Necessity is the mother of all invention... said someone a few hundred years ago (no, not Plato... most likely a kayaker)

Fast forward to summer of 2014. The now Bixpy founder (Houman Nikmanesh), is stuck about 5 miles off the coast of San Diego in a Hobie Island sailboat with no wind and too tired to pedal home against the outgoing tide. 

Upon finally getting home, the search began to find a way to put a motor on the little sailboat to make future trips more pleasant. With no real solutions on the market and many DIY projects posted all over the internet, he realizes there is a need for simple, affordable, portable and efficient electric propulsion in the personal watercraft space. 

So as any good California startup is obligated to do, he moves his cars out of the garage, hires a PhD grad and they turn the garage into Bixpy’s first workshop. 

5 years later, we now have an award winning motor, a full line of waterproof batteries and dozens of Plug and Play Adapters to allow everyone to motorize their watersports. All of this with a focus on making sure we build simple and innovative devices everyone will be able to afford.

Since the shipment of our first motors and batteries in late 2017, we have motorized thousands of kayaks, paddle boards, divers, snorkelers and other water enthusiasts as we have created an industry of motorizing personal watercraft. There are now thousands of videos and pictures on-line of people using our products to enjoy their local waterways in a way not possible before. It gives us great joy to know we are part of this story. And we’re just getting started!

 

One of the first prototypes of the Bixpy PowerShroud™ Motor along with a dry box for the electronic controllers.

 

The mighty Bixpy PowerShroud™Motor is a 33lb thrust motor designed specifically for personal watercraft, offering the NoDrag™, no maintenance housing.

Our initial focus on motorizing kayaks quickly led us to completely rethink the way water propulsion was approached. While everyone else was trying to achieve more thrust by using bigger batteries and bigger props, we approached the design of our new product differently. Borrowing technology from hydro-electric dam turbines and jet engines, and by also modifying the motor and fine-tuning prop pitch, and most importantly adding air-foiling and flared ducting, we created what we now call the Bixpy PowerShroud™Motor. An optimized impeller jet system that is designed to work more efficiently than any propeller or jet drive system, allowing for super compactness and portability.

It also didn’t make sense that some motors could be used in salt water and some in fresh. So we went searching for technologies and materials that could be used in any water and in any condition.  

We spent a tremendous amount of time and resources sourcing and formulating plastics and metals that will not only survive the harshest conditions, but that are extremely lightweight and remarkably durable. To ensure a long lasting seal in salt or freshwater, we worked closely with our partners abroad to source the most corrosive resistant stainless steel on the planet for our motor shaft, a stainless steel that will far outlast the industry gold standard SS316. All exposed bolts are SS316 with an added titanium coating to withstand salt and sun. The motor’s heat sinks are made of aircraft grade anodized aluminum. Many of the main plastic components are made of a specialized ABS or ABS/polycarbonate infused with an anti-UV formulation to help withstand salt and sun. Where impact and movement come into play, we use a proprietary glass-filled nylon formula that is treated to last in saltwater and sun while also capable of taking a punch. All in all, we have left no stone unturned in sourcing and formulating materials that are made to last and withstand the harshest conditions one can throw at them. In short, you just can’t beat a Bixpy™!

The Bixpy PP-378 Battery pack is a lightweight, waterproof, buoyant battery that can run the Bixpy J-1 and J-2 PowerShroud™Motors for more than 10 hours!

We believe energy storage is one of the most important challenges to our present and future. We also think all batteries, specially if you use them outdoors, should be waterproof. They should also be light, really hard to break, intuitive to use and look good at the same time. So we spend an immense amount of time fine tuning and developing energy storage solutions for outdoor use. 

Whether you're looking to power your Bixpy Motors, or looking for a way to run your fish finder, light up your tent, or even run power under 100 feet of water, we have you covered. 

To power our Bixpy PowerShroud™Motors for outboard use, we have developed an Outboard Battery specially designed for use in small personal watercraft (not just a car battery in a plastic box). This high performance lithium ion battery is extremely lightweight and provides hours of power for your Bixpy PowerShroud™ Motors. Beyond that, it offers some unique features not commonly found in other marine batteries. It is fully waterproof and corrosion resistant in addition to being buoyant, so in the inevitable event of a kayak flip or large waves, the last thing you need to worry about is your battery getting wet or falling into the water.  

Since space on small craft is often limited, the slender body design of Bixpy batteries allow for a variety of storage and carrying options. In most fishing kayaks, the batteries can easily fit under the seats. They can also be strapped to fishing crates, stored in kayak bellies or inside most boat hatches. 

 

The Bixpy PP-77 LW Battery pack is a lightweight, waterproof, power bank made to replace 6V SLA batteries - a relic of the 19th century!

 

Once you build the world’s smallest marine motor and pair it with portable and super light batteries, it’s an obligation that you make it available to as many users as possible! And that’s where our WillFit™ Adapters come in. 

To date we have developed more than a dozen different adapters that fit more than 1000 different kayaks, paddle boards, canoes and other small craft without any modification at all. We proudly call these our WillFit™ Adapters and guarantee their fit into the boats they were designed for. 

But we didn’t stop there. We love tinkering and we know lots of others do as well.  So we have also developed a variety of adapters and brackets to allow our DIY fans to make and modify anything in water. Suffice it to say, you have not disappointed!