Hobie E-Volve ??? Looking to Buy - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

JoeBeck · 11-12-2010, 10:45 AM

Seems to me when you start looking for a motor for a kayak, it is time to just get a boat. For the price of these things you can get a nice skiff with an outboard, fish all day and not worry about the batteries running out or flipping in the surf with a motor on the back of your yak. Just my 2 cents. Plus you can take family and friends out on a boat.

Jim I like the way you think.

Riskey Water · 11-12-2010, 11:31 AM

6 years ago I paddled from San Pedro to Catalina SOLO for my 40th b-day .Stayed there a week and circumnavigated the island 3 times in that week then turned east to go home. I'm just looking to extend the mileage of my day by mixing up the paddle ,peddle,and a little troll time .Still haven't heard from anyone that has the motor yet .

lterrero · 11-12-2010, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riskey Water

6 years ago I paddled from San Pedro to Catalina SOLO for my 40th b-day .Stayed there a week and circumnavigated the island 3 times in that week then turned east to go home. I'm just looking to extend the mileage of my day by mixing up the paddle ,peddle,and a little troll time .Still haven't heard from anyone that has the motor yet .

Easy does it, enjoy my friend.

PAL · 11-12-2010, 12:25 PM

I'll take a stab at answering the OP's actual question.

We took a look at the eVolve for a recent issue of Kayak Angler magazine. I'd never claim we took a scientific approach. The basic aim was to see if we could break it.

There were two other manufacturer models in the test set, the OK Torque and Native Volt. As an aftermarket add-on, we did not look at the Bassyak system.

Over the course of a few days, we surf launched the Hobie during moderate to slightly heavy LJ days. Then we went boiler rock fishing and dodged more curlers. The test unit was an Outback with a rudder mount.

There were several strong points. The system is ridiculously lightweight. Connections are the highest quality we saw, by far. It just plain worked.

The rudder mount is great, easy to retract when necessary. It plays nice with the Mirage Drive. It was the ultimate in range-increasing flexibility.

Downsides besides the price: the power unit sucked up several blades of eel grass. They gummed the works slightly, but it didn't appear they could have caused damage or entered the motor case.

Range seemed about half that of the OK Torque with full-size gel battery. That wasn't a big deal, because the eVolve throttle control displays speed, range, remaining charge, and so on.

In reverse only, the rudder mount was prone to pulling itself out of the water. Just go slow.

The rest of the story is on the web. Just look for Kayak Angler Magazine. Digital issues are $1.

11-12-2010, 10:45 AM	#1
JoeBeck Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 370	Seems to me when you start looking for a motor for a kayak, it is time to just get a boat. For the price of these things you can get a nice skiff with an outboard, fish all day and not worry about the batteries running out or flipping in the surf with a motor on the back of your yak. Just my 2 cents. Plus you can take family and friends out on a boat. Jim I like the way you think.

11-12-2010, 11:31 AM	#2
Riskey Water Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: On the water ofcourse Posts: 142	6 years ago I paddled from San Pedro to Catalina SOLO for my 40th b-day .Stayed there a week and circumnavigated the island 3 times in that week then turned east to go home. I'm just looking to extend the mileage of my day by mixing up the paddle ,peddle,and a little troll time .Still haven't heard from anyone that has the motor yet .

11-12-2010, 12:25 PM	#4
PAL Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 754	I'll take a stab at answering the OP's actual question. We took a look at the eVolve for a recent issue of Kayak Angler magazine. I'd never claim we took a scientific approach. The basic aim was to see if we could break it. There were two other manufacturer models in the test set, the OK Torque and Native Volt. As an aftermarket add-on, we did not look at the Bassyak system. Over the course of a few days, we surf launched the Hobie during moderate to slightly heavy LJ days. Then we went boiler rock fishing and dodged more curlers. The test unit was an Outback with a rudder mount. There were several strong points. The system is ridiculously lightweight. Connections are the highest quality we saw, by far. It just plain worked. The rudder mount is great, easy to retract when necessary. It plays nice with the Mirage Drive. It was the ultimate in range-increasing flexibility. Downsides besides the price: the power unit sucked up several blades of eel grass. They gummed the works slightly, but it didn't appear they could have caused damage or entered the motor case. Range seemed about half that of the OK Torque with full-size gel battery. That wasn't a big deal, because the eVolve throttle control displays speed, range, remaining charge, and so on. In reverse only, the rudder mount was prone to pulling itself out of the water. Just go slow. The rest of the story is on the web. Just look for Kayak Angler Magazine. Digital issues are $1.