What is a pedal drive system on a kayak?
Good question! It is a way of moving your kayak through the water, hands free! This is perfect for activities such as fishing where you need your hands available for casting and reeling in your catch of the day, or it's perfect if you just want a leisurely float around out on the water while enjoying a coffee.
How does the pedal drive system work?
It has a 10:1 gear system which means that with every full rotation of the pedal, the propeller does 10 full rotations allowing for smooth and efficient travel. Even though your legs are usually stronger than your arms, you won’t actually need to expel that much energy to move forwards, or backwards.
Can I reverse with the pedal drive?
Yes! The pedal drive goes forwards and backwards. To go forwards, you simply pedal naturally forwards, and to reverse, you simply backpedal.
What about the rudder in shallow waters?
The rudder is on a spring loaded system where it will snap up to prevent from getting stuck or caught on the bottom or damaged on rocks.
The biggest bonus with the pedal drive is that its hands free. You can steer easily with the rudder system, you can continue fishing, birdwatching, or coffee drinking while still covering large sections of water in a short amount of time.
Botes pedal drive system is available for the award winning Lono kayak, as well as the Rackham Aero 12ft4 inflatable SUP.
