Video · Fishing & Trips
My ICAST Kayak Crash: Lost iPhone and the Safety Lessons I Learned
I flipped a motorized kayak at ICAST, nearly got run over, lost my phone, and I share the mistakes so you don't repeat them.
What’s in this video
This was not my best day at ICAST. I was on a Bonafide RVR with the Newport NK300 on the back, a roughly three horsepower, 36 volt electric motor. Throttle on the side, steering with sliding foot tracks. I did a cold start, went from zero straight to full throttle, and flipped. The kayak and motor went right over me. My iPhone went to the bottom. I bought a new phone, picked up snorkel gear at Target, and three and a half hours later I found the old one. It still had footage on it.
To be clear, Bonafide and Newport did nothing wrong. The steering was buttery smooth and the NK300 has tons of power on a non-proprietary battery, around a thousand bucks at the time. This was 100 percent me rushing after a thunderstorm and not thinking.
The lessons: respect new equipment and take it easy until you know it. Attach the kill switch to yourself. And wear your life jacket, because if that kayak or motor had hit my head without one, it could have been a very bad day for my family.
I also wanted to thank the people who offered to help find the phone, and everyone in the kayak community who helped my family after the hurricane flooded our house.
Quick takeaways
- Ease into a new motor. Don't go from zero to full throttle on a cold start.
- Always connect the motor kill switch to yourself.
- Wear a PFD. A flipped kayak and motor can pass right over you.
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