.

To drink, water on the boat. There is usually a cold beer and a canned ice coffee (black) waiting in the car. Sometimes I don't drink either; sometimes I need both.

Got the replacement unit from Garmin. I might have to test it out tomorrow...

Interesting thread, even if I'm about three months late. My year-old Garmin Striker 4 head unit won't power up, so I came to this board looking for possible answers. I think I have ruled out as problems my battery (nocqua 10Ah), the fuse (visually inspected), and the power cable (garmin thought this might be the problem and sent me a new one).  I don't see any appreciable corrosion.

Any thoughts on what I should do next? I just emailed Garmin tech support to let them know the power cable doesn't appear to be the problem; not sure what they'll say. Maybe I should ask them for a new head unit like NowhereMan. But I'm about a month past the end of warranty.

It's good to know I can use the same transducer and wiring if I upgrade to a fancier Garmin. I wouldn't want to have to redo all of that, which is now a disincentive to changing FF brands.