Last summer when I was enjoying a cold one with the other anglers at the Hobie Bass Open at Kentucky Lake, Jameson Redding mentioned he had found a cool new way to power his electronics and he wanted to show it to me. I was expecting him to take me out to his truck and show me the standard behemoth of a 12v battery that most anglers use, but in some cool new housing he had rigged. Instead he pulled out a NOCQUA Gear Pro Power Kit out of his pocket. His pocket people!
About the size of a deck of cards, the 4.4 amp battery weighs only 12 ounces and costs $89.99. That’s the same price I paid for my giant lead-acid battery, but with the NOCQUA price you get a whole kit, which includes a charger (show me a marine battery that comes with a charger) and all the cables, connectors and shrink tubing needed to hook up to and power anything on your kayak. Plus, unlike lead-acid batteries, the Pro Power Kit can be mounted at any orientation and still function safely, and it won’t get damaged from the abuses of saltwater.
The Pro Power Kit is so genius that the product has been sold out for weeks and NOCQUA Gear has never even marketed it anywhere. Now that the secret is almost out, NOCQUA’s EJ Caughlin assures me that the kit will be back in stock by May 3rd, along with another model, the 10amp kit, which costs $129.99 for the entire kit, which is still not much bigger than a deck of cards. Also coming down the pipeline soon are more connector options for powering a wider range of electronics, including a USB connector recently available and new packaging with “more sex appeal,” said Caughlin. Everyone like that.
These battery packs are also smarter than your average marine lead-acid battery. Instead of overcharging the battery when plugged into the wall too long, the battery’s internal circuitry creates an auto-shutoff function so it will stop charging when it’s full. That same auto-shutoff will also come in handy when charging your cellphone or action cameras with the new USB connectors.
Instead of going to a battery supplier for their original product, their Kayak Lighting Kits, NOCQUA designed their own battery to be more lightweight, longer-lasting and most importatntly durable and safe, said Caughlin. “This battery won’t leak acid everywhere if you tip it over or splash saltwater on it,” he said. “We designed these batteries to work on standup paddleboards, and those tend to flip, so the battery had to be safe getting tossed around.”
I’ve been in the market for a new fish finder (I can’t help but want the sexy new side-scan technology, what can I say) and I was dying for a new way to power it than the giant and awkward lead-acid battery. Now that I know about the new NOCQUA Gear Pro Power Kit, I wouldn’t power my electronics any other way.
For more information about NOCQUA Gear, or their Pro Power Kit, check out their website, Nocqua.com.
