All right fellas here it is. I finally pulled the trigger on the BassYaks motor set up for my Malibu Stealth 12. I opted for the 40lb thrust motor and the motor lift kit (allows you to lift the motor from the cockpit) on the good advice of the owner/inventor. I originally purchased my kayak fully rigged from Steve in 2009. He gave me a great deal then and he gave me a great deal on the motor setup. My experiences in dealing with him have been nothing but positive and I highly recommend his shop and utilizing his services. He's not only a shop owner and a kayak salesman but he's also a die-hard fisherman. He knows his stuff and he also developed a great little motor set-up for kayaks. You can see more of his work and get more info at bassyaks.com. I took mine out for the first time yesterday and in what is now my third season with my yak I do not hesitate for one second to say that it was the most productive,care free day of fishing I've had on it. Having the motor allows me to fish the whole time and not only that but on fishy water. There is no putting down your rod to correct your position, there is no long paddle to "the spot",even better there is no long paddle back in. I fished Millstone on Sunday and fished right in the wash. That would have been impossible to do without the motor. Early morning there were bluefish breaking on bait. When they showed their selves I motored over there,made a cast and hooked up. When they showed up again somewhere else I motored over there and made a cast,hooked up again. I did that six times! In the past I'd see birds or fish or both and paddle over there only to be too late. The party was already over and it's been very frustrating. Whoever thought you could "run and gun" from a kayak? Now I'm just waiting for some albies to make an appearance! At one point I got a little too excited and motored right into them and sent em down. Yep, I couldn't believe I made a knucklehead move like that and I had to laugh at myself. I also got a 36" striper on the day a fluke and a couple of sea robins. The point is that the motor allows me to spend more time fishing and no time paddling. I bought the kayak as a fishing platform not because I like paddling and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. It allows me to fish in heavy tides,stronger wind than I could by paddling and not expend any energy doing it. And one of the best things is that when I've had enough and need to get back I'm back in no time flat. One of the major concerns with the trolling motors is run-time. Steve has been at this a long time and through trial and error has developed a great product and can counsel you on motor size,battery size etc. so you get maximum use/enjoyment out of your time on the water. And you know,there are a lot of people building their own setups that are based on the BassYaks setup and I even considered doing it myself. I don't deny that it can be done but for me personally it's worth a little extra money for the expertise of someone whose been building the better mouse trap for years rather than time spent figuring it out for myself. For the purists who will never motorize, I'll just say that you don't know what you're missing! And for anyone who is skeptical of my review I am not affiliated in any way,shape or form with Bassyaks. I'm just a very happy customer.
Thanks guys. I really like it a lot. Feels great to be more mobile. Here's a couple of more pics to answer some questions. Hertzy the speed control is the knob to the right of the seat in this photo. There is another handle on the other side of the seat that when you pull on it and push forward on both foot pegs raises the motor while you're on the water. Also here's the battery.
