MikeinFresno

Well WayneP tells me Im wrong and need more time to figure out the unit cuz it should show arches well...conflicting info from two guys who seem to know...its on me now to figure it out...I do appreciate the help and info given on the various forums

cant really add to the advice, get a used quality yak is the way to go. I had 3 before I finally figured out what I wanted and then bought new.

standing, paddling longer distances and the seat are the issues I see that most yaks cant do all at once. Standing means wide and stable which usually counters fast...the newer lawn chair type seats make sooo much difference in the all day comfort and helping to eliminate sore low back issues.... since you also want to do rivers extra long is not so good either...I would look at the Jackson yaks for the seat, standing and paddling ease...I have a T13 also, and it is a great yak, but it has the old seat pad design and it isn't nearly as comfortable as my new Hobie Outback with the new seat... I could never go back from the seat, but I could paddle again and do without the Hobie drive.

well I just learned that the CHIRP eliminates the traditional shadow/arch that we are used to seeing and that fish are represented as dots instead. I found this to be true on Saturday while ocean fishing. I saw bait balls of sardines and up to 10" mackerel. The balls appeared as a large cluster of dots. I had seen the dots before in fresh water and didn't know this may have been fish.....I will look into this more the next time I get out, heck who knows, it may even be in the instruction manual.

My first new yak was the T13, still have it, its great....the older Tarpons are tippy, but lite and fast

I would say the same

the"glue" to hold down the foam doesn't matter to the TD and the TD does not shoot thru it. The TD is inserted in the pocket which should be cut out on the bottom so the TD has no interference, like thru the foam as mentioned above. The foam "pocket" is filled with water before each use and the TD pushed into the pocket to form a seal which traps the water under it. Silicon will work fine for a temp mount of the foam pocket.

I have now used my & several times in fresh water lakes. It works well and the vegetation really stands out with the unit. Have not had it in salt yet,. but will soon.

the older tarpons are lighter, narrower and tippy. I don't know the year change, but I had two used and got rid of them due to the ease of rolling over...they were light and fast tho.

a friend of mine was the local Minnkota dealer and service guy, he swears by the Trojan over others

if the yak is a SOT it should be stored upside down so it rests on the flat areas and not on the rounded bottoms. The other safe way is a sling of some sort, either on its side on the wall, from the ceiling or some form of a stand where it is positioned upright on its bottom with straps underneath. It should not be stored on the ground or a stand on its bottom or the bottom will most likely distort. If it does get the distortion on the bottom from improper support most times the dents or oil canning will come out if left out in the sun upside down for a while. In the pic above a yak will probly get a flat spot since they are not reinforced with the metal ribs like the canoe.

yes, but put some sort of a pad on the rails so the yak is protected and so that the yak has something to bite into when you strap it down. The plastic on metal bars will be slippery and the yak will wiggle or move, with a pad it will be snug. I use large diameter pool noodles and slit them to fit on the bars. Find them at the Dollar store this time of year for cheap.

with the pickup you can just slide it in and or get a bed extender at harbor Freight for cheap. The car you will need to get bars that go across the top from side to side to put the yak on upside down. There are also some inflatable heavy duty bags for this purpose, but most guys do not like them.

The older Tarpon 120 is a very unstable yak...make sure if you get one one of them it is no more than a few years old. There are several of us in the central valley area and two kayak fishing forums I am on for the area...NCKA and CCCK. I just got a new Hobie Outback and have had several others. Still have my Ocean Kayak T13...maybe we can fish together and you can use my spare. PM if interested.

you stow a pole on the side with the paddle retention device, bungee or clip

My first yak with a FF was old and had no TX hole/built in scupper mount. I used the Liberator arm. I made the entire unit removable with a plastic box for the battery. One large unit so to speak. Worked well, but was on the deck in the way. Over the side picked up weed and made an audible splash sound at times. Next yak had a built in scupper recess for the TX. Works great. No turning back. My latest also now has a LARGE scupper mount for the HDI style TX. I think thru hull is best if the yak has no scupper mount. Its easy to do and keeps stuff out of the way. Over the side may be easier, but it costs money to buy the arm whereas the thru hull is free.

is the card you are recording to good?

hey, I just got the blue tooth speaker too, gonna start having music from my phone to listen to

I have back issues-retired from a job over it, torn labrum and surgeries on both shoulders, left knee broken and repaired, am getting old at 58 and am only 5-9 tall. I find the Mirage gives me slight pinching feeling in one knee if I push too hard on the pedals, but no pain after Im done for the day. The new seat is a dream. The Outback with my physical issues is all I want to load on top of my rig and is a struggle at times. Back of the truck is no problem. I would agree to actually demo each yak you are considering before buying.

Ive got a Hobie Outback, just got the new 2015 with the new seat...WOW!!..what a difference in comfort and what a difference in fishability with my hands free compared to my Ocean Kayak T13. The Propel yak has bike pedals and goes in reverse, but in a head to head pull where you hook up a Hobie to a Propel back to back, the Hobie pulls the Propel around with ease. The Outback is all the yak that I would want to load by myself, cant imagine putting the Pro Angler on anything but a trailer. The Outback I can load in the back of the truck easily.

the motor has to be steered or the yak has to have a rudder. A rudder also helps in a drift for steering too. I have had paddle yaks without a rudder for a few years now. Always have to put fish rods down to correct heading by using the paddle. I now have a Hobie with pedals and a rudder. I found that the rudder is useful in more often than I thot it would be.

Ive got the 7, its big and Im using a ram ball mount...the 5 is probly a better size and I think uses the replaceable slide back mount so it may be easier to mount. Both work well. As to the scupper mount some yaks are designed for Lowrance or Humminbird and not both so, take that into consideration. I had an arm for my first FF and it caught the vegetation when I went thru it and made splashing sounds. I now use scupper mounts. If your yak has a good scupper recess for the transducer, damage is not an issue.

yes, it will work fine

mine has a manual turn valve by the right side of drivers seat to close the dump valve... on the dash it has a three position switch-fill and aerate, aerate with timer and off. If gets rid of overflow from the fill pump by going out a tube that is below the level of the top of the well.

had not thot about deploying issues