KAYAK PICS

[Zzippy]

Yeah - but look how good the Scupper Pro is - you can even carry a jetski on the back!!

Nice rigging pics SDD - I am not sure about using just silicone to glue the TX down with. I plan to find a piece of plumbing that will stick in place with Sikaflex 221 - the same as I have used on the Dorado for the TX mount (pics of rig so far can be seen on the Kayak FishingUK pages), then fill the tube with babyoil/vaseline/water (not made up my mind yet!) and sit the TX in that. At least then it is transferrable and you can take the TX out for transport and storage. Otherwise you are carrying a fair bit of extra weight.

 

If your TX is permenantly mounted, be sure to protect the open end of the cable when you put the kayak away - moisture in the plug will soon have the thing losing its conductivity. A quick squirt with an electrical protection spray, WD40, or a wipe with vaseline will help protect it, but then put a poly bag over it and seal it with a rubber band or one of those freezer wire ties. This will keep the moisture out of the plug contacts. If you can find one, a bag of silica gel - like you get in the box of ANY new electrical device - to re-activate the silica gel, just put the bag in the oven for a few minutes (no, the microwave will not do, but the airing cupboard will) then seal that into the bag as tightly as you can. Any moisture in the air that gets in will be taken up by the silica gel.

 

I save my satchets for just this purpose - for keeping things dry in storage. If you go to a TV shop you can often get loads just for the asking - they chuck them out with the packaging.

 

Soap not enough for you Simon....Now you got Baby oil and Vaseline

[mickforster]

Hey David thanks for the mention. Good post, I will be installing one of these in my yak when I get her, probably closer to july (exams and work commitments :-( ) Saw some cheap ones so I will need all your help and other forum members when selecting batteries and fuses and the correct fishfinder.

 

I was thinking today whilst reading one of my dads yachting mags, Is it possible to add a speedo to measue knots and distance covered by the kayak or is putting a hole in the bottom of the hull a bad idea. I helped my dad do it on his westerly but there is a lot more protection i.e 6ft keel and 3 - 4 inches plus an inner hull. A trolling speedo would get tangled on weeds I imagine. Its just an idea, I guess you could always use GPS to measure ground covered. (speed over ground and not over water)

 

Thanks,

 

Mick

[mickforster]

Oh sorry meant to also add - "can you take the fishfinder off the kayak so I would be able to mess around in the surf and is the Scotty holder thingy completely water proof. (Sorry don't know the correct jargon yet but im getting there )

 

Mick

[SpeciMan]

Hi Mick

 

Most of the fishfinders over the £150 rrp mark can be connected to a GPS to show speed and distance on your fishfinders display. The Raymarine DS400/500x series has a small paddlewheel on the back of the transducer which measures speed but this feature is useless if the transducer is fixed inside the hull! I've removed my paddlewheel on mine before the transducer gets stuck down.

 

Putting a hole in the bottom of the yak to take a transducer is not a good idea. Some people mount the transducer outside the kayak near the rudder post but that gives a bit of drag & can catch debris so most fit the transducer inside the hull.

 

In most cases fishfinders can be removed leaving its mounting bracket on the kayak.

 

Being mostly plastic Scotty rod holders are waterproof as are metal RAM holders which I rinse with freshwater after use and spray with WD40.

[SeaDooDavid]

Hi chaps Never thought about the jetski behind the yak (hence the name SeaDooDavid!) I have to lug the Bl@@*y thing out of the way when getting the yak out of my tiny garage!!!

 

Zzippy~~~you have me dead bang to rights on the fishfinder I am an infernal gadget fiddler and DO spend more time "refining" the finder until the fish have finally bogged off Still, keeps me out of mischief!

The silicon has been on quite some time now, and the reason I used that method is because it was my first attempt and didn't seem as final as the hard resin method. I like the idea of a cup and liquid format also and will probably switch to that if the silicon fails. So far it produces lovely finder pics and seems solid as a rock!.

 

I DO give the contacts a spray when I remove the finder screen to take inside (god bless WD40 I have it by the gallon and fill a plant sprayer) and I have a neoprene cover for the fitting on the yak!, which is stored in a dry garage (athough small ) I only have one yak so transfering is not an issue really as the jetski does 68mph and would probably outrun it!!

 

Mick, I have a GPS connected to the FF and it gives speed and distance quite accurately (the 3D style navigation screens on the fishfinder are AWESOME and well worth connecting a gps to if you can!). I have measured this with a mapping system called FUGAWI and the distances seem to correlate very well. All of this stuff except the transponder and plastic screen mount comes out of the yak and they weigh no more than a few ounces!. My pics are just an idea of my bumbled atempt of rigging. Please listen to the rest of these guys they know their stuff more than me Good luck with all you do and post some pics if you can........Nobody is too old to learn mate and I have no problems nicking any good ideas you come up with ha ha

 

All the best...........SDD Here comes the sun do do do doo

[SeaDooDavid]

By the way Mark, DONT buy a Scupper pro made in the USA if you can, make sure you get a New Zealand made one if you decide on SPTW!!!!! I had this one below before the nice people at Johnson Outdoors exchanged it for my current NZ made one!.

 

The USA one filled with water (quite a way out to sea!) from a badly made rudder moulding and handle mouldings. There were a couple of gallons of water in it when I got to shore and it was a very difficult paddle!.

 

The NZ yak is a WHOLE differend yak (the whole yak seems to be made of thicker plastic to me!) and the quality is SUPERB!!!!

 

Cheers~~~~~~~~~~SDD

[Simon Everett]

SDD - that GPS system you use - the FUGAWI one.

 

 

Is that the same version as in "where the fugawi?"

[spuds]

Thanks for the pics .I like the mastic method.Time will tell if it works ok.I can't see any reason why it should fail.How did you seal up your yak where the cables enter the fishfinder.

much obliged Spuds.

[SeaDooDavid]

Thanks for the pics .I like the mastic method.Time will tell if it works ok.I can't see any reason why it should fail.How did you seal up your yak where the cables enter the fishfinder.

much obliged Spuds.

 

Hi Spuds

 

I read on here somewhere about sealing the cables of the ducer! Masking tape underneith the boat where the cables go through and also squished around the wires themselves to stop sealant coming through, then mastic gun through the finder mounting bracket gap and squidge a load in!!. Don't know why I bothered really because no water ever got through, even through a few crashing waves, with the finder screen mounted, and when not mounted, I have a neoprene cover that goes over it (actually a little sig bottle cover which just fits nice and snugly over it!!!.

 

Never had much water ingress in the boat to tell the truth, maybe its because I am a wimp and don't go out in rough conditions!!!

 

All the best mate

 

SDD

[SeaDooDavid]

SDD - that GPS system you use - the FUGAWI one.

Is that the same version as in "where the fugawi?"

 

thats the one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha