In July of 2016, Jackson Kayak introduced the world to the new Flex Drive units for their kayaks, a small snippet, that most of us had forgotten about, has resurfaced.
The Flex Drive is easily deployed with the flip of a lever, has adjustable pitch prop blades and a 12:1 ratio. An interchangeable electric motor-driven head unit is in development as well for release at a later date.
Oh yeah! I really didn’t have this on my radar at all and then a YouTube video from EJ himself popped up yesterday. The Jackson E-Flex Drive appears to replace the pedal mechanism on the top of the Flex Drive. A locking mechanism will hold it in place and it offers throttle and power controls on the near side to the seat.
In the video, the E-Flex Drive unit is shown on a Blue Sky Boatworks 360 Angler.
This foray into electric power marks another major player in the kayak market with electric options available or at least in visible prototyping stages. Jackson Kayak with the E-Flex Drive joins Hobie, Wilderness Systems, Old Town, Ocean Kayak and Feel Free in the power propulsion realms. Other manufacturers will surely follow suit. The question remains, with all of these new power options, will tournament trails begin to allow motored kayaks in the years to come to bolster numbers?
Information on the run time of the battery, speeds, thrust, and other vitals on the new E-Flex Drive are not currently available. Not out of the ordinary for a prototype. As we get more information we will update this post.