DC motor power requirements

[GoingAllDanOnIt]

Electronics aren't my thing, yet. I'm an mechanical millwright. Newest project is possibly an electric jetdrive kayak if I can get a grasp of the requirements. Pretty sure I've found the drive and motor but don't know how to figure out how big of a battery I'll need to get sufficient run time. Been "researching" this alien language, if you'd call it that. Need real people help. I have mild restrictions on weight. I was thinking Lifepo4 battery running 48 or 52v. Run time at full throttle would be <1hr.

 

[BradtheRad]

At a recreational lake we liked to rent a boat (like a canoe or rowboat) with an attached electric motor and propeller. It was powered by a 12V lead-acid 'marine' battery. It's designed for less stressful and longer charge/discharge cycles than a car battery goes through.

Usually an attendant carried a freshly-charged battery to the boat dock and clipped it to the motor. 40 or 50 lbs. It didn't carry two or three of us extremely fast. But it was fun that we didn't have to row.

There were a few times we rowed and reached higher speed. Once we were in a kayak. We were barely at the waterline and I got wet where I sat. Any battery you choose for your kayak ought to be lightweight so you stay afloat. The lighter it is the more transportable it is between boat and charging station.