Kayak DIY Reviews the FluxJet at ICAST: Unstoppable Jet Power in Thick Weeds
If you spend any time watching kayak fishing on YouTube, you probably know Justin from Kayak DIY. He's based down in Florida, which means he regularly deals with some of the skinniest water, thickest grass flats, and toughest environments an angler can face. If a drive system has a flaw, Florida water will expose it fast.
At ICAST this year, Justin stopped by the FluxJet booth, jumped in the seat, and took the boat out on the demo lake to see if our internal jet drive actually lives up to the hype. You can watch his full on-the-water review right here:
Testing the Weeds: "Tell Me What Other Boat Can Do This"
We tell people all the time that the FluxJet’s intake acts like a skimmer, gliding right over vegetation instead of sucking it up and choking out. But instead of taking our word for it, Justin aimed the kayak directly at a dense, floating weed bed in the demo lake.
Because there are no exposed props or pedal fins hanging beneath the hull, he blasted straight over the grass without snagging or stalling out.
“Look at this. We're just running right over the weed bed. We could go around the whole dang lake on weeds. Tell me of any other boat that can do this.”
A Deck Built to Actually Fish From
Going fast is great, but a fishing kayak is only as good as its deck layout. Justin is 6'2", so legroom and standing space were the first things he noticed.
He pointed out exactly what we were going for when we designed the hull: keeping things smooth and snag-free. The edges are flat and rounded. If you’re fighting a fish and your line sweeps across the bow, there’s no chunky hardware sticking out to snap your line. He also gave a shoutout to the built-in USB/USB-C charging ports, the pre-installed navigation lights, and the molded-in inserts on the stern for a shallow water anchor pole.
Universal Power (Bring Your Own Battery)
We absolutely hate proprietary batteries that force you to spend thousands of dollars on a branded replacement. Justin caught onto this right away. The FluxJet runs on standard marine batteries anywhere from 12V up to 60V.
As he mentioned in the video, a lot of guys are finding that a 36V 50Ah battery is the perfect sweet spot for balancing cost, weight, and crazy good performance. At the show, guys were reporting running a 36V 50Ah setup for 14 miles and still having 60% battery left.
The True Test is Just Beginning
Demo days are fun, but the real test happens on your home water. Justin actually took a FluxJet home to Florida after the show, and it's officially part of his fleet now.
We are pumped to see how the boat performs in his local waters, so make sure to go subscribe to the Kayak DIY YouTube channel to watch him put the FluxJet through its paces in the coming weeks. Drop a comment on his video and let him know what you want to see him test!