Torqeedo has done it again innovating motorization of small watercraft with electric propulsion. The New Torqeedo 1417-00 Spare Battery at 915 Wh 31 Ah which packs in 3X the power as the stock 1416-00 320 Wh 11 Ah Ultralight battery. Unlocking both distance and run time with all of the same features as the stock battery plus. The overall dimensions of the 1417 battery is the exact same but it has a bit more weight to it.

“Game Changer”

If you do a ton of kayak angling on large bodies of water I would recommend picking up the 1417 battery as your main and using the 1416 the which is included with the Ultralight 403 as your spare. In my previous article I went over the Travel 1415-00 battery for use as a spare battery. At 530 Wh 18 Ah this was efficient and allowed much more distance running the ultralight 403 all day long. Although with the included 1416 battery you can run all day long at slow speeds. The larger capacity allowed for running against tides and up rivers at a much wider open throttle.

The term “Game Changer” is often used in the industry for little things. This battery is a true”Game Changer”. Using the motor as you would previously paddling speed you will easily have a run time of 24 hours.

Why an Expensive Battery?

If you are not familiar with Torqeedos’ High Performance Lithium batteries, here are some reasons why they are top of the line. Torqeedo Inc. only uses high quality LiFePo (lithium iron phosphate) cells from Japan and the USA to have the most stability that lithium batteries can have. Therefore being safe to use on small watercraft. Torqeedo Inc has engineered The Battery Management System or BMS which balances the reactions necessary to charge the cells and output power to the motor. Torqeedo packs the cells separately in steel cylinders which unlike most lithium cells are packed in foil or coffee bags. The steel cylinders are the utmost protection without being as costly as ceramic cylinders. All Trorqeedo battery housings hold a Waterproof to IP67 rating. Meaning the battery can withstand being submerged in under 3.3 feet of water for 30 minutes. Any type of water in lithium batteries can lead to problems such as BMS hardware corrosion or creating electrolytic gas which is highly explosive.

If the battery becomes submerged for longer than 30 minutes you may want to send it to Torqeedo to be serviced.

The on board GPS is a computer within the battery. This computer communicates with the throttle controller to display your current speed and distance to charge. The new 1417 battery is also  compatible with the Torq Trac module and app like the previous battery’s.

Torqeedo Website Link

MSRP $899

Review: Lowrance Elite 5 TI TotalScan Fishfinder/Chartplotter

Upon receiving the new unit on a Tuesday and installing it on my kayak by Thursday I was able to use the unit on the water at the Jamaica Bay Kayak Fishing Tournament. Since my kayak had a Elite 5 Chirp Installed I was able to use the existing hull pass-thru and the power cable. The transducer had to be swapped out replacing the HDI Skimmer (DownScan) with the TotalScan. See the install Article for more information on how I scupper installed the new TotalScan Transducer.

Once the cabling was installed I then inserted the Navionics+ Charts SD Card into the unit. On the initial power on it asked me to accept a disclaimer which every unit asks on power on. Then immediately went into quick setup mode. The touchscreen is where it is at. What once took over 15 different key pad presses now takes one touch of a finger!. Very convenient along with additional settings. The menus are simple to navigate along with the ability to touch zoom touch courser areas to zoom in on and set way points and even on the sonar touch and swipe back to review history. Changing settings such as sensitivity on the fly is simple. Touching the sensitivity and a slider appears which you can slide up and down via touch for more or less sensitivity. This applies for all settings.

An excellent new feature is the ability to customize just about every screen. You can create your own pages with views you would like to see along with sizing them within the page. You even have the ability to customize the background wallpaper with your own image! Change colors of tracks the DSI and Side Scan screens. By simply swiping the menu it will hide for max screen resolution. Simply edit the settings of any panel by touching the panel and selecting the options and settings within the menu.

Another really cool feature is 3D Charts. Like a vehicle GPS you can now view them in 3D to see what is in front of you simpler. The ability to pan and change the view angle is all controlled by touch.

A big improvement I have noticed is the refresh rate and sensitivity of the GPS along with better Navionics Charts. While turning it flows like a floating compass and is not laggy like older units. Adding way points has never been easier. Simply touch on the screen where you would like to add a way point or for current location press the chart then add new way point. Even faster press the flag symbol key on the keypad. Even easier is naming your way points. The onscreen touch keyboard makes this fast and easy.

The Lowrance Elite5 TI also has WIFI and Bluetooth ability. The wireless connectivity gives you the ability to use a wireless device to remotely view (smartphone and tablet) and control the system (tablet only). Access the GoFree Shop. Upload your Sonar logs to create custom maps at Insight Genesis. (If you have purchased the Lowrance Insight chart add on) Download software updates Connect to third party applications.

One flaw so far is in heavy rain the touchscreen will malfunction. Bring a clean dry cotton towel with you to dry off the screen. If you are in a downpour. Quickly navigate by pressing the power key and then touching the lock screen icon. This will temporarily turn off the touch option. Once you are able to dry off the screen press the power button to unlock the screen. See the image on the left for touch lock location.

The TotalScan is completely amazing. It includes CHIRP 2D Broadband, Down Scan Imaging (DSI), and side scan imaging. The DSI and side view imaging is completely photo like due to the CHIRP technology. Giving the ability to identify fish holding structure is a huge advantage for any angler. With three different transducers built into one it is an advantage for the kayak also. Although a drawback of the TotalScan transducer is its size. The install situation on a kayak it is incredibly tough to mount. Being side scan it must be in the water with no interference with the hull. The overall dimensions on the transducer is 10.11″ long by 2.65″ wide.  I had to modify the boat transom bracket to work with the Jackson kayak scupper and Lowrance Scupper mount. See the install article for more information on installing the transducer on Jackson Kayak Raymarine Ready Kayaks. For all other kayaks that do not have a large scupper trough you may opt to use a Ram Mounts Transducer Arm Mount and for use on multiple kayaks use the YakAttack Cell Block.

The unit will not work with the HDI skimmer unless you purchase an adapter cable (additional $30.00)

Pros:

• Touchscreen Ability
• TotalScan Three Different Transducer in one
• Full Customization
• WIFI
• 3 available Chart Addons
• Perfect Size for Kayak Application
• Mounts using Ram Mounts RAM-101-LO11

Cons:

• Touch Screen is tough to navigate when really wet
• Transducer is HUGE
• Will not work out of box with HDI skimmer (needs adapter cable)

Check out the Lowrance Catalog and website for more information!

www.lowrance,com

http://www.lowrance.com/Global/Lowrance/Documents/Catalogs/2016%20Lowrance%20Catalog_985-11130-001_w.pdf

A Look Back at 2015 on The Plastic Hull

A Look Back at 2015 on The Plastic Hull starts in the spring as winters frigid cold had a strong grasp up until mid April. Although it was freezing cold out the Indoor Fishing and Kayak Expos went on. Attending 5 and representing Jackson Kayak at 3 the itch to get out fishing was growing incredibly strong. The introduction to fly fishing was fascinating. Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) and Steve Monahan were kind to bring me on board their team for the season. Paddle Sport 2015 was 3 days of fun and was able to do my Yak Action Seminar on camera mounting and shooting video. Its great meeting so many like minded people there whom were interested in the sport of Kayak Angling.

The early days of the mid to late Spring out bass fishing was phenomenal for a few weeks. Every time out fishing fish were caught! This year breaking a record for the longest day fished from sunrise to sunset! Just after the Jamaica Bay Kayak Fishing Classic the big Blues were everywhere and Bass fishing became tough. A few bad weather days with fog and wind but found a way to save most of those days by relocating out of the wind. However the majority of days were perfect conditions with light and variable winds along with warm sunny days.  It was great to see Justin Vail catch his first Striped Bass. That is what its all about!

It wasn’t long before kicking off the first NJ Heroes On The Water outing at Lake Denmark along with a special overnight retreat at the Picatinny Army Base Cabins. An opening to an incredibly successful HOW season that consisted of over 20 events including the new Midweek events. Also holding my record of bad weather at HOW events I have coordinated. Cancelling the Port Monmouth event was one of the hardest things to do after everyone who showed up and having a donated lunch already paid for. The program is one of the best for helping US Veterans and their family’s have a good day to smile and enjoy the simple things in life. I am proud to be apart of this amazing group of people and to continue on donating time for something that is very needed in our sport.

Opening day of Fluke/Summer Flounder and landing the first Fluke of the season in an area that the thought never came to mind to target them! Fishing the back bay more over 2015 and traveling much more than previous years. Managing at least one keeper Fluke on every trip it was the first season I did not fish at Sandy Hook. Took the opportunity at targeting a bucket list fish down in MD/VA. Mattawoman Creek was the destination and Snakeheads were on the list. Mark Wheeler made the drive up from VA Beach and we bade a day out of it unfortunately not landing one snake head but the LMB were a ton of fun!

July came fast and on a whim deciding to participate in the Sunshine Foundation Fluke Tournament. The weather was great but only short Fluke were caught. This being a kill tournament no keepers were caught therefore there was no winners for the kayak division. It was a great tournament with good people and a nice experience fishing a new area. The pulled pork was awesome!!! Looking forward to fishing it again in 2016!

It was now time for the Elks Fluke tournament. There was a decent turnout with 38 kayak anglers. Again had amazing weather. A few of us fished the Manasquan river where the bulk of the guys went up to Raritan Bay. However the ocean prevailed producing a 27.5″ fluke and a bunch of others over 20″. Chris Baggott cleaned up again as he did in 2013 winning 3 of the 4 divisions and even winning the bucktail raffle.

Following the tournaments a phenomenal limiting out day fishing the Back Bay with Brian Pickard tops the list of Fluke fishing 2015. Although late it was September just before the closing of the season. It was fish after fish! These days are the ones we could only dream of!

Camping became the norm in 2015! Embarking on trip after trip I was literally not home on weekends for 3 months. It was great to get out and be away from everything there. Which brings me to the excellent camping trip of the year! Round Valley Reservoir. This slice of beauty is situated 20 minutes from my home but is incredibly wilderness camping. The first time kayak camping and was an excellent time. Put the 65 QT Orion cooler to the test. Towing a canoe loaded with firewood and gear over the 2.5 mile distance across the reservoir. Camping with good friends in the wilderness is incredibly relaxing and great times! Camp fire cooking and dinner at sunset!

After the close of the Fluke season I ended up hanging more with Ricky at his camp Chips Folly in South Jersey. That place is a little slice of heaven! Bass fishing Great Bay and the Mullica River in some top secret spots. Its such a thrill to get out of the ordinary and explore! Fishing these areas extended my knowledge of fishing different techniques that you wouldn’t tend to use in my home waters of Raritan Bay. Fishing these types of backwaters and sod banks is a Kayak Anglers dream.

The final get together in Cape May typically closes out the season with laughs stories and good brews. Tautog fishing was insanely good this year and that is always a plus! The guys at The Kayak Fishing Store do a great job as always providing a great weekend for over 100 anglers. Really nice raffle prizes that benefit the NJ HOW Chapter!

Fishing November in Delaware was a treat as it was a first for me. The ability to meet anglers out of state and the realization of the divide between saltwater and freshwater anglers. Hopefully more salt guys will join in on the KBF series tournaments as they are well put together and a ton of fun. This also works both ways as the freshwater guys I hope come out to the big saltwater tourneys in the future!

Fishing a number of tournaments over the year including J-Bay in Queens NY,Sunshine Foundation in Tucketron NJ, CBKA in Kent Island MD, MAKBF Delaware, and Commissioning the Point Pleasant Elks Kayak Division for my 2nd year. Fresh water fishing was on my list of improvements and have put in more time.

2015 had many incredible days spent on the water! Im stoked that 2016 is to be even better. Please do drop me an email if you would ever like to get together and hit the water! Trust me its a blast.

Thanks again for reading my articles! I hope they inspire you to get out there and fish!