Stealth Journal 2021

Congrats Eddie! Your gonna use the heck outta that boat.
P.s. I have had the keeleazy one both my eddyline boats for years and it has held up but you will have some tears and small holes over time. Nothing to lose sleep over. D

Congrats Eddie! Your gonna use the heck outta that boat.
P.s. I have had the keeleazy one both my eddyline boats for years and it has held up but you will have some tears and small holes over time. Nothing to lose sleep over. D

Thanks Dave!  So good to hear ya'!  Might maiden voyage Tomales on Monday...just to wiggle around and throw a wired hali into the hatch to hear it slap around like a tribal drum for a sec...

9/8/2021

First launch reflections and observations.

     So light wheeling to the beach edge.  Even kitchen sink kinda packed.  Waves were present but certainly wait for your window and go to no fanfare. 
      Loaded the live well with about 20 silver smelt to maybe 4" of water and they stayed alive while I had to go back to the van again to get my license.  The supplied drain tube for the livewell kept slipping out but enough water stayed during fishing to keep all smelt alive.  I'd be curious bout chovies.  Going to buy a taller tube for draining a touch wider, maybe a blacktape width wider, and taller to add water to keep a higher water level though might not work...
     Time to launch.  Picked up by the surf handle and gave the yak its first fully loaded drag on its side and it wasn't as light as on wheels for sure but once it was floating it was good.
      Eddie(fishemotion) held the back of the kayak to steady it and we timed the launch and I saw the window, pushed forward and leapt in as an ankle biter was coming in at full eye level.
What a wobbly newness.  I started to go sideways so I hit the rudder left and not hard enough with a paddle stroke to correct my sidewaysology but I made it over the first bump as another was building.  I wobbled at it with paddle fledgling and direct hit rudder position and I was off to flat calm victory conditions. 
     Now to unload gear and find my new platform way.  Pulled out the sabiki and teramar and 2 piece 8'6" lami in the opposite order of stuffing.  My 7.6 teramar did not fit without a little help and rods are made to bend right?  It's gonna take a little practice to be comfortable with the tip jam but I put a wool human sock over the tip with a gear tie and felt confident in the shove and bend factor.  All other rods fit well.  One day on a surf landing that may need stowage, with slimy pounds in the hatch, might crowd the space.  No worries, not this time.
My stupid little complimentary net I just placed under the bungee at the stern.
     My next item to position was my Shark Shield.  I use one so I don't get eaten by a shark.  In the Kraken it sat on the deck and ran through a scupper and it was good.  There are no deck scuppers so I attached it on a leash to a padeye behind my seat and it hung in the water but I was going so fast...because it's a stealth...that the SS was dangling and wakeboarding next to my kayak making an awful wake racket so I stopped to reposition it.  Next I tried the front surf handle on the left and that was a fail, then I moved it to the mid handle and that was a fail.  I better think quick or I might get eaten.  I found the leash to be the problem.  After I removed the leash I used the massive velcro attachment to secure it to the right side webbing on the seat.  The whole unit was out of the water and just the cable was submerged and we had green light liftoff.  Phew.. that was close...
     All the while, learning how to traverse the kayak leaning way forward, even scooching forward, sitting sideways to access the rear hatch and learning how to intuitively place my rods back in the flush mounts after messing with them.  Like any kayak it is not easy to just reach behind you and deal with stuff unless you're mega limber but I'll get there.  Just keep your head up.  I'm glad I found my meclazine and popped a 3/4 before I launched cuz I did a lot of head down activity.
     My new Cyprus paddle felt right at home and the practice I put in for descent paddle stroke technique on the Kraken was good.  Marc(plankton) is my paddling technique mentor though he claims he's got years to go until mastery.  It's timing and consistency and as you gain speed your technique needs to adjust to keep up.  I was not ambitious this day and I had no electronics to gauge my speed.  I just knew I was content with movement.  The kayak turns on a dime.
     Over a 4-5 hour period, I wanted to take a nap drifting around, it was lulling and on the Kraken I could get some reclining with the garden seat and not so on this kayak.  I have the seat back prop and the seat well grip pad and my back was feeling it but not to abnormal irritation.  I tried to lay back for fun and it just doesn't work so I found myself holding upright posture more often intentionally to find comfort. 
     No salmon this day.  An attempt for rocks and lings were a finale though I caught none and time was getting short.  What I did enjoy was some swell cliff backwash slop training.  I am very curious to see how this kayak stands in wind and chop so rockfishing provided a simulator of rough"er" conditions.  I felt more comfortable after navigating some bumpy terrain.  She felt in her element in sloppy seas though I haven't any time to truly got into any trouble yet...
     Landing was textbook after stowing all items for practice.  After a session, dragging that kayak up is heavier.  Oh she is so pretty...next up...
     Electronics and polyethylene tape for rear dragging section...

It doesn't look like the transponder will reach the water when you mount your seat on the boat.

It doesn't look like the transponder will reach the water when you mount your seat on the boat.

Ha!  Gonna need a bigger boat fo dat seat...

Looking forward to the report after you get stuck in some serious weather and take a swim

One of the best things about these yaks is how easy it is to get things under control when things go south and you find yourself swimming in the rough stuff

Nooooooo... may it never be so.  But we do test our limits...leash it all down and dress for immersion I suspect is textbook prep.  Did you get your parts?

A little swim never killed anybody If it happens just relax and enjoy it, it’s just a natural part of life

No parts yet, I’ve been told that somebody in the USA named Freddy might have them

Bought a fishing license a couple of weeks ago just in case, just shows how pathologically optimistic a person can become

Amen, hope you get those parts and re-entry training is on the docket...love the optimism.

If it happens just relax and enjoy it, it’s just a natural part of life

Eddie has like two shark shields minimum i believe. If he goes in, he'll be back on in a flash 

No parts yet, I’ve been told that somebody in the USA named Freddy might have them

I'm guessing Freddy York in Florida

Hope you don’t want this 10 minutes back...rear hatch battery install with no drill transducer...

That is the way, I have fish sticks if you need to borrow... instead of sacrificing a fishing rod.... lmk

That is the way, I have fish sticks if you need to borrow... instead of sacrificing a fishing rod.... lmk

Tanks brah!  The rod half was a junk find...stay tuned...tape vid next...

Protective 3M guard on drag side...

Cool tutorial that Ruben guy and Bory knew what they were talking about... looks clean!! Bling

Looking good Eddie. Let's hit the Surf