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Topics - pmmpete

Pages: [1] 2
1
Other Kayaks / Worse "kayak" design ever
« on: March 20, 2023, 06:05:57 AM »
While searching the internet for something else entirely, I stumbled on the worst designed "kayak" I have ever seen: https://lightasairboats.com/products/unchartered-watercraft-scorpion-fx?currency=USD&variant=39427198451796&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping.

2
General Talk / Kayak fishing haiku
« on: November 02, 2022, 07:22:50 AM »
Sometimes as I float around in my kayak, fishing and looking at the scenery, I compose haiku poems.  On a recent trip on a day when the mountains were covered by brightly colored trees and bushes, my dry suit neck gasket tore, fortunately as I was taking off the dry suit rather than as I was putting it on. That inspired the following haiku poem.

Fall leaves drop from trees
My dry suit neck gasket tore
All things end with death

Does anybody else have any kayak-fishing-inspired poetry?

3
Safety First / Sharks, kayaks, and fish on stringers - drone video
« on: October 17, 2022, 07:55:41 AM »
Here's an interesting drone video showing interactions between large sharks and kayaks, in particular kayaks dragging fish on a stringer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpkuR4UuXVs .

4
Safety First / Telescoping boat ladder for re-entering my Pro Angler
« on: October 03, 2022, 04:52:47 PM »
Here is a YouTube video which shows how I have added a telescoping boat ladder to my Pro Angler to make re-entering the kayak easy and reliable in a self-rescue situation:



I don't have any problem re-entering my 13' Hobie Revolution, and can right the kayak and re-enter it in about 20 seconds without using any rescue equipment.  I snorkel and speargun for pike from my anchored 13' Ocean Kayak Trident, and re-enter it many times a day while wearing 13-16 pounds of weights on my body and about three pounds on each ankle.  However, after I bought a 12' Hobie Pro Angler 360, I discovered that it is much harder for me to re-enter that kayak than my other two sit-on-top kayaks.  It took a maximum physical effort for me to heave myself back into the kayak, and I often hung up part of the way in with the kayak pitched up at an angle. In big waves, wind, and/or surf, which is probably what would result in me ending up in the water, I could imagine waves dumping the kayak back over upside down several times before I succeeded in getting back into the kayak.  Because I do a lot of kayaking by myself in cold weather and cold water, I was concerned that in adverse conditions I might find myself unable to get back into the kayak. I experimented with rope ladders and various other techniques and equipment, but none of them were helpful.

Then I came across a YouTube video showing a telescoping boat ladder which a kayaker added to the stern of his Pro Angler.  It looked like a good idea.  However, the kayaker stated in his responses to several comments requesting video showing the ladder in use that he had never actually tried to use the ladder, which was rather bizarre.

But I decided to try the idea.  However, I didn't want to install the ladder on the stern of my kayak, because I would have to climb over or past a large hard-sided cooler, two kayak paddle halves, a net, a spare fishing rod, two water bottles, a pee funnel, two tackle bins, and the back of the kayak's seat. So I decided to install a ladder on the bow of my Pro Angler, because I would only need to crawl over the Mirage Drive pedals, and could keep a low center of gravity.

If you do an internet search on Google or Amazon for "boat ladder" or "telescoping boat ladder" you'll get results for many stainless steel boat ladders for installation at the stern of a motorboat to assist swimmers in getting back into the boat.  Many of the ladders were in the $45-$50 price range.  I bought a three step ladder, which is the appropriate size, and in a day or so I made a mount for the ladder which I bolted on the flat area on top of the bow of my Pro Angler, in front of the front hatch.

The ladder works beautifully.  It's easy for me to deploy when I'm in the water next to the Pro Angler, and it's very easy for me to climb up the ladder onto the bow of the kayak and move back into the kayak seat.  And I can deploy the ladder, climb in, and get the ladder folded and back on top of the bow quickly. I now feel much more secure while using the Pro Angler in threatening weather.

5
Recipes / Kokanee caviar gunkanmaki sushi
« on: August 01, 2022, 09:22:02 AM »
I caught a 15" kokanee which contained roe, made caviar from the roe, and used the caviar in some gunkanmaki ("battleship") sushi.

6
Safety First / How can I add a visibility stripe to a kayak?
« on: March 28, 2022, 11:02:30 PM »
Hobie only offers the 12' and 14' Pro Angler 360 Drive kayaks in green and blue camo. Those colors aren't very visible on the water. I want to add a bright orange stripe about 8 inches (20 cm) wide and 8 feet (244 cm) long to the side of my Pro Angler to make it more visible on the water, for safety purposes. But it's hard to find something which adheres firmly to rotomolded polyethylene. Vinyl wrap material doesn't stick well to kayaks. I found some bright reflective material used on road signs and as visibility stripes on trucks which has an adhesive which seems to stick well to polyethylene, but it's so thick and stiff that it appears to be suitable only for attachment to flat surfaces. What materials can I use to add a visibility stripe to my Pro Angler? Orange duct tape will stick to polyethylene, but I'd have to lay down four strips of duct tape to produce an eight inch wide strip, which I think would look kind of shabby.

For safety reasons, I wish that Hobie offered the Pro Angler 360 drive kayaks in bright colors such as orange, yellow, and bright green in addition to the current two camo colors.

7
General Talk / Why are pedal kayaks so heavy?
« on: September 23, 2021, 03:42:32 PM »
Why are kayak manufacturers making so many of their pedal fishing kayaks so heavy?  The weight makes it harder to get them on top of your vehicle, and harder to move them from your vehicle to the water.  Here are the weights of the hulls, not including seats, drives, and where applicable the big battery for the trolling motor, of some Hobie Old Town, and Native pedal kayaks:

Hobie Lynx – 45 pounds
Hobie Revolution 13 – 70.5 pounds
Hobie Outback – 85 pounds
Sportsman Salty PDL 120 – 89 pounds
Sportsman Bigwater PDL 132 – 95 pounds
Native Slayer Propel Max 12.5 – 95 pounds
Sportsman PDL 120 – 101 pounds
Hobie Pro Angler 12 – 105 pounds
Native Titan Propel 12 - 109 pounds
Hobie Pro Angler 12 360 – 109.5 pounds
Hobie Pro Angler 14 – 120.5 pounds
Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 120 – 122 pounds
Hobie Pro Angler 14 360 – 124.5 pounds
Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 136 – 128 pounds
Native Titan Propel 13.5 – 154 pounds

I wish there were more light pedal kayaks.  In particular, I wish there was a lighter Hobie kayak with a 360 drive, or a lighter Old Town kayak with a spot lock trolling motor.  The hull of an Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 136 is 57.5 pounds heavier than the hull of my 13' Revolution! I keep hearing that the Outback can't handle the sideways torque of a 360 drive, but the Outback is only two inches narrower than a Pro Angler.  Another product I wish was available is a trolling motor with GPS spot lock capability which I could drop into the drive hole of a Hobie kayak.  Yoo Hoo, kayak manufacturers, are you listening?

I suspect that Hobie will sell a lot of Lynx kayaks because they're so light.  However, the Lynx doesn't look suitable for ocean and big lake fishing.  It looks like waves would constantly be breaking over the kayak

8
Gearing Up and Rigging Up / Leash your cell phone
« on: April 02, 2021, 05:10:51 PM »
I carry my cell phone in a pocket on my PFD.  The cell phone is water resistant, but I worried about dropping it into the water and losing it.  Then a friend lost his cell phone down an ice fishing hole, and I decided to get smart and put a leash on my phone.  I bought a couple of devices which you put between your phone and a cell phone case which have a little loop of webbing and a ring which stick out of the charging cord hole in the case, to provide a place to attach a leash.  And I bought a retractable lanyard.  I clip the retractable lanyard to a loop of cord tied around a shoulder strap of my PFD, and I attach the phone to the lanyard with a loop of spectra cord.  Now I feel a lot safer when I use my phone on the water.

9
Recipes / Got a good salmon dip recipe?
« on: February 24, 2021, 10:26:46 PM »
At the end of a fun day of kokanee fishing, one of my fishing companions brought out some salmon dip and served it up on pieces of bread. It was scrumptious, and I immediately decided to turn some of my kokanee into dip.  Do you have a good salmon dip recipe you'd be willing to share, either smoked or non-smoked?

10
I looked into the stern of my Revolution when the sun was shining on it, and saw a bright spot on the stern end of the keel where the plastic has been worn thin because I rest the kayak on its stern while getting the kayak on top of my car.  How can I protect this spot on the stern from further abrasion?  I don’t want to wear a hole all of the way through the hull of my kayak.





I posted a description of the way I lift my Revolution onto my car at https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=19202.msg204958#msg204958.  Because I can't clean and jerk my Revolution, I need to keep using this technique to get the kayak on my car.

11
Gearing Up and Rigging Up / Want jigging reel recommendation
« on: April 10, 2019, 06:40:13 AM »
What kind of reel, or what specific reel, do you recommend for jigging deep for big fish?

I do a lot of jigging for lake trout, and catch some pretty big fish.  The majority of the jigging is between 170 and 240 feet deep, but the reel needs to have enough line capacity to jig below 300 feet with 30 pound braid.  I like to release the line spool or bail, put the rod in a rod holder, and let my jig descend to the bottom.  I'm currently using a spinning reel, which works OK, but would like to use a reel with a line spool like a baitcaster reel.  A baitcaster works well for smaller fish above about 250 feet, but they have short handles, and I find it hard to reel in big fish with a baitcaster reel.  In addition, baitcaster reels usually have pretty small line reels, and barely have enough line capacity to get down to 250 feet with 30 pound braid.  I have tried using a level wind trolling reel, but the line spool has more drag than a baitcaster reel.

So what I'm looking for is a large-capacity reel with a long handle with a big knob on it, which has little drag on its line spool so I can get my lure to the bottom fast.  What kind of reel, or what specific reels, do you recommend?

12
How can I check the charging capacity of the sealed lead acid batteries which I use to power my fish finder?  I have two battery boxes.  One of the batteries provides enough juice for two days of fishing.  On a recent trip, the other battery pooped out after nine hours of fishing, which brought my day to a premature close.  A salesperson at Batteries Plus told me that SLA batteries only last for 2-3 years, and they don't have a way to test the capacity of a battery, but his job is to sell batteries.  Any suggestions?  Or should I just go buy a new battery?

13
Safety First / How many safety issues can you see in these pictures?
« on: July 05, 2017, 06:49:14 AM »
I encountered this group on Lindbergh Lake on July 3rd: two men, one woman, one kid, and two puppy dogs in a grossly overloaded canoe and two vinyl pool toys.  How many safety issues can you spot in these pictures?  For starters, I should not have been maneuvering that close to them, because the wake from my kayak could have swamped the canoe.

14
For several years I have used Photobucket to provide third party image hosting for pictures I post on this forum and other forums.  In other words, when I wanted a picture to appear in a posting, I uploaded the picture to Photobucket, and then inserted Photobucket's IMG code for that picture into the posting.  When the posting is viewed, the picture appears where the IMG code is located. 

Today I went to respond to a thread I had posted in earlier, and discovered that instead of a picture, my prior posting contained a notice from Facebook stating "Please update your account to enable third party hosting."  I went to Photobucket, and discovered that as of June 29, unless you pay $399.99 per year, you don't get third party image hosting from Photobucket.  WTF!!!  I am definitely not going to pay that kind of money for third party image hosting.  This means that all of the posts which I have made over the years no longer contain pictures, and in order to post pictures in the future, I need to find a new webpage which provides third party image hosting.

What webpages are other people using which provide third party image hosting?

15
For many years I loaded my fishing kayaks on the roof of my SUV by laying a towel over its rear wind deflector, lifting the bow of the kayak onto the towel, sliding the kayak forward onto my padded roof rack, flipping the kayak over onto its gunwales, and strapping it down.  This was quick and easy, and the only gear involved was a $3.50 discount store towel.  I always parked my vehicle on a flat spot before loading my kayaks, so I never had a kayak slide sideways off my wind deflector when loading it.

However, I bought a new SUV, and it had a thin and flexible rear wind deflector with a thin red light on its rear edge.  Because I can’t clean and jerk a 13 foot long kayak, I had to find another way to get my fishing kayaks onto the new vehicle.  I first bought a kayak loader which slid out of the end of one of the bars of my roof rack, but it was too flexible and felt very precarious.  I was looking at various loading devices which mount in a tow hitch, but they cost a lot, and would rock and swing around on the back of my vehicle unless I removed them from the hitch and put them inside the vehicle when traveling, which would be a big hassle.

So I have been loading my kayaks onto the side of my SUV using a towel, which is almost as convenient as loading them on the rear, and there is no risk that the kayak will slide off sideways if my vehicle isn’t parked on a flat spot, because the roof rack keeps the kayak in place.

First, I lay a towel over the side of my vehicle, and put my kayak on the ground next to the vehicle with the stern lined up with the towel.



Then I lift the bow of my kayak onto my shoulder, walk it over to the side of my vehicle, and set it on the towel, with a foot or so of bow above the towel so if the stern slides on the ground, the kayak won’t fall off the vehicle.



Then I pick up the stern of the kayak, slide the kayak forward on the towel, walk the stern around to the back of my vehicle, and lay the kayak on its bottom on the roof rack.





Then I stand on the threshold of one of the passenger doors, flip the kayak over onto its gunwales, and strap it down.



I already had a towel.  A problem with using a towel to load a kayak on your vehicle is that if it’s windy, the towel can blow off your vehicle before you can lift your kayak onto it.  One option is to lay something heavy on the towel to hold it in place.  My vehicle has a couple of holes in the sides of the rails on its roof to hold the factory rack in place.  I invested a couple more bucks in a bungie cord, shortened the ends of its hooks so they would go into the holes, and use it to hold the towel down.  I leave the bungie cord in place for a weekend of kayak fishing.



This is an easy, cheap, and secure way to get a big kayak on the roof of a vehicle.

Pages: [1] 2