Glad you love it! It’s sure changed the way I fish out of a yak!

It’s on my list of upgrades for the future!

Nice! 👍🏼 I’m glad it worked out for you!

That seems like a good deal! I haven’t been in the Acends much but the little bit I’ve around they seem pretty good!

@KayakKid did you find any good ideas to rig a system for deploying and retrieving the motor? I saw one that's basically a cord attached to the shaft for retrieving, then another cord ran to the peddle for releasing.. Iv never had a yak but all iv heard about the Acend is its very stable for marsh and inshore fishing, which is where we do most all fishing. Plus it's supposed a good entry level yak. 🤷‍♂️

I’ve had it a few months now and have not had any problems! The only thing I would add is the lanyard doesn’t hold up because of the weird buckle they use.

I use it for catfishing IF there is a little wind. If it’s dead calm it moves to much and I’m afraid I’d have a bunch of line wrapped around the prop.

Absolutely! I’ve ran several batteries with it and so far my favorite is a 100Ah lithium ion battery. They’re expensive but worth the investment if you plan to fish multiple days in a row. But you could get by with a 50Ah-75Ah on day trips. Dakota Lithium is one of the first brands I would recommend (also one of the most expensive.) I have also tested LiTime and GoldenMate and had favorable results with them so far.

I bought the Unlimited bow mounting bracket for the Xi3! It replaces the front handle but makes for super easy removal of the trolling motor when I’m transporting it. I’m pretty sure I used all the hardware that came with it, I might have had a bolt or some washers left over though

I've never run a 100Ah battery down, even after multiple days in a row on the water. One day, I trolled with a 50Ah battery in my kayak for 6-8 miles, so you'll have plenty of juice to run 4 miles.

Thanks, I appreciate the kind words! 1. I just started running a 100ah Lithium and I’m really liking it but I ran a 35Ah AGM for several years. It just didn’t have enough juice. 2. I’ve ran it on high for well over 3 miles (on the 100Ah) then used it to fish for 3-4 hours and still had plenty of juice left over to fish another day. Most of my trips run 3-4 hours and I would have to charge the 35Ah after every trip but the 100Ah I’m getting 3-4 trips out of it. 3. I really only use the power pole in rivers now… spot lock has become my best friend in pretty much every depth. A rudder might be handy for making long runs and controlling your yak in the wind… I would lean towards a rudder with how I fish.

@@KayakKid Thank you!

You’re welcome!

Yes, I've been running a LiTime 100aH battery for about 2 months, now. It's one of the cheapest on the market but so far I've been impressed with it. I can stay on the water all day and still have plenty of battery left over for a trip the next day.

Yes I’ll pull it up and use a paddle if it’s really thick but so far it’s gotten me through the weeds pretty well!

No, I don’t have them connected but I run them at the same time!

The 50 has treated me well! I have yet to trip it but I haven’t got a bunch of weeds wound up in it either

@@KayakKid awesome! Thank you for the quick reply. I should have no problem on my lakes since we have very little vegetation.

Hmmm interesting! That could be it too! I’m definitely going to recalibrate it again to see if that helps.

Yep! I’ve never connected it to my fish finder

Nice! I’m sold going to buy one and put it on my old town sportsman bigwater PDL 132.

I have not… I try to set it on a lower speed and it works great with a little wind. The problem is still just on dead calm days

I’ve been in some pretty remote areas with it and I didn’t have any out of the ordinary issues with it. It uses satellites/Gps so cell towers nearby don't matter. It's designed for the front, I have another that mounts to the rear and I didn't like how it maneuvered as much as a bow mounted trolling motor. I don't think the xi3 would work very well mounted to the back of a yak.

Maybe just for curiosities sake but I’ve been pretty happy with the three blade!

I use a 50 amp circuit breaker that way I can easily reset it on the water

Yes, the unlimited is stable enough for me to do that but I’ve seen @flukemaster rig a pull cord that allows him to lift it from his seat.

This is the video I’m referencing- kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fd2cgNh2yLbXhIU.html

At least a 50 amp hour battery but I plan to buy a 100 because I want to do long runs and use it all day without worrying about it dying.

@@KayakKid Perfect! Thanks for the reply. I’ll go with the 100ah. Thanks.

@@anthonynoe532 absolutely! They’re very pricey but you won’t have to worry about getting stranded

Great video! Keep ‘em coming.

@@KayakKid have you ever ran out of battery with that 50 on the xi3?

I wish! That’d be awesome! The only trolling motor I know that does that is the Minn Kota Ulterra and there’s no way one of those is fitting on the front of my kayak!

I don’t think so… I’m sure someone has done it but I think it would require a DIY bracket/ modifications to the kayak.

@@KayakKid You can't, Spot lock will pull you backwards and spin you around like a bad dream.

@@islandhoppersales5309 are you sure of this? if you keep rudder straight, shouldt it be similar to the way it pulls the bow?

@@PeterRanieriII Hi Peter, I am 100% sure. I owned one, and got rid of it for 1/2 of what I paid at Bass Pro. I had no luck with it, and wasted so much time with M.G techs and my own time trying to replace GPS module, Control board and still issues. It would not stay anchored long and it would freeze, at times for no reason it would takes off on its own at full throttle.

@@islandhoppersales5309 I appreciate you sharing. I really wanted to try and mount the xi3 motorguide on the stern of a kayak and use it for propulsion assistance while pedaling and then when I get to the fishing spot be able to use spot lock. But I’m thankful you shared your experience. You think I would have the same issue with that motor?

Thanks for the constructive criticism