PacMotor Review - On the Water!

[@marilynboyd2541]

I don't know how fast a person needs to go in a kayak but this pacmotor does exactly what it claims to do. It handled great in all directions. I tried mine today for the first time. It sure beats paddling all the time. Yes it's high-end, but you get what you pay for. In fact just bought one for my husband. With both of us seniors, but still loving to be out on the water this pacmotor is wonderful.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Thanks for that second opinion!

[@mikegarman2807]

How did you get it? I paid for mine nov. 1 still nothing!

[@joeaguilar-teacherofthewor4166]

I've been watching the internet for some further reviews of this new motor and I'm glad you made the speed comparisons the way you did. I'm leaning toward purchasing a Pacmotor more and more. Thanks.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Glad I could help!

[@johngaines2351]

Another very informational video with good points and good delivery. Thank you for taking time to share with us.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ashleem1387]

Thanks for trying out the pacmotor looks like it could be the good thing for my perception outlaw 11.5. In your opinion is it well-built for many years of use. They have a 39 amp hour battery you think it would give you more mph

[@KayakhacksFishing]

It seems to be pretty solid. Time will tell. They said their battery would give it more speed.

[@genelamb4427]

I'll stick to my Torqeedo. I get 5.5 mph on my Hobie Outback. I can deploy it and pull it up with the pull of a string, and I can do a 360 turn.

[@jimwhite1557]

That is a sweet set of motors. If ever get a kayak or the company make one for a 16’ jon Boat I” I’ll have to get one. Thenks for this video!

[@donnd511]

Steve, thanks for the review! The Pacmotor would be ideal for the shallow marshes I fish here in SE Texas. It would also fit both of my kayaks which is a big cost saver. Raising the pedal drive and rudder may help remove some drag and increase speed.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

When I tested it without pedaling, I had the drive retracted. More adventures with it to come!

[@grumpysgarage7276]

Does this operate off a regular lithium battery. What Ah battery and how many hours compared to a traditional trolling motor

[@KayakhacksFishing]

I was using my lithium battery. To make the comparison, you have to define the traditional motor since they vary in how much power they consume. This is interesting. The PacMotor site says it can get 6 hours on its 39Ah battery - so it draws about 6.5 amps... not much. So, my 100Ah battery should get 15 hours of use. My traditional motor drew 30 amps at full power - so it would get a little over 3 hours.

[@charlieboutin3341]

Great review! I have my kayak setup. But really enjoy watching these. Thanks Steve! Have a great week buddy. 👍👍👌

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Glad you like them!

[@doctorkayak]

Thanks for providing these informative videos. For the last few years I have been looking at various motor options for kayaks. "If you've got the money" I simply cannot say enough about the Flex Drive kayaks from Jackson Kayaks. Fortunately I was able to get my hands on the E-Drive that Jackson was offering a couple of years ago and rumor has it that they will be offering it again in the future. I looked extensively at the Bixby and the PacMotor along with a half dozen bow and stern mount motors like the Newport, Watersnake, MotorGuide and the Minn Kota trolling motors and in my opinion NOTHING beats Jackson's E-Drive for kayak applications. "Turning on a dime" is okay although a little gimmicky. Rarely would I need to turn on a dime and when I do it is when I am close to shore, barely moving and that is what I would use my paddle due to the fact that being in shallow water with my motor down will surely cause some damage. I am looking forward to future innovations regarding kayak propulsion but so far the E-Drive takes the prize.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Thanks for those great points on the eDrive. In the marsh where I fish, there are all sorts of narrow creeks - the turn on a dime feature will be perfect for those.

[@basstackler]

Great review. I watched it twice once for the motor. The second time looking for alligators over your shoulders. I live in Wilmington, NC and kayaked once at Greenfield Lake in 1997. Saw several small alligators. Never went back.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Greenfield was wiped out by pollution from Florence. Plenty of algea there now. I still see people fishing, so maybe the bass have come back.

[@MackinNC1]

I always enjoy seeing the gators there. saw 4 last time.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

@@MackinNC1 some of them get pretty large!

[@MackinNC1]

@@KayakhacksFishing yes, I was there (i go maybe once a year) 6 or 7 years ago and anchored in pretty shallow water catching crackers. this anchor I had purchased in 1984 the same time I purchased one canoe, I pull up the rope and my anchor came off off the rope! Dumb me. I used my paddle (the wind pushed me off the spot a little) to feel the bottom and every time it went clunk i could just barely reach the bottom leaning over the side with my hand. I was keeping an eye out for gators but every clunk seem to be a log brick or something else. after about the 10th time feeling the bottom I look up and there is an 8 ft gator maybe 15 ft away just looking at me. I left the anchor !

[@Walt1119]

Great review! Thanks so much for sharing with us!!!

[@AliexFolgueira]

Excellent video Steve!

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@2reelyakrz481]

Nice review. If I had the money and didn't already have a system, I'd definitely consider it. Lot of nice features and would Probably be my preference for high end. Still love to see a spot lock system on that motor. We've had a lot of time consuming responsibilities the last couple of years, so we haven't had time to get out on the water as much and I've had very little time to tinker on the DIYs. Hopefully, that will change this year. BTW, your total weight of kayak, you, and gear is only a little bit more than my weight of me, without a kayak 🤣

[@KayakhacksFishing]

lol! I am always looking to lose that last 10 pounds!

[@DenisHoule-w5f]

Hi Steve I received a email from Matt Becker today regarding the Pacmotor. I am very disappointed with the lousy performance I got. He wrote that you are experimenting with a device that increases voltage from 12v to 20v and also increases speed. I barely got to 1.7mph with mine with batteries that I got from Matt charged at 14.6v. He wrote that you will release a video around the 20th. I am looking forward to seeing that video.. Thank you for all the good work you do!!!

[@KayakhacksFishing]

It is already live. I got a DC-DC converter to upscale my 12v battery to 19v. I had to get it on ebay to get one with 30A capacity to be on the safe side (www.ebay.com/itm/196121294359). Here is the link to the video where I tested it with the Pacmotor - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoHRpJyqob6EfJo I have not used it long term yet since I do not use the motor that often.

[@adamfuentes3761]

Thanks for the test drive! It seems like a motor I would like to try. However, my concern would be the mounting strapping that wraps around the kayak. Sometimes I fish in saltwater flats where floating turtle grass is heavy & my concern would be the turtle grass hanging up on the strapping under the my kayak haul & causing drag. I believe it would be impossible to clear off the grass until the kayak is out of the water.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Good point. The strap is pretty tight, but there are gaps where it goes over indents in the hull. I will look for this issue when I head to the marsh as the weather warms up.

[@adamfuentes3761]

@@KayakhacksFishing It would be nice if Pacmotor would somehow come up with a way to mount this unit directly to a mounting tracks instead of strapping. My Bonafide SS127 has factory installed mounting tracks on either side behind the seat that this motor can be easily mounted too.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

@@adamfuentes3761 You make a great point and it gives me an idea. I need to see if I can hack something to do this!

[@lordenoch0]

@@KayakhacksFishing VELCRO!!!

[@myadventureoutdoors]

Very impressive

[@zenobikraweznick]

This is awesome !

[@TismFishing]

Seems like a great value for those of us with multiple kayaks and want a motor and lithium battery on a budget. Will it hold up to the rest of time though.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

That remains to be seen

[@FrankLadd]

Nice Video! Thanks

[@paulkavsak1941]

How can the hull speed be exceeded by 100%? The "hull speed" is the nominal maximum speed.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

I was surprised as well when I did the research. Here is what I found. Hull design implications Wave-making resistance depends on the proportions and shape of the hull: many modern displacement designs can exceed their hull speed even without planing. These include hulls with very fine ends, long hulls with relatively narrow beam and wave-piercing designs. Such hull forms are commonly used by canoes, competitive rowing boats, catamarans, fast ferries. For example, racing kayaks can exceed hull speed by more than 100% even though they do not plane.

[@paulkavsak1941]

@@KayakhacksFishing the hull speed is the limiting speed.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

@@paulkavsak1941 In my case, yes.

[@johnthompson1468]

Hey Steve, Did mounting the motor interfere with your anchor trolley? I have one and will be using soon. I bought another strap with a SS quick release and added it to one end of the motor mount to run it under my anchor trolley. I am waiting for my annual fishing trip to Maine to test out the new motor and strap.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Yes, the strap goes over the trolley. If you use the strap, the best way is to untie your trolley and the ring, put the strap on, and rerun the trolley to the pulley. I am working on a mounting hack to avoid that and I hope to test it this week.

[@johnthompson1468]

@@KayakhacksFishing I bought a 1 Inch Stainless Steel Cam Buckle with a short strap and put that strap up through the bracket on the motor arm. I mount the motor and run the OEM strap under the trolley rope into the cam buckle that is on the opposite side of the trolley. This allows the trolley rope to the go all the way back to the stern of the kayak. I may lift the motor arm that is on the anchor side (starboard for me) to avoid it being fouled by the trolley rope as it is stretched out away from the side by current or wind.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

@@johnthompson1468 Great solution! I think I finished up my adjustment. I could not get out this week. Next week for sure!

[@tonyb-50]

That’s pretty cool

[@neocaridaniel8220]

I'm looking for a motor for my Lynx that is quiet and has a low setting for standing and sight casting shallows.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

There was a hum when running, but not loud.

[@DiamondHead2010]

I don’t own a lynx, remora, or a pac motor. Just a pedal kayaker that’s looking into motors eventually. I have seen some local guys with a lynx motor that fits inside it’s transom, pretty clean install It’s called the remora

[@KayakhacksFishing]

@@DiamondHead2010 Thanks!

[@WadeLife]

Wonder if my kayak would have to be registered in Tennessee cause of it being motorized, supposedly even a drill, and an attachment needs to be registered in TN..

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Probably so

[@angelocerra474]

How does it attach to kayak ??? Will it attach to a preception outlaw 11.5 ????

[@KayakhacksFishing]

It should attach easily. It has a strap that wraps around the hull with two additional straps that attach to your center carrying handles. You should reach out directly to PacMotor for more info on your kayak model.

[@DK77201]

Thank you for the review. Can the pacmotor be run hand free? Or do you have to use a thumb to keep pushing the remote? Is there a way to set the speed constant and forget it? Or do you have to maintain a constant pressure with your thumb on the remote to maintain constant speed? Finally, I think they should design the pacmotor with higher thrust, to be at least 30lb.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

It has a cruise control feature. I forgot to test that on this trip. Higher thrust would be nice.

[@michaelcatoe7462]

I like the review, can you scale the speed down? I like to troll for crappie at about 1.0 to 1.5 mph.?.thanks again

[@KayakhacksFishing]

lol! I was a speed demon! I never tried going slower. However, I believe if you do not push the joystick all the way forward, it will go slower.

[@lordenoch0]

There are three speeds.

[@davidlewis9572]

I just upgraded to a HooDoo Impulse 120 . Sure like pedal power , relax. n cruise

[@KayakhacksFishing]

I tell you, it was a world of difference to switch from paddle to pedal!

[@MtnXfreeride]

It is on sale for $519.. and I can get a 100ah 12v lithium battery for $120... Is it worth it still now a year later or have you seen another option you wished you had gotten????

[@KayakhacksFishing]

I discovered that a 12v is not powerful enough. They sell a 16v that discharges at 18v. That is what is needed to really get power from the motor. Without that, it is not worth it. I tested a DC-DC converter that was inexpensive. It output 19v from a 12v and worked great. Huge amount of power and speed pushed my heavy Coosa at 3.5 mph. But, it was a cheap converter and it died. I am looking for a better one. With a powerful battery (it was designed to use the higher output), it is worth it.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

It took me a while to find it. Here is the video on using the 19v converter - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoHRpJyqob6EfJo

[@thomashealey2135]

How much does this system costs?

[@KayakhacksFishing]

It is expensive. You can see current pricing on pacmotor.com

[@mikegarman2807]

Be careful about purchasing. I bought one over 6 months ago, still no motors, delay after delay..

[@KayakhacksFishing]

Hopefully, they catch up soon

[@TismFishing]

Have you received yours yet? I know they were a kick starter thing like a year ago.

[@mikegarman2807]

Still no motor or battery. JULY! Took my $900 nov 1, 2022

[@JAllredFishing]

Thanks for the review, this looks like a good option for those who want to keep their kayak light. I have been using a rear mounted trolling motor for about 10 years. I recently did a video on my method of raising and lowering the motor easily. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3mUaWB9mMx9fbM

[@ianshea2]

No disrespect sir, but you sound like Hank Hill if he was into kayaking instead of propane.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

lol!

[@HammerHed13]

I refuse to order, until I can communicate with a human on availability and shipping times. I appears they are hiding in the closet and not answering.

[@KayakhacksFishing]

hmmm... time to take this off my channel. Thanks.