Texas Power Paddle

I've Been using my Marlin system for over a year now on a PA14 360. Being a much bigger than average angler(7ft, 315lbs) its been awesome on my platform.

I'm averaging around 3.9,4 mph at full throttle. I've always been a fan of the fact that I don't have to have some giant Frankenstein contraption hanging off the back of my boat.

Hi guys!

I just found this thread and want to add my 2 cents. I absolutely love the Texas Power Paddle. As mentioned, it can be used in the transducer hole, but it can also be attached to any rudder. I have the Hobie Lynx, Hobie iTrek 11, and Hobie Fiesta. I have the Mako on my Fiesta rudder, and my Lynxes have the Remora through the transducer hole. The installation for both kinds took about 5 minutes. The Remora uses the screw holes already on the kayak. The Mako requires three little screws to be drilled onto the rudder.

It's amazing how I can deploy the motor in about 6 inches of water. It also has a self-cleaning mode for any seaweed or other debris that may get stuck in it. I live in Southwest Florida so that's important to me. The battery lasts a long time. Longer than what they say on the website but that's also with pedaling.

I find this product to be superior to Bixpy. I had the Bixpy motor with my Lynx. It stuck way down in the water not allowing for shallow trips. I had the adapter for the Hobie pedal drives which meant I could use the pedals or the motor, but not both. Customer service at Bixpy is lacking as well. A month after I had the motor, it stopped working. I sent the motor in then they told me it wasn't the motor, that it was the battery. I sent all these items in on my own dime. Last fall, it stopped working completely. I asked them for a return label for the system, and they would not provide one. I got tired of dealing with them, and I have a very expensive paperweight right now. Somebody asked about size. I find that the TPP and the Bixpy add the same amount of power, but you can pedal with the TPP so you can actually go faster. The battery lasts longer with the TPP as well.

TPP has the best customer service. I didn't tuck away the cord on the motor on my Lynx properly when transporting it on my jet ski trailer. It got bad road rash. They sent me a pre-paid label for return, and they did not charge me a dime to fix it even though the whole thing was totally my fault. That's amazing as far as I'm concerned.

Lastly, my husband loves it for fishing. He can bait his hook all while cruising along. It does not take away from the exercise portion of kayaking. I think it adds to it because I can be out longer, go further, and go faster. I love it for exploring our waterways of SWFL. If you ever get a chance, visit me at Pine Island Kayaks in St. James City, FL. I would love to show you around and let you try the TPP for yourself.

Heather
https://pineislandkayaks.com

I`ve had my Bixpy for over 6 years, no problems. I too like peddling with the motor. How would you compare the "buzz" of the motors? (noise level)

I recently acquired a TPP Mako setup from the original owner that gave up on using it in his area that has a lot of weeds. I didn't expect much and treated this as an experiment with a novelty unit. I have three Hobie Mirage drive kayaks, one of which is an original mirage purchased new a few years after they just came out, way back when. The next one is a 2007 AI which I went out fishing on offshore quite a bit off the Newport RI area. I mounted the TPP Mako unit on my three year old Hobie Sport which I just mounted on my Amberjack 290 swim platform, and tried it around my marina. I noticed that the motor didn't start unit the potentiometer/speed control was turned almost 50% of its rotation, and then as I slowly increased speed it started starting and stopping, and finally stopping, until I backed down on the speed control. I ran it for quite a while at what I guess was in the middle of its operational range. At one point I stopped to talk to someone at their dock while on my kayak, when I pushed away and started the drive slowly, it went into full reverse. WOW. I described the situation to TPP in emails and phone calls and messages every day for two weeks, and did not receive any responses. They do not answer their phones. After two weeks, I received an email asking if I was still experiencing the issue, or have they resolved themselves, and they would love to help me. WOW...that was it, no further responses. The original owner of the TPP drive mentioned erratic behavior if the speed control was turned to quickly.

From my previous years of fishing off a Hobie kayak I have experienced quite a few weed buildups on the rudder and snagged fishing lines while fighting a fish. I carry a boat hook to clear weeds and fishing lines, which works most of the time. Simply lifting the rudder also works most of the time, unless you snag a large glob of weeds which will break the lift lines to your rudder while trying to lift it to clear the weeds, which I have done. Catching a bunch of weeds with the TPP unit, will leave you dragging a large glob of weeds, until you can get off to clear it. I would only recommend a small trolling motor on a side to side mounting bracket that you have full access to. For almost $2k there are a lot of non novelty choices, that will work in a wider range of operational situations.

I also tried to call and email BlueRobotics to discuss the issues, who supposedly makes the TPP drive motor, and have not had any responses.