What the Traverse Pedal Drive is

Cajo's own 10:1 gear-ratio pedal drive with instant reverse. Industrial-grade stamped aluminum head and lower unit — tighter tolerances, higher performance, less bulk weight than cast-aluminum drives.

The Traverse is Cajo's own proprietary pedal drive — a propeller-driven, 10:1 gear-ratio drive with instant reverse built in. It uses an industrial-grade stamped aluminum head and lower unit for tighter tolerances, higher performance, and less bulk weight than cast-aluminum drives.

The two design choices that matter

A pedal drive is mostly a gearbox plus a prop. The Traverse's design centers on two decisions:

10:1 gear ratio

For every full pedal cycle (one rotation of the crank), the prop spins 10 times. That ratio is on the high end for pedal drives — it converts steady leg cadence into useful prop speed without forcing you to mash the pedals at sprint pace. Combined with the prop pitch, it gives you a working cruise around 3–4 mph and a sprint that pushes higher when you're chasing fish.

Stamped aluminum, not cast

Most pedal drives in this category use cast aluminum for the head and lower unit. Cast aluminum is easier to manufacture but ends up thicker and heavier than it needs to be — material gets added because casting tolerances aren't tight enough to trust a thinner section.

The Traverse uses industrial-grade stamped aluminum instead. Stamping holds tighter dimensional tolerances, so we can run thinner sections without sacrificing strength. The result: a lighter drive that doesn't flex under load.

Instant reverse

Hit a lever, the gear engagement flips, you pedal backward. No re-rigging fins, no twisting a drive 180°. Useful when you've drifted past a fish, hooked up and need to back off a snag, or want to pivot the boat into wind without losing pedal cadence.

What hulls it fits

The Traverse is designed for Cajo hulls and inflatables:

Outpost 100, Outpost 128
Terra 116
Highlander 100 AirTrek, Highlander 120 AirTrek
Highlander 140T (tandem, TBD on long-haul testing but mechanically supported)

It is not engineered or supported on non-Cajo kayaks — see the dedicated article on that.

How it ships

Standalone: $1,199.99
Bundled with any Cajo hull: $899.99 ($300 off, automatic at direct checkout and available at dealers too)
Warranty: 5 years