X Factor

[*Blaze*]

Hi

guys I used to do quite a bit of kayak fishing in the late nineties around Oxwich , Horton , and Newton in South Wales from a Cobra fish n dive, got a boat and gave it up . My mistake because I'm now missing the ease of it against launching a boat. Ive now sold the boat and would like to get back into kayak fishing much to my wifes dismay.

 

I spoke to Simon at the South Wales boat show on Saturday ref kayak fishing and he put up a good argument for longer narrower kayaks. It must be said his expertise in kayaking far surpasses my basic knowledge, but I do like the look and size of the X Factor and do have experience of paddling the Fish n Dive which is a big kayak.

 

Ok here's my questions

 

Has anyone paddled the Fish n dive and the X Factor ? How do they compare?

 

The guys out there who are Paddling the Xfactors at the moment , How are you getting on with them? and what areas of the coastline have you used them? i.e. river mouths ,rips over sandbanks headlands reefs ect.

 

Is it worth getting a rudder fitted to the X Factor? Would this help paddling into a head wind?

 

The reason Im leaning towards the X Factor is the amount of on board space ( Im 6,2 15 stone)

the stabilty dry ride and in kayak storeage.

 

Great forum hope you can help Chris.

[Karl K]

Hi Chris,

I've had mine about 6 month but due to health reasons I haven't been lucky enough to launch it yet- hopefully next weekend though!! Prior to this I paddled one a couple of times and would say the following:-

Its heavy so getting it on the car roof isn't as easier as some lighter yaks but at the end of the day I bought it to go on the water and not my car roof. Its long & wide - huge infact so my ample, less than athletic physique fits it well! Its size gives plenty of options to move around on and as I've found out lately the rigging options are endless. Its a dry ride, this is nothing to do with getting water in the boat when launching or paddling, all boats will get water coming in then, its to do with when you're out fishing you're not sat in 2" of water thats come up through the scuppers. Its not as fast as a prowler and other boats, true but is speed your issue or comfort when you are out on the water - where you fish will be a factor in this. Personally I think its better moulded than other boats, perhaps one reason its heavier is that the plastic seems thicker - just my opinion. Its size can be a downside i.e there's a lot above the water that can catch the wind and after reading the american sites I got a rudder fitted to help minimise this issue. There's a few of us use them around the North Wales Coast if that any help. Hopefully in another 2 months I'll have had loads of chances to launch it and can tell you more.

[*Blaze*]

Thanks Karl

are you able to load the kayak by yourself? the reason I ask is I will sometimes be fishing by my self.

 

Did the dealer fit the rudder for you? is it a malibu rudder or another make whats the quality like?

 

Anyone else out there got one or paddled one , got any views.

 

Thanks Chris

[niko]

hi mate ,

ive got an x-factor ,and find it spot on very stable and comfy ,also when at rest the footwells dont fill up with water like most other yaks

 

ive fished easterys headlands and open sea ,the rudder i would say is a must makes life a lot easier

simple anough to fit yourself ,its made by crack of dawn

i load mine(on my own on to the roof of a 4 by 4 )and yes its heavy but doable

would i recomend it?well put it this way if i was looking to by now i would still chose the x-factor over all others

its a brilleant very well thought out fishing yak

[Karl K]

Like Nico I've got the Crack of Dawn Rudder (infact he told me how to fit it) - I still cocked it up! The instructions that come with the rudder are useless, but theres some info on the malibu webstite, not the greatest but will enable you to fit it yourself. The last time I paddled one the rudder made a big difference.

 

Personally I can't lift it onto the roof myself, but this is because of a neck and shoulder injury, i.e. its unlikey I could currently lift any Yak onto a car roof, I've got round this by getting the Kari Tek Easy Loader - hope to finish fitting it & post some pictures of it working this weekend.

 

If you are ever up this way you are more than welcome to try it out

[niko]

Like Nico I've got the Crack of Dawn Rudder (infact he told me how to fit it) - I still cocked it up! The instructions that come with the rudder are useless, but theres some info on the malibu webstite, not the greatest but will enable you to fit it yourself. The last time I paddled one the rudder made a big difference.

 

Personally I can't lift it onto the roof myself, but this is because of a neck and shoulder injury, i.e. its unlikey I could currently lift any Yak onto a car roof, I've got round this by getting the Kari Tek Easy Loader - hope to finish fitting it & post some pictures of it working this weekend.

 

If you are ever up this way you are more than welcome to try it out

hi carl ,hope all is well ,

whats this loader? tryed google it came up with nothing ,do you have a link?

[*Blaze*]

Thanks for the info guys ,I should be going to look at the X factor on Monday if all is ok I will go ahead and order one.

 

Should be able to catch a bit of the summer fishing once its rigged!

 

One more question , what length paddles are you guys using ? ie will I need a 220 or 230 due to the width.

 

Chris

[niko]

ive got the Tsunami Paddle it seems spot on lenght wise ,i think its 230 but you would have to check that mate ,

[Karl K]

Hi Nik,

 

I'm not the greatest with computers but the address / link is - http://www.kari-tek.co.uk/html/roof_racks.html, as I said earlier I should have it fiited to the car this weekend so I'll post some pics. I've got a 4x4 on order and the good news is that the same kit should fit.

 

Chris, I've got the same paddle as Niko

 

Cheers

Karl

[niko]

Hi Nik,

 

I'm not the greatest with computers but the address / link is - http://www.kari-tek.co.uk/html/roof_racks.html, as I said earlier I should have it fiited to the car this weekend so I'll post some pics. I've got a 4x4 on order and the good news is that the same kit should fit.

 

Chris, I've got the same paddle as Niko

 

Cheers

Karl

cheers karl ,get some pics up mate would be good to see the working parts