I’m considering kayaking the Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and here are some links and random stuff I found so far…
—-KAYAK—-
Got this Kayak used on Facebook Marketplace… Nucanoe Pursuit 13.5
Came with the following accessories…
Nucanoe Box with Fishing Rod Holders
The really nice guy I bought it from also threw in a few extras, carbon paddle, dolly wheels, and visibility flag. Basically a $2,000 setup, I was lucky and snagged it for $850. Good deal for the kayak I was already leaning towards. And he was 2 miles from my house!
The Pursuit is a very stable Kayak with a wide body. I thought about a sit-in kayak first, but watched videos of people doing long-distance trips and basically getting atrophy from not being able to bend their knees much. You can stand up and take go number 1 on the Pursuit kayak, and it also has a 500lb weight capacity. To bring along everything and the kitchen sink. Not much “dry” storage inside the kayak, so dry bags strapped to the deck will be the solution. This seems like the best kayak for solar panels given the wide base, which can better tolerate the weight being higher.
—- TROLLING MOTOR FOR SOLAR KAYAK —-
There are two primary styles, hand tiller and wireless controlled motor type. I have an old hand tiller style and used it in the creek for a couple of hours. I jury-rigged some pipes to steer it since I had to mount it 6 feet behind my seat. It was a pain to manage, but doable. My uncle has the wireless Bluetooth type on his boat, I have used it at the bay and it was a dream. Small handheld controller that worked great. Leaning towards a Haswing for features to value.
The Pursuit Kayak supports transom mount (back of the boat) and bow-mounted (front of the boat) mounting options. The hand tiller type also has to be rotated manually which is a pain in shallow water.
Inexpensive hand tiller type: https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/Minn-Kota-Endura-C2-Lever-Lock-Bracket-for-Transom-Mount-Trolling-Motors
Nicer retractable with Bluetooth: https://mygreenoutdoors.com/minn-kota-riptide-powerdrive-55-trolling-motor-w-i-pilot-bluetooth-no-foot-pedal-included-12v-55lb-48-1363556/
There are typically 25 pound(ish) and 50 pound(ish) thrusts. I have the 25 pound type and it was doing about 3 MPH yesterday in no-current water. It’s my grandfathers old Minnkota and about 20 years old. I’m told kayaks have a point of diminishing returns where it doesn’t matter how much power you throw at it, it isn’t going any faster (displacement vessel is the keyword). So, it becomes a trade-off of power (amps) for speed. It is worth an extra 10 amps for 1 more MPH??? Which leads us to power…
— SOLAR PANELS FOR KAYAKS —
Thinking something like what this guy did, but scaled up a bit.
I’m working out something that can support a continuously running solar kayak motor, meaning the solar has to produce more than the motor is consuming. Hence the power-to-speed dilemma I spoke about above. The 25lb thrust motor was pulling 250 watts continuously. That means we would need at least 400 watts in panels. They never meet optimal watts. Sun angle, clouds, and power loss in the charge controller contribute to inefficiencies. 400-500 watts would be sufficient I believe to keep a surplus for use in the early mornings and late afternoons. Still leaving some in the battery for charging electronics, powering fans, or whatever at night.
300 Watts would be 3 flexible solar panels on the kayak that would be about 5 feet by 6 feet of surface area, total weight is about 19 pounds. My plan is to build a lightweight frame overhead. It would also provide shade and rain cover. I have a bracketing idea in mind that would allow tilting them on the kayak to get a better angle of incidence on the sun for better performance in the morning/evening.
Haven’t picked a charge controller, but that would be about a $100 added cost.
— POWER – BATTERIES —
I’m thinking two 100AH lithium battery, that’s about 2560 watts. If we’re running 240 watts per hour. On a cloudy day, it could still run for over 14 hours. It should be sufficient to account for cloudy days.
Two 100AH battery weighs 50 pounds, might dial it down to two 50Ah’s (35 pounds) with obviously 1/2 the power of the two 100AH’s.
— KAYAK RO WATER MAKER —
A Sawyer filter won’t work in saltwater. I will likely have to use some sort of high-pressure pump and RO (reverse osmosis) filters. I’ve only done a couple cursory searches to see what sailboats use. Reverse Osmosis (RO) water makers seem to be the answer, but they look pricey. However, I have found a couple articles on DIY type solutions which is perfect for the kayak. It may be possible to just carry what I need and fill up at the bait shops along the way. There are many, but for sure there’ll be stretches with limited options. I would prefer to make it myself using the battery power. Options are there.
— SLEEPING —
I don’t think there are many hostels along the intra-coastal, but there is a ton of beach. Since weight isn’t much of a concern, I’ll probably bring a tent and hammock. Planning to mostly sleep on the beaches and bath in the ocean with a rinse of fresh.
— FOOD —
Probably much like the AT. I’ll have a fishing pole and catch as much as I can. Probably plenty of opportunities to resupply along the way, bait shops, and towns with spots to pull out. Won’t be able to leave the kayak long due to risk of theft.
— ORM —
My two biggest thoughts about dangers… Barges and Alligators.
Barges, they push a ton of water and can pretty easily push a kayak up on a bank. From what I hear, you just have to anticipate it. Wakes are also an issue, but just take them on a 45 degree angle and it’ll be fine. Bigger problem is getting caught next to two barges in a narrow passage. All avoidable with a keen watch on traffic.
Gators do approach boats and a couple of videos on YouTube of them charging kayaks. All the ones I saw, said the aggression was explainable (babies, territory, or mating) and none believed they were trying to eat them. Still, I hate them things and they’ll be along about 70% of the path. Something promising, I watched a documentary on the Atchafalaya basin and a guy lived in there for years in and out on just a tiny kayak and never had problems.
Other odd things to worry about. Saltwater sores, scurvy, and pirates. Okay, no pirates, but people trying to steal stuff (basically pirates). I need to look up laws on reciprocity between TX, LA, MS, AL, and FL for concealed carry.