Any good information on the Bixpy for PA14's?

So I've been saving up for quite a bit to pick up the Ultralight 403, but I stumbled across the Bixpy, and I'm having trouble finding any good feedback on the product.

Anyone here use the Bixpy who can speak to it? How do you have it mounted? What's the actual performance like?

My biggest concern was the throttle control. The 403 allows for infinite speed adjustments where the Bixpy appears to have 12 forward presets and 3 reverse. I like to dial in those slow trolling speeds at times (1.3-1.7MPH) and I want to make sure I can hit those speeds regardless of the wind being at my back or from the front.

Given the lower price point, it does look attractive.

I have two and love them (no experience with torqeedo). I primarily use one on my TI for an added boost and to troll and on my Sport & Eclipse rudders to cruise around.

You should be able to hit those low speeds easily. The throttle on the torqeedo is nice, but I figured Id give the lower price point a go. Ended up purchasing another Bixpy shortly after.

Top speed on the PA may not be as great as the torqeedo (from what I hear the TQ has more torque). Bixpys work great on regular sized kayaks. On the TI its not all that fast. I enjoy it as a supplement to my drives and able to reach ~6.5-7mph with both. Bixpy alone on the TI- probably top speed around 3 mph'ish.

I don't have any experience with either motor. However I have done a lot of research on the Bixpy just haven't pulled the trigger yet. From the research I've done and the videos I've watched you should be between 1.5 and 2 mph on the low setting. You can always toss out a drift chute to slow you done a couple ticks. As far as mounting I believe the best place to mount any motor is on the back of the kayak. This way you can supplement with the peddle drive to increase speed when necessary and save on battery life and you can also raise the motor up when in shallow water instead. Bixpy sells the kit for this and I believe it's around $150 in addition to the motor.

My only issues with Bixpy are one, the motor isn't variable speed and two they don't offer a larger battery.

If I was looking to for a motor to get me to and from the fishing grounds and use the peddles while fishing I'd go with the Bixpy. If I was looking for a motor to use 80-90% of the time I'd bite the bullet and go with the Torqeedo 403.

Thanks for the feedback.

Yeah my biggest concern was the speed adjustment. I sometimes will slow troll with a dodger as low as 1.3mph. Or another concern is if I'm going with the wind, it's easy to pick up speed.

I'll keep doing research, but so far I think I may pull the trigger. The install setup seems way more straight forward, and I like the design.

I just wish they had an infinite speed control like the Ultralight.

Let us know what you end up with and how you like it.

I went ahead and purchased the Bixpy.

The one downside is that they no longer carry their Hobie Pro Angler adapter. They now have a power pole adapter you need to use, meaning you need to have the power pole adapter for your PA. So an added $100 bucks to the total cost of the setup.

Once it all gets in, I'll do some kind of review and share it on this forum. Excited to get it installed.

Good deal! I think you could have made it work with the Bixpy Universal Kayak & Canoe Adapter. But the set up you selected I think is best. The good thing about the set up you went with is you won't have to drill into the kayak to install it. This way if you ever decide to sell the PA you still have the option of keeping the Bixpy. That's a big plus IMO.

I find the Bixby to be an awesome addition to my 2020 PA 14 360. Extremely long battery life, easy operation and relatively decent top end speed, about 4-4.5 mph. What IS missing is the Micro speed adjustment. Torqeedo has that nailed. I spoke directly to Bixpy about offering an optional slide control for dialing the speed down to a micro level. Is was told there are discussions about this and that it is a possibility in the future and to keep my eye out for it. Would be nice.

I also note that the lowest speed will move you about 1.3 to 1.5. If you place the pedals side by side so that they’re deployed instead of tucked up to the hull you can impact the speed by .1 or .2 mph slower. I will also set my 360 drive to reverse and pedal every once in a while to slow the speed further, it takes virtually no effort to do this and I can micro control my speed that way. I find varying the speed while trolling is a good technique anyway so dollar for dollar, if top end speed is not a major concern to you, Bixpy is a fantastic way to go vs. Torqeedo.

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FishFool99
2020 PA 14 with 360 Mirage Drive

Looking for suggestions on how to attach two Bixpy drives to the Tandem Island:
https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=69892

I’ve tried both but I LOVE the Torqeedo so much that I have them on all my yaks and reservoir boats.