orduna

I have nothing but praise for Orkney boats - in fact I have had one for the past 15 years. However, I would like to replace it, but the cost of a new craft is (to my wallet) astronomical! Perhaps it is possibly this quality, and ultimately the cost of this quality, that has been their downfall into Administration. American and French craft dominate the UK market for one reason, and one reason only - they offer value for money. As they state in their post "Orkney Boats has been building glass reinforced boats for 37 years at our factory near Littlehampton. In that time we have built almost 15,000 boats most of which are still going strong to this day. Times however, change and the new Nelson designed series 2 model on offer even more rugged construction and improved performance. These boats feature top grade fittings throughout, mainly in stainless steel, most of which are purpose made for Orkney boats. We have found that the current demand is for long lasting quality rather than quantity and are reorganising our factory production with this in mind." Playing Devil's Advocate I suggest their strength has also been their weakness as Orkney Boats' post raises numerour issues. Are the boats built too strong or over spec-ced? Long life is great for publicity, but it does nothing for repeat sales, especially as the new models "offer even more rugged construction." Why? This can only add to the cost, and if the models currently last over 30 years, why build even more rugged boats? "These boats feature top grade fittings throughout, mainly in stainless steel, most of which are purpose made for Orkney boats." Again, this can only add to the cost. Why not source good quality off-the-shelf equipment? Is there a need for bespoke fittings in a small fishing craft? Further "we have found that the current demand is for long lasting quality rather than quantity and are reorganising our factory production with this in mind." Oh dear - is this bury head in sand time? Orkney Boats have already admitted that the reason the went into Administrtation is that they had NO orders, and I am not sure (although I hope they are right) that quality and not quantity is the way forward. Unfortunately, quantity seems to dominate the current market.

Thank you for all your replies. The reason for seeking advice is that the rods range from a 7.5ft `brook' rod to a mighty 10.5ft resevoir thrasher, but the five fly lines all look the same! I know a heavy line on a light rod could cause damage and this was the reason for my initial post. I will try an weigh the lines and match to a rod, and then out into the garden for some tentative casting.

Steve, Many thanks. But what is a grain? However, I got the idea and found another AFTM table in grams and ounces. I have an accurate digital scale, but apart from cutting off the 30ft is this another way of weighing. I suppose I could weigh the whole fly line and then just calculate the first 30ft?

Hi everyone. Last night I invited our new neighbours in for a Xmas drink and within minutes we were talking about fishing. This morning the neighbour brought around 4 fly rods (all different sizes), 5 assorted loaded reels and various bits and pieces which her son had left behind when he emigrated to Hong Kong. None of the rods have an AFTM rating above the handle, but I can probably roughly sort out the rating of the rods by size (I suppose size does count?). The fly lines are another problem as they all look the same. From the distant past I can recall someone mentioning weighing the first 10 feet, yards, or metres??? can indicate the AFTM of the line? Please could anyone kindly point me in the right direction for sorting and matching rod to line? Many, many thanks.

Try www.mikeladle.com lots of tried and tested information.

This one's easy - practice.

Blimey Mark - I wish I had your courage?

When does recreational angling cross to commercial fishing? How many hooks can a person have on a line before they are considered a commercial fisherman? Is it a 'grey' area. I assumed ALL longline, net, pot and trap fisherman had to be fully licensed?

Google it in UK. Then take your choice.

As I see it there are three separate problems. 1. Waterproofing. We would naturally expect that marine electrical equipment exposed to a marine environment would be waterproof. However, it would be nearer the truth if manufacturers replaced the term ‘waterproof’ with ‘splash proof’, and although many are designed to be fitted to an exterior cockpit, not many are truly designed for regular immersion or fitting so close to the waterline as required in a yak. Connectors are always a source of worry, even those with double sealing o-rings, and can they ever be 100% waterproof? 2. Condensation. All units will suffer at one stage or another from condensation, unless the sealed units are purged with nitrogen at the time of manufacture – the same process is used for ‘anti-misting’ binoculars. Condensation is simply due to differences in temperature, either moving your equipment from a cold to a warmer environment or vice versa. I had a fishing mate who always complained about constant condensation problems and it was only much later that I realised for added protection, he used to transport his GPS and fishfinder in his coolbox! Naturally, screens were indecipherable until the inside temperature warmed up sufficiently. Condensation also occurs when moving the equipment from a nice warm car or house to outside exposure. Maybe someone should invent a double glazed screen!! 3. Corrosion. Almost all GPS and FF are plastic and we are left with only connectors to worry about. As a precaution I always lightly coat both the male and female parts with Vaseline on every trip and so far this has worked. No ingress of water and no corrosion on the terminals. Finally, can members name and shame the equipment that fails? This could prevent yakkers buying equipment that really is not up to requirements and prompt development by manufacturers. Why not a dedicated FF for yaks – surely there are sufficient yakkers worldwide to make this a feasible market? All we need is a unit that is: Waterproof Sealed connector/cable Purged – nitrogen, no condensation Shorter transducer cable (no more coils of cable) I cannot believe it is beyond the capability of manufacturers to produce such a unit!

Acko - next time I'm down in South Wales the Felinfoel are on me!

I agree with MM - poor quality and despite superglueing the body, it still unravelled.

Acko.. me old mukka.....you simply do not get it!

With all the Hot Air currently around, I thought a couple of balloons would suffice to float your yak down the beach!

Acko....for your own good, if you are proceeding with your radar mount, then please be aware of 'yak torque out'.