Pedal drive: included with the kayak

No — pedal drives (Traverse) and fin drive adapters are sold separately. There's a $300 bundle discount whenever the Traverse Drive is purchased with any Cajo Highlander or kayak (applies on direct and dealer purchases — not exclusive to any one dealer).

No — pedal drives (Traverse) and fin drive adapters are sold separately. There's a $300 bundle discount whenever the Traverse Drive is purchased together with any Cajo Highlander or kayak (applies on direct and dealer purchases — not exclusive to any one dealer).

Why the drive is separate

Not every owner wants to pedal. Some Cajo buyers go drive-free and use the kayak as a paddle-only or motor-only boat. Pricing the drive separately means you only pay for it if you want it.

That said, most owners do add a drive. The two paths:

Traverse Pedal Drive (our proprietary drive)

Cajo's in-house drive — 10:1 gear ratio, instant reverse, industrial-grade stamped aluminum head and lower unit. Tighter tolerances and less bulk weight than cast-aluminum drives. Drops into the drive well on every Cajo hull.

$300 off when bundled with any Cajo hull or Highlander, on direct OR dealer purchases. Applied automatically at direct checkout. Full breakdown: the $300 Traverse Drive bundle.
Current pricing lives on the Traverse Pedal Drive product page.

Fin Drive Adapter (use a third-party fin drive)

A passive socket that lets you mount a Hobie MD 180, Pelican, Vibe Hero 2.0–era, or Lightning Kayaks fin drive in the Cajo drive well. The fin drive itself is purchased separately from the drive manufacturer.

Why owners go this route: Already own a Hobie MD 180, or specifically prefer fin-style propulsion (the kick-up fin is genuinely better in dense submerged grass and oyster).
Two SKUs — Fin Drive Mount (universal SKU, for rigid hulls) vs. Highlander Fin Drive Mount Kit (bundle with rudder for inflatables). Full breakdown: Cajo Fin Drive Adapter: complete compatibility and install guide.

How the bundle discount works at checkout

When you add a Traverse Drive to your cart along with any Cajo kayak or Highlander on caminojourney.com, the $300 is taken off the drive price automatically. The line totals show the discounted price rather than calling out the $300 explicitly — see the $300 Traverse Drive bundle for what that looks like.

At a dealer

The bundle discount applies whenever the drive is purchased with the kayak — direct OR through any authorized Cajo dealer. It's not exclusive to any one dealer. If you're at a dealer and the bundle isn't on your quote, ask them about it — they should be able to apply it.

Traverse vs. fin-drive cross-shop

The Traverse bundled with the hull is meaningfully cheaper than buying a Hobie MD 180 plus the Cajo Fin Drive Adapter — same propulsion outcome, just a different path. The Hobie route makes sense if you already own the MD 180 or you specifically want kick-up fin propulsion. Otherwise the bundled Traverse is the value buy.