So you have installed your sparkling brand new Torqeedo Ultralight 403 electric outboard. How do you maintain it? Maintenance is always good practice for protecting and getting the most longevity from your investment. Being an electric motor the Ultralight 403 has very low maintenance.

Cleaning off your Motor:

After a day out on the water its always good to rinse off your motor. Remove dirt and mud that may have accumulated. Also remove any weeds that may have wrapped in the prop. This is always a good time to inspect the propeller for any foreign objects such as fishing line.

For use in saltwater its good to rinse off with soap and a brush off the motor thoroughly. Just about the entire motor system is aluminum which will discolor and pit over time. Using a soap such as simple green a brush and some water clean off the entire system after each use.

Keeping Connections Clean:

Over time power and data connections become dirty. The gold plated electrodes are easy to clean by spraying them down with WD-40. Drain the residual out the plug. Then insert each end into the battery. Then pull out and reinsert them.

Capping Connectors:

Personally I like to cap my connectors after use. Using Screw Protector and Pipe End Caps on the connectors keeps out dirt and sand that could cause a connection to fail. They also protect against damage to the pins in the connectors. Bent connection pins will result in the cable failing.

Cleaning the Throttle Controller:

Over time salt, dirt buildup, and grime can bind down your throttle handle. Its good practice to rinse the throttle controller after use but often this is forgotten. If it becomes bound up and doesn’t seem to stop propulsion simply fill up a tub with about 3/4″ of warm water. Set the throttle int he water on its side with the throttle handle. Let soak fr a good 20 minutes. This should dissolve salt from the unit.

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

One of the most unique places in the United States is Assateague Island. Located in both Maryland & Virginia the barrier island is home to hundreds of feral horses. It all began in January 2017 when in a conversation with Joe Hosler about doing a Kayak Fishing Excursion there. Not knowing the area it was tough to pick a date but we picked what worked out best for the two of us. I then figured it would be nice to extend it to fellow kayak anglers. A post on facebook and an enormous amount of interest followed. The date was set for June 9 – 12 as still in the spring the hope was for a less buggy experience.

Assateague is said to have the second highest mosquito populations just under the Everglades in Florida. Insect repellent with deet is highly recommended. The camp is set up for tenting camper or RV but has no hookups. It’s amenities include an out house with cold showers but its a  great trade off for the outdoor beauty the park provides.

Assateague Island National Seashore Park Kayak Fishing Camp

This was the first run while personally never visiting the park had no idea what to expect. For this reason the car camping was our best bet. There are many factors while wilderness camping that can make it a good trip or a tough one weather conditions being a main one. Rain can be one of the worst. Even in the summer things will not dry in humid places making the adventure cold and risky. “Backcountry Camping” at Assateague the closest camp in Maryland varies from 2 1/2 to 13 miles away from the ranger station.  No fresh water is available at the back-country sites so paddling in water would be a must.

Car camping as opposed to wilderness camping is much easier while weather is still a factor it can be overcome easily. The amount of gear you have with you is not limited to what you can take in your kayak. So for those reasons car camping was the way to go on the first run at Assateague. Campsite reservations fill up quickly at the park so planning out dates happened well in advance. I booked 2 sites in January which can hold up to 6 campers 2 tents and 2 cars.

Friday:

Assateague Island National Park is located in Maryland about an hour south of my home. Ricky took the drive from Philly and crashed at my place the night before. I was waiting on a special delivery from Torqeedo of a Sunshade 50 solar panel for charging the Torqeedo battery. It was amazing as it arrived at the moment we are hitting the road!

The Road to Camp:

Fortunately the camp is only an hour from my house so we were there in no time. We stopped at Buckys bait and tackle shop for bait and also got a flounder sandwich for lunch.  Ed and Noriel were already there and set up by the time Ricky and I arrived. Dee and Kelly were also already there so we set up our camp. We needed firewood as the park states you cannot bring firewood from out of state.

Its pretty neat as the Assateague road in there are about 20 different places that sell firewood both honor boxes and salesman. After loading up on wood we and then hit the water. In search of flounder and set up with crapping handlines we fished and crabbed until the evening. Suddenly Ricky had a fish on. It was a small striper. Who knew. Some time went by and I started catching them on the buck tail and gulp.

One after another 14 in all which was followed by an amazing sunset.

Right after the sun past the horizon horses crossed the water from sod banks which they were grazing on the salty grass during the day. The full moon raised above the trees at that exact time.

We did a bit of grilling back at camp. Some sausages that Noriel brought. It was late due to the long days and no one really felt like cooking. We then all went and crashed out only to be awoken at 2:30 am by other campers setting up and being very inconsiderate. Ricky said something to them and they didn’t care. We figured in the morning since they packed up quite early that they were not supposed to be camping there to begin with.

Saturday:

Waking up around 5:30 to await Jeff Little’s arrival and to cook up some breakfast.  The mosquitoes that were caught between the screen dome and the rain fly of my tent were still trying to eat me alive. The dash to unzip the door and run to the concrete or become breakfast to the blood suckers. Well I made it. The other guys were just getting up also. I started cooking bacon and eggs for everyone. Jeff arrived and ate with us. We filmed a short video on the Torqeedo Sunfold 50 Solar Charging Panel.

Convoyed up we drove off the island to South Point which lies on the west side of Sinepuxent Bay. Launching at a boat ramp we learned the water was colder than that closer to the island. It was funny because it probrably took us about 20 minutes to drive to the boat ramp while it was only 1.8 miles from the Assateague Island Drop in.  Water was deeper in this are a reason we went there but couldn’t find a fish the whole day. Resorted to crabbing and caught mainly females which is illegal to keep for dinner in Maryland.

Jeff was able to get in a bunch of footage for the Torqeedo video. I covered how to use the Torqeedo motor while flounder fishing. Making new drifts wind tide etc. It does save from a lot of paddling throughout the day. Then went onto hand lining from a kayak for crabs. Technique bait, and how to anchor. All great information which I will post up on my blog when I get around to it! Everyone ended up giving up around 2 PM and headed back to camp for dinner. Becky, Ricky’s wife had prepared  chicken and veggies for grilling! Good thing I brought the Camp Chef cook op and grill top.

We did manage to get out again in the evening for the bass again. Wasn’t as productive as the evening prior but did catch a few.

Sunday:

The attempt to sleep in was impossible due to the fact the sun was beating on my tent. The heat was becoming intense. Ricky was leaving soon and so were Kelly and Dee. Jay Sav had to leave Saturday unfortunately due to a family emergency. Ed Noriel and myself decided to fish where we did the evening before and try some crabbing there also.  Crabbing was very slow and almost uneventful. Only a strange thing happened. I had a small bunker on one of my crab stringers. Suddenly it was pulled really hard and the bait was gone. What could have that been…

Couldnt say anything for the fishing. Didn’t even have a hit but next time i will throw a bunker on and let it sit on the bottom. We all were bored and decided to head back to camp around 1 PM. I was able to set up the Torqeedo Sunfold 50 to get a gauge on how much battery it would charge in a certain time. Realistically its 50 watts of charging so it will charge a full battery over the time of 2 full days of sunlight.

We had leftover chicken sandwiches for lunch and I cooked the steak for dinner. We were all sort of beat and didn’t go out fishing on the last evening. A heard of horses came through camp in the late afternoon.  They just walked through feeding on the tall grass not minding ours or other campers presence. Then they rummaged through a neighboring campers trash. Its bad to leave trash or food out at the camp. Horses are not built to consume human or other animals food. They eat grass.

I went down to the beach for a clear sunset. We had our last campfire and the wind in that campsite again saved us from the mosquitoes.

Monday:

Well it was an early wake up again. This time to pack up and head home. This was a very enjoyable few days of doing what we love best. Camping, Fishing, and hanging out with good friends. This will most likely become an annual trip for us. All are welcome to join. Please do! Hope to see you all next year.