Big Orange Crush, one year later.

It has been a year since I had the Fisha 555 delivered up here in Washington.  I want  to share some of the good as well as some of the, what I refer to as the not so good. 

The yak is long, I don't I truly grasped how long it was. It is about 18 feet 2 inches long.  When you load it, you pay attention to what you are doing. Don't rest the yak on the non retractable rudder . The rudder is my one and only major gripe. I hate it! There I said it(Ruddy says it doesn't bother him, and he got used to it) .  Does it make the boat handle better? I am sure it does. But here is the negative, You can't retract it. I got stuck out on a mud flat, not fun at all. the water was passible if I could of retracted but I could not. This, and finding that you tend to want to rest your yak on the rudder when you are loading and unloading, doesn't help the rudder at all.  This has led me to purchase a conventional stern mounted rudder and I will retro that in and tie into the wires already in place for the rudder.

Okay paddling, you will smoke pretty much everyone else who is in a fishing kayak paddle or peddle.  Provided you have a good stroke.  Only type of yaks smokes me, and that is those Sit Inside Sea Kayaks and true surf skis yaks. Even on my best day, eating my Wheaties, they will smoke me hard and fast. It is like being at a stock car track and being king of the hill in your division, till the main event cars come out. This last year I have done maybe a half dozen open water trips between 8-12 miles. That is something I never would of done with that barge of a Hoby Quest. 

Stealth's CF Angler Paddle, I bought one, and I like it, it is light, and does make paddling easier, but I think it could be longer. I am not a Surf Skier, and at 6'2"  I would like a longer paddle than what it comes in.

Seating, IMHO you need a seat with this yak. I just haven't dialed in the right one yet for me. Keep in mind I am 6'2" and around 205lbs right now (lost a lot of pounds when home for covid, but half of it came back once I went back to work). 

Storage: Yes you can put an 8 foot rod in and its cousin the 8'6" and a 240 cm paddle without issue (I may have had that in 2 pieces, and then again may not have).  Foot pegs...the absolutely tightest foot rest/pegs on the planet. If they ever pop out it is because you did something wrong.

How is it in the swell?  Well I confess I don't have a lot of swell time. But I can tell you of an experience I had one Friday evening. Not far from Bremerton is Illahee state park. I launch there, about a mile across the sound is Bainbridge Island. The tip of Bainbridge Island is known to be a good place for salmon, but you never see to many reports from there. So I decided to check it out. It is about a mile from Illahee. Getting there was easy, but that is when the fun started. The tides were changing, and real quickly I was in a  bad spot, I was about 300 yards off the tip and the water started  boiling, I had to work to stay upright, and paddle my dumb ass out of there.   It was a challenge, as I was now paddling into a tidal current.  What took me 15-20 minutes to get there, took me closer to 1 hour 45 minutes to get back. Had I been in my Hoby, I think I would of been in a Coast Guard/Harbor Patrol boat for the ride back, or ended up paddling to shore.  This adventure gave me a lot of confidence in the yak and its stability under pressure, I never felt like I was going to roll or lose it.  It tracks well and got the job done. 

So my final thoughts: If you are thinking of getting one, I would skip the Carbon fiber option.  I cry every time I hear a scrape on a rock, and up here, there is a lot of rocks, shells, concrete boat ramps, and anything else that can make you cringe.  If you are one of those guys who wants every single thing possible, including 27 selfie cams, a BBQ grill, boom box and an Espresso machine, this is not the yak for you. If you like a minimalist approach, you will enjoy this yak.  I made sure to contact Loleta Eric to get his way of trolling, as you may think you need to have peddle drive (I have nothing against a peddle drive, I just think some of the makers are forgetting that kayaks are lean, not Bismarck sized battle cruisers).  Hook up with someone and try one out, and see if a Stealth will work for you. If you find yourself near Seattle, give me a holler, I am a ferry ride away. Good luck and tight lines!

Thanks for the report. 18' is long I have a hard time storing my PA14.

Thank you for the update and perspective, Kevin. The sleekness and speed definitely interest me!

Thank you for the report.  It helps me immensely.  It would be nice if they’re was some indestructible kydex sheath for the rudder for loading and off loading...sorry bought the mud walk...certainly a situation round here fishin’ for dinos...

Thanks for your review. Im only a month or so into owning my 500.
At 5’8” I opted for the 500. I use mostly 7.5’ foot rods and wanted to make sure I could work a line around the bow easily. At just over 16’ the 500 is long enough and easier to transport etc. I traded in some speed for stability as Im getting older and less eager to self rescue. I also went with fiberglass but had Brett build the hull with a layer of carbon for better stiffness. My boat weighs 50lbs +/-1...
Before mine arrived I posted re: the fixed rudder. I had lots of concerns that you mentioned. So far though Im happy with it because it makes it
much easier to control the boat over the course of the day. Saving my energy and taking some work off the arms from having to do all the course adjusting while paddling around. Im not nearly as tired after 3/5hr sessions on the water. I think the rudder has a lot to do with that besides the boat being so lite in weight overall. Plus it turns on a dime which helps work through kelp beds. I have found that when hitting any thicker kelp I just work the rudder back and forth as I paddle through.
It seems to push kelp aside and keeps it from snagging me to a stop. Try it...I think you’ll find it helps. As far as the mud in low water thats a tough one and while launching the surf the drag handle is a must. If you hold the bow handle the boat lays flat and the rudder sinks into the sand...it wont budge at the critical time to launch and beat the building surf. That is easy to get used too. Just test/practice a little at a kiddy beach and you’l get to know what works. As far as public boat launches I know the rudder is a bigger issue...no soft sand only cement so thats a bit trickier...maybe dockside entry and exit is the only way to avoid scraping damage. Here’s what came up with for transporting:
To protect my rudder while loading/unloading or handling on land I used
these dense foam yoga blocks as a sheath.
I use one for the rudder and the other as a rest for the bow. See pics to better explain. Only $10 for 2 blocks.
note: I added gorilla tape around the rudder block for strength and prevent the rudder from slicing through if takes a knock. Also the paddle bungee cord on the deck makes a great holder for the bow block to have it easy to grab and tuck under the bow when you need to rest it down.
Hope this makes sense enough and helps you or anyone else.
Cheers and have a great year on the water

I was going to give you grief about changing its name to "Big Orange Crush" until I saw it on top of the truck...  Thanks for the report.

Thanks for your review. Im only a month or so into owning my 500.
At 5’8” I opted for the 500. I use mostly 7.5’ foot rods and wanted to make sure I could work a line around the bow easily. At just over 16’ the 500 is long enough and easier to transport etc. I traded in some speed for stability as Im getting older and less eager to self rescue. I also went with fiberglass but had Brett build the hull with a layer of carbon for better stiffness. My boat weighs 50lbs +/-1...
Before mine arrived I posted re: the fixed rudder. I had lots of concerns that you mentioned. So far though Im happy with it because it makes it
much easier to control the boat over the course of the day. Saving my energy and taking some work off the arms from having to do all the course adjusting while paddling around. Im not nearly as tired after 3/5hr sessions on the water. I think the rudder has a lot to do with that besides the boat being so lite in weight overall. Plus it turns on a dime which helps work through kelp beds. I have found that when hitting any thicker kelp I just work the rudder back and forth as I paddle through.
It seems to push kelp aside and keeps it from snagging me to a stop. Try it...I think you’ll find it helps. As far as the mud in low water thats a tough one and while launching the surf the drag handle is a must. If you hold the bow handle the boat lays flat and the rudder sinks into the sand...it wont budge at the critical time to launch and beat the building surf. That is easy to get used too. Just test/practice a little at a kiddy beach and you’l get to know what works. As far as public boat launches I know the rudder is a bigger issue...no soft sand only cement so thats a bit trickier...maybe dockside entry and exit is the only way to avoid scraping damage. Here’s what came up with for transporting:
To protect my rudder while loading/unloading or handling on land I used
these dense foam yoga blocks as a sheath.
I use one for the rudder and the other as a rest for the bow. See pics to better explain. Only $10 for 2 blocks.
note: I added gorilla tape around the rudder block for strength and prevent the rudder from slicing through if takes a knock. Also the paddle bungee cord on the deck makes a great holder for the bow block to have it easy to grab and tuck under the bow when you need to rest it down.
Hope this makes sense enough and helps you or anyone else.
Cheers and have a great year on the water

I like this! Great idea. Im gonna have to pick some up. That kayak is sexy. Great color scheme Flyaker

I was going to give you grief about changing its name to "Big Orange Crush" until I saw it on top of the truck...  Thanks for the report.

I am from Rhode Island, and the fruit you refer to as an "O"range is called an "Ahr"ange.  So  when you say it in Rhode Islandese it sounds like Big Ahrange Crush.

Funny to read your from Rhode Island...family and I have been thinking it might be our salvation from life in LA. Im originally from east coast and know how beautiful RI is. Must be a great place to enjoy your Stealth.
Not that Im doing too bad water wise but Im not so keen on retiring in California that is.
Btw I love you kayaks color no surprise there.
that said to all other owners....even one colored puke would still be awesome We’ve all got great looking boats that perform even better than they look.
Im lovin mine. Strikes all the right notes for me.

Funny to read your from Rhode Island...family and I have been thinking it might be our salvation from life in LA. Im originally from east coast and know how beautiful RI is. Must be a great place to enjoy your Stealth.
Not that Im doing too bad water wise but Im not so keen on retiring in California that is.
Btw I love you kayaks color no surprise there.
that said to all other owners....even one colored puke would still be awesome We’ve all got great looking boats that perform even better than they look.
Im lovin mine. Strikes all the right notes for me.

Glad to hear you are thinking of Little Rhody. I am currently up in Washington state. I left VA Palo ALto and too a position in Bremerton across the sound from Seattle.  I grew up in Cranston, but my folks are from Scituate.  A lot of good you tube videos of fishing back east are out there. My favorite is a guy who video's are about fishing for Stripers "A Year on the Edge" is what it is called. Really good stuff.  Just keep in mind, as you get older, that weather gets worse. Half the state moves to Southern Florida in the Winter. 

These boats handle great in challenging conditions, even with water in the hull

Besides how fast they are, the fact that they stay fast in rough water and wind is one of the things that sets them apart. I’ve had mine in a number of situations where I ended up swimming and it was easy to handle while i was in the water and get back on

Mine is a 575 whatever that is in feet and inches, it’s long. Took a little getting used to at first but worth it

Love it SquidderK- You sound a little like my wife reminding me that I kayak with little weather issue all year round. Still I’d find a way to paddle on ice meed be with all family ties up and down east coast RI would be a sweet spot for us.

To Bluekayak- I hear ya about how stable it performs in snotty water. My first paddle offered up 15+ knot winds for a while...gave me a great chance to see how it handles. It seemed to dig in and become even more stable in the chop and wind. I did notice turning around into the wind was a challenge for the rudder to help overcome but overall it was easy enough, felt very solid and tracked awesome in tough conditions.
I new right away this was a very well designed kayak.

I was going to give you grief about changing its name to "Big Orange Crush" until I saw it on top of the truck...  Thanks for the report.

There are worse names, my Hobie was Big Red, so these seemed like a good name to go with.

Here’s what came up with for transporting:
To protect my rudder while loading/unloading or handling on land I used
these dense foam yoga blocks as a sheath.
I use one for the rudder and the other as a rest for the bow. See pics to better explain. Only $10 for 2 blocks.
note: I added gorilla tape around the rudder block for strength and prevent the rudder from slicing through if takes a knock. Also the paddle bungee cord on the deck makes a great holder for the bow block to have it easy to grab and tuck under the bow when you need to rest it down.
Hope this makes sense enough and helps you or anyone else.
Cheers and have a great year on the water

That's a great idea. The bow and rudder can take some beating and this is an easy/cheap way to deal with it!