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Just as well too! She'd look weird if she looked like George Clooney now wouldn't she! Good to hear from you Simon and congrats on the business. Hope the coffers are overflowing and I'm sure you'll be doing your best to raise the bar of yak fishing consciousness in the U.K with those gorgeous, lithe, supremely seaworthy craft THAT ARE WITHOUT PEER PEOPLE!!! (that little plug will set you back a drink or ten) Thanks for the heads up on the gel coat ID. I'll source it here no probs. I couldn't care less about the odd scratch. None yet, but they are a working craft after all. Thought I'd be carrying her around in a silk sock when she first arrived, but she's surprisingly tough. I need to repair some spidery cracks she copped at some point in transit via S.Africa/Togo/Minsk/Turkmenistan and I think Bulgaria was on the list (love those throat singers Moonyaker....true!). All those stops involved a badly hungover forklift driver with satanic tines. Good that the shipping probs are sorted - nothing holding Kaskazi back from world domination now! As for any other mods - I've done zippo. Health has turned the corner so I've got her out of storage and she has become that light upon the hill. Not up to big test drives yet so I'm just wondering out loud. I'm keen on keeping her very clean and uncluttered with hardly any changes though I was a bit nervous about the cutouts. A guy in NZ filled his in (did a beautiful job) and I wondered if he had a point....he also added a 12v bilge pump in the footwells, GPS, FF, rod holders, compass, clips and hatches and a kite and a sail! I love the DIY spirit, but ........you know.......while less can be a bore the opposite can you leave you wondering why you don't have a Bertram Whaler. Checked out the C Tug today. If the shop can find the strap that comes with it then I will buy it. Seems to be very sound so thanks for the tips fellas. $200 AUD ain't too bad considering. Hope the new owners kick on Simon and I'll be keen as mustard to see the new Pelican. Congrats on the website and for having a pic of the only truly black yak I've ever seen and never want to see again! Black! Is he being tres cafe latte or is he sick of living? For gawds sake why would you ever want to do your best to perfectly fit the silhouette of a long lean seal in what appears to be southern hemisphere GREAT WHITE SHARK waters......I've seen those seal decoys David attenborough uses..... Cheers Ross

Every time I think about gearing up for a session I've got this story alive in the back of my nut - One of my ancestors decided to visit his mothers country. This was a trip of over a thousand miles. He reached down, picked up his three spears and started walking.

Thankyou darnsarf and I want to see the Bulgarian link Moonyaker.....dunno why..... maybe it's the throat singing thingy. The C Tug is a strong contender. Waiting on a price and if it is the ducks guts as I've heard mention once before I might just jump. Beginning to think a knockdown, robust, serviceable cart might be a tad too high tech for this wombat. I'd like to hear from anyone who has had any experience with the C Tug.

I put a 50lb thrust Motorguide on my 16' canoe. Frigged around for ages with mounts, wiring, battery (incredibly heavy!) and enjoyed the process, but it was a flawed idea from the start. We have canoes, kayaks and we have boats on trailers. IMHO hybridisation can be a beautiful thing, but only between species.

Thanks Bill - An awful lot of carts out there and that link is much appreciated. Trouble with the Dorado is she is a bit of a bugger to cradle being so slippy, no scuppers and no real pronounced chines like most of the Tupperware's. My first attempt had me using 20mm PVC and it didn't have the strength. The design wasn't flash either, but it was a cheap response. As a committed DIY'er I'm going to build one again with the those new 22cm Roleez wheels (pricey!)and high pressure pipe fittings. As to the gelcoat - I've tried to buy some and a few bits and bobs from Kaskazi or at the least get him to tell me what the product ID is, but they haven't responded to my emails. Leon (former owner) was lousy on the service front and unless I hear from the new owners soon I can only come to the same conclusion. Seems to be a fair bit of dissatisfaction out there on the boards with Kaskazi's after sales service. I'm hoping they have got their act together by now though. Anyone know if their are many Dorado owners in the UK? I might be under the mistaken impression that there is.

Hi to all you Dorado owners and Simon in particular. You always had the best posts at KFS and plenty big best wishes to you!(hows the eye?) I bought a Dorado 18 months ago, got horribly sick and had to abandon everything especially all dreams of chasing pelagics on the big blue wobbly. Till now. I'm nearly back in the saddle and aching to get back into the Dorado, but before I can do that I need to make some repairs to her and I thought - while I'm at it - perhaps a few mods as well. Never really got a chance to put her through her paces, but she certainly seemed to stack up to all the hype. They are a beautiful craft. A few glitches, but I'm sure it is nothing that can't be sorted. So my questions to all you Dorado owners is - what mods have you done, is it worth dealing with the handle cut-outs, have you done any gelcoat repairs and what style of cart works for you? I have heard that most everyone's first cart is a dismal failure and mine was no exception. I need to haul her some distance along some pretty rough tracks and through fine dry sand...Roleez wheels will be getting a look in next....it's only money after all and nothing is too good for my Dorado ....