Autoboat Smart Head on My Outback

This winter I decided to take the plunge into the motorized side of the kayak fishing pool.  After talking with some others, I decided to go with Autoboat instead of a Motorguide setup.  So I did a pre-purchase for the Autoboat Smart Head and then started getting the other items I would need to be able to mount it.  For the mount I got a One Objective mounting plate and a Newport transom mount.  I also got the Newport NV series trolling motor (55 lb thrust) and they were running a special on their Smart Battery Box so I picked that up too.  I also picked up some 8 gauge marine grade wire and some trolling motor plugs from Amazon.  I also got a through hull from Yak Attack.  With everything purchased, it was time to start the build.  I had to make some modifications to the One Objective mounting plate since the holes for it don't match the standard power pole hole pattern used on the Newport transom mount so I drilled new holes and countersunk them for the stainless steel three prong nuts that come with the One Objective plate.  Once that was done I used thumbscrews to attach the Newport transom plate to the One Objective mounting plate.
 
Once I was sure the transom plate was mounted the way I wanted I mounted the One Objective mounting plate to the front of the kayak.  This used the two screw ins for the front padeye for the toggle handle and then two screws that are along the front hatch.  You need to drill two holes for that and there are backing plates and fender washers and nuts that go on those screws.  The One Objective plate has a cut in carrying handle for you to use to pull the kayak since you can no longer use the original handle.  With the mounting plate and transom mount done, next is the motor itself.  The motor mounts easily enough, just two thumb screws that clamp the motor to the transom mount. 


I also rigged up a way to be able to retract the motor but that didn't work out too well out on the water.  We had to wait awhile for the Smarthead to arrive but it finally showed up around the end of January. 


Once the Smart Head arrived I pulled the head off the Newport motor and installed the Smart Head.  It was a pretty easy install.  I also drilled some large holes in the kayak and installed the power plug in the foot well and the Yak Attack Through Hull in the back deck area. 


I ran my wire and got it ready to connect up.  I purchased a 50 Ah battery that I can put in the front hatch (I made the power cable detachable there with some Anderson plugs) and a 100 Ah that will go in the battery box and sit behind the seat. 



The Newport Smart Battery Box has 2 built in breakers, a 60 Amp for the motor and a 10 Amp for the accessories.  Speaking of the accessories plugins, I removed the 12 V outlet from the Smart Box and found a USB outlet with 2 USB C and a USB A and a voltage meter on Amazon and put that in its place.  I figured I'd use USB ports more than a 12 V outlet. 

Once I got it all put together I took it out on Hagg Lake for a shakedown.  It performed flawlessly (except for the retract and deploy idea).  Spot Lock held me in place and being able to just push a button and the motor will continue in that direction till you tell it to stop was nice for hands free navigation and not having to worry about making course corrections.  It even has the ability to follow custom tracks that you can make on your phone (I didn't try out that feature yet).  I am looking forward to using this for Sturgeon and Shad fishing this year.  It should be a game changer!
Item List:
Autoboat Smart Head $699
Newport NV motor 55lb thrust $199
Newport Transom Mount  $99
Newport Smart Battery Box  $69
One Objective Mounting Plate  $135
Wire, plugs, connectors $78
Yak Attack Through Hull $25

Looks like a nice setup. I would be curious to see how it compares to the Xi3 - I have had it for a few years now and really like it but they're not making the kayak model anymore and even if they were this is a better price for sure.

Probably work real good in Tillamook bay as well, think it’s strong enough to hold two boats in place 😜? Nice write up man.

Looks like a nice setup. I would be curious to see how it compares to the Xi3 - I have had it for a few years now and really like it but they're not making the kayak model anymore and even if they were this is a better price for sure.

We were able to do just over 4 mph (according to GPS) while moving across the lake.  This is with me (285+ lbs) and all my gear (YMMV).  I'm not sure how much the Xi3 weighs but I would guess this would be lighter.  The only thing that remains to be seen is the longevity of it.  I do like that the Smart Head is removable, so if I do something silly and bust the motor or it gives out, I can remove it and put it on a new motor.

Probably work real good in Tillamook bay as well, think it’s strong enough to hold two boats in place 😜? Nice write up man.

Yeah, we plan on trying them out at Tillamook Bay.  I need to have a way to retract and deploy the motor before I go there though.  This way I can pull it up and have someone help to clear any weeds.  Brandon and I are planning on going to Hagg Lake this coming week, I want to see what it does while trying to hold two kayaks in place.

We were able to do just over 4 mph (according to GPS) while moving across the lake.  This is with me (285+ lbs) and all my gear (YMMV).  I'm not sure how much the Xi3 weighs but I would guess this would be lighter.  The only thing that remains to be seen is the longevity of it.  I do like that the Smart Head is removable, so if I do something silly and bust the motor or it gives out, I can remove it and put it on a new motor.

Probably work real good in Tillamook bay as well, think it’s strong enough to hold two boats in place 😜? Nice write up man.

Yeah, we plan on trying them out at Tillamook Bay.  I need to have a way to retract and deploy the motor before I go there though.  This way I can pull it up and have someone help to clear any weeds.  Brandon and I are planning on going to Hagg Lake this coming week, I want to see what it does while trying to hold two kayaks in place.

Not sure how yours stows and deploys? Mine is the "foot" pedal type which I had thought about mounting something and drilling holes in the kayak but honestly I need to pull it so infrequently I simply just hit the foot pad with my paddle and pull up with a paracord tied near the head on the motor shaft. Speed wise I can get my big butt going about 4.2mph with the xi3. I can touch nearly 5 when pedaling as well, but that ultimately is not fun, albeit a good workout. I purchased the xi3 mostly for the spot locking ability and love it for that reason. I have used it a ton of times fishing rivers and it's worked great, the speed control and heading lock features are also really nice but I don't use those nearly as much. I will say that sometimes the anchoring will tweak out and spin you around so careful standing and sight casting when using that feature.

On the "buddy anchoring" front it works really well on the rivers, my guess is that it would do well on the bays as well. My buddy and I have sturgeon fished just below the falls on the willamette and it has no issues keeping both of us in place. With the XI3 I have to recalibrate the compass if I am more than 15 or so miles from the previous spot it was calibrated. I haven't tested the distance that it's effective to yet, just know that it needs to be calibrated if you've moved a bit, I am sure the autoboat has a similar setting, just something to keep in mind if you're a good ways from home. The anchor and heading feature is what seems to be the most affected.

We were able to do just over 4 mph (according to GPS) while moving across the lake.  This is with me (285+ lbs) and all my gear (YMMV).  I'm not sure how much the Xi3 weighs but I would guess this would be lighter.  The only thing that remains to be seen is the longevity of it.  I do like that the Smart Head is removable, so if I do something silly and bust the motor or it gives out, I can remove it and put it on a new motor.

Probably work real good in Tillamook bay as well, think it’s strong enough to hold two boats in place 😜? Nice write up man.

Yeah, we plan on trying them out at Tillamook Bay.  I need to have a way to retract and deploy the motor before I go there though.  This way I can pull it up and have someone help to clear any weeds.  Brandon and I are planning on going to Hagg Lake this coming week, I want to see what it does while trying to hold two kayaks in place.

Not sure how yours stows and deploys? Mine is the "foot" pedal type which I had thought about mounting something and drilling holes in the kayak but honestly I need to pull it so infrequently I simply just hit the foot pad with my paddle and pull up with a paracord tied near the head on the motor shaft. Speed wise I can get my big butt going about 4.2mph with the xi3. I can touch nearly 5 when pedaling as well, but that ultimately is not fun, albeit a good workout. I purchased the xi3 mostly for the spot locking ability and love it for that reason. I have used it a ton of times fishing rivers and it's worked great, the speed control and heading lock features are also really nice but I don't use those nearly as much. I will say that sometimes the anchoring will tweak out and spin you around so careful standing and sight casting when using that feature.

On the "buddy anchoring" front it works really well on the rivers, my guess is that it would do well on the bays as well. My buddy and I have sturgeon fished just below the falls on the willamette and it has no issues keeping both of us in place. With the XI3 I have to recalibrate the compass if I am more than 15 or so miles from the previous spot it was calibrated. I haven't tested the distance that it's effective to yet, just know that it needs to be calibrated if you've moved a bit, I am sure the autoboat has a similar setting, just something to keep in mind if you're a good ways from home. The anchor and heading feature is what seems to be the most affected.

Mine deploys with a piece that I have to squeeze towards the motor shaft.  So I am trying to figure out a way to squeeze something by pulling a cord.  My original plan didn't work so I am on to plan B.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Yeah, the online video tutorials also say to re-calibrate if you are going to be more than 30 miles from where you last calibrated it.  I just figure I'll calibrate it each time I take it out.