We usually reserve our thirs fishboat review of the month for checking out some of the weirder and wilder fishing machines on the water, but the new Old Town ePDL is so dang inventive we pushed aside the submarines and hovercraft to make room for it this month. You know those electric pedal-assisted bikes you see on the road? Old Town has applied the concept to kayaks.
This new (32.5-pound) drive system can be pedaled a la human power, partially assisted, or fully engaged to propel the boat entirely via electric, powered by a 36-volt, 20 amp-hour, 8.5-pound lithium-ion battery. There are five speed levels of power-assist, and the manufacturer says that run-time at full-tilt is up to three hours. An LCD readout on the drive system lets you see power level and how much juice is remaining.
The ePDL was announced at the ICAST show this summer and isn’t yet available except for pre-orders, with shipping expected to begin with the BigWater ePDL+ 132 in early 2024 and pricing set at $5,999.00 for the complete kayak and drive system. Unfortunately, the drive system alone will not fit in pre-existing BigWater models. Learn more at Old Town.