I've actually gone through the whole thing and am happy to share what I've learned. It is an amazing setup but takes quite a bit of effort to complete. Can post pics if anyone is interested. I'll watch this thread.

Here are some quick thoughts.

You absolutely must be handy since much is left to your imagination.. Instructions are mostly useless. Very little is explained. A few pics are included but interpretation requires real imagination.

I ordered from Kayak Excursions in FL and found Stefan hugely helpful and patient on the phone. Steve is also available at bassyaks, when he is available

Voltmeter is highly recommended. This boat will use up power a bit faster than other since it is heavy. Haven't run out yet but thinking its been to about 25%.

The motor needs to operate as deep as the shaft will allow since the stern is high up compared to other kayaks. Otherwise lots of cavitation. This makes cable lifting and or stowing of the motor much harder since the pivot point on the shaft is very high. Can't really test this in the garage since without being submerged, the motor is too heavy to be cable stowed.

Power-Tec 55 amp/hr AGM is a good match for the 45 lb. thrust. No motor weaker than 45 lbs.

Still not sure what the lift kit includes for $55 even though I have it. Maybe the cleat and flimsy elastic cord to elevate the motor. Probably a good idea.

Lower circular clamp on motor shaft has to be finely adjusted to prevent the motor from flopping on its side and also providing any hope of getting it to lift and stow by feet. I usually just recline the seat and reach back. Still trying to figure it out after 10 excursions.

Foot rails seem a bit flimsy and may required fiddling around to get right. I had to buy nylon washer/bushings to get them to fit and not bind. Too bad the Jackson rudder kit foot pedals cannot be bought separately. Would be much better.

If you find yourself in the water for any reason, the foot pedal rails will make it very hard to get back in. I recommend either getting back in at the stern and climbing over the seat, or do what I did. Buy a paddle float so you can have an outrigger to grab. You can put one foot in the stand up strap and grap the paddle. I always carry the paddle float in case. Hate to die of hypothermia because of a bassyaks design oversite.

The steering cable love to bind. First, the cables have to pass through the hull twice. Also, if the pedal rails aren't absolutely true (very hard to get) binding becomes a real problem. Have to push the pedal too hard on a slightly warped (if untrue) track. One cannot simply redrill 1/16" away from the original site to correct it.

The thumbscrews for the steering cables are a pain. I was warned about overtightening but the real issue is undertightening. If you push hard to steer (seems required on this rig) you risk stripping the plastic off of the steering cable. That makes it very hard to reposition the foot pedals when transitioning from solo to tandem.

Well that is a sampling of things I encountered. If anyone requests, I can add pics and post vids on youtube. Good luck! It took me 3 weeks but now there is true kayak happiness.

Great post and welcome to the kayak forum. I don't have a BT but am very interested in seeing your setup. Many others here are interested in motorized yaks as well.

I dont have a big tuna or any interest in trolling motors but I like any story that ends in "true kayak happiness."

Say, I've got a BT - would be interested in pics if you have any. Great write up!

Happy to help! Will shoot some images later today and post.

Was there a cd included with the package? I heard there are no instruction just a plain cd... Btw I'm looking into bassyak myself..

Yes, the cd contains quite a few pics, with a single folder specific to the big tuna. They are not annotated and not all in focus :-)

There are also word docs and a few difficult to interpret schematics for the Minn Kota circuit board. Being I ended up needing a few odds and ends, I learned something absolutely obvious to most electronic wizards, but had never occured to me. DC electronics is entirely different than AC. That is obvious enough but when needing parts, don't waste your time at electronics parts suppliers and hardware stores. They are almost all AC. You will need an auto parts store.

I think part of the issue regarding bassyaks instructions is that the company is concerned about its plans getting out to its potential competitors and so they seem to leave the instructions a bit cryptic. That is why there are almost no vids on youtube. I asked if I could include a vid showing the install and issues and they did not reply. Understandable I suppose but how much great advertizing is being missed with this approach. On the other hand, they are selling their products like hotcakes.

Don't think I should post their install docs without permission. I did take the pics today and will hopefully have something useful to post tonight.

agree on other post people that purchas the bass yak had the same concern so they built their own. then steve posted something negative about how it look exactly like bass yak.

Here is the first pic. It shows how low the motor needs to be to avoid cavitation. Runs beautifully this way in forward and reverse, but using cables to stow motor in up position is very difficult. The top of the prop is actually halfway up the transom even a this "full down" position. Maybe a longer shaft would solve this?



Not sure how a single post will dispay multiple images so I'll try with two for the first.

This next shows how the mount attaches. The cord going up from the anterior portion of the motor is elasticized and is much to thin to grip easily. It also does not seem to work well to raise the motor.



All said, I think this setup is probably the best available for Big Tuna users. I am happy to guide anyone through.

Yikes took forever to figure out that photobucket free version is the way to go.