ideal kayak

All the kayak companies are switching up their kayaks and trying to "upgrade" them. Some of their ideas are well recieved and some aren't. Let's see if we can come up with our "NorCal Salt" special edition ideal kayak. I know some people like minimalist speed yaks and some people like big and stable but let's see if we can come up with the best idea we can agree on. Maybe we could help influence a company to build in some of our desired features.

We are getting to be a big enough group that maybe we could get someone to build a "NorCal Salt" model.

I prefer a longer boat 15'ish

Middle of the road width 28.5-29.5" width to allow for more deck space but reasonable speed.

Rod pod with much more secure hatch

Instead of a large bow hatch I would prefer a Medium bow hatch for access to electronics etc and then a sealed off hatch like the Xfactor for ice and fish so it can be easily cleaned and the ice doesn't move away from the fish. I'm not sure how that would be rigged. Maybe that could be long and narrow going from between your legs toward the stern and the rod pod could go from in front of that toward the bow.

400 ish capacity enough to let you travel heavy when necessary but not so much that your yak sits up like a sail in the wind.

Yeah I know this has been discussed before but it's winter.

Needs a Hobie Drive. Everything else is optional. 

I would love it if my Adventure was 2 inches wider and had a rod pod.

I'm envisioning what I wish my T140 was like......

14 to 15 foot length
28"-29" width
unloaded weight at 50lbs or so
rod pod
hardshell front hatch large enough for sand tire wheeleze
scupper transducer
adjustable footbraces

thats a great idea....

front hatch large enough for sand tire wheeleze. These are the things they need to think of, what do yak fisherman use

an integrated anchor trolly system

also some usable flat space (that is reachable from a seated position) for scotty or ram mounts, etc.

If they looked at the rigging section of the boards they would see what is needed

13-14 foot kayak
easy to open center hatch but sturdy enough to stand on.  somewhat narrow but long enough to be able to get rods in and out of.
29" wide
flat space enough for scotty mounts in rear and ram mounts up front


23lbs in weight

something like my old marauder was but not as wide or heavy. and with easier opening hatches.

I'm able to fit the sand tires in the front hatch of my P-15 and T-15.  I'd like a P-15 with a rod pod. Though I'm also really liking that sonar shield in the salt and launching.

I'm able to fit the sand tires in the front hatch of my P-15 and T-15.  I'd like a P-15 with a rod pod. Though I'm also really liking that sonar shield in the salt and launching.

Yeah, OK got it right with that hatch. I think the FF shield & rod pod are great ideas.

In my limited experience the Tarpon 160's hull has the perfect balance between speed and stability, my other yaks having ranged from 15' x 22" (scary in boat wakes) to 12' x 32".

It should have a bullet proof rod pod and a small, built in live-well between my legs where I button down my tackle tray now, with a screened scupper hole to circulate water. Maybe the lid of the live well could be a tackle box. Allow for that scupper to be plugged so the live well could be used for other stuff when you're not using live bait.  Of course I guess the trick would be to design it so you can easily get back in the yak if fate tipped you out.

It's front hatch consumes wheeleze tires fine as is, but I'm not fond of the tupperware cover. Something more elegant for the wheeleze frame than the bow bungies would be nice, but not a big deal.

I think there is room to make the rear tankwell deeper, which would be nice for storing fish.

Love the idea of an anchor trolley being accounted for in the boat design, especially if it also considered the rudder.

Ben

I'm envisioning what I wish my T140 was like......
14 to 15 foot length
28"-29" width
unloaded weight at 50lbs or so
rod pod
hardshell front hatch large enough for sand tire wheeleze
scupper transducer
adjustable footbraces

Soooo...a 2009 T140?
 
Minus the weight thing.


I just want a lighter kayak. And it should also have one of those manual internal bilge pump dealies, like the fancy new SIKs have. Oh, and some internal flotation.

ideal for me = Ocean Kayak Prowler 15  (the original) and add a rod pod on it =BINGO

Yeah man, this is fun.  The perfect fishing yak would be a hobie adventure with rod pod with rod slots of some kind so they are not rambling around in there, sheltered ff mount, provision for a none intrusive rod holder bases (ram type) in front of the seat and another rear (non intrusive means the dam ball cant be on exposed on the top surface of the yak, if it is I break them or tear them off sliding the yak on the car top carrier), some sort of cockpit tackle box for longish baits 6 inches or so (keep separate a few colors of plastic, butterknives, shrimpfly, lead and swivels, probably even a little rotating spool for leader), and a really cool shelf system in the hull for the battery and the ff when its not on the hull so all the simpler stuff to rig and fish out of the yak could be kept in the yak.  Oh an dont forget to take care of the ff transducer.  Don't forget the pedals.  That'd be bitch'n in my book.  Damn I just bought a new yak, but I would buy this new model in a heart beat.

You know what, send this thread to Mr. Hobie, and what the hell, to all the rest when we are finished.  Your right, what can it hurt.

Hobie drive, hull speed of a WS160, and the features on a T13 or T15.

ideal for me = Ocean Kayak Prowler 15  (the original) and add a rod pod on it =BINGO

I'm with mooch-- P15 + rod pod. Drop the tank well surface down a few inches and i'm even happier (deeper well)

My first yak was a Perception Search 15 and it had a very deep tankwell. It was almost the full height of the yak.