Rate my kayaking setup

[Boomstick]

So I have kayaks on the way for myself and the kids! I have just about everything I need except the Harbor Freight trailer I was going to use to transport them as they were sold out until Tuesday.

 

My setup

Limited Edition tiki color Bonafide SS127 (just missed the BK-25 from Delaware Paddlesports, but they offered me a deal and on the rudder install)

Werner Camano Low Angle Paddle (I will probably get the equivalent high angle paddle at some point too so I can use it for smaller lakes)

YakAttack Rudder for the Bonafide

YakAttack Leverloc HD Anchor Trolley

Anchor Wizard Low Profile

3 track mounted rod holders

Blackpak

A Yak Attack net

 

My oldest son

Kaku Kayak Voodoo (I wanted to get him the Crescent SUP+ but every place was sold out of it)

Accept Ultimate Angler adjustable paddle -- designed for a high angle to accommodate the higher rowing positions)

30qt Engl ice chest / dry box with rod holders

Additional milk crate with rod holders

YakAttack Leverloc Anchor Trolley

Anchor Wizard Low Profile

2 additional track mounted rod holders

Track mount to mount the cooler or milk crate in the back (or both) with track mounted tie downs.

 

My youngest son

Old Town Topwater 12'

Bending Branches Angler Ace Adjustable paddl

YakAttack Leverloc HD Anchor Trolley

Anchor Wizard Low Profile

Blackpak

A Yak Attack net

 

I will add fish finders next year to offset the cost a little.

[Hook2Jaw]

I think you've done a great job outfitting yourself and sons with quality boats.  The only recommendation I can add is a stake out pole for each setup.  Being able to pin in place on a paddle kayak is a must for me.

[Sam]

Looks great!

 

But the only way we can actually tell if your setups are good is to take each kayak to the ramp, put it in the water, and turn it over. ?

[Boomstick]

1 hour ago, Hook2Jaw said:

I think you've done a great job outfitting yourself and sons with quality boats.  The only recommendation I can add is a stake out pole for each setup.  Being able to pin in place on a paddle kayak is a must for me.

I will likely add stake out poles by the end of this year. I initially went with just the anchor and anchor trolley because that at least gives me a base to start with and I figure I can install anchor trolleys right after building my trailer and getting that out of the way.

[Hook2Jaw]

3 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

I will likely add stake out poles by the end of this year. I initially went with just the anchor and anchor trolley because that at least gives me a base to start with and I figure I can install anchor trolleys right after building my trailer and getting that out of the way.

Nice.  It seems you have a lot of funds, it might be in your interest to tell your boys you have a bad shoulder for staking down and going with a Power Pole.  They are absolute game changers.

 

What fish finders are you considering?

[Boomstick]

1 minute ago, Hook2Jaw said:

Nice.  It seems you have a lot of funds, it might be in your interest to tell your boys you have a bad shoulder for staking down and going with a Power Pole.  They are absolute game changers.

 

What fish finders are you considering?

I've pretty much borrowed as much against savings right now as I'm going to allow myself to in case something goes bad and maybe a little more than I really feel comfortable with but I've saved for a while now to make this all happen.

 

As far as fish finders, I have to get my hands on a Raymarine still but I really liked the Garmins. I know they don't have the best picture but they're fairly affordable and the reason I like them is they are super easy to use.

[Hook2Jaw]

I think those two options are fine, but you might want to take a look at the Hummimbird Helix 5 if you need affordability and performance.  My best friend has some saved screenshots of fish in 3' of water.  Bird, in my opinion, has the best SI in the game if that's something that interests you.

 

 

 

Added the screenshot in, @Boomstick.

[Boomstick]

Oh that's pretty good! I always hear about the Lowrance HDS for image quality (and features), but at the same time I love the ease of use of the Garmins (the Helix would also fit in this category) and they're cheaper so I could get a larger model for less money as well, which honestly would probably be more important than the image quality itself on sunny days due to my inability to see anything in sun glare (or any kind of glare really). BPS had one hell of a spring sale this year, so if I see that next year I'm going to likely take advantge.

 

I still have time to figure out what I want. If the Vermont campgrounds don't open up this year, I may use the reservation money and grab one earlier. This is why I love these forums, it opens me up to other options. I'll probably also grab a fish finder for the boys for next XMas too, so perhaps I'll get them something different and we can see what we like.

[michaelb]

The kayaks sound awesome and very well rigged. I also want to see pictures of them on the trailer that you have to build up next heading to Vermont to fish. Are your lakes shallow generally to use power poles? i would think most small lakes (and large lakes) in Vermont are generally pretty deep quickly off shore.

[Ogandrews]

Blows mine out of the water. I fish out of a 12 ft field and stream sit in yak I bought for $100, have a $100 trolling motor mount I got off amazon that sticks in the rod holders, a 12 volt minkota I bought for $40 used and a probably 60lbs marine battery that I can run the motor for like 20 hours on with one charge. Got a cheap garmin striker that sits in my lap and the ducer screwed into the side. Definitely not a fancy or pretty setup, but it’s definitely been worth the money. Got a lake record northern last year that was .5 inches off the state record, and I even started doing a little yak guiding for northerns by borrowing a buddy’s when someone wanted me to take them out. Can’t really get myself to upgrade it, caught so many nice fish out of it that it would feel weird getting rid of it.

[Boomstick]

On 4/9/2020 at 4:59 PM, michaelb said:

The kayaks sound awesome and very well rigged. I also want to see pictures of them on the trailer that you have to build up next heading to Vermont to fish. Are your lakes shallow generally to use power poles? i would think most small lakes (and large lakes) in Vermont are generally pretty deep quickly off shore.

I plan on fishing Emerald Lake frequently which has some shallow areas to target but to be honest given that they have primarily smalies and I'm not fishing the frog, I would be more likely to park on the lily pads and fish alongside of them -- I've caught a few that way. Then there is Lake St. Catherine which has a lot of weeds in shallow areas I could use something like a Power Pole -- however I did get a rudder on the Bonafide which interferes with a power pole install but should assist with anchoring somewhat.

 

But like you said a lot of the lakes do get pretty deep pretty quickly. The other spot I would target at Emerald Lake I believe is around 70 ft deep with a steep drop so I'd anchor on the shore near that.

There are lakes like Lake Dunmore which is the clearest water I've ever fished and there's very little cover, but in that lake I usually go from dock to dock and skip docks there or look for bottom structure to target, but for the most part, skip docks so I allow myself to drift as I work a dock.

 

I have some other things I will want to buy too but this is why I'm going with just the anchor and anchor trolley setup for now. I have cheap orange Cabela's life vests and will like something more comfortable. We got my oldest son a comfy looking pocketed one for his bday but as soon as my bank account recovers I'm getting something similar for myself -- possibly the same one if I like it when it comes in. I also need some 3600 sized tackle trays that will fit in the blackpaks since the 3700 wont. I will likely carry my tackle bag in the truck and load a few 3650 dry boxes with the appropriate tackle for where I'm fishing on any given day but I only have one at the moment, which I use when I rent a boat for the same purpose.

[Boomstick]

On 4/9/2020 at 10:11 PM, Ogandrews said:

Blows mine out of the water. I fish out of a 12 ft field and stream sit in yak I bought for $100, have a $100 trolling motor mount I got off amazon that sticks in the rod holders, a 12 volt minkota I bought for $40 used and a probably 60lbs marine battery that I can run the motor for like 20 hours on with one charge. Got a cheap garmin striker that sits in my lap and the ducer screwed into the side. Definitely not a fancy or pretty setup, but it’s definitely been worth the money. Got a lake record northern last year that was .5 inches off the state record, and I even started doing a little yak guiding for northerns by borrowing a buddy’s when someone wanted me to take them out. Can’t really get myself to upgrade it, caught so many nice fish out of it that it would feel weird getting rid of it.

If it works it works! This is basically my bass boat. I have had a few obstacles with a bass boat -- finding a place to store it, my funds getting wiped out when I was diagnosed with cancer a couple years back etc. so I made sure to get something I was really going to be happy with because this is going to be our fishing platform for years to come since the boys will be in college pretty soon! Also I'm a fairly big guy so the Bonafide gives me extra confidence of not going overboard which was very important for me.

 

The Old Town Topwater was at a local store and it comes with 3 rod holders and cup holders and looked like a very nice fishing platform, and when I looked up reviews people really liked them so I got that for my youngest son and the Voodoo well it wasn't the SUP I intended, I actually wanted the Crescent SUP+ (they track real well) but they were sold out virtually everywhere and with the 15% off accessories I got from Austin Kayak, it paid for most of the difference and it should be stable enough and track well enough so that my oldest son should be able to fish with us without any added difficulties as many SUPs don't track too well. I would have considered getting my youngest a Predator, he's small but he's also a beast of a rower -- I'd never be able to keep up.

[flyfisher]

Good setups for sure. I’m not a fan or harbor freight trailers myself as I’ve read a lot of horror stories. I prefer prose built trailers, especially ones that are rated for speeds above 45mph. 

[SuperDuty]

Yeah sounds like you got some nice yaks there. I’m sure everyone will be really happy with them. I bought the old town topwater a couple weeks ago and absolutely love it. I started off with a cheap $50 paddle and absolutely hated it so I upgraded to a Bending Branches pro paddle and wow, night and day difference. The topwater is extremely stable and has a ton of storage, paddles easy and tracks very well. I couldn’t have picked a better yak for my needs. The anchor trolly is an absolute must on the yak tho. 

[Boomstick]

Well so far I have 2/3 kayaks, still waiting for the Kaku Voodoo to arrive.

I will say the Topwater is definitely priced right and well equipped and pretty much ready to fish out of the box. I will say if I got one for myself, I'd also be very happy with it. At the same time the little things they thought of on the Bonafide SS127 are amazing, from seat adjustments do the storage layouts. This has been my realistically obtained dream kayak for some years now. The YakAttack SwingBlade rudder installed so cleanly that I'm surprised it was not a Bonafide provided option as well - Delaware Paddlesports installed it before they shipped it to me, since I'm a little antsy about doing a major project like that and they did a wonderful job.

On 4/10/2020 at 8:08 PM, flyfisher said:

Good setups for sure. I’m not a fan or harbor freight trailers myself as I’ve read a lot of horror stories. I prefer prose built trailers, especially ones that are rated for speeds above 45mph. 

What would you recommend?

 

Currently the only Harbor Freight store within a 3 hour drive with an appropriate trailer in stock as of two days ago is almost two hours away from me and  by the time I can even get there due to shorter hours and work, I'm sure it will be sold. Northern Tool will ship a similar but much more expensive Ironton trailer but they are sold out. Amazon has an even more expensive alternative.

 

So I am seriously considering going with a Yakima Rack and Roll 78". I would probably want to finance it to keep some cash in the bank but I've heard others put a lot of miles on theirs and they can handle 85mph. It's a bit of a price hike though for sure. Ideally, I would load the Kaku Voodoo in the back of my truck, either out of the tailgate or over the roof and tied down but if not I will have to buy 3 kayak racks and mount them that way.

[Tizi]

1 hour ago, Boomstick said:

Well so far I have 2/3 kayaks, still waiting for the Kaku Voodoo to arrive.

I will say the Topwater is definitely priced right and well equipped and pretty much ready to fish out of the box. I will say if I got one for myself, I'd also be very happy with it. At the same time the little things they thought of on the Bonafide SS127 are amazing, from seat adjustments do the storage layouts. This has been my realistically obtained dream kayak for some years now. The YakAttack SwingBlade rudder installed so cleanly that I'm surprised it was not a Bonafide provided option as well - Delaware Paddlesports installed it before they shipped it to me, since I'm a little antsy about doing a major project like that and they did a wonderful job.

What would you recommend?

 

Currently the only Harbor Freight store within a 3 hour drive with an appropriate trailer in stock as of two days ago is almost two hours away from me and  by the time I can even get there due to shorter hours and work, I'm sure it will be sold. Northern Tool will ship a similar but much more expensive Ironton trailer but they are sold out. Amazon has an even more expensive alternative.

 

So I am seriously considering going with a Yakima Rack and Roll 78". I would probably want to finance it to keep some cash in the bank but I know Chad Hoover put a ton of miles on his and I've heard others do as well and they can handle 85mph. It's a bit of a price hike though for sure. Ideally, I would load the Kaku Voodoo in the back of my truck, either out of the tailgate or over the roof and tied down but if not I will have to buy 3 kayak racks and mount them that way.

I love my Topwater.  For the money, one of the best out there for a pedal drive.

[flyfisher]

When i got my trailer i looked at the yakima rack and roll and ended up getting a sports rig trailer.  Same basic idea of a cartop rack on wheels but i liked that it was made in the USA and it could carry more weight.  I think the rack and roll is only rated to like 250lbs and if you upgrade the shocks it is at 350lb where the sports rig is rated up to 450.  With you hauling 3 kayaks, you will be past that 250 rating.  

The reason i went with a purpose built trailer is the design aspects.  it is made to do what i want it to do.  The independent suspension works flawlessly and i have no fears on the highway of the trailer having issues.  I know the Yakima trailer is a nice one too and i don't think you would be disappointed with it either.  I have had my trailer for 4 or 5 years now and have had no issues at all.  They are also a good company to work with.  When mine was shipped they had some foam they sprayed in to help fusion it but it got on the frame, purely a cosmetic issue but they offered to replace it or give me a bunch of accessories, so i took the accessories option.  

Another plus is both the yakima and the sports rig are light enough to be moved by hand.  I use mine almost as a cart because backing it up isn't easy given how short it is.  

 

 

[Boomstick]

1 hour ago, flyfisher said:

When i got my trailer i looked at the yakima rack and roll and ended up getting a sports rig trailer.  Same basic idea of a cartop rack on wheels but i liked that it was made in the USA and it could carry more weight.  I think the rack and roll is only rated to like 250lbs and if you upgrade the shocks it is at 350lb where the sports rig is rated up to 450.  With you hauling 3 kayaks, you will be past that 250 rating.  

The reason i went with a purpose built trailer is the design aspects.  it is made to do what i want it to do.  The independent suspension works flawlessly and i have no fears on the highway of the trailer having issues.  I know the Yakima trailer is a nice one too and i don't think you would be disappointed with it either.  I have had my trailer for 4 or 5 years now and have had no issues at all.  They are also a good company to work with.  When mine was shipped they had some foam they sprayed in to help fusion it but it got on the frame, purely a cosmetic issue but they offered to replace it or give me a bunch of accessories, so i took the accessories option.  

Another plus is both the yakima and the sports rig are light enough to be moved by hand.  I use mine almost as a cart because backing it up isn't easy given how short it is.  

 

 

That's what I like about the Yakima! There is a lake I will fish a lot where I have to carry the kayaks quite a ways and it will serve as a cart for me and it should be quite easy to load. My kayak weight total is 253lbs, so barely over the 250lb capacity.

 

I should be able to carry the Kaku Voodoo in my truck bed most of the time. I won't know how well it sits in there until I get it, but I'm fairly confident that will work. If I can't manage to store it in the bed of the truck with the tailgate closed, I might have to find a way to get it on the trailer when camping. I also have to be able to carry it up my hill because my road is barely wider than my truck, so I will have to carry it up the hill by hand, so that rules out snowmobile trailers -- just too heavy!

 

The Sports Rig Adventure XL looks absolutely perfect and gives me an extra level. The only downside is a 3-4 week ship time. I'll be on the water 3-4 times a week by then.

[flyfisher]

they have since made some upgrades to the trailers and the new ones are looking pretty good i have to admit.  I have the cage for mine and i don't even use it anymore but i wonder if you could use one and slide the Kaku underneath the other boats.  You can aways go with cradles and fit way more than 3 on there anyways.  

[Boomstick]

15 hours ago, flyfisher said:

they have since made some upgrades to the trailers and the new ones are looking pretty good i have to admit.  I have the cage for mine and i don't even use it anymore but i wonder if you could use one and slide the Kaku underneath the other boats.  You can aways go with cradles and fit way more than 3 on there anyways.  

Yeah. On a side note if I get a one level trailer like a rack and roll, I should be able to stack the Voodoo and another kayak I would just have to remove everything from it so it's perfectly flat. I only need to store all 3 on the trailer when camping and trying to carry all of my camping gear.

And there's always the cradles/racks too, just the good ones that will mount a smaller bar are expensive.

[flyfisher]

4 hours ago, Boomstick said:

Yeah. On a side note if I get a one level trailer like a rack and roll, I should be able to stack the Voodoo and another kayak I would just have to remove everything from it so it's perfectly flat. I only need to store all 3 on the trailer when camping and trying to carry all of my camping gear.

And there's always the cradles/racks too, just the good ones that will mount a smaller bar are expensive.

Removing everything from the Voodoo would be a pain.  I'd probably just get one or two j cradles and put the paddle board in the middle or something.  You may even be able to just get one cradle and have the others side by side.  I use my trailer for storage too by the way...i put 4" PVC pipe as runners and have them spaced out so there is no additional support needed.  I just loosen the straps when i get home and when i am ready to head out again, i just tighten everything down and go.

[Boomstick]

3 hours ago, flyfisher said:

Removing everything from the Voodoo would be a pain.  I'd probably just get one or two j cradles and put the paddle board in the middle or something.  You may even be able to just get one cradle and have the others side by side.  I use my trailer for storage too by the way...i put 4" PVC pipe as runners and have them spaced out so there is no additional support needed.  I just loosen the straps when i get home and when i am ready to head out again, i just tighten everything down and go.

Yup it would be a pain but the only time I need to do that would be camping too -- specifically camping this year if it happens when I don't want to spend more money right away 

I think I am going to look at one of those PVC rod holders to throw on the trailer too at some point.

[flyfisher]

12 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

Yup it would be a pain but the only time I need to do that would be camping too -- specifically camping this year if it happens when I don't want to spend more money right away 

I think I am going to look at one of those PVC rod holders to throw on the trailer too at some point.

i use a yakima ski rack for my rods and it works great and the rods aren't banging around into each other in a tube.  

[michaelb]

11 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

i use a yakima ski rack for my rods and it works great and the rods aren't banging around into each other in a tube.  

I just rebuilt my kayak trailer using yakima bars I had from long ago, and had been thinking about mounting old ski racks I have on the bars next to the kayak. It seems like a great way to repurpose stuff and so I am happy to hear you like how that works.

[flyfisher]

Just make sure when you put the rods in there you aren't cranking down on an eye and also use rod socks to prevent any road stuff from chipping them.  I probably should use reel covers too but i don't have them so i haven't.

I know Yakima just came out with a lockable box with rod storage on the inside too.  Too expensive for what it is for me but it is pretty cool stuff.