Mike and Tum Kayak to Burgess Falls with an Electric Powered Boost Fin on our SeaEagle SE370.
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- We test out a kayak booster at Burgess Falls in Tennessee.
Be sure to check out our other channel at: / happyhaunting
#kayaking #burgessfalls #vanlife
I have a Sea Eagle Paddleski and a Newport Vessels 62 lb. Trolling motor attached to it. Because I saw you talk about upgrading your kayak, I felt compelled to warn you about the Paddle ski. PROs, it’s very very stable! Has a transom mount and can easily receive a motor. CONS, it’s big, hard to control, doesn’t have skegs and is very SLOW. From paddling alone, it goes 1.5 to 2 mph, with the trolling motor at full speed it went 3.5 mph (but would overheat after a while **more on that later), and at full speed + paddling, the Wife and I were able to get the paddle ski to 3.8 mph. We plan to sell the paddle ski and have already purchased its replacement, the Sea Eagle Fast Track 385. On its maiden voyage yesterday, and with only moderate paddling and the Wife not helping me paddle, I maintained 4 mph. I could have went like this all day (well, for a long time, hehe).
I bought the $120 transom mount in hopes of mounting my trolling motor to the Fast Track, but in short, it didn’t work out so well. Odd weight distribution and it interrupted my paddling. I looked into the Bixpy system, but couldn’t immediately justify spending $1299 (small battery) or $1599 (big battery). So I started searching for alternatives and now have my heart set on this boost fin!
Why do I want one if I could maintain “4mph all day”? Because paddling through a current and a head wind can be deadly!!! What I would do is use this motor to assist in 10 minute intervals while also paddling. Just enough to make progress back to shore. The reason your boost fin died is because it overheated and tripped the BMS (battery management system). This happens to my trolling motor too! But I had a breaker switch to reset it and turn it back on.
So good luck on deciding on the next watercraft, but I highly recommend to not choose a watercraft that will mostly rely on a motor. Electronics and mechanical things can and will fail. I highly recommend the Sea Eagle Fast Track 385 Pro Package ($1099) + Bixpy K1 + their larger battery ($1599). There’s a longer 15 foot version, but that will get unwieldy with only a single paddler. If you two will always be together, then would work for you.
If you insist on the paddle ski, get a higher powered electric outboard or a gas motor.
Hope this advice helps. Oh, and watch my video about a near death experience on Mono Lake. We are lucky to be alive. The poor paddling performance of the Paddle ski was somewhat offset by the trolling motor, and after a 4 hour white knuckle paddling ordeal, we made it to safety.
Thanks for you video, I was impressed that the little motor ran for almost 40 minutes straight. Watching other videos the highest speed seems to run for 15 minutes. You just have to let the motor cool down before running it again.
It's so beautiful there!
So serene
Agreed! The waterfalls in the later clip went on for half a mile. It was amazing!
Came from Happy Haunting, I didnt know you guys went on little adventures! How fun!
Those were some gorgeous views! Thanks for sharing. I hope you have better luck with the next motor. 🧡🖤🧡
I was surprised that the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve ever seen are in Tennessee!
What a beautiful area and falls! So serene and calming for sure. I never heard of those kayak boosters, that was very interesting. Thanks for the fun video!! xx
The Tennessee falls are amazing!
OMG made me laugh , I remember trying to blow up an air mattress with a foot pump. I needed a nap after that. We bought a pump that plugged into the cigarette lighter.
That would be quite the upgrade!
That was some waterfall.
More impressive than I was expecting!
How fun!
Thanks. It’s nice to see you over here. I guess it’s been 3 years since we last posted!