Hobie E-Volve ??? Looking to Buy

[JoeBeck]

Seems to me when you start looking for a motor for a kayak, it is time to just get a boat. For the price of these things you can get a nice skiff with an outboard, fish all day and not worry about the batteries running out or flipping in the surf with a motor on the back of your yak. Just my 2 cents. Plus you can take family and friends out on a boat.

Jim I like the way you think.

[lterrero]

Originally Posted by dsafety

We seem to have two conversations going on here. I will comment on the age and fitness angle. I would bet that the tingling you have has something to do with the way you are sitting in the yak. If the legs still work and from the way you describe yourself, they must, I would try to find sitting position that does not put pressure on the nerve or blood vessel that is causing the problem. Try a different seat. Raise the seat a bit so your legs are at a different angle. You might even try some exotic treatments such as acupuncture.

As one the the more senior guys out there, (I will be 60 in a couple weeks), I can say that a full day on the water wears me out. The knees ache and the muscles burn. On the other hand, it is activities such as this that keep me from feeling my age most of the time.

I don't know anyone that has the E-volve but there are a couple of guys on this forum, Morgan, (Roosta) and Chris (Hypoxic), who have the stern mounted version. From what I have heard, they love them, especially for the long trips to and from the grounds. Personally, I would rather have the exercise and ward off the pain with a nice bottle of wine later on.

Bob

yeah, what's wrong in getting a boat

[Riskey Water]

6 years ago I paddled from San Pedro to Catalina SOLO for my 40th b-day .Stayed there a week and circumnavigated the island 3 times in that week then turned east to go home. I'm just looking to extend the mileage of my day by mixing up the paddle ,peddle,and a little troll time .Still haven't heard from anyone that has the motor yet .

[lterrero]

Originally Posted by Riskey Water

6 years ago I paddled from San Pedro to Catalina SOLO for my 40th b-day .Stayed there a week and circumnavigated the island 3 times in that week then turned east to go home. I'm just looking to extend the mileage of my day by mixing up the paddle ,peddle,and a little troll time .Still haven't heard from anyone that has the motor yet .

Easy does it, enjoy my friend.

[PAL]

I'll take a stab at answering the OP's actual question.

We took a look at the eVolve for a recent issue of Kayak Angler magazine. I'd never claim we took a scientific approach. The basic aim was to see if we could break it.

There were two other manufacturer models in the test set, the OK Torque and Native Volt. As an aftermarket add-on, we did not look at the Bassyak system.

Over the course of a few days, we surf launched the Hobie during moderate to slightly heavy LJ days. Then we went boiler rock fishing and dodged more curlers. The test unit was an Outback with a rudder mount.

There were several strong points. The system is ridiculously lightweight. Connections are the highest quality we saw, by far. It just plain worked.

The rudder mount is great, easy to retract when necessary. It plays nice with the Mirage Drive. It was the ultimate in range-increasing flexibility.

Downsides besides the price: the power unit sucked up several blades of eel grass. They gummed the works slightly, but it didn't appear they could have caused damage or entered the motor case.

Range seemed about half that of the OK Torque with full-size gel battery. That wasn't a big deal, because the eVolve throttle control displays speed, range, remaining charge, and so on.

In reverse only, the rudder mount was prone to pulling itself out of the water. Just go slow.

The rest of the story is on the web. Just look for Kayak Angler Magazine. Digital issues are $1.

[SteveK]

PAL, {“Range isn't a Big deal"} Range or runtime is everything. I'd like to have the option of 20 miles opposed to 2miles. The evolve with its 30 min full speed run time on our test kayak just doesn’t make it, and on top of that the noise is ridiculous, it sounds like a Roots style blower on a hot rod. All of the kits we installed had major problems, one guy was stranded because the Orange plastic steering connection snapped in halve, another problem is inside the throttle control unit, there is a plate which is supposed to be spot welded but it snaps off inside. You must have received a good wiring harness, one of the ones I received just had the metal pins just pressed into the rubber grommet with NO sealant on the other end, and water could touch the pins directly. I was wondering if the wiring is Marine grade.fficeffice" />>>
The throttle control unit should be backlit for night fishing.>>
The rudder rising out of the water is dangerous and could land you up on the rocks before you know it. Once you learn the motorized kayak, you’ll use reverse just as much as forward, you want it to work properly>>
I heard that Torqeedo is increasing the size of the battery for more run time>>
You’re promoting something that you have very little experience with, and possibly don’t realize its faults.>>
The stealth serpent takes up too much room in the cockpit, it’s in the way, and you’ll have wires in your lap. If you strike something underwater how does the shaft deflect the force??>>
These are the things you should consider before purchasing any EK >>


Tight lines
Steve

[SteveK]

Here's what we came up with because we liked the idea of the brushless motor, but the rest was garbage. We have dumped the orange steering connector and install our setup

[WahooUSMA]

Originally Posted by Iceman

This was a customer's yak. He purchased the Bassyak's motor set up and asked me to install it.

http://www.kayakfishingsupplies.com/...-System/Detail

http://www.bassyaks.com/about17.html

Sure as hell beats $1900 bucks for the evolve. Very clean set-up Andy, as usual!

[PAL]

PAL, {“Range isn't a Big deal"} Range or runtime is everything. I'd like to have the option of 20 miles opposed to 2miles. The evolve with its 30 min full speed run time on our test kayak just doesn’t make it, and on top of that the noise is ridiculous, it sounds like a Roots style blower on a hot rod. All of the kits we installed had major problems, one guy was stranded because the Orange plastic steering connection snapped in halve, another problem is inside the throttle control unit, there is a plate which is supposed to be spot welded but it snaps off inside. You must have received a good wiring harness, one of the ones I received just had the metal pins just pressed into the rubber grommet with NO sealant on the other end, and water could touch the pins directly. I was wondering if the wiring is Marine grade.fficeffice" />>>
The throttle control unit should be backlit for night fishing.>>
The rudder rising out of the water is dangerous and could land you up on the rocks before you know it. Once you learn the motorized kayak, you’ll use reverse just as much as forward, you want it to work properly>>
I heard that Torqeedo is increasing the size of the battery for more run time>>
You’re promoting something that you have very little experience with, and possibly don’t realize its faults.>>
The stealth serpent takes up too much room in the cockpit, it’s in the way, and you’ll have wires in your lap. If you strike something underwater how does the shaft deflect the force??>>
These are the things you should consider before purchasing any EK >>

Very interesting. I don't have a stake in any of these boats. Riskey Water asked about the eVolve. I shared my experience.

A few clarifications:

I could have been more specific on the range comment. With the eVolve, you know your power consumption, your speed, your remaining run time at that speed, and an estimated range. That means the user doesn't have to guess, and can adjust speed to reduce power consumption, extending range.

At full throttle the eVolve prop cavitates. Only an idiot would put the thing on the water then run it at full power, needlessly burning juice. That's another way of saying that in practice, I don't think anyone's going to do that.

It's better to ask whether you can get a 4, 6, or 8 hour day out of the thing, and how that translates to range in miles. Whether the eVolve battery is adequate is a matter of perception as tested against a particular user's needs. It was fine for our uses, although the Torque's heavy marine battery lasted much longer.

The eVolve was the loudest of the three systems we tested, but it wasn't obnoxious.

The issue of the rudder powering itself out of the water when in reverse is overstated. If you put it in 'R' then floor your car or truck, the results probably won't be to your liking. Land someone on the rocks - I don't think so. Remember, we spent most of our test time in the surf. Maneuverability was excellent.

We played with two Torqeedo motors. 1, Hobie's eVolve; 2, a Torqeedo kit. Our wiring harnesses were fine. We'd have said so if they weren't.

Although the eVolve is a Torqeedo motor, Hobie modified it heavily. It should be judged on its own merits. I note that picture shows a Pro A; Hobie's eVolve doesn't have a stern mounting option for that bad boy.

The throttle unit's positioning is adjustable. We laid it nearly flat on the gunwale, with the wires running through the hull directly beneath the unit. It didn't take much space or get in the way.

If you run into something with the rudder mount, it simply kicks up. The motor shuts off if it feels resistance. We repeatedly ran the test unit up onto the sand with no issues. I'd be leery of doing that with the cassette mount, but I don't have an opinion either way.

This isn't a comparison with a BassYaks kit, and I'm making no judgement on bang for the buck. The eVolve / Torqeedo is a premium product, a boutique item really.

Perhaps someday we'll take a look at the available aftermarket options. I think we should. Electric motors are carving a niche in kayak fishing. Personally, I prefer the simplicity of paddling, but I won't knock anyone who decides otherwise. Last I checked it's a free country.

I'm interested in hearing about the strong points of the BassYaks kits, particularly as they relate to west coast ocean use and surf transits. We were rough on the manufacturer models, managing to break one but not the other two. I'd like to know how the typical aftermarket kit would hold up.

[TCS]

I've spoken to a few people that had the hobie evolve rudder mount and they loved it. One guy out there had his rudder handle come off after the installation of an evolve and had a long paddle back with no rudder. Not fun. Should be avoidable. Another dude with electric power downed a whole 12 pack on the water and I don't think he could have made it back to the beach without power! (no need to name names)

The version that goes into the mirage drive well might be better if you want to switch from peddling to electric and back because the motor on the rudder mount would create drag when peddling.

I think the issues with the mirage drive version is where to put your pedals when your not using them. I have an Adventure and the front hatch is hard to get to and not very large. I haven't tried getting my peddles in there, but I think it would be tight. Also, if you are just looking for a little help on a long uphill peddle home, the mirage well version would not allow you to do peddle and electric at the same time.

Hobie has outstanding support for any product defects related to hulls or mirage drives, so you would probably get better support from them than you would ordering from a catalog from another company.

Two other observations:
One:the evolve drivers do seem to have a silly grin that they can't quite suppress, so its probably fun.

Two:If you are getting into a boat budget and have the complexity of a boat in terms of maintenance and prep time, why not just buy a boat? Standing up to pee and having a dry butt sound pretty good sometimes.

My two cents

[dsafety]

This is probably a question for another thread but let me post it here. Some have commented about the noise that these motors make. One of the advantages that kayaks bring to the fishing game is a certain degree of stealth.

I would be interested in any thoughts on the possible ramifications of the additional noise that these units create? Does the extended range and speed outweigh any issues that the increased noise may bring?



Bob

[DanaPT]

Here is my set-up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDGTuRUTbGQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXkw471NKgs

I don't have the patience for this type of stuff and was able to buy this ready with trolling motor and all. I'm not into my kayak for the exercise, I get that with other activities.

Top likes about the minn-kota trolling motor:
1) hands free fishing: control with feet.
2) Has I think 5-6 speeds forward, and 3 speeds reverse.
3) makes those skunk days a lot easier to take. At least I didn't have to paddle
4) I've yet to run the battery dead. I think the most I've run it down was to a 45% remaining charge. I think I covered about 10 miles in about 4 hrs.

Draw backs:
1) Sea grass and kelp can get you all mucked up, but so far not a big deal. I'm able to pull the cord on the left and pull the motor up and paddle over thick kelp or float in the shallow water.
2) More stuff to have to tow along. The battery, trolling motor, and full bait tank make for added weight. Good thing I'm a skinny guy and not bringing back 40# fish (maybe one day)

that's my 2 cents.

[805gregg]

How about an Island Hopper outboard mount and a Honda 2 hp (only 27 lbs.) No batteries needed.

[SteveK]

Dsaftey, there is NO extended range with the Torqeedo, Bassyaks setup can run much longer with no noise. The brushless motor of the Torqeedo has to be gear driven to achive the results they were looking for, the noise sounds like a helicoptor turbine, no stealth at all. The speed of the kayak is determinded by the hull design, not which motor your running, around 6mph is about max, because the kayak can't get on plane.

Dana PT on your Bassyaks setup when you get into a area that has eel grass just tilt the motor and run the motor on the surface, you'll even pick up a little speed.

Tight lines
Steve

[Hypoxic1]

Ok, I know all of the purists will hate me but I really didnt expect to get invited to dinner anyway.
I have an E volve and love it. I have operated it at all speeds and with the exception of top spped and a following swell it operates very nicely. Igot mine after a few torturous long days when My ass was whopped from cruising with Darkhorse and I didnt want to work to get back in.
A few drawbacks....
Battery life......running at high speed will kill your juice pretty fast this is solved for me by having an extra battery but these batterys cost I think 5 or 6 hundred each

People look at you funny as you blaze by them

Getting kelp caught in the prop .........can make night fishing entertaining, best to pedal at night and just have the e volve as a backup

Getting your line caught in the prop..... happened to me, it can happen to you.

Cost.... I got mine shortly after the big december 2 YT morning when there were like 5 hobie guys blazing in and looking very comfortable in their boats, and just HAD TO HAVE ONE Fine its like buying another boat. I happened to have a ton of cash my wife was unaware of or this never would have happened 1800 motors are hard to explain to wives who notice everything. If I die and she sells for what I told her it costs, well, you know the end of that story.

Had one corroded cable connector and Hobie had me fixed in 2 days, so the maintenance issues seem small after 8 months but the jury is still out for a few years on new products

In short its a good unit, best for taking a tired boater back in if he just doesent feel like paddling or pedaling. I have towed several friends back in while we talked and drank a few beers, it was convenient.I have also used my evove to race out to a kayaker with a broken rudder and no paddle ,,,,,,,,hmm to bring him aid, took me like 3 minutes
You have to take very good of the cables and protect all of the connections with caps and dielectric silicone to ensure corrosion doesent become an issue.

I fish to relax, I just began exercising at a gym so both bases are covered. If you want any more specific information concerning the evove dropp me a note

Lets hope the fishing improves soon, getting tired of the gym

Chris

[805gregg]

Originally Posted by lterrero

yeah, what's wrong in getting a boat

A kayak is a boat.