gillyakers

Comment

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on April 29, 2012 at 7:05am

@ Lee. No worries - I'm no backwoods expert, but Ive seen a canoe or two.

The problem with moving the seat forward, is that the sides flare (widen) as you do. This will get in the way of proper paddling.

Should you work out moving the seat, a long reach kayak paddle might be useful - a double-ender approaching 200 cm. It's one flaw is that every time you dig in, the water from the upper will run down your arms. A canoe paddle, by contrast, has a single bite and wont run water into your shirt. Plus it is more "packable" and stows better.

Personally, I would ballast the front with something useful: battery, ice chest, etc. You wont notice the weight, but you'll find the boat tracks better and is less affected by wind. It's been so for centuries.

All boats are a compromise - there is no perfect arrangement.

Comment by Lee Nagel on April 29, 2012 at 6:24am

Thanks david. I was actually thinking in the 14' range and am glad I was looking in the right direction. The reason I asked about moving a seat is, with my size, I thought moving the seat about 10-12" forward would help keep the bow in the water without a lot of ballast. 

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on April 28, 2012 at 8:13pm

Oh yeah - a chain drag is nice for creeks and small rivers. In still water it makes an adequate anchor.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on April 28, 2012 at 7:02pm

"What should I look for? What features would be desirable? can I do modifications easy, like moving a seat to a better location?"

12-14 ft. The extra length improves handling and reduces draft. This is counter intuitive, but the short expedition boats are a tad squirrelly. The bit of extra length in the 12 footers is helpful and gives you a few more options. Not the least is room for a partner, should a friend wish to come along.

Modifications are as complex or simple as you want. At the least I would suggest some rod holders to keep your gear out of the foot wells, a secure tackle storage arrangement and some monkey hammocks for "possibles"storage.... all those small things you need near at hand, but which musn't clutter the cockpit.  A battery in a box up front will help balance the thing, too when using a fish finder. If no battery, a cooler chest goes there as nicely.The weight, either way, is useful.

Moving the seat, well.... that's not something I suggest, unless the boat provides for it. Only a few do. Keep in mind the seating positions were worked out after centuries of use. You might look for something with a thwart instead of a center seat, though, since that seat wont do you much good anyway. I'd suggest that whatever you do, opt for an outfitters seat. These attach to the regular seat, but offer a supportive back and padded butt.

(You may wish to have a look at The Old Town "Saranac." Derrick Bustle here has one and it offers a lot of these things out of the box. It is available at the usual sporting outlet stores and isn't too pricey. )

Comment by Lee Nagel on April 28, 2012 at 5:21pm

Okay, I'm going in. I'm still not sure about a 'yak, but I think I really want a canoe. I'm going to shop used and it will be a single hander, just me. I'm 50 years old, 6'4" and about 280#, and a flyfisherman. I'm wanting a used because there is a lot of shallow runs on the creeks around here and don't want to ding up a new one.

 

What should I look for? What features would be desirable? can I do modifications easy, like moving a seat to a better location?

 

Thanks guys. 

Comment by dink dailey on April 2, 2012 at 5:41am

david,the more you go the more you will get hooked on the kayak,i do not use my anchor alot the stake pole is easier to use,imade my own a good golf ball retiever works good you can extend it to depth that you need,put some foam pvc pipe cover on it so it will float, i lost mine once when it fell over the side,for a anchor i use a 1/2 gal milk jug filled with concrete,a gripper works good for hooking on to trees,alot of stuff i use my imagin ation to make,pvc pipe work good for a lot of stuff,look at the factory stuff then make it out of pvc. the fish are starting to bite here i got about 14 nice ones last week,should be good on tuesday.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on April 1, 2012 at 6:15pm

Got out on the local lake today, pedaling the Hobie Outback. Ive never been in one of these little Sport models (10ft) so I took it slow at first. After about 10 minutes, I headed back to the landing and loaded up with the gear.

Managed to catch a few small gill and had some tail tugs from the jackfish.

Like all kayaks, this one needs some re-rigging, to include branch and shrub tie offs. I'm not really in for a lot of anchoring, preferring to drift, tie off and stake out. I arranged a workable tie off arrangement, and now I'm on the lookout for a new stake out pole.

Caught a few fish and had some fun!

http://bigbluegill.com/photo/black-spotted-gill?xg_source=activity

Comment by Steve Crowder on March 24, 2012 at 5:43am

Darn, thunder storms and lighting keepin me off the water!

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on March 19, 2012 at 9:05am

I'm just messing around, Steve. Im really just jealous, since I hadn't caught anything remotely like the cats of yours.
LOL

Comment by Steve Crowder on March 19, 2012 at 7:04am

Those were eating size catfish David. But I did not keep them. I was REALLY TRYING to catch large bluegills and shellcrackers. Those cats startled me so, that I did not know what to do with them. Never caught a catfish in that part of the river before. But those cats did make for a fun day.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 12
• 13
• 14
• 15
• 16
• …
• 23
• Next ›
• Page