Tis the Season for Catchin' Cows

[Memory Maker]

Don't know why, I have no Edit function on the posting.

Correction:
PA weight is 88#
PA width is 38 inches, not 34-35
Trident max capacity is 450#, not 300
Trident weight is 56#

Hey guys ........thanks for the info ..... fyi .... the PA is 140 lb rigged plus the stuff you carry that's why i got a PU truck ........ but it is very efficient ........ want to try the electric sometime would be great trolling around the bridge and especially around the VA Eastern shore ....... would like to find out more about those lithium batteries too .......

[DOGFISH]

Also, West Marine sells the Torqueedo motors. They have one of the regular kayak motors, not the one by hobie, at the Annapolis Store. The kayak model mounts to a ball joint type of mount. It could be used off the back or the side. Other than a PA, any kayak with foot peg steering rudders, the motor steers with the rudder cables. That may also be worth taking a look at for some people. The torqueedo is more powerful than regular trolling motors.

You may be able to talk a good price for that one.

[tufnik]

Dogfish,

What do you know about the lithium torqueedo battery? Is that right, 6 lbs? Any feedback on it? Can you discharge it to near zero? How many cycles before it dies? What is capacity?

Did you get one?

At 600, it's hard to pick it over a Costco $60 marine battery.

[DOGFISH]

Yes, 6lbs is accurate. I have looked at the batteries at the store. The batteries only fit Torqueedo motors. They have a plug for the Torqueedo. They also have a GPS system built into the battery so that the controller will give a speed and remaining distance capacity readout. The controller is kinda nice. It is somewhat like a lever type powerboat controller, only smaller. It has a magnetic kill switch, which you hook to yourself in case you fall out, so the kayak won't take off without you. The motor comes with a charger for the battery.

The only distance stats that Torqueedo puts out is that the motor will go 13 miles at 2mph. That does not tell me much, except that I would probably need two batteries. I generally troll at 3mph. So if you would estimate a 4 or 5 mile decrease, that is still pretty good for an electric. However, I use two batteries now, which are substantially heavier. I understand, from what I have read online that the motor for the Hobie, will push a Pro Angler at about 5mph top speed. Thats not bad for an electric. I have not read anything on the overall life cycle of the batteries. Generally, lithium batteries have an overall life cycle greater than lead acid batteries, while holding a greater percent charge with age. I think that is stated properly. All in all, the Hobie type Torqueedo is starting to look good to me. Mostly, because I am considering buying a Pro Angler before spring. I like the layout of that boat. I also like the 6lb weight of the battery.

Presently, I am using two AGM deep cycle batteries, at 69lbs each, in my Big Game Prowler. I can pretty much troll for 8 hours at 3mph, with that setup.

[DOGFISH]

I just did a quick search on the web. Large capacity lithium batteries of 100 AH seem to be available. However, they seem to be very limited. I could not find a company that has any for sale. I could not find any for a price comparison. An AGM battery has as much as a 105 AH @ 20 amps per hour. I could not find any batteries online for sale close to that rate.

[tufnik]

I'd be a bit nervous with an expensive lithium on a kayak. Wonder how much a 100 Ah battery costs.

How do you like your AGMs? At 69 lbs with 105 AH, it's pretty good. My Costco wet-cell weighs about 55 lbs with 85 AH. The AH to weight ratio for the AGM looks better.

Wet-cells lose a lot more energy on discharge than AGMs. So, we get more useable power from AGMs for a given capacity. Is that what you've experienced?

I believe the AGMs cost 3-4x more than wet-cells. Cost of lithiums appear to be up to 10x.

Maybe I should switch to AGMs.

[DOGFISH]

Yes, that is what I see with the AGM. They cost a little more, about 2.5 time more, but worth the cost. Yes, lithium would be expensive. There is supposed to be a new generation lithium battery comming out soon. Maybe more affordable.