Yes I did change the routing of the cable for the battery and fishfinder. I ended up drilling a hole in the back area and running the power cable for the motor along the starboard side of the kayak. Then I ran the fishfinder cables along the port side of the kayak. That fixed my interference issue with sidescan.

@@Generalneves007 Gotcha. I currently have my fishfinder cable coming up through the through hole and into the transducer cavity and was planning to run the trolling motor cable the same way but I'm assuming I would get interference that way as well?

@@scottcarlin2304 That’s how I originally wired everything up and I had problems. I even tried moving the fishfinder to one side and the battery cable to the other but the problem still persisted. Running the battery and transducer through the same thru-hull was the problem.

That’s awesome! Some tips while your getting everything set up. You’ll want to run the trolling motor power cables on the opposite side of the kayak as your fishfinder transducer cables. I was getting interference when I had the transducer cable running next to the trolling motor power cable. The kayak will become very bow heavy so you’ll want to try to load up as much weight (batteries, tackle, etc) towards the back to offset it. I would also recommend getting some scupper plug if you don’t already have some, unless you don’t mind water in the boat. I added some because I was getting water coming into boat when making full throttle runs in the kayak using the motor. Other than that, it’s a good set up. You’ll have to watch out when you step towards the front the kayak, like if you’re trying to access the front hatch or something, because water will start coming in through the mirage drive opening. It all drains out when you step back but you don’t want to be doing it for too long. Enjoy!

@@Generalneves007 I was wondering about getting water and how the bow weight affects things…thanks for your input!

Haha! I think you’ll really like the kayak. Super stable and the 360 drive makes it very maneuverable. I’ve posted quite a few videos fishing from that kayak. Enjoy!

When I originally bought the Hobie, I wasn't planning on putting a trolling motor on it. If I was to do it again, I would've gone with the Old Town Autopilot 120. The 12' Hobie PA is just not ideal for adding a trolling motor, it changed the kayak dynamics quite a bit. I think the 14' PA is better suited than the 12'. You can't really beat when the kayak comes with a trolling motor and was specifically designed for that scenario. I am currently selling the Hobie and almost bought a Autopilot but ended up getting a pond prowler because I want to take my son out with me.

The battery meter I had stopped working quite a long time ago. I'm not sure what happened to it but maybe it got wet. I never ended up replacing it because I didn't find myself going on fishing trips where I was making lots of long runs. In terms of the actual battery overheating, I've never had a battery overheat on me. I would second the battery meter being the problem. That may not be designed for the long runs that draw high current for an extended period of time. Were you able to confirm that it was the battery that shut down on you and not the meter? Does your setup allow you to not have the meter connected?

If I’m just fishing a shoreline and picking it apart, yes I steer with the remote. If making a longer run, I just point the motor straight ahead and use the kayak rudder to steer. It become sketchy when going full speed and turning the motor with the remote.

Yes you can still pedal the mirage drive when the motor is stowed.

My thinking when I made this video was that I wanted to have access to the battery box and I couldn’t do it if the crate was in front of it. But I since ended up swapping the battery box and crate. And also I needed to redistribute weight on the kayak so I put the battery further back.

@@Generalneves007 With regard to the weight distribution comment you made in your reply, did you find that the weight of the bow mounted motor needed to be offset with the battery being positioned further aft? What issues did you encounter when you had the battery positioned in front of your crate. I’m about to rig my PA12 with an xi3 and am trying to settle the battery placement issue. Thanks

@@Osprey1955 given the weight of the xi3 and the fact that most of that weight is hanging over the bow of the kayak, you’ll want to position the battery as far back as you can. The main issue has to do with water coming through the drive opening when you step towards the front of the kayak when fishing. Besides weight distribution, the only issue I had with having the battery box in front of the crate was that it made it harder to access the crate because I was having to reach further.

Yes there is room. I’ve actually upgraded my fishfinder since making the video and I have it mounted on the front H-Rail.

Thanks! It was pretty easy. As long as the line doesn’t fray at the end too much, it’s easy to feed through. The spectra line also has some stiffness that makes it feed easier. You shouldn’t have any issues.

Thanks! Ya that’s what I ended up doing. I added some washers in between to create the gap and used lock nuts to keep it from loosening.

The only downside of putting it on the PA12 is the water coming in through the drive opening. It does limit how much usable deck space you have because you can’t really stand towards the front. Other than that, I like the setup and haven’t really had many issues. I did have an issue with the Motorguide Xi3 where it started squeaking really loudly when it was running. I ended up having to take apart the lower unit and replacing some seals. Annoying because it was still in warranty but I didn’t really have a nearby place to take it to get the warranty claim done. If I had to do it all over again, I think I would’ve just gotten the old town autopilot 120. Minn Kota makes a better motor than Motorguide and it basically comes all rigged up already. And it would’ve been a lot cheaper.

No, I haven’t fished Chabot in a few years.

Thanks man! Glad it helped!

Thanks for the idea! I actually ended up placing some washers between the brackets to add separation but I should also add loctite to the bolts. Thanks!

I’m not actually sure what the registration renewal cost is yet. I just paid the original fees at the DMV and I haven’t had to renew it yet. I should be getting the renewal this year. I don’t believe there is any luxury tax on it.

Thanks! Actually you don’t lose the fish finder mount. Since making this video, I have added a new fish finder to the kayak and I have it mounted the the front H-Rail. The trolling motor gets close to the fish finder but it still fits. If you did have trouble mounting it, you could offset it left or right so it doesn’t hit the trolling motor.

Nope. The 8 awg is working fine. The current draw of the motor is below the wire rating.

I have them hooked up to the yak power switcher.

Yes I did have interference issues. I ended up moving where I ran the trolling motor battery wires to a different part. I drilled a hole and used a thru-hull fitting to run the wire along the starboard side. I moved where I mounted the fish finder and ran the transducer wire along the port side.

The only issue I’ve had with my Xi3 is the motor prop shaft started squeaking loudly. I had to take apart the motor housing and grease the prop shaft. Ended up also replacing the seals too.

You can use either. In the Motorguide user manual, they say the 50A breaker is the “good” option and the 60A breaker is the “best” option.

Thanks!

Thanks Sean! The run time really depends on how many long runs you are making because that's where most of the power draw is when going full speed. For reference, going full speed non-stop, the battery would last about 2 hours and 30 mins. I know this isn't realistic but it gives you an idea on how much power draw is at full speed, 30 amps at full speed. If you're just making a few long runs and mainly fishing shorelines or structure, it will last you all day, almost 2 if you don't go full speed too much. I've never drained the 80Ah. I have noticed some water in the hull recently. I'm trying to pin-point where it's coming in from. I think it may be the 360 drive cable tube. Hope this helps!

@@Generalneves007 Thanks for the feedback. I'll keep you posted on my install 👍

@@demolition_fishing Thanks and good luck!

Thanks! The Motorguide quick release bracket does not come with the one objective mount. You’ll need to order it separately. You can get it on Amazon for $60 right now, which is the cheapest I’ve seen. Here’s a link: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07L3L8L3X?th=1&psc=1

Thanks for the quick reply man just ordered everything and then watched your video and realize that I’m missing the mount. thank you so much for the quick reply. Just ordered it off Amazon. 🎣🎣

Thanks!

Unfortunately, your video didn’t exist when I did my install. But I’ll check it out. I don’t mind drilling two small holes to have an overall cleaner install.

@@Generalneves007 I don't see how doing more and drilling is cleaner than just pulling straight back and I understand it may not have existed when you did your install just wanted to let folks know that you don't hafto alter anything that's all maybe it'll help in the future for ya have a good one and hope you catchem all brother.

Thanks Matthew! I just used a knife to cut the 2 wires down the middle and got a little closer to the wires so that I was able to separate the sleeve. I hope that helps. It wasn’t too difficult.

@@Generalneves007 thank you. What I am trying to figure out is the white duplex covering. When the wire comes out of the through hull and into a connector did you slide the white sleeve back on? Makes for a nice clean look.

I have been getting a little water in the hull but nothing to be too concerned of. Still trying track down where’s its coming in from.

My guy said it gets in at around your drive system. He has had several people with the same issue. If it’s not to bad then I may be able to live with it. I just need some confirmation from some others with the 360.

@@jetco5906 I’ll take a look to see if it’s coming through the drive on my unit. I could see that it may be able to come through the drive line connection. There is a like a rubber flange inside the hull of the kayak that is supposed to seal the driveline and not let water come through. My first thought was that but I haven’t looked into it further.

With the motor deployed, I can probably go 18 to 24” of water before pulling it up. Might be able to go a bit shallower if you raise the motor a tad. Without the motor deployed, could probably be fine in 12” of water. I’ve never gone that shallow but I think you might be able to do it.

Thanks Joey! Glad the video was able to help you out.

I used a total of six Anderson connectors: two for the motor-to-power connection, two for the battery box-to-motor wire connection and two for the inline power meter. Without the inline power meter, you only need four. I recommend you getting a good crimper for the leads so they insert well into the Anderson connector housing. But the Anderson connectors have been holding up very well. No issues for me. Highly recommend them.

Thanks! I believe I bought like 10 or 12 feet but I also used some of the wire to make a pigtail for the battery box.

Thanks Keith! Appreciate it!

Thanks Randall! Glad I was able to help you out!

I am using the Bass Pro Shadow Tech Net. It's a really good net and I highly recommend it, especially for the price ($22)! It's really light and rubber dipped, which is a hard combo to find. Check it out: www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-shadow-tech-landing-nets

@@Generalneves007 I’m going to seriously consider this net! Less is more for me. I was looking for a very simple yet functional net. The price is amazing too! Thanks for the replay!

It does add a little over 40lbs to the front of the kayak. It doesn't affect stability very much. When you have the motor in the water, it kind of helps with stability because it essentially adds side-to-side resistance in the water. It wouldn't say it improves stability but it certainly doesn't make it so unstable that you have trouble standing or moving around in the kayak.

Thanks! Glad I could help you out!

If you buy the sw version, you're throwing money away. It's a sealed motor regardless, put an anode on the shaft, keep the motor painted and you just saved $100 or more..

Run time depends on how much time you spend making long runs at full speed. As a reference, going constant full speed at 4.7mph, the battery will last 2 hours and 40 minutes. If you back it off to a constant 4mph, it will last 4 hours. On one of my longer trips, I made about 7 miles worth of full speed runs and then just cruising around fishing for like 8 hours and I used probably about half the battery. If you don't really make any full speed runs and just fish shorelines, this setup will last you probably 2 days or more.

Thanks! The install has held up really well. Due to the added weight of the motor on the front, I had to install scupper plugs so that water wouldn't start coming up while going full speed. Also, I ran the transducer cable and battery power cables through the same thru-hull fitting in the kayak and the battery wires are causing interference in the side-scan of my Humminbird fishfinder. I plan to change that wire routing eventually. In terms of the battery and motor, they have been great. I did have an issue recently with the motor making a loud squeaking sound when the prop rotates. I had to take the lower motor unit housing apart and grease the shaft to stop the squeaking. Other than that, it has been good. The battery gives me plenty of range to fish.

Delt

@@federicoreveles8716 No I haven't. The Boonedox landing gear hasn't caused any problems and I always store my kayak on the hobie cradle.

@@Generalneves007 I have a pa360 14 . I put my kyack in the water and it wanted to flip on me. Hobie says I need to leave it in the sun. It will go back to normal.

@@federicoreveles8716 that sounds like a really major issue. How are you storing the kayak when you don't use it?

@@Generalneves007 on saw horse’s with cushions. Right now I have it on the ground. Hobie told me to leave it on the ground

The wheels are part of the boonedox landing gear. After you put the kayak in the water, you just move the position of the wheels so they are stored out of the water. www.boonedoxusa.com/product-page/groovy-landing-gear-standard-kit

Thanks! I don’t have any experience with the PA14 but I know it’s more stable than the 12, which is already really stable. They’re both good kayaks. The PA12 is going to be a little more stable due to its width but the Outback will be lighter and easier to transport. You’ll be stoked with either one.

Thanks. Fished a ton out of the older Revolution. Still have it and would fish out of it now but standing up is a high wire act. It’s surfing. Not really cut out for freshwater tournaments. Actually the seat is the big detractor. It’s basically a padded plank. Ten years ago I could deal with that. Not now!! Will look into getting one or the other this year once I sell my Revo. Thanks and best of luck.

I actually changed the wires on that power analyzer to 8gauge. It wasn't done very cleanly because the case is not meant to fit the large wire diameter but it worked. Thinking about it further, you might be able to get away with using the stock 12gauge wire on the power analyzer because its a very short length and 12gauge wire should be able to handle up to about 40 amps. I saw a current draw of about 30 amps with the Xi3 running at full speed. It's worth trying the 12 gauge wire but I already removed them from my unit.

You’re welcome! Glad it could be of help.

Thanks man! The second one was 6lbs 5oz.