The eLite motor from ePropulsion is an exciting electric outboard motor. It features an internal battery system, which makes this one of the most compact motor options available to kayak anglers.
I tested this motor with a Sea Eagle inflatable fishing kayak a few months ago for Issue 55 of Kayak Angler magazine, and that version had a tiller drive and throttle control. In the Sea Eagle, it was a great option because I could reach the tiller from the seat of the Sea Eagle. But in a kayak like a NuCanoe, where the seat is farther away from the motor, you really need a different type of steering and throttle control.
So what ePropulsion is doing is creating a system that will attach the eLite to a traditional kayak, and they are actually asking anglers for ideas on how to perfect the system.
With the eLite, the battery, the motor and the propeller are all in one package. It weighs less than 20 pounds. It’s super easy to carry. And it even comes with a carry case.
One cable hooks up to it, and all the data for the motor is on a display screen. The prototype features a throttle that they’re coming up with that controls forward and reverse and speed. But they’re looking for additional ideas for the throttle. The one I caught a glimpse of at ICAST was hooked up to NuCanoe’s steering control system, which uses a single cable to control steering the motor.
You can also hook the eLite motor up to an external 12-volt battery, and it’ll run off of that external battery to increase your range.
The great thing about this system is that you just push one button, and the whole motor comes off the back of the boat. It hardly weighs anything. It goes into a case. It’s super easy to set up every time you go fishing. So it’s really intuitive, easy to use, and I really think it’s going to be a great option for people who are looking to power their kayaks and, you know, not do a lot of rigging.
Image: Kayak Angler Staff
