July 22, 2024

Maintaining Old Town PDL, ePDL, and Motor Consoles

Maintaining the PDL, ePDL+, or Minn Kota motor console on your Old Town fishing kayak is quick and easy, and can help extend the life of your drive. This article will cover three basic rules that everyone should abide by when it comes to drive maintenance.

1. RINSE YOUR DRIVE

Always rinse your drives off with fresh water after use, especially if you've been in saltwater or brackish water. This is no different than rinsing your rods and reels after you're done fishing on the saltwater, and only takes a few extra minutes. Rinsing your drives helps to prevent corrosion, clears away sand and grit, and helps ensure that your drives operate smoothly the next time you head out.  

2. CHECK YOUR PROPS

It is very important to get behind your propeller and remove any debris wrapped around the drive shaft. This will not only improve the performance of your PDL or motor drive, but also keep your prop pin from deteriorating and corroding sooner than it should. Also, clearing your prop vegetation will keep you from spreading invasive aquatic plants from one vial of water to the next. If you notice a drop in speed or vibration coming from your drive, checking behind the prop for debris should be your first step. 

3. PREPARE A TOOLKIT

This is a great tip from our Pro Staff team that we feel everyone should know about. Using a spare tackle tray or other small waterproof container, build an on-water maintenance toolkit. The tacklebox that comes with every Old Town Sportsman kayak is perfect for this! In this kit you should include: 

  • Spare Prop
  • Spare prop pins
  • Spare washer
  • Spare kill switch
  • Adjustable wrench
  • Phillips screwdriver
  • Dielectric grease
  • Zip ties

This is just an example of what we recommend taking with you on every trip, however you can add or remove items as you see fit based on your model of kayak and the nature of your fishing trips. 

Here are some links to replacement parts for various PDL and motor models:

Tagged Kayak Fishing