My First Kayak....

Aloha, I just bought my first kayak, it is a 15' Scupper Pro.  I've done some fishing off an OC1 outrigger in Hawaii but never a kayak. Any helpful idea of how to rig up this type of boat for fishing and ab diving.  Any help on ideas will be appreciated. Mahalo

Fred

I would go fishing first on your yak, then decide what you need. Alot depends on the type of fishing, how many rods, fish finder, etc. Think carefully before drilling. A crate system is an inexpensive way to store your stuff and hold rods until you figure out how you want to lay out your yak. A plastic crate and some PVC and zip ties is all you need. Promethian Spark has a scupper pro, you may want to ask him how he rigs his. As I remember, it was pretty ghetto.

scott

Aloha Fred,

I assume you are in Hawaii.

Do a search on our NCKA group for some of the threads by "Fuzz".

Enjoy and be safe.

HobieSport, I am actually in the bay area. This is the first time I try fishing off the yak. I do most of my fishing in my 17' Montauk and I've always wanted to try kayak. Spearfishing, fishing and ab diving is actually what I'm going to use this boat for.  I really don't want to start drilling holes in it until I figure out how the boat handles the water in the bay and up north (Albion, Van Damme). I totally agreed with using a crate and put some pvc rod holder on it and go from there. I am trying to figure out what is the best FF to purchase for the yak.  I want to fabricate a mount for the transducer to place where the rudder at. Thanks for the advise. I am pretty new on this site and also new to kayak fishing. Mahalo

Fred

I think Brian G has a scupper pro with a tranducer mounted on the stern. I prefer the shoot through hull installation if you are going to be fishing in kelp.

Scott

I think Brian G has a scupper pro with a tranducer mounted on the stern. I prefer the shoot through hull installation if you are going to be fishing in kelp.

Scott

Scott, any advice which is a best fit through hull transducer for the scupper pro.

Fred

Most transducers can be installed in a shoot through hull configuration. PAL's website has a nice article on how to do it. http://www.kayakfishingzone.com/howto/puck.html On this website there are several strings on FF's and Bills article on power supplies.

As far as the FF models, in the lower end (<$200) a lot of guys use Eagles and Humminbirds. I use and Eagle 250 which is a FF GPS combo for about $230 which has worked well for me. I have an extra 10-AA power supply with case and inline fuse which you are welcome to have.

Scott

Transducer mounting - I am not a huge expert, but put one successfully in my sailboat once. If you don't want to drill a hole then you can just sit the transducer on a puddle of silicon caulking inside the hull and that should hold it. Only the very bottom of the transducer matters and there should be no air bubbles trapped under it. I wonder if some kayaks have some foam (Royalex?) with air incorporated in the hull and then there might be a problem. The way to test this first is to sit the transducer on top of a puddle of Vaseline and see if you get good readings while the kayak is in the water. If it works with the Vaseline, it should work with the caulking material. Use a spot on the hull where bubbles don't drift under the bottom while under way.