Kayak accessories

[N Florida Mike]

I just got a used 2 man kayak for 80.00 over the weekend. Had to try it out and caught a couple.The yak is very stable and easy to control.If y'all know some accessories to recommend I'd appreciate it.

[flyfisher]

what are you trying to accomplish with said accessories?  Pretty much anything you want is out there so if you have a problem yo are trying to solve it would be a good starting point for recommendations.

[Darren.]

agree with flyfisher, what specifically do you want 
to do with your new yak?

modify it with a crate, rod holders, anchor trolleys,
a trolling motor, etc.?

kind of yak would also be helpful as not all are very
easy to mod.

[MassYak85]

A picture of the kayak or something similar to what you have would be useful. You could always start out just mounting a couple rails, that way you can always add or remove whatever you want. Although it's hard to get the placement of the rails right before you actually know what you want. I would definitely recommend an anchor trolley if you fish in the wind a lot and or a stakeout pole if you are fishing shallower bodies of water. The best advice I can give is to just go out and fish out of the kayak without doing anything to it, and just think to yourself what you wish you had, and keep note. Then make a couple modifications and go out a few more times with those modifications and keep thinking how you can change the kayak to best fit your style of fishing. Some guys have a bunch of rod holders, some mount electronics, some mount trolling motors etc. etc. Just don't turn your kayak into swiss cheese before you are certain that you want to make a modification. Also keep in mind things like your paddle stroke. You don't want to be bumping into things you have mounted around the kayak while paddling. 

[N Florida Mike]

Thanks.I've only fished twice out of one.I know NOTHING about them.Its around 10- 12 feet.There's just not much room for anything but me,that I can reach anyway.Im sure some kind of rod holders would help.Just need some storage ideas I guess.

It was really cool to get out in it.I took it out for an hour or so, and it seemed harder and harder to paddle.I thought it was because I was going back against the wind.When I got back home I realized it was full of water.Then my grandson suggested that maybe it needed a plug.Duh!Why Tyler, I think it needs aplug my boy!Like  I said I know nothing about them!

[MassYak85]

Is it a sit on or sit in? As for storage many people use milkcrates or something similar to store some plano style tackle boxes. Many of the fishing orientated kayaks have a place to put a crate in them but I am not sure what yours looks like. 

[N Florida Mike]

Its a sit on.I'll try to post a pic.tomorrow.So far I just put a small bait bag between my legs in front of me

[flyfisher]

i have owned many kayaks over the years and my last purchase i went out close to a dozen times before i started mounting accessories.  I carry a lot of gear but i keep my rigging simple, less to go wrong and less to get in the way. 

[Darren.]

17 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

i have owned many kayaks over the years and my last purchase i went out close to a dozen times before i started mounting accessories.  I carry a lot of gear but i keep my rigging simple, less to go wrong and less to get in the way. 

Ditto. I still haven't stopped modding my yak after
years of owning it. I'm always looking to streamline
and simplify the outfitting. Less is more in many
cases.

[buzzed bait]

1 hour ago, flyfisher said:

i have owned many kayaks over the years and my last purchase i went out close to a dozen times before i started mounting accessories.  I carry a lot of gear but i keep my rigging simple, less to go wrong and less to get in the way. 

couldn't agree more!

[Choporoz]

20 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Well nuts....should be renamed "hell nuts" lol.  Rivets, rivets, rivets!  If you want to get fancy, Yakattack has rigging bullets, and the videos will show you how to use them in different situations, where you want to use a traditional screw/locknut fastener.  They're pretty cool.

I know this sounds hokey, but the "DIY" route is pretty much exactly the same as a pro install. Just that pro installer has done more than one.

I don't think we'll ever get to the point where things are "pre-configured," due to tight quarters.  Slide Trax on Wildy boats gets us pretty colse, though.

Last tip - a little silent traction material behind pulleys reduces the clanking on the hull problem.  Some pulleys, you can just put the silent traction right on them.

I put this stuff all over the place in my boats: http://www.harmonygear.com/products/4365/Harmony-Silent-Traction-Pads.html

 

 

From another thread, but I thought it better discussed here....just wondering if anyone has tried the budget route for 'silent traction material'?  I'm thinking this: http://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Basic-Crafts/Craft-Foam/Black-Self-Adhesive-EVA-Foam-Sheet/p/28642

Or even non-adhesive 1.5 or 2mm with some spray glue

[buzzed bait]

On 5/11/2016 at 10:22 AM, Choporoz said:

From another thread, but I thought it better discussed here....just wondering if anyone has tried the budget route for 'silent traction material'?  I'm thinking this: http://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Basic-Crafts/Craft-Foam/Black-Self-Adhesive-EVA-Foam-Sheet/p/28642

Or even non-adhesive 1.5 or 2mm with some spray glue

i haven't tried that Dave... i actually got the silent traction kit and used it and works great.... BUT even the 3M super duper spray adhesive stuff will come off after long exposure to water, at least that's been my experience with it.

[N Florida Mike]

Thanks for all the help.Still assessing what to add etc.

[MassYak85]

If you don't mind, a picture would still be pretty helpful. If I saw it I could at least tell you all the thing that I would add if it were mine. 

[N Florida Mike]

Here it is.Its a pelican

[MassYak85]

(I'm assuming you will be sitting in the back for the sake of this reply)

I'd start by deciding what is really important. Do you want to bring 5 rods? If so you will need to consider rod holders for all of them. How much tackle do you want to bring? A few hooks and some soft plastics or 6 plano boxes full of lures? Are you going to want to stand up? This kayak doesn't look wide enough to comfortably do that but you did say it was stable in the OP, so if you wanted to you could consider an outrigger set up. Do you want electronics? Do you want some sort of flag/light system to let people know where you are on larger bodies of water/at night (a smart idea)?

All things to consider.

But don't go crazy out of the gate and add 10 different mounts before you really get familiar with fishing out of your kayak. I think a good way to start would be to add a rail, anchor trolley, and something to hold your paddle while you are fishing. The anchor trolley will really come in handy fishing in the wind, and I also use mine in shallow ponds as a place to secure my stakeout pole. The rails will allow you to basically mix and match whatever you want and you can add as many or few accessories as you need to start, and if you find you need more room you can add another rail to the other side. Just consider when you are mounting ANYTHING your paddle stroke. Before you drill just sit down with your paddle and ask yourself if what you are about to mount is going to be in the way when paddling. If you are trying to keep things really simple the rails might even be overkill. A 12 inch rail on one side would allow you to add a few accessories and mix and match while figuring things out, but I don't know what you intend to add. And as far as paddle holders there are some simple kits that will hold your paddle on the side of the kayak out of the way (just make sure it won't interfere with an anchor trolley if you want to add one) while you fish. You don't want the wind blowing your paddle around or into the water if you have it just laying in your lap. 

If it was mine I would want some rails, some sort of way to hold 4 plano boxes in the front seat. A way to hold 4 rods and a net behind my seat (I'd probably make some sort of DIY PVC contraption), an anchor trolley, and a paddle holder. I'm still adding things to mine so I could go on and on but no need to go crazy, just some ideas. I would recommend Googling "Kayak modifications" and just looking at some of the things other people have done. I'm sure some of them will spark some ideas for you. 

Also, one thing that might not immediately come to mind when considering modifying your kayak is the actual paddle. The best thing I did in the past couple years was buy a decent paddle. It can turn miles of paddling from tiring to actually enjoyable. It's certainly not a requirement and most paddles will do just fine for kayak fishing but on larger bodies of water or rivers where you might be paddling more I would consider it. Oh and I almost forgot, the seat. I haven't sat in that kayak, but I used to own a kayak with a similar molded seat and it was not comfortable. Mounting a seat doesn't look like an easy option here but you can certainly add cushioning which will extend how long you can comfortably stay out on the water.

Have fun though, kayak fishing is a blast! 

[jbw252]

On 5/10/2016 at 9:46 AM, flyfisher said:

i have owned many kayaks over the years and my last purchase i went out close to a dozen times before i started mounting accessories.  I carry a lot of gear but i keep my rigging simple, less to go wrong and less to get in the way. 

Great sage advice there.  On another important note - get a comfortable PFD & wear it.  You can use the search feature to get some brand recommendations.