Video · Kayak Motors & Power
Newport NT600 Outboard, NK180 Pro and NS130 Air Skiff at ICAST
At the Newport booth at ICAST 2024 I go over the new NT600 outboard, the updated kayak motors, the NS130 air skiff and new low-profile batteries.
What’s in this video
At ICAST 2024 I stopped at the Newport booth for a rundown on what’s new. The big one is the NT600, the bigger brother to the NT300. It’s a 6 horsepower equivalent (3,000 watts), about 52 lb, with a color LCD screen, built-in GPS, a tiller that swivels in and out for better ergonomics from a seat, and locking tilt positions. They said it would be available spring 2025. I’d already been on the NT300 on their new skiff, about 8 mph from 1,300 watts, and that was impressive.
For kayaks, the NK300 uses the same 1,300 watt motor as the NT300, set up for the Power-Pole Micro bolt pattern. The NK180 Pro takes the NK180 everybody knows and gives it more power, a quieter sound and a linear throttle, so you feel acceleration all the way to 100%. They quoted about 25% more efficiency, and on a 24 volt 50 amp hour battery they fished multiple lakes in a day and came back with 50% left.
The NS130 inflatable skiff has a five chamber catamaran hull, track boards that stiffen the hull, a drop stitch floor and about an 8 minute setup with the included high volume pump. Newport also showed low-profile lithium batteries in 12, 24 and 36 volt that stack, connect with waterproof IP67 plugs, and have each cell cushioned in fiberglass.
Key moments
- 0:00 Introduction to ICAST 2024
- 0:15 Newport NT600 motor launch
- 2:14 NK series kayak motors
- 4:17 The NS13 inflatable skiff
- 6:00 Low-profile lithium batteries
Quick takeaways
- The NT600 is a 3,000 watt (6 hp equivalent) outboard at about 52 lb, with built-in GPS and a swivel tiller.
- The NK180 Pro has a linear throttle, so speed keeps building past 80%, and Newport quoted about 25% more efficiency than the original.
- The NS130 skiff sets up in about 8 minutes, and its track boards take a lot of the flex out of the inflatable hull.
- The new low-profile batteries come in 12, 24 and 36 volt and stack with toolless IP67 waterproof plugs.
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