greencat

Yeah, I guessed these would be a US sizing standard...did wonder what the 10 meant so useful to understand this refers to gauge. Is this standard what they refer to as UNC (Unified coarse?)? I may have to just order some from the states but will have a quick ring around some of the UK Ocean Kayak dealers first.

The molded in inserts used for attaching a rudder to the Ocean Kayak range requires a 10-32 x 1/2" screw...preferably made of nylon so it shears off before ripping four holes in the back of the yak in case of accident. The question is, where can I lay my hands on some replacement screws. These (UNC?) thread sizes aren't standard off the shelf here in the UK. Anyone else had to buy some? Cheers, Michael

...and I did. The Malibu X-Factor and OK Prowler Big Game Angler are probably two of the best dedicated fishing platforms but to give me a bit more flexibility with how I use my boat I've gone for the Prowler Trident 15. Also opted for a rudder so just waiting to hear how long I have to wait until it arrives. In the mean time I've managed to find someone running the RYA Short Range Certificate course in a couple of weeks time so hope to have my radio licence ready for when the yak arrives. If the gulf stream could just suddenly shift around to the English Channel to raise the sea temperature a bit life would be rosy.

Managed to get a test paddle in a few Ocean Kayak boats today courtesy of Paul at Herefordshire and Borders Canoes & Kayaks In choosing a kayak I have used the following criteria to match my intended use: - Good tracking and reasonable speed for some slow day-touring. - Sufficient storage for fishing and camping. - Good access to storage while on the water. - Stable enough to fish from (and fitted with relevant accessories like rod holders, etc). - Large enough to maintain sufficient buoyancy so that the yak doesn't fill with water when fully loaded. - To be used primarily on the sea but occasional river use (so still needs to be relatively manoeverable). - Well rigged to assist in managing the craft and re-entering from the water. - Comfortable! Prowler Trident 15 (4800 x 737mm) Ticked all the boxes on my wish list above! A good compromise between speed (for touring) versus stability for fishing. And compared with the Trident 15... Prowler 13 Angler (4100 x 711mm) Pretty quick and easy to get up to speed. Wet in the boat when stationary (I'm clearly a bit on the tubby side). Didn't get on with the round/screw-in centre hatch (going to struggle with cold hands). Lower in the water and shorter so shouldn't have as much windage. Noticable water slap on the hull (although I was only test paddling in a pond with just a few ripples on it). Prowler Elite 4.5 (4500 x 710mm) Pretty quick and easy to get up to speed. Wet in the boat when stationary. Didn't get on with the round/screw-in centre hatch. Lower in the water and shorter so shouldn't have as much windage. I found this yak to be very similar in performance to the Prowler 13. Prowler Big Game Angler (3900 x 864mm) Very similar in stature to the Malibu X-Factor Slowest of all the yaks tried. Poor tracking (without a rudder) but conversely very easy to manoever compared to the rest I tried. Centre hatch is large but doesn't extend into the inside of the yak like the Trident RodPod does (maybe possible to cut an opening here?). Fantastically stable. Paddled well with a standard length paddle but, like the X-Factor would benefit from a longer than normal paddle to accomodate it's width. All these kayaks were great and the build quality looked excellent. The comments here are purely my own opinion from a relatively short trial on flat water. Cheers, Michael

Cheers Bill...yeah, been thinking of some dry trousers for the open canoe and I can see they'll be a godsend on a yak. Definitely going to try out the OK Prowler Trident before making up my mind. The X-Factor is a great platform but if the Trident is reasonably stable I think its narrower beam will make it a little quicker paddle.

Managed to get out on a Malibu X-Factor today for a test paddle. Initial thoughts about the yak were: - Fantastically stable (the only other yaks I've paddled were touring/sea kayaks and the X-Factor was solid as a rock). So stable I was able to get up and kneel and lean forward and open the front hatch. I'd likely think twice about this in choppy sea! - The X-Factor tracks well but turned supprisingly easily (no rudder attached to the demo boat). - There was some wind on the river but I didn't really notice much weathercocking, however, a side wind did cause the boat to drift to starboard. - The yak is wide and may benefit from a slightly longer paddle than you might usually use. When I started paddling I noticed my hands kept catching on the carrying handles, a complaint that I'd seen elsewhere on the web. However, the handles are designed to flip inside the yak and thus completely out of the way. - The large centre hatch is great and comes with a 'keeper' bag which fits inside (and can be removed to get access to the inside of the yak). The hatch is very wide and partially sits under your legs. This is slightly frustrating as the locking mechanism requires a fair bit of space to operate. On the positive side the yak is stable enough to draw your legs up and spread your knees a bit to simplify access...not sure I'd want to be trying to pull rods out of it on the water though as the hatch is right in front of you. - There were a few anchor points around the rear of the yak but no paddle keeper (or anchor points to fit one) and no anchor points to fit thigh braces. I was loaned a Carlisle Simply Magic paddle to use and was supprised how wet this made the cockpit. My only previous kayaking experience has been in sea/touring kayaks where waves were breaking over the side and I had a spray deck and was completely oblivious to 'paddle splash'so this gentle soaking was a bit of a supprise. I wonder if this is partially down to the scoop shape of the paddle?

Guess I should pop a quick 'Hi to all' in here to introduce myself. Used to be a bit of keen sea angler...even had a british record many moons ago...but now I live miles from the sea in lovely Berkshire. A few trips back to my old hunting grounds in and around Weymouth have got me thinking about catching a few fresh fish again. Combine that with my recent interest in canoeing/sea kayaking and I hope to be kitted out and ready to start a bit of kayak fishing come the New Year. Just need to try and remember all those little tricks for catching flounder, bass and cod... Michael

Thanks for that Bill...and for the added info on anchor chain and line length. M

Hi Rob, I'm at the same sort of stage as you...trying to rekindle an old love of fishing and enthused at the idea of getting afloat. Just doing all my homework before buying a kayak and kit. My approach so far has been: 1. Reading these forums as there is a wealth of useful info and experience here. 2. Taking a few canoeing courses to start to build up the skills and knowledge. I've taken the BCU 1* in an open canoe on a canal and have just done the BCU 1* Sea Kayaking. The other advantage of taking a course or two is that you get to try out different kayaks which starts to give you a good feel for what you'd be most comfortable in. 3. Have a good think about the sort of water you may want to fish in, are you likely to yak with others or alone, etc. This will start to give you an idea of the right yak and equipment (primarily to keep you safe). 4. There seem to be lots of good books out there and I've certainly made use of some of these to explore paddling technique, navigation, safety, radio theory...the list is endless. The theory is a great foundation for when you get out there and start to experience the practical. 5. Try before you buy! This is proving a little challenging in the UK but it depends on which yak you fancy. Again, many of the guys/girls on these fishing forums seem to have regular meets and seem most accommodating to letting people try their boats. Good luck...last one in the sea buys the coffees Michael

Cheers Bill, will take a look at that one as well. Your right of course...the floating bit is just a nice to have for those 'blonde' moments but the intention would be to have it shackled to the PFD so it remains with me while I watch the kayak drifting away in the current

Managed to book my VHF Short Range Certificate training/exam for 06-Dec-08 to enable me to use a marine vhf radio in emergencies. The question is, which of the myriad of radios to go for? OK, that might be an exageration once I discount US offerinigs and focus on UK specific handhelds but what are people out there using day to day and how do you find them? The few on the shortlist at the moment are: - Standard Horizon HX750E - Marathon Leisure Cobra HH415 - Icom M33 - Entel HT640 Prefer radios with Lithium batteries but also handy if they can be swapped out for standard AA cells. Want it to be waterproof (enough to take a dunk even if a have to perform some regular maintenance). Handy if it floats. I have experience with Standard Horizon (Yaesu) and Icom and really rate their equipment from a receiver point of view. The Icom M33 fits all the criteria but has anyone out there used one? Your thoughts in general? Michael

Mark, Very kind of you to offer. I will keep hunting for some other opportunity as I'd feel a bit guilty making you bring it all the way over to my kneck of the woods just for my benefit but if I draw a blank I may have to bribe you with beer. Let me know when your trouting session is in December so I can contact you nearer the time (you may have to email me...not sure PM is working for me yet as I haven't posted enough). By the way...thanks for your excellent review of the OK PT 15 on this news group. It was one of the best, most comprehensive Yak reviews I've read with some great pictures

So...just looking at grappling anchors and the question has come up, what weight of anchor should I be looking for? - I'm likely to only be using it over sand/slightly stoney sea bed. - I'm looking at a couple of larger kayaks (with a reasonable amount of height to them)... does the potental extra wind drag these will experience have any bearing on anchor weight? Thanks in advance for your experiences... Michael

Hi guys, New here and hoping someone can share their shopping experience... I'm searching for the right kayak for me for a bit of sea fishing and slow day-touring. I've currently, from the comfort of my armchair, short listed the options to the Malibu X-Factor and the Ocean Kayak Prowler Trident 15 based on my needs and the numerous customer reviews. But now I want to try before I buy and I'm finding accommodating retailers difficult to find. Berkshire Canoes (very helpful) are trying to get an X-Factor in for me to try but don't have a demo boat with a rudder. As for the Prowler I've drawn a bit of a blank...retailers seem happy to order them for you but no one seems to have actual stock let alone a test boat (and especially a test boat with a rudder!). I don't mind travelling to try out the Ocean Kayak but can anyone suggest a retailer to try? This is almost as hard as finding somewhere actually running the Marine VHF Short Range Certificate course...but that's another post... Cheers, Michael Located in Thatcham, Berkshire