Bixpy Jet...

[ful-rac]

I was fortunate enough to catch the longest bass even though I got deducted .5"...at the Jim Salazar's and the CCA's Battle of the Bays tournament this past Saturday. So I was awarded the amazing Bixby kayak jet! I really never liked the idea of a motor on a kayak , buuuuttt....since I won one, I'll be open minded for now....when people asked my opinion on them, I always said..."if you want to get a motor for your kayak...just buy a boat." So after having said that for years, here I am with a new bixpy kayak motor.

After assembling the motor and mount and charging the battery, I was really excited to try this thing out. Since you are not supposed to run this thing dry...I filled up a 5 gallon bucket and decided to try it out. Surprisingly it was alot more powerful than I had thought. On the first level it swirled the water around in the bucket pretty good....On level 2 I had to catch the damn thing as it almost jumped out of the bucket and landed on the pavement....Even more interesting...I really can't wait to try this thing out now...

My preconceived notions about the bixby jet were as such:

1. Not powerful enough to move me my PA, dog, gear, and full bait tank at a reasonable speed.
2. Battery will not last long enough to be useful.
3. Wireless controls might lag and or might not respond in a timely manner
4. Might be difficult to use and or manage on a kayak
5. Battery will be too big and heavy


I found that after 1 trip....

1. Yes, the bixpy jet is powerful enough to move my fat ass, my kayak, dog, gear and bait tank at a surprisingly decent speed!
2. Battery life was alot better than expected! Using through out the day mostly going to and from the fishing grounds...I would say I had about 80% of battery life left over...that's amazing! I even spent a period of time at full throttle (level 10)!
3. Wireless controls responded quickly and reliably.
4. Was easy to install use and manage while on my kayak. It was harder to put away the mirage drive in the front hatch than it was to install this motor.
5. Battery is of reasonable size and weight for the amount of power it stores. I haven't checked the specs but I would guess it weighs around 5 pounds.


So after the days fishing, we were on the way back into the harbor. Perfect time to check the speed of the bixpy next to a great paddler like Greg. Surprisingly I had to dial It back so I didn't haul ass past Greg and John. Surprised me again...! If you don't know Greg is a very good paddler, hes quick too. If the bixpy can keep up with him...Id say it's pretty good.

I did have an issue that's worth mentioning. I noticed at the beginning of the day forward and reverse were functioning normally as expected. Then at the end of the day I got what I assume is an error from the motor as I switched from forward to reverse. The motor made a sound like it was stuck and then stopped responding to controls which indicates an error,also had a flashing led from the battery. I had to reset the unit by switching the unit off and on again via the magnetic switch. Unit worked normally again but only going forward...tested it at home, was able to reproduce the problem a few times but, started to work normally again. I guess I will hold off on judgement for now...could be a break in issue...I'll keep testing.

[Iceman]

Congrats Tony! good pull no punches review, keep us posted.

[igotpron]

Something like this really intrigued me for when you’ve had a real long day on the water. Your pretty far out, and you’d rather just lean back eat a sandwich and motor back to shore.


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[DanaPT]

I think its killer you have sucha reliable first mate.

[Raskal311]

If you like it now you should mount it in the rear. Freaking game changer with the drive and/or mother ready to go at a moments notice.

[Saba Slayer]

Originally Posted by Raskal311

If you like it now you should mount it in the rear. Freaking game changer with the drive and/or mother ready to go at a moments notice.

I tried the rear mount and it's really cool to have the ability to switch to or additionally use the Mirage Drive along with the Bixpy motor...I can't wait to try it up in the Sierras with a lake shore launch.
In the salt water...especially here in the Redondo area I find it's really hard to clear out any eel grass or kelp that gets caught on or in the motor....especially if I'm out fishing alone....it's a long way back there...LOL
I also found it was hard to do a dock launch with the rear mount since it extends out from the rear of the yak.





With the Mirage drive well insert it's really easy to pull it out and clear the prop or motor of eel grass.



That remote control is really nice with no wires and it seems made to fit right on the armrest of the Vantage seat. 10 forward speeds and 2 in reverse.



The lithium battery fits perfect under the seat of the Pro Angler...as a mater of fact... two batteries can fit in there nicely and you can still have room for a couple of tackles boxes.

[Raskal311]

Yea dock launch is harder I typically launch rear first which isn't as ideal but it's worth the extra effort.

[pandes]

That’s interesting!

[Bruntoj]

What are your thoughts on surf launching and landing, at somewhere reasonable like LJ? Do you launch and land with the mirage drive instead? Can you stow the Bixby in the front hatch of a PA14 or is it too big? If you capsize in the surf, how do you secure the battery?




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[ful-rac]

Originally Posted by Bruntoj

What are your thoughts on surf launching and landing, at somewhere reasonable like LJ? Do you launch and land with the mirage drive instead? Can you stow the Bixby in the front hatch of a PA14 or is it too big? If you capsize in the surf, how do you secure the battery?




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Surf launching with the rear mounted bixpy could be done, but probably should only be done on the easiest low surf days. It would be too easy to start breaking things if things went sideways during launching and landing. Now as far as the Mirage drive well mounted bixpy...no problem. Just store it in the front hatch, battery and all and take it out when you need it. Oh another thing to mention is that the battery floats...so does the mirage drive adapter.

[Bruntoj]

Wait...what...huh? The battery floats? Yes!!!
Just to be clear, does the jet/motor section float too?

And it fits inside the plastic insert tray on the PA14?!

It’s going on my birthday list

So legally I’m supposed to register as a vessel, but realistically I might not have to if I keep a low profile?


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[ful-rac]

Originally Posted by Bruntoj

Wait...what...huh? The battery floats? Yes!!!
Just to be clear, does the jet/motor section float too?

And it fits inside the plastic insert tray on the PA14?!

It’s going on my birthday list

So legally I’m supposed to register as a vessel, but realistically I might not have to if I keep a low profile?


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If you are using the mirage drive adapter mount, yes to be clear....it ALL FLOATS! Battery, adapter + bixpy. Go ahead throw the whole system over the side...yes it will float.

I guess technically you are supposed to register your kayak if you use a motor....but I haven’t, nobody has hassled me....yet. Should you? Your just gonna have to answer that question yourself.

Now with that said...I definitely prefer to use the rear mount for the bixpy plus the mirage drive so I’m using duel methods of propulsion. Like I said earlier in the thread, it seems to more than triple battery life compared to bixpy only. Now the rear mount is a lot more gear to setup and break down but the advantage cannot be denied.

[Bruntoj]

Any feedback on durability, issues, battery life after another year of ownership would be much appreciated.


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[Saba Slayer]

I liked the system so much I bought a second motor and battery for my other PA 14...I'm sold...LOL...
Definitely, "well worth the money"!
Best motor system I've used in the last 10 years...some say the Torquedo is a better motor and battery ("a rocket ship built to go to the post office")...but for the money, you can't go wrong with Bixpy
They are in San Diego so it only takes a few days to do a turnaround on service if you need it send it in for any reason...I just received my battery after a circuit board update to allow a separation of controllers for multiple motors...
Battery life is great and it's really easy to learn to use the motor more judiciously the longer you have the system...Using any of the electric motors at top speed will run that battery down FAST......so you tend to learn how to best use the speed and save your batteries.
The variety of options for connecting to the Hobie's and various water craft is pretty cool...
Durability is pretty good...just a couple small issues that were resolved easily......their service is Excellent and Fast...

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/a...1&d=1562543867

[igotpron]

What if you had an oasis and did 3. Bixbys. Seems totally reasonable


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[cris]

I have an oasis and with 3 motors that thing would fly- you could probably get it on plane.

[Bruntoj]

With the release of the new mirage 360 drive, I’m wondering why the bixpy can’t be swiveled/pivoted. It doesn’t, does it?

Edit: No it doesn’t.
https://bixpy.com/mirage-assembly


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[Iceman]

the swivel of the 360 is dependent on the drive gear and the gear and control incorporated into the drivewell and controls on kayak. have to have all to do this.