EDITORIAL
IS IT A SUP? A KAYAK?
WHO CARES. PHOTO: RIC BURNLEY
GO, GO KAYAK ANGLERS THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK LEADS INNOVATION IN PADDLESPORTS
Eight years ago, I tested an early attempt at a motorized kayak. The manufacturer took an existing kayak, attached an off-the-shelf electric trolling motor and powered it with a car battery. After motoring to the fishing grounds, the battery died and I had to paddle the clunky beast back to the launch through three miles of stiff wind and a sloppy chop. Needless to say, it sucked. But that was just the beginning. Since then, major kayak companies and ambitious inventors have developed powered fishing kayaks that work. At last summer’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Open Air Demo on Pineview Reservoir outside Salt Lake City, motor-powered kayaks, SUPs and canoes were racing for the attention of retail shop buyers and outdoor media. Kayak Angler magazine’s coverage of the moto-revolution brought
cheers and jeers from the paddle community. Traditionalists, of course, poo-pooed the powered craft. But a growing number of supporters are getting behind the next big thing. Motorized kayaks open the sport to anglers with physical challenges, they open the water to anglers who want to push the envelope beyond what is capable under paddle power and they appeal to anglers who want to fish skinny water and hidden hotspots that are inaccessible to full-size motorboats. For kay- ak fishermen, it’s not about the paddle, it's about the fish. Hobie Kayaks proved this almost 20 years ago with the first Mirage- Drive pedal powered sit-on-top kayak. Today, many of their models
82 KAYAK FISHING || Annual 2016
can be pushed with paddle, pedal, motor or wind. Their new i11s inflatable was making waves at the Open Air Demo. Built on an inflat- able standup paddleboard base, the i11s can be outfitted with a seat, cooler, rod holders and runs on paddle, MirageDrive or lithium-ion powered propeller—something for everyone, or anyone. I couldn’t resist the temptation to take the i11s for a spin. The propel- ler and battery are small enough to fit in the MirageDrive well without inhibiting the fishing platform. I zoomed to the middle of the huge lake and turned some donuts before zooming back to the launch. The sys- tem was simple, stable and safe—a long way from the hooptie I tested at the dawn of motor-yaks. While die-hard sea kayakers, canoeists and SUPers embrace the
grace and beauty of self-propelled watercraft, kayak anglers have always been anglers first and kayakers second. Deaf to the cries of purists, kayak fishing is creating innovation that trickles into other seg- ments of paddlesports. At the demo, motorized SUPs and sea kayaks zig-zagged through the motorized fishing kayaks. And a new genera- tion of sit-on-top whitewater kayaks and touring boats makes it easy for the next generation of paddlers to get in on the fun. All of this brings more people to the sport. And more enthusiasts means more momen- tum to protect the interests of all paddlers, whether they choose to paddle, pedal, motor or sail. Ric Burnley is the editor of Kayak Angler magazine.
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