Whats the average SOG on one of these when you are cruising around?

SOG as in soak?

Can i have place of origin?

Can you use that in a sentence?

LOL sorry felt like i was speaking spelling b lingo.

Speed over ground


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The fastest I've hit is 15mph, which was yesterday in Lake LJ.

It was such an easy launch and landing with the small surf and a total blast being able to cover so much ground in just minutes. Even when the wind picked up for a couple hours after 11 am, moving around or trolling a live mac at engine idle and still going 1.8-2.1 mph. It was also the driest I have ever been compared to any of the kayaks I've used. Super fun! Incase you haven't guessed Nick, me and Bob (dsafety) went together yesterday, to LJ for the first surf launch on the Solo Skiffs, Bob in his Revo. One of the best parts, was coming in from the resrve boundry and going 6.5-8.5 mph and just riding in on top of a swell. It was almost like surfing it.

And the first YT off the skiff out at the Jewel. It was a dink, but I'll take it! Thank to Fish11-Mark for the sick shots!

90ft the YT were boiling, i started throwing the colt sniper while dragging my Carolina and Flyline and the flyline went off, called a few yaks In but they sunk out quick as could be!

Very cool, Congratulations! Now that the ice is broken, lets see some posts from the 9 mile bank!

Need a few buddies to get a custom to the skiff first, long ride, wanna have safety in numbers! Dont worry its coming!! I think OEX second batch of Skiffs is coming this week so more folks will be on board soon too!!

SOLO SKIFF Surf Launch at LJ 7-24-2020
 

Here's a video I put together of some of the gopro video I took of the first Solo Skiff surf launch at LJ. The surf is marginal as was forecast for most of last week, but that was also the day with less wind in the forecast. To me the higher wind is the thing that can make being out in deeper water less enjoyable. At least now I don't have to worry about fighting it while trying to make it back to shore at the end of the fishing day. This video doesn't have any fish porn (unfortunately), but hopefully that will change on coming trips. The Solo Skiff delivered everything I was hoping and more. It's SWEET and a BEAST
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RVKSdKm9eeA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2nd La Jolla surf launch on the Solo Skiff 7-28-2020
 

I took the Solo Skiff for it's second surf launch at La Jolla Shores on 7-28-2020. As happens a lot the Magicseaweed forecast was not that accurate. The forecast had surf as 1.3'-1.7' with 5 seconds intervals (not good, on the intervals) and the wind at 7-9 mph. The real conditions looked more like 2.5'-3.5' with 5 seconds intervals and the wind was more like 10 mph. First thing I thought, was well this is more of a real test of surf launch conditions and not like a lake. Got ready waded into knee deep water with the Solo, started the engine, short warm up and scan the sets to find a break in the sets. Waited out the larger sets and got one leg up ready to jump on, as the last wave hits it moved the skiff, just enough that my right leg was no longer under me and I fell over. Caught myself with my right arm in 2' water but felt stupid for falling over and getting my sweatshirt a little wet on the right side. After the next set I jump on wait for the next waves to hit so the water is deeper and engage the outboard in gear. Checking the oncoming set I hold just enough throttle to keep a little forward momentum and accelerate when I see the wave break in front and then power on through the sets coming up. The video is unedited and was a much more realistic test of a surf launch. A lot of the same things I have learned on the kayak launches applied to the Solo Skiff launch. The huge difference is having engine power to hold a spot or accelerated through the surf. Neither my Hobie Revo 13 or any of my other paddle kayaks had that advantage and required all the power you could produce to make it through the KILL ZONE. The landing was super easy again because of the power. I was not able to get video because all my gopros battery were dead. As I got to the surf zone I see a couple guys on Hobies checking the sets and waiting for the right time to try and land. I see that there's a break in the sets and as the last wave in the set passes I gun the engine and power on, as I get to what is about 2' I pull the emergency kill switch cord to kill the engine and the slide off the Solo in 2' of water, reach back and tilt the engine, go to the bow grab the handle and allow the small surf to swing the Solo around so the bow is facing the surf. I walk to the rear handle and as the small rollers hit the Solo, it allows me to slide the Solo up the sand and out of the water. The fishing was not good, made plenty of bait and trolled from 6:45 til 12:30 but no bites and did not see any good marks on the FF. The swell rollers and wind made it very rough at times, but after testing the Solo Mission Bay with all the messed up water from boats and personal watercraft and outside the the jetty, yesterday was actually easier out there. The rough water made it impossible to see any fish boils and bird activity was almost non-existent. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m3Rkl6aeMlg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Whew hoo! Mine finally arrived. Just a bit longer while they install the bait tank...

Can't wait to get this thing out on the water.

:party:

Did you request the switch for bait tank to be on the side of the hatch, if not i would. Your heel will hit it every time u go to reach for the bait, trust me.

Mark-

You riding your motor on the 4th tab here?

Yes, I tried the 3rd from the front on 2 trips to Mission Bay and found the bow was not raising enough for a good plane and had the bow catch a boat wake a couple times and it made the Solo over react to the steering and once it made a scary u-turn. The 3rd trip I set the engine trim pin in the 4th hole from the front and that was a huge improvement. Any more and the engine will hit the hull if turning the engine fully. 4th hole is the bomb from what I found.

In the last launch video once I got past the surf and I accelerated, I kept the speed down to under 10 mph mostly 9 mph just because of being inside the reserve.

Congratulations! The long agonizing wait is about over. Now comes the learning curve to get used to how it handles and learning that it's more stable then you think at the start, due to the high riding position. Have fun and see you out there.

Yes, I asked them to install on the left side. I figured it would be out of they way over there.

Solo Skiff Surf Landing at La Jolla
 

Here's a short video of surf landing my Solo Skiff at La Jolla on 8-3-2020. The surf was very small so it was not much of a challenge and didn't need to time the sets. The process is still the same but normally I slide of the Solo at 2'-3' and don't end up as far up the sand as this time. It made it harder to turn the skiff around to due to the receding water and the Solo dragging on the sand. Something messed up on the upload to utube, so I fixed the problem and re-uploaded the video. this should be OK, now. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mHQcrA2_lhA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Damn baby surf! Gotta love those days coming in. Did you just leave the engine in gear and allow the sand to push motor up? Im always worried something is going to ding the lower unit if i let it push off the ground.

Yes, the engine still in forward gear but pulled emergency leash to kill motor in I guess about 3'-4' of water, that way it's not running and if it hits sand before I can reach back and tilt it up, the engine prop won't get scratched up or suck any sand into the cooling system. That time the surf was so small, that I didn't need to Gun it as much as I did. That's why I ended up almost out of the water and it made it harder to spin the Solo around. Still trying to get used to that. Last week in larger surf it just flew over the set in front of me but I slid off in 2.5' of water, it was perfect.

SO, what do you think, Nick, should BWE make this thread a STICKY seeing it has over 10k views. JUST SAYING!

If I wak a fatty butt tomorrow I'm gonna press Brent. Hahaha JK

Hopefully some pics to share of the three of us with legals!! Continue to excitement!!

Nick, Fabian and me took our SOLO SKIFFs to San Diego Bay in search of some big fatty Halibut trolled the inside and then went around the jetty point to the Coronado bay area on the outside. We had multiple racked baits and caught many Spooties, Sand Bass and shorty Halibut. We just weren't able to find the big guys. I used a reverse dropper loop with three way swivel and a trailing treble hook. The funny thing is most of the bass I caught, were on that set up, the Hali I caught was on a fly lined Sardine. Had a great time till the big bay cruise ships, yachts and personal water craft turned the bay into a giant washing machine. So we called it a day somewhere around 2:30. Hoping the next trip produces the biggies.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wCwYpeACDQQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Who is going to be the first one to take one of these to Catalina?

GoPro First Video
 

I wasnt able to get a ton of footage, gopro lagged on my waterproof case and hat strap, plus fishing was dead. Current was ripping mid morning, nothing like the Jewel Lake you see here, but i did come across a juvenile GW (so i think), he would sink out if i approached and wanted nothing to do with the large shiny rapala. He did scare the shit out of me by running up on my stern, I heard a swoosh and notice his fin and a huge swell 2-3 foot from me.

Wish i was able o get that NatGeo shot. :cheers1:

https://youtu.be/DVWwfNYnRD0

It would be a blast to head to Catalina with three or four Solo's, fish all day and camp at Two Harbors and then fish a bit before heading back at 10 AM or so to avoid the wind.

Probably a 2 hour ride from San Pedro.

Someone was planning a kayak trip like this but I never saw a post if they really got it done.

I'd be interested...
 

Id be interested in a trip to Catalina... Do you think 3 gallons of fuel would be enough for the trip? I know my buddy Nelson would be in as well. Hey, might want to post on Facebook Solo Skiff as well... Mine was the Grey Solo Skiff in Nickworn's earlier photos.

3 gallons should be 60 miles or so. Catalina is 22ish miles from San Pedro.

Could always buy gas at the harbor. I am sure they have some for the bigger boats. Probably pay Disneyland prices but fishing in Catalina with a Solo, worth it!

After several trips to both bays and several out to La Jolla, I have to say this is a super fishing platform. It took a little getting used to , because I was not familiar with sitting up as high compared to my kayaks. The other factor is moving at a higher speed even when not full throttle the changes in direction happen so quick that, you have to learn to expect changes in lateral forces. I added a 9" Hobie H Rail to the starboard gunnel to help hold on. The rope from the bow was OK, but did not help in the side ways forces. Now I can hold onto the H Rail and stay stable over crossing waves, rollers or making turns. That and the time on the water has made it that I don't even need to look at boat wakes when drifting cause the Solo is so much more stable than any kayak i've used and even better so muck dryer of a ride. Love the speed of being able to cover water looking for bait or getting to bird action at a distance. Took my dog out to mission bay to get her used to the water and riding on the Solo Skiff. Once we got past the spray from the wind chop at speeds above 6 mph she started to relax and like even going out on the bow and didn't even get bothered when boat wakes came. Someday when she's more used to it and conditions make La Jolla like a lake as sometimes happens I'll even take her out there. Here's a video I put together from Wednesday. I also went out to La Jolla surf launched on Thursday and landed and released my first Yellowtail on the Solo Skiff. I you want to see that it's posted on the Fishing report section. If you visit my utube channel hit subscribe and you can see any future videos or from my library, past one that had a lot more Yellowtail action from the days when it was easy to almost get one on every trip.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IY9lzei3teI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Got my seat installed! What a difference. Thanks for the tip Nick I went with the offset installation.

Took my first fishing trip, after two check out/engine break in sessions and figured out where I wanted to put some things. Another check out fishing trip this Friday before I start drilling more holes in my new toy.

So far loving the mobility. Not loving the extra weight and transportation headaches with the engine but I am still figure it all out.

Can't wait to join the fleet down in SD!

Lobster Ready!
 

She's all set for Lobster Season!! They'll be able to see me from Space! #SafetyFirst

:cheers1:

:lobster::lobster::lobster::lobster::lobster:

Sweet I got all the lights and just about everything else. Unfortunately just don't have the $ for buying the hoop nets and harnesses right now, looks like everything else there must be shortages because there are no real discount deals on hoop nets and no used ones to be found. So I guess I will start a little later in the season. Good luck, Nick on the opener.

I just ordered a solo skiff from OEX.

Due in January.

Mark, I will be asking you many many questions in the next few months.

looks good!!

Way to go Chris. I love mine, everytime I use it at La Jolla (once or twice per week) I am more impressed at the stability and ability in the open ocean.

Thanks, Mark. I love your setup.

I was out lobstering with Mikey Sunday night where we both limited :lobster::lobster::lobster::lobster::lobster::lobs ter::lobster:

That Solo Skiff has so much more range and way faster, less impact on the body.

Congrats on the limiting on the lobster outing for you and Mikey. I planned it out so it's working smarter instead of working harder. The only real work is when loading and unloading, at home I made a cart that is equal in height to the truck bed and exender. That makes loading and unloading even easier than when I take out any of my kayaks. Since I made the ABS ramp and got the hand crank strap winch, at the beach unloading and loading are easier and quicker than when using my kayaks.

Mark, I like that cart.

At first, I thought you had a cart for the launch ramp which will shred your solo.

How are you dealing with the launch ramp road rash?

Mark,

I would love to see your ramp and wench set up as well.

That last 6 inches is a major B.

Thanks!

Opener!!
 

Got limits in 1.5 sets, sent plenty swimming on the last few hoops.

Buggzilla!!

:lobster::lobster::lobster: