BKC PK11 Angler 10.5' Kayak w/ Trolling Motor Review (plus a few improvements/modifications)
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2024
- In this video I am reviewing my Brooklyn Kayak Company PK11 kayak. This is a 10.5 ft sit-on-top kayak. While it is considered a pedal-driven style kayak, this version is offered with an electric motor instead of pedal-drive system.
I will be walking through all the features of this kayak, as well as sharing my impressions after having used it a few times (the good and the bad). And I'll also go through some light modifications I made to the vessel to better suit my needs.
Note that this video is not an endorsement; it is an independent review of a product that I personally purchased from @BrooklynKayakCompany
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PK11 Kayak on Amazon
amzn.to/3OoHWNf
BKC Website Product Page
brooklynkayakcompany.com/prod...
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Components I used for the trolling motor & battery installation:
12v Outlet (female)
amzn.to/3Q4RA8j
12v Outlet (male)
amzn.to/3vDhh7V
Marine Circuit Breaker
amzn.to/3vJADIB
8 Gauge Wire - Black & Red
amzn.to/3OWv6oR
Shrink Tubing - Black & Red
amzn.to/3BJWXW9
8 Gauge Ring Terminals
amzn.to/3BNAVBU
Marine Battery Box (Group 27)
amzn.to/3Q1x2xr
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00:00 - Intro
01:23 - Kayak Overview
02:39 - Basic Features
04:17 - 12v Battery
05:39 - Modifications
07:23 - Rear Cargo Deck
08:16 - Rudder Steering
09:47 - Trolling Motor
12:45 - Misc. Impressions
15:58 - Top Speed
17:05 - Pricing
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The ending commentary was extremely helpful when deciding to purchase this model kayak.
I really enjoyed this video. It gave me valuable insight on using a kayak with a trolling motor and battery.
Awesome video. I also have a BKC Kayak. You just answered all my questions re wiring & what fasteners/hardware to use. Thank You!!!
Glad I could help!
Good video and thanks for adding the links to the materials used - it made it easy to create my buy list!
Thanks Scott, and you're welcome!
Great vid, I usually ADD out of 10m+ ones. Precise criticisms, good info!
Thanks friend
Thanx for responding after a little research I found strong trolling motors at a mere $200 and a GPS trolling motor with anchor at $1100. After a year or so I will replace it
Good overview ... I purchased a Brooklyn Kayak Company kayak (PK12) last summer and thus far I'm happy. I share your concerns about the rudder being damaged during loading and unloading so I got an extra rudder, spare propeller and set of wheels to move the kayak. I've not yet got a trolling motor but based on your review I might get one next season. Happy Motoring!
Thanks Douglas. I'm definitely thinking about getting a spare rudder, and maybe prop.
I use a kayak transport that goes through the scupper holes in my kayak. The one I bought, I had to modify it a bit so that the yak did not rub against the wheels on the cart. I also drilled holes through the transport posts so that I can use retaining pins to keep the transport with the yak if I lift the rear of the yak off the ground.
The Boondox rudder for Native kayaks also fits BKC. It's metal and longer which allows for better turning. There's a lot of parts that are interchangeable between Native, Hoodoo, BKC, and some others.
If you buy lithium, I highly recommend getting one that fits inside your hull on the bottom, or two smaller ones connected in parallel. Braced with foam bulkheads. Heavy batteries high up on deck act as ballast when your kayak flips over, low batteries give you more stability and your kayak would self-right.
I have the pedal drive version and agree that the rudder system design could be improved by recessing the round top plate deeper so that you can stow gear on top of it.
Thanks for the info man much appreciated
I bought my PK 11 with the pedal drive last July and I love it. I decided to upgrade my kayak and I bought the trolling motor. I thought it would be great to have the options of pedaling, paddling or trolling. The only down side was where to place my battery and still have room in the back part of the kayak. I'm using a lead battery for now, and I made a pretty cool rack out of 1/2" PVC pipe to utilize the space to hold it. By doing this I can max out my space and make sure my battery is stable and it does not interfere with the rudder control. I'm most certain I will go with the lithium battery and use the rack I built for other uses..
Thanks for the video, it gave me ideas about wiring my plugs for my trolling motor.
Thanks Jersey. A PVC rack is an interesting idea. That is something I've been trying to think up for making the space with the rudder disc into a usable area.
@@GreatLakesPrepping Your welcome... Really all you will need is a heat gun to help wrap the pipe around the curved area in the back of the boat, some tee fittings, 1'2" PVC , regular elbows and some elbows with an opening in the top of the elbow for you vertical posts. Hope to see another of your videos with your version of a battery rack.
Just going to add I have the pedal 10.ft but the pedal clips were real tight so what I did to not make them so stressed was install underneath a hose rubber grommet which stops a hose from leaking but for sure helped with less stress on the pedal system.
@@Dcw-rp6ib I'm trying to understand what you did here. Did you put the grommets under the 3 clips that secure the pedal drive to raise the clips up a little?
Does the trolling motor turn direction also or does it stay pointed forward at all times?
Good review…thanks!
Thanks!
im think to get the 10.5 soon
Hi, anyway you could take the measurements of the mount for the motor. I have the pedal version and want to fabricate that exact mount but also want to be able to lift it out of the water when close to shore. The measurements would save me a lot of time!
Great information. Do you think that the battery or another would fit in the front hatch area?
A smaller battery, like a lithium ion or maybe lithium phosphate would fit in the front hatch. A big one like mine definitely wouldn't.
I would take the rudder off and use the ability to turn the the kayak with the trolling motor. Good information about he kayak .
It doesn't really swivel if it's clamped into place. You could keep the clamp loose, but then the motor would fall all the way down (as low as it can go). I don't want my motor nearly that low.
@Great Lakes Prepping you can set the depth with the 2 black clamps on the shaft of the motor and loosen the clamp thats built onto the mounting bracket
I just bought the 13 footer I hope the trolling moter is a little stronger because of that and I spent $2300 including a small 55 hour battery and a dolly to get it from the parking lot
It would be great if they sent you an upgraded motor, but I have a feeling they only sell the one. You may find yourself upgrading that yourself sooner or later.
Thanks for the good video. I just ordered the pedal version of your kyack. I ordered the wheels for drawing it . What do you use for a cat rack. I need to order something.
Hi Robert. I actually made a follow-up video showing how I transport my kayak, including which car roof system I used.
czcams.com/video/kF7YYFO-vjQ/video.html
Thanks for detailed review! I'm wondering, can the trolling motor move side to side as well? Wouldn't that replace the need for the rudder? I'm guessing it doesn't move side to side so you need to use the rudder with the motor. I don't like to have to do two things at once on a kayak!
It sort of can. You have to use the clamp to decide how high or low to mount the motor. Once it's clamped down, it doesn't pivot. If you left the clamp loose enough to pivot, the whole thing would want to fall down as low as it could go...which is much too low for me. Then there's the fact that the motor is mounted in the middle (well, slightly forward of middle) of the kayak. Steering by turning the motor would make the whole kayak want to move sideways, laterally, rather than simply turn the rear-end (thus making the front turn the direction you want). The rudder is at the far back, which achieves steering as you'd expect. It is slightly clunky to use the rudder control and the motor speed control separately, but for the price point it works. If that really bugs you, you might check out the other company that makes one with pedal steering, or buy a kayak with a rear motor mount and add your own regular trolling motor.
@@GreatLakesPrepping Thank you for the reply! I just ordered a Bixpy motor that will drop into the pedal drive of a Vibe kayak. I've only used what I heard one CZcamsr call a "Frankenstein" set up with my MinnKota motor on the side. I attached a steering fin to the motor shaft so the boat is steerable with it on the side just in back of my seat (mounts are in fishing pole holes). It feels very unstable, of course. I hope I didn't make a mistake by getting the Bixpy Thruhull thingy rather than attach it at the back of the boat. I'll try all as soon as I get the Bixpy. Your reply really helped me so thanks. I suppose I could put some kind of plastic neck to prevent the Brooklyn Kayak motor from dropping down even if it's loose but it sounds like you said that would push me sideways anyway so I just need to get used to a rudder. The Vibe is my first pedal drive.
When you buy the kayak does the trolling motor come with it. Also I have been reading reviews on that kayak and some reviews have said when it was delivered there was a big gash or a hole in there kayak
Yes, this version of the kayak comes with the trolling motor. I can't speak for those other buyers, but mine was delivered in perfect shape. Two guys and a big truck dropped it off. I will say that it was pretty much just wrapped in plastic cling wrap, so I reckon the potential for damage in transit does exist.
I have a question, why do you have a wire running from the negative side on the battery to the positive side?
I don't recall anything like that. Where in the video are you seeing that?
Hey, Great Lakes! Interesting set up. I think I'm gonna stick with a canoe though. Who was your camera woman for this video?
Thanks Drummer. A couple of friends I was fishing with helped me out with some of the camera work on this one.
@@GreatLakesPrepping Nice! Any luck with the fish?
@@averagejoesmiling456 Yea, pretty decent fishing. Lots of bass.
@@GreatLakesPrepping Excellent! Glad to hear it.
Maybe ad an off switch for motor?
I would upgrade the steering handle and alter the steering to be the location of the motor itself and wire the control for the motor speed to be next to ya on the hull.
But thanks for this video, been looking at these in different models/sizes. Looking more for rivers/lakes but may see some ocean so may go with the 12'
The back in is way to low for me, I wouldn't trust it in our rivers and lake but that's my opinion but I do like the concept.
Do you happen to have a link to the electrical products you used?
No problem! I just added a bunch of links in the video description. Those are the exact components I used.
@@GreatLakesPreppingThank you!
BKC trolling motor has 10 ga wire. Didi you use connectors that have 8 ga?
Wondering as well?
can you just turn the trolling motor left/right to steer?
Not really, without some modification. It's clamped in place tightly at the depth/height you choose. If it was loose enough to still pivot, the whole thing would basically fall as deep as it can go, and the motor handle would be near the floor.
Has anyone try this kayak with the motor at inshore coast fishing? Ocean salt water.
Couldn’t you get a small lithium battery in just put inside rear hatch? Nice review.
Yes, definitely. It's just that I already had this big battery, and I didn't have to spend another $500 on a lithium ion.
@@GreatLakesPrepping thanks, is there a place to mount fish finder transducer?
@@pastapaul150 Not exactly. I think you'd have to fashion a bracket or figure out a place to drill into. I know people do it, but I never did.
How was running the wire
Pretty simple. The hull is hollow, so there wasn't really anything obstructing me from just pushing the wire through from front to back.
Can't you turn with the trolling motor?
Sort of. The bracket hold the motor firmly in place, such that it wouldn't swivel freely. If I loosened the bracket clamp enough to allow for it to turn easily, the whole motor would slide all the way down (which I don't want). But if the rudder ever broke, I could use the motor to steer in a pinch.
@@GreatLakesPrepping add an additional chock on top of the backet clamp on the shaft, loosen the clamp, then you can steer freely....
Is there enough room for a milk crate in the back??
There should be, but the problem is that it would have to sit on top of that rudder disc. If the crate had some little feet at the corners that kept it slightly away from the disc, then it should work fine. But if it's pushing on the disc, the steering won't work.
I've heard people note that they use "Pool Noodles" to protect sitting the crate in the steering component.
How fast does it travel with that trolling motor?
3 to 4 mph is the fastest I measured
Why not be able to steer using the motor itself and thus dispense entirely with the rudder?
I could do that in a pinch, but the mounting clamp holds it snug, such that it doesn't swivel freely. If I loosened the clamp on the vertical shaft of the motor, it would eventually fall/slide all the way down and be much too low.
@@GreatLakesPrepping Yep that's pretty much the case. But that's a good thing for me. Because the kayak has a rudder control that I like, I don't want to use the trolling motor to steer my kayak.
How did you get this thing registered. They only gave me the online MCO and the DMV is giving me a difficul time registering the kayak without "original" paper work. They didnt send me any paper work with the kayak.
It was sort of a pain. I went to the Secretary of State (our version of the DMV), and they gave me some trouble having only the printed-out proof of purchase. They wanted a real title. I said it's a hunk of plastic and came with no title. After a bunch of back and forth, they finally registered it, but told me I would never be able to legally sell it without the proper title. So after the fact, I emailed Brooklyn Kayak Company and asked if there was an actual, original title. They said yes, so I asked them to mail it to me...which they did. But there was never an explanation for why on Earth they wouldn't have given it to me in the first place.
@@GreatLakesPrepping thanks for the reply!! Yeah it never came with any real documentation but DMV is stupid it states on their website vessels 12ft and under do not come with titles. BKC is mailing it to me too now after I got off the phone with them. Its still just going to be a MCO just not a copy of it. I literally hate that place. Yesterday they say copy is fine or to get it faxed and today I need original. Make it make sense lol.
@@GreatLakesPrepping how long did they take to mail it?
@@barsz201 I don't remember exactly, but it was something like 6 weeks. I think it was slightly on back-order when I bought mine.
@@GreatLakesPrepping oh I meant like the title. How long you waited for them to send it in mail
Do you think the 12’ would a better option with more storage and place for tackle or do you think the extra weight would be a hindrance?
I think if I always had someone to help me load it and unload it from my truck, I'd like the longer one. I'm sort of a goon, and this is almost too much for me to load by myself. They're pretty heavy for their size.
OMG
Not a fan of the paddle setup needs improvement for sure.
I had mine for 10 years now it's a good boat. I got mine eBay because l had no luck getting from USA wake up USA we like these boats not made in China on eBay please sale to the UK. Let's be friends for once.