Kayaks With Trolling Motors: How Far Can They go?

[@Captain_Kdawg]

Best illustration of this topic out of any other video on you tube !!

[@paulwells5038]

Thank you, I've been trolling youtube and the Internet for this useful information to see whether I can go fully electric. The graphs showing the relationship between speed and current drawn are very helpful. All other videos seem to prioritise top speed, OK for getting out of trouble, but not for day to day sustainable use. Thanks again for an intelligent report.

[@terryd2634]

Fantastic video. I just finished my 5th fishing trip on my Sportsman 106 powered by minn kota. Love it.

[@Ronaldoafranco1]

Nice job sharing this information! Appreciate the work. Now I have a better understanding of how my battery will perform in different conditions.

[@stardustypsyche8468]

Way awesome vid, one small thing, It's amp hours, not just amps, when talking about how much you have taken out of the battery and how much you have remaining (state of charge). Super informative data, clearly presented, no worries about the Ah versus A thing, I knew what you meant, the info and the testing and graphing were great!!!

[@ro-cl2do]

Great Video! I'm considering buying a kayak and your info is very helpful. I had already kind of planned on a lithium and your info has convinced me that it is the way to go. Thanks

[@Huy0035]

The rabbit might be fast, but the turtle wins the race. Lol. Just troll on your way to the fishing spot.

[@CyberAbyss007]

Thank you! I appreciate the level of detail you went in to.

[@jedmetheny3710]

Hands down the best information on KZbin. Thank you so much. So many questions answered

[@johncole5297]

Although I do not have a motorized kayak at this time I found the content to be very informative. Your evaluations were spot on for me considering going to motorized version.

[@great0789]

Thank you for this. It will help me with my trolling motor both during normal use and when using it to get back home if the motor fails on my Jon Boat. Your graph makes sense though. My all-day cruising speed on my pedal drive kayak was about 3mph. I could get above 4mph… but my legs would be burning horribly after 30 seconds.

[@Jarom.M]

As voltage drops, amps used rises. This is due to the motor wanting to use the same amount of watts (voltage x amps). This would exacerbate the differences since SLA batteries have a much faster voltage drop. Just something else to keep in mind when calculating distances.

[@spiltmilt]

Very good point 👏

[@kotori87gaming89]

Depends on the specifics of the motor. If it's a simple DC motor with permanent magnetic field, it'll slow down as voltage drops. If it's got field windings instead, it'll actually speed up as voltage drops. If it's actually a brushless DC motor, it'll depend on how the motor controller is set up but most brushless controllers I've used will slow the motor down as voltage drops.

[@MusaM8]

My e-bike at full throttle goes from drawing over 400 watt at full battery to under 300 watt when close to empty. It also feel significantly weaker even at the lower power settings.

[@mattdg1981]

The depth of your prop will change your power draw as well. 8" of water above the prop seems to work well in my canoe with a transome mount. If you go deeper you end up adding additional pressure to the prop which kills the battery.

[@joehad9452]

For a comparison I checked the current draw on my bow mount Minn Kota on a 16ft Lund Rebel. 20A draw at 2.0 mph. I am using a 100AH Ionic battery. It also has Bluetooth but was almost twice the cost of the reBel.

[@Zach-K7FC]

Thanks for the graph. This really rings home true to me with my pedal kayak. I can cruise at 3 mph for a long time, but getting up to 4 mph is so much more work, and I can’t sustain it for long.

[@theonlyrobot]

You're approaching the hull speed of your boat. The stern will start to swamp from the bow wake and you're essentially having to pedal it uphill to go faster. My ss127 starts to get really demanding to paddle above about 3.5mph. I can get it to 4, but I'm really working hard.

[@Zach-K7FC]

@@theonlyrobot Right on Robert.

[@FirstGearGames]

More information than I know I needed, thank you for this!

[@g-wolfoutdoors8150]

Great content! I will be looking into Rebel batteries when I am ready to upgrade. I like that they are a veteran owned company.

[@mistermister2085]

if you kept the speed 3mph or less..you could run around for weeks on a charge on lipo.

[@joeaguilar-teacherofthewor4166]

Excellent video. Will help me when planning my trips fishing. Thanks.

[@will_Iam61]

Well, not surprising when you consider one kayak is 77lbs and the other is 119lbs. My canoe is 60lbs, so I guess 3mph will give me excellent range. Thank you for doing this comparison and computation. Looks like conservative use allows for reasonable range, current, and wind.

[@richardpogue4959]

Great information, thanks for the time and effort you put into the research on this. I’ll be getting my OT autopilot 120 in August, so it’s good to see what others with more kayak experience use and recommend.

[@golforfishing]

How do you like your Autopilot after using it for a couple of years? I'm really considering buying one but what's left me confused is the number of used ones for sale that I see on Facebook Marketplace.

[@richardpogue4959]

@@golforfishing it’s pretty good for lakes and slow moving rivers, not so good for faster water or small areas. Love the hands free trolling for Kokanee but I don’t like how heavy it is. There’s definitely pros and cons too it but overall it’s a great kayak

[@golforfishing]

@@richardpogue4959 Thanks for the info. Yes the weight is definitely a concern. I have a Ram truck but I really don't want to get a separate trailer.

[@jamesmorgan7291]

Thank you, great information!

[@kevinbridges9341]

Very informative on Battery usage excellent

[@SRH420ful]

one factor I'd like to see integrated in is motor size and how that changes your numbers

[@soccermanunlv]

Very informative and since i use that same reBel battery, very useful. I am jealous of the area you are fishing as well, that place looks awesome. I just got my mk 106 and have yet to take it out, but I will be doing so shortly.

[@kachahemp6662]

Paddling sucks on the AP 136. Can I call someone for water tow service if I get stuck? 😆

[@joesimpson1272]

very detailed thanks!!

[@fly_yaker]

This was an awesome video idea. I am in the process of adding a trolling motor to my Jackson BigRig and will definitely go with a Bluetooth enabled battery for monitoring. A Rebel battery, if they have them in stock. As of today 8/12/22 they are Out. ☹️

[@sailfishoneday2145]

Bravo on the vid man ! ..... Hats off ! ..... Can u add one more thing to this test plz ? Been vids on the tube showing people using a rc plane prop on the autopilot 120 ( they def show a lil more speed ) and I think I might remember one guy saying it's more efficient / draws less . Can u please put this to the test and show us the numbers for the plane prop on the autopilot 120 ? Thanks

[@spiltmilt]

Are you stalking me? I just went to the hardware store yesterday to pick up the washers to do this very thing.

[@sailfishoneday2145]

@@spiltmilt lol sweet .... I have a cpl plane props on order for my AP 120 and I'm very excited to see ur test results ... plz also show how u installed the prop . I know they not gona be as durable as the stock prob but they soo cheap , so if u show improved battery life I will def keep them on ....thanks in advance sir !

[@matttaylor9385]

Super helpful! I just got a canoe with an electric outboard for the full family days on the water and have been trying to get some general idea of optimal speeds for distance. It looks like rebel batteries are all sold out, is there a different brand you would suggest with similar monitoring?

[@spiltmilt]

Aolithium amzn.to/3OR09oY I think Rebel went out of business

[@TheMachoGabacho]

I’d like to see a video of how well the Autopilot can be paddled with and without the drive unit in it. If you kill the battery, can you get back to shore without wearing yourself out?

[@spiltmilt]

I sold my AutoPilot but I could paddle at 1.5 mph on flat water without working too hard anything over 2 mph is a challenge

[@TheMachoGabacho]

@@spiltmilt thanks. That’s not too bad considering the width and weight of the kayak.

[@503SteelKill]

My AP120 plug had some corrosion and wiggle quit on me. I was 3miles from my truck and had to paddle my way back...let's just say I'm no longer a AP120 owner. I will not put myself in that position again if possible. Went with a different brand with no regrets whatsoever.

[@alanmcnelly7292]

If the ReBel 100 ah is a Group 31, does it fit in the 106 MK battery box? I thought the box was a Group 27. Thx

[@spiltmilt]

It fits

[@jaysunkreuze1466]

Actually it's worse for lead acid than your graph shows. 12.3 volts is at half capacity for lead acid. Below 12.3 volts, your lead acid battery is experiencing damage and reducing it's life cycle dramatically. This is where lithium really shines. Furthermore, the Pukert effect is also in play as internal resistance also cripples lead acid vs Lithium. To match the performance of a 100ah Lithium battery you actually need 300ah of lead acid TO COMPETE. But lead acid again loses as they STILL fall way short of usable lifetime as they can only be recharged around 300 times vs up to 5000 times for Lithium, and after that lithium STILL retains 80% of it's usable capacity. The cost of ownership of lead acid technology is FAR higher than Lithium when lifespan is considered. I have 200ah of Lithium in my BKC TK122U fishing tandem loaded down with a 55ft/lb trolling motor trolling for Kokanee on Bitterroot Lake. All day no problem and usually use less than 100ah. I make plenty of full throttle bathroom trips to the dock and back out to the fish. No way would I ever consider lead acid which would weigh 480 pounds (6, 100ah batteries) vs 50 pounds for just my one, 200ah Lithium.

[@davidnieto4638]

Also from Washington kinda of confused about the trolling motor for kayaks do you avoid federal waters or are you registered just to avoid the headaches

[@spiltmilt]

I register to avoid headaches. My registration was checked several times.

[@mansbfishing]

Good job 👍🏻 👍🏻 👍🏻 🤩🤩🤩

[@brixelus]

Did you stop using the Amped Outdoors battery?

[@spiltmilt]

Yes

[@brixelus]

Spilt Milt Productions any particular reason?

[@edwardfrayne2355]

Is the speed control on these kayaks accomplished with resistance or a pwm ?

[@spiltmilt]

PWM

[@justinauckland1698]

What is that red rod you are using? I love the bend in it when it gets bit.

[@spiltmilt]

Santiam Fishing Rods kokanee rod

[@Johnnyreengo]

The best thing that has helped my range is losing a bunch of weight

[@pdxfisher1]

Great subject for a video, but I think that you should really be saying Amp-hours and not amps since you are integrating the amps drawn over a time leading to a unit of amps*time. A battery has a capacity defined by its charge (Coulombs). Amps*time = Coulombs/time*time = Coulombs which is what you are really describing.

[@spiltmilt]

I say it at the beginning once so people understand what I'm saying. Hopefully people understand

[@pdxfisher1]

@@spiltmilt Cool. I probably just forgot by the time I got to the end. I am amazed at how efficient that motor is! I have a 10"FF and a heading sensor on an NMEA2000 network and I am kill my 30AH Li battery in about 12-13 hours. I guess I am drawing a pretty consistent 2.5A (which is close to what I would expect from the specs).

[@charlesclark7225]

Hi , really enjoyed the video ..what charger are you currently using for the Rebel ? Just subscribed!

[@spiltmilt]

amzn.to/3CcHbBe

[@brianmumford6468]

Bought my Autopilot 120 a month ago and LOVE it! I also bought the ReBel 100ah battery. I downloaded the app to monitor the battery, but my screen doesn’t look like the one you show. Does that screen, plus the ability to lock the battery come with the paid version?

[@spiltmilt]

This was a free app

[@brianmumford6468]

@@spiltmilt, what’s the name of the app you’re using?

[@spiltmilt]

Xiaoxiang

[@brianmumford6468]

Strange. That’s the app I have, but I don’t have the screen you showed. Maybe I don’t know how to use the app. That’s definitely possible.

[@onefishwonder3366]

@@brianmumford6468 i have the same issue. i would prefer the view you have.

[@edwardcote1331]

i was out trolling yesterday in my ot 106 and 100 a/h li bluetooth for 5 continuous hrs in a light wind and used 21%.

[@gomerdavissr.2422]

What charger do you use and where did you purchase it? Thanks for your input..

[@spiltmilt]

10 ah lithium charger from Amped

[@dredre9484]

Buy a litium battery you can use 100% of the battery leaded battery arnt designed to go lower 50% as this damages them bought a lithium battery been loving it especially the weight

[@spiltmilt]

This video is based on lithium but even with lithium you can't use 100%, its actually closer to 95% before you drop below the 12 volt output.

[@bluegill6644]

Have you ever checked power usage during spot lock? How long can you stay spot locked?

[@spiltmilt]

Yes it’s comparable. So spot-locking in 2 mph current draws about the same amount of power needed to troll 2 mph. Wind is more variable but the draw amounts in less than 10 mph never amounted to much that it caused me concern

[@bbowen4629]

Where do you get your Old Town accessories from? I have checked their site and find nothing. I see your kayak matt in this video. Also saw your old town water bottle.

[@kayakfishingwisconsin]

You can call them directly for oddball parts or merch

[@onefishwonder3366]

@@kayakfishingwisconsin did you purchase the deck padding directly from oldtown?

[@kayakfishingwisconsin]

@@onefishwonder3366 that's not my video. Not sure where he got it.

[@noname-gx5zl]

What charger are you using?

[@spiltmilt]

I use a 10 ah lithium specific charger

[@noname-gx5zl]

@@spiltmilt Got it, thanks

[@stingray4540]

Potential range, psh! Get on the lake and start fishing until you get stuck on the lake. Sissy. 😏

[@spiltmilt]

I almost did that once 😂🤣

[@timmoore6055]

The difference between common sense usage and hair on fire usage. Old(er) age has its advantages.