Bris Kaboat: I will be the guinea pig

[awmaster10]

So I know most threads about kaboats are met with responses to just buy a regular aluminum floor SIB, but I frankly like trying something new, especially at a price point of $600-800. I also frequently fish on creeks small enough that the usual canoe and kayak guys would gawk at you if you brought a full sized dinghy. So, just ordered a 14.1ft Bris inflatable boat which is essentially a Saturn Kaboat but with:

- 17" instead of 14" interior width
- More steeply curved bow to prevent splashing
- Larger tubes
- Foot pump instead of hand pump

Ordered it from amazon for $600 shipped, heres a link: https://www.amazon.com/Inflatable-p...UTF8&qid=1495649514&sr=8-2&keywords=bris+14.1

I will be taking it on shallow rivers and a few small electric only lakes over the summer to fish and will update with how it holds up. I have the following simple mods/upgrades planned:

- trolling motor
- bolt a swivel mount and folding seat directly to rearmost bench seat
- bolt rod holders onto middle bench
- some sort of flooring over the air floor to prevent punctures

Initial amazon and ebay reviews are very positive but i haven't seen a comprehensive review yet, so you're welcome

 

[awmaster10]

Update: Taking another risk on the motor and will be the guinea pig for something really exciting.

While browsing alibaba (Chinese ebay) for deals on a 65# trolling motor I stumbled across a couple companies that make brushless motors for electric scooters had built electric outboard motors that have claimed outputs of 4-5hp (The brand Im getting) and up to 50hp (Golden motor co. which are much more expensive and obviously need like 8 batteries to run). There are pictures and diagrams of some of the internals and it seems very legit. Needs 48v though so battery pack will be like $150 on top of the $300 motor.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fre...lgo_pvid=fb4537cb-7bd3-4cf6-9321-fe7c90967bad

Itll either be the coolest thing ever or a dud, so thatll be fun

 

[Sea Rider]

Bats are real heavy, have limited operational range, , what if dies when boating...why don't you go instead for a portable 3.5-5 HP of your brand preference ?

Haapy Boating

 

[awmaster10]

Bats are real heavy, have limited operational range, , what if dies when boating...why don't you go instead for a portable 3.5-5 HP of your brand preference ?

Haapy Boating

Would love to just get a gas outboard but both rivers and one of the lakes that I frequent are electric only. The other option would be to get a cheap trolling motor for the 3 electric spots and a gas motor for anything else, but seems like a waste and would be upwards of $1000 for both.

In terms of batteries it does not need 4 marine batteries, it runs on 48v electric scooter packs, which are much smaller and lighter. For example, a value setup would be 4 of these wired in series:

https://www.amazon.com/ExpertPower-...=UTF8&qid=1495819360&sr=8-1&keywords=12v+20ah

Yes, batteries are inconvenient and have poor range, but I usually abide by the paddle out motor in rule, and am on flat lakes where rowing in would not be a problem. And If I purchase a regular trolling motor I will have trouble traveling upstream on certain sections. Also, since I should have 1.5hrs at max throttle, I could easily run on half throttle for a while and still be outpacing a 55# trolling motor.

Im sure this may be quite a risk over just getting a trolling motor and gas motor, but if it proves to be a decent product it would be huge for those looking for strong electric power without paying torquedo prices. I know specifically overseas there are tons of places where gas is completely banned on all bodies, and this seems like a cool solution if range is not your main concern.

 

[Sea Rider]

Nice to know. Torqueedo handles out of this world insane prices.. Our Rowing Club bought a Torqueedo and 2 spare batteries to follow rowing members on a flat water rowing court, with a prop maximization barely followed rowers at training speed, now imagine in a competition. That was a 8 grand purchase directly into the deep blue.. Check if less pitch props are available for that electric motor, will push much better against wind, current.

Happy Boating

 

[awmaster10]

Yes, my reasoning for this purchase is that around $500-1000 is a fair price for a 2-4hp electric outboard, as the motor and battery technology has been around for a while. The prices torquedo and similar command makes it extremely poor value compared to a similar gas motor, whereas the package I am looking at is actually a great value for somebody who cannot use gas often.

In terms of props I will message the manufacturer. I have had the customer services reps talk to the engineers various times about battery types, battery life, etc, and they seem very knowledgeable, but not about boats, just about the internals. I will suggest to them different prop pitch as they may not even know how this affects performance, and im sure they would be willing to work with me.

Why more companies havent invested more in electric outboards makes sense as it is currently not cost effective, but it would be great to see a new crop of electric outboards with normal gas motor form factor and prop selection, high performance brushless motors, and even high capacity battery packs that will make electric less of a hassle. If I were willing to pay $400 for a battery I could use a much smaller and lighter single cell for all 48v 22ah, but I am fine with making a small enclosure for the 4 12v batteries.

Boat comes tuesday and motor will be bought within a couple months, so ill update with results soon.

 

[alanfox55]

If it were me and I needed a high thrust motor and a small outboard I would spend $600 on a Minn Kota 80lb thrust trolling motor and an older used outboard like a Johnson/Evinrude. My first boat was an 8ft tender I pushed along all day on our slow moving river with a 1960's Sears trolling motor. A new trolling motor will last you a life time and there are all kinds of extra stuff you can get for them including props. I'm guessing an 80lb trust would move you along right smartly. I have and older Minn Kota 55lb thrust I take along in my 14 ft sib and a 23 year old Motor Guide on my Scout fiber glass boat that still work great. That Motor Guide I'm especially impressed with as it sat outside with no cover in all kinds of weather and the hot Texas sun for 21 of those 23 years. In 2010 I bought a 1972 Johnson 6 hp for $300. I never did a thing to it yet it never failed to start right up and ran all day every time I used it. I sold that motor three years later and it was still running great. Another thing to consider about an older name brand outboard like a Johnson there are parts still available for them.So from my personal experience that's what I would do.

 

[awmaster10]

Could pick up something like this and a trolling motor:
https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bpo/6149140420.html

Thoughts?

edit: also this https://offerup.com/item/detail/222...t_source=srchaece0f71a51e43cdbb3e30f7c3e3722b

 

[alanfox55]

They both look good though one looks like a short shaft and the other a long shaft.

 

[awmaster10]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. The 4hp nissan short shaft looks like a steal at $350, maybe even offer $300 and then I would be into a nice little motor for a great price point.

Only concerns are if it will be too heavy because it is 4 stroke

 

[alanfox55]

make a call and find out or do an internet search.

 

[awmaster10]

Searches are returning about 24kg, which i assume would be fine

 

[Sea Rider]

Those weights : S 58 Lbs, L 59 Lbs. Can bump it to a 5 HP if in need of more power..

Happy Boating

 

[awmaster10]

Checking out the short shaft nissan on tuesday, which is also when the boat comes, so I might even do a test fit for weight and size. Seems like deals on 4-6hp outboards come up in my area under $400 frequently though so it will not be the end of the world if it sells before I can commit.

Financially, really liking the idea of just rowing it all summer in PA where my lake and river are electric only, and then buy a gas motor at the end of summer for the rest of the year when I am in virginia and have access to a gas lake and gas river.

Its so hard for me to fight the urge to just drop $500 and have the electric motor as a solution to both, but these deals on outboards are honestly too good to pass up, and a 6hp tohatsu/nissan/mercury if I could find one would reaaally move this thing on the larger Claytor Lake and New River in Virginia.

Thanks for your help

 

[awmaster10]

Also,

Found a video of the 4hp and 5hp electrics in action and they look like they may be each overstated by about 1hp (4hp is actually 3hp, 5 is 4). Still seems like they perform pretty well though, so im still keeping an eye on them.

In terms of changing the prop they fit anything the gas hangkai motor fits which is a yamaha clone so maybe ill find luck in that department.

 

[awmaster10]

Boat has been inflated and looks great. Here are the pictures:




As you can see, the bow is pretty aggressively curved in comparison to the Saturn kaboats, which will be nice to prevent splashing. I also love the grey color, and have purchased a piece of dark grey marine carpet to cover the ugly white air floor and also protect it.

The supplied pump is also a foot pump which I find much easier than the hand pump supplied with Saturn, and got the tubes to the right pressure without much guessing.

Bench seats are very heavy duty, which is good because I will be mounting a swivel seat on the rearmost. Oars are average as expected.

The inside width seems great and it looks like it will easily sit 2 for fishing and up to 4 for just cruising. Tubes are very large and should keep it extremely stable in the flat water im traveling.

The weather has been awful here, so will not be able to take it out until at least thursday, but I will let you know how it goes. The raft is also being kept inflated while I am at work to test if it loses any air. Overall very happy with the purchase and cant wait to throw an outboard on it.

 

[awmaster10]

UPDATE: Taken it out on the river twice so far and its been great. Durability has proven itself, it was easy to launch and take out, and the tracking is good.

We had 4 people on the first time, and it was drafting a little deeper than id like but still handled it like a champ and paddled fine.

Second time with 3 was very roomy and comfortable, and the boat was only drafting an inch or two. Everybody stayed dry, we had room to fish, and it was very easy to maneuver with the front and back passengers with a single oar. Also traveled upstream at a decent pace when necessary.

Putting aerospace 303 protectant on it tomorrow as its going to be seeing some rough sun this summer.

Loving it so far, hopefully it holds up.

 

[alanfox55]

No Title

Congrats,good to hear you are happy with the boat. I use Armorall to clean my boat then 303 and have it covered at all times when not in use. After five years in the Texas sun it still looks new. I will add that it's in the shade a good part of the day too.

To save space you might be interested in Railblaza stuff. In the pics you'll see the pads that are glued on the tubes which are used to mount various items. Any of their stuff can be inserted and removed from any of the mounts. On the steering rails you see a different kind of mount used to hold my cell phone which is the same item used to hold the fishing rods on the tubes.

 

[awmaster10]

alanfox: I used tire cleaner as well and am going to apply 303 and try to keep it away from sun whenever its not in use.

I have seen their systems and am probably only going to need rod holders for now so ill get a ribport or two and a rod holder and leave a slot open for whenever i need to mount a new accessory. phone mount and your console setup in general is sweet.

Also added a strip of grey marine carpet over the air floor and it is a lot more comfortable now. Weather has been iffy but ill take her out again this weekend and see how she handles just 2 people.

 

[alanfox55]

Sounds good,happy boating.
Hm that's what Sea Rider says! Oh well I'll steal it from him. Looking forward to hearing how it went.