Kayak with trolling motor

[Fish Taco]

Lots of opinions here... and that's what's great about forums like these, gives you much to weigh out and make a decision from.

An EK isn't for everyone, (as dc1983 can attest to) but thus far I've enjoyed mine. I've had it for a few years now and I'm happy with it. Is it perfect? No, I don't think any kayak is "perfect" in every way... but do I enjoy it?... yes, I do.

I too (like dc1983) have a motor on my Stealth 14. It is a Bassyaks (46# thrust) motor. If I had to do it all over again, I probably would choose a slightly smaller motor, b/c I don't think you gain that much in thrust for the extra weight of the motor. Bassyaks could probably hook you up for your kayak - go to their website and see if he has a kit for your yak. I'd be surprised if he didn't, he has kits for almost everything out there.

That being said, I don't fish SoCal ocean waters (yet...) as I'm out here on Long Island, NY. I fish mostly the L.I. Sound, and bays, estuaries, etc. that are nearby. I'm moving to Redondo Beach in the next 3 weeks however so all of that is about to change. For now, I hope to launch out of King Harbor and scoot out to the Pacific there - but will have to get things dialed in once I'm there.

I now use (2) 22-NF (55Ahr) batteries instead of the (1) Optima Blue Top D27MI used to use. I just made the switch but it seems to give me a bit more run-time while on the water - plus I can distribute the weight a little easier. The 22-NFs are the size of those wheelchair batteries.

CJ at OEX Mission Bay did a great job rigging my kayak with everything, and had it shipped to me in perfect shape.